National Fire Research Foundation launches smoke hazard study
A two-year study aimed at answering the questions “If, when, and how would fire gases cause fire victims and firefighters to be incapacitated?” has recently begun. The private/public fire research initiative is spearheaded by the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Technical guidance will be provided by the National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) Building & Fire Research Laboratory, an institute of the U.S. Department of Commerce.
According to Foundation President Rick Mulhaupt, safety measures to curtail fire-caused incapacitation and health effects were first introduced in the European Community, which brought the regulation before the International Standards Organization (ISO). However, Mulhaupt says, regulators need more information on which to base their decisions. Knowledge and data in this area are virtually nonexistent. “Presently,” he explains, “no one can tell whether the policy would help or hurt public and firefighter safety or building and furnishings fire safety. Proposing the regulation in the ISO puts fire safety questions in the middle of international trade considerations, with potentially far-reaching consequences. There is an urgent need for scientific data.”
Federal support for the project is anticipated through NIST. A significant number of U.S. companies and associations have indicated an interest in funding up to $1 million of this consortium-sponsored proj-ect, according to the Foundation.
