Study on the limit of moisture content of smouldering humus during sub-surface fires in the boreal forests of China

A sub-surface forest fire is a kind of fire that spreads slowly with no flames and lower temperatures, and threatens the ecosystem and human life. The moisture content of humus is considered to be an important factor in determining fire occurrence and sustaining. The humus of the Larix gmelinii in the Daxing’an Mountains was selected for the experiment, the limit moisture content condition of sub-surface forest fires was determined by an experiment simulating smoldering, and the prediction model of the probability of sub-surface forest fire occurrence was established. The results will be of great significance for the prevention, monitoring, and fighting of sub-surface forest fires in the boreal forest. The results showed that when the moisture content of humus in the upper layer was low, the smoldering process could be self-sustaining at 20%. For deeper layers of a depth of 18 cm, this increased to 30% moisture content of the humus and was the critical depth for sub-surface fires. The moisture content of 40% was a limit to burning where smoldering can only last for a short duration and is then extinguished. When the moisture content of the humus was 20%, the smoldering temperature was higher and the rate of spread was faster, with smoldering being maintained for longer periods at 30% moisture content. The regression prediction model of the highest temperature and vertical rate of spread in a column of humus was correlated to moisture content and depth, and the model significance was good at p < 0.01. Based on moisture content and depth, the occurrence probability prediction model of sub-surface fires has a good correlation (R 2 = 0.93) and high prediction accuracy (AUC = 0.995). The effect of moisture content (Or = 4.008) on the occurrence probability of sub-surface fires is higher than that of depth (Or = 2.948). The results point out that it is necessary to prevent and monitor the occurrence of sub-surface fires when the humus moisture content is less than 40%. In order to reduce the risk of sub-surface fires, the monitoring time of the fire field should be extended after the fire is extinguished due to the slowburning process of the sub-surface fire. Increasing the moisture content of the humus is an important method to reduce the probability and restrain the spread of sub-surface fires

Effect of interlayer materials on fire performance of laminated glass used in high-rise building : cone calorimeter testing

Laminated glass is prominently used nowadays as building construction material in the façade and architectural glazing of high‐rise buildings. On the other hand, the fire safety of the high‐ rise building with laminated glass is also receiving more attention from the fire safety regulatory authorities and researchers due to recent fire incidents. Different interlayer polymeric materials are used in modern laminated glass to prevent the breakage of the glass façade, which can also increase the fire risk through a lower ignition time, and higher heat release and smoke production. Therefore, further research is required to understand the fire behaviour of laminated glass. In this study, the fire performance of the laminated glass has been investigated using cone calorimeter testing and the effect of different parameters such as glass thickness (6, 10, 12 mm), interlayer materials (PVB, SGP and EVA) and heat flux (25, 50 and 75 kW/m2) on the fire behaviour of laminated glass has been studied. It is found that the glass thickness, interlayer material and heat flux can significantly influ‐ ence the reaction‐to‐fire properties such as peak heat release rate (pHRR), total heat release, time to ignition, and smoke production of laminated glass. In addition, total smoke production (TSP) is also very high for PVB (3.146 m2) and SGP (3.898 m2) laminated glass compared to EVA (0.401 m2) lam‐ inated glass and it is affected by these parameters. Finally, a simplified equation is developed to predict the pHRR of laminated glass by correlating the mass loss and external heat flux

Numerical investigations on the influencing factors of rapid fire spread of flammable cladding in a high-rise building

This paper investigates aluminium composite panels (ACPs) to understand the fire behaviour of combustible cladding systems under different fire scenarios. A fire dynamics simulator (FDS) is used to develop the numerical model of full-scale fire tests of combustible cladding systems using the procedures of the British BS 8414.1 standards. The results obtained from the FDS models are verified with test data. Seven test scenarios are investigated with four distinct parameters, i.e., cavity barrier, air-cavity gap, panel mounting (with and without joining gaps between the panels), and material combustibility qualities. A critical air-cavity gap (50–100 mm) is established at which maximum fire spread is noticed. Furthermore, variations in the cavity barrier, panel mounting, and material combustibility significantly impact the rapid fire spread of ACP cladding systems and the internal failure criterion. The results from the present study can serve as a basis for future research on the full-scale fire-test development of combustible ACPs

Fire behaviour of insulation panels commonly used in high-rise buildings

The energy efficiency of buildings drives the replacement of traditional construction materials with lightweight insulating materials. However, energy-efficient but combustible insulation might contribute to the building’s fire load. Therefore, it is necessary to analyse the reaction-to-fire properties of various insulating materials to provide a better understanding of designing a fire-safe structure. In this study, reaction-to-fire tests were carried out to assess the fire behaviour of lightweight polystyrene insulating panels commonly employed in high-rise buildings. The flammability characteristics of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) were determined using a cone calorimeter under two distinct external irradiance regimes, 35 kW/m2 and 50 kW/m2, to approximate small to medium fire exposure situations. To investigate the effect of a fire-rated (FR) foil layer on a sandwich panel, three distinct test configurations were used: (i) sample without FR layer (standard sample), (ii) sample with FR layer (FR foil), and (iii) damaged layer (foil and vent) for EPS. Except for the smoke toxicity index (STI), the overall fire performance of EPS is superior to that of XPS. The findings of this study are useful in analysing fire performance and fire safety design for lightweight insulation panels

Fire incidents, trends, and risk mitigation framework of electrical vehicle cars in Australia

Electric Vehicles (EVs) offer a promising solution to reduce the environmental impact compared to internal combustion engine vehicles. However, EV adoption in Australia has been hindered by concerns over fire safety. This study aims to comprehensively analyse EV fire risks and trends in Australia, including those related to charging stations and lithium-ion batteries. The research utilises secondary data from various reputable sources to develop statistical forecasting models, which estimate that Australia will have approximately 1.73 million EVs by 2030 and 15.8 million by 2050. The study reveals an average EV fire frequency of six fires per million EVs in Australia, aligning with the global average. Consequently, Australia is expected to experience 9 to 10 EV fire incidents annually in 2030, 37 to 42 EV fire incidents annually in 2040, and 84 to 95 EV fire incidents annually in 2050. To address these risks, an EV fire risk control framework is considered to identify and recommend appropriate measures for life safety, lithium-ion batteries, charging, EV handling, and EV locations. This research provides vital evidence for regulators, policymakers, and the fire industry to effectively manage EV fire risks and enhance preparedness for the growing EV market in Australia

Bushfire protection

Bushfire has been part of the Australian natural environment for thousands of years. The bushland and grassland environments have adapted to fire, and some plants, animals, and ecosystems rely on bushfire for their lifecycles. But bushfires can have devastating effects on human communities. Human and natural systems are damaged by frequent and intense bushfire, and many people have lost their lives, homes, businesses, and community infrastructure to fire. In January 2003, 4 people died and 470 homes were lost in the Canberra fires. During the Black Saturday fires of 2009, 173 people died. In the 2019–20 fire season, some 12 million hectares of land were burnt, 34 people died and over 3100 homes were lost (in more than 100 local government areas), with many more severely damaged. The Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements (Commonwealth of Australia, 2020) identified that “the likelihood of increases in the severity and frequency of natural hazards should be taken into account in land-use planning and building decisions”. Landuse planning and building regulations can influence the exposure of structures and communities to natural hazard risks. Bushfire events vary greatly in impact. Most bushfires occur in the remote areas of Australia and have little impact on communities or people’s homes. However, in the south-east and southwest of Australia, bushfires tend to have higher impacts because many densely populated areas are close to bushfire prone areas

Hazards at Work: A Guide to Health and Safety in Australian Workplaces

Hazards at Work analyses the main hazards encountered in Australian workplaces. The underlying causes of health and safety hazards are identified and the resources needed to prevent and control them are described. The book summarises current OHS legislation throughout Australia. It details safe working procedures, the role of workplace committees and specific workers at risk, and stresses the importance of cooperation and consultation in all OHS matters

Design bushfire selection for bushfire protection in adaptation to global warming

In this article, a risk based approach to design for bushfire protection in view of adaptation to global warming is discussed. The concept of design bushfire is explained in an analogy to design flood or design earthquake in terms of event of prescribed return period. In lieu of using the Global Climate Model, the current study is based on the analysis of historical fire weather data from multiple locations in a state wide region. The generalized extreme value (GEV) analysis method is employed to establish the recurrence models for predicting the fire weather index of given return period and the associated fire intensity. To examine the impacts of the climate change, a moving GEV method is utilized to the weather data records over the period of 44 years. The result demonstrated a heterogeneity in the impact of climate change in terms of a given recurrence fire danger index and the potential bushfire severity over the region studied. The implication of this outcome is that the traditional prescriptive approach to design for bushfire protection may not be suited for adaptation to climate change

Partnership pedagogy pathways for the fire protection industry into mainstream post-graduate programs

In Australia, the fire protection industry provides an essential service in the safety of residences and workplaces from the potential impacts of building fires. The industry is characterised by many thousands of small-medium enterprises. The professional industry body is the Fire Protection Association of Australia which has a national reach of 1,500 businesses with a cohort of 30,000 individuals who are serving the fire protection industry. Government inquires and reviews have consistently identified the need for improved education and compliance for the building sector and for fire safety design in particular. From October 2017, the NSW government introduced requirements for competent persons to operate under a fair trading regulatory model within the fire protection industry. The existing cohort is largely trade qualified and the intention of the regulator is to provide for industry to accredit fire safety practitioners in areas of design, installation, servicing and auditing or fire safety systems in buildings. Western Sydney University has embarked on a blended learning platform for the delivery of three core industry competencies to support industry standards and as a pathway to entry into a possible fire safety design postgraduate program based on demonstrated knowledge and workplace experience. This project aims to develop a platform in collaboration with the FPAA and NSW Fire and Rescue using a collaborative and partnership pedagogy framework in which the FPAA and Western Sydney University will provide a micro-credential which can be used in conjunction with other formal training in support of regulatory expectations and industry needs. This project also illustrates that this sort of program can be used to improve the knowledge and understanding of other professionals in the building sector including architects, engineers, building managers and certifiers