Fire Protection and Life Safety Engineering Analysis- Center for Science and Mathematics

The Life Safety and Fire Protection systems in Cal Poly’s Center for Science and Mathematics (CSM) were analyzed and evaluated in this project, according to the requirements of the applicable codes and pertinent standards. The evaluation was conducted through a prescriptive-based approach, in conjunction with a performance-based approach. On one hand, the prescriptive-based approach considered the analysis of the Structural Fire Protection and Means of Egress in the building and the existing Fire Detection/Alarm and Fire Suppression Systems. On the other hand, the performance-based approach included an Egress Analysis, which assessed the Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) and the Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) for the occupants to evacuate the building’s atrium safely in the event of a fire. The Egress Analysis was performed using hand calculations and the PATHFINDER computer software, along with data collected from previous studies. The tenability conditions within the building’s atrium were evaluated for different fire scenarios and smoke management alternatives, using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software. Finally, some recommendations were appended to improve the performance of the fire safety systems, based upon the outcomes and conclusions obtained in this report

Using Computational Fluid Dynamics in the forensic analysis of a prison fire

On the 8th of December of 2010 a fire killed 81 inmates in a Chilean prison. While the collected evidence (including eye witness’ accounts) indicated an intentional fire, started by a group of inmates who were fighting against another group and who ignited a mattress and threw it over a bunk bed inside the cell, it could not be established how fast the fire grew and whether the prison guards acted promptly enough to prevent the tragedy. In this context, the public defender office in charge of the case requested an independent investigation in order to determine the approximated time the fire started, and the temperature evolution of the padlocks at the cell doors during the initial stage, based on the construction characteristics of the prison, the existing materials and the evidence collected during the investigation. Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) were used to analyse the movement of the smoke and to match the first appearance of smoke on CCTV recordings at locations away from the fire, allowing for the estimation of the time-line of events. The padlock temperatures as a result of hot gases from the fire was also simulated. It was shown that the fire grew quickly and became uncontrollable before the guards could intervene. By the time the guards arrived at the cells’ door, the padlocks were shown to be too hot to be handled without protection