Institution of Fire EngineersPresident's Update
International President's Desk
August/September 2010
I WOULD like to thank all those who organised and attended the recent IFE annual general meeting (AGM) and conference in London. It was a very successful event, and I hope all those who attended feel the same. The conference initiated my theme of Fire engineering to improve sustainability of communities and we were privileged to have a range of outstanding presentations. I would like to thank the Institution's staff, in particular Sarah Simpson, Jim Robson and Lisa Cooper, for their excellent management of the event. I would also like to thank the sponsors and exhibitors for their generous support. Key issues There is a conference report in the August/September edition of FRM, but I would like to reflect on some of the key issues raised. We heard about the campaign to increase the usage of wool and the potential impact this would have if applied to carpets and furnishings, with reduced speed of fire spread and reductions in toxic gases released on heating. If wool was more frequently used, then the risks to occupants in a fire would be reduced. We had two presentations on the impact of installed fire protection on the lifetime carbon emissions of buildings, which provided different viewpoints - one that installing protection decreases the overall carbon emissions, the other that further work is needed. My own view is that it is unacceptable for buildings to be allowed to burn or sustain huge damage, once buildings are safely and quickly evacuated. The sustainability objectives of communities make this more unacceptable. There were several presentations covering timber-framed buildings. All recognised that the principal fire exposure problem occurs during construction, but also noted that there are issues with the standards for cavity barriers, which are leading to fires burrowing through building frames and making firefighting extremely difficult. We must ensure that the barriers and installations are effective to keep fires small. We also heard about multi-storey timber-framed residential buildings using lighter weight timber, with increased speed of fire spread and associated heat release. These affect evacuation and firefighting, and make it essential for active fire protection to be installed. Fire retardants were discussed and it is clear that the emissions from heated materials that have been treated are unacceptable from toxicity and environmental perspectives. However, like asbestos and halon replacements, less-toxic fire retardants are not as effective in fire. Therefore, additional fire protection measures may have to be introduced to maintain an acceptable level of fire safety. We also heard about initiatives in the UK to build more sustainable fire stations for the fire and rescue services. There are very interesting ideas here, which show what can be done. Building sustainably usually involves using recyclable materials such as timber and natural fibres. The buildings are better sealed to avoid costly heat emissions. All of these factors will generate different fire growth patterns, which will affect the appropriate fire safety and protection methods- more buildings will be constructed of sustainable (usually combustible) construction
- fire is hardly mentioned in UK Government guides on sustainability
- there is (in the UK) a continued thrust for new, high-cost and iconic buildings, as well as refurbished buildings, to have the minimum of fire protection installed, using performance-based design methods to ensure safe evacuation, but leaving the evacuated building to the fre and rescue services to save. That puts a hazardous burden on the fire service
I am starting my presidential visits with the USA Branch on 26-28 August, where I will be presenting at the Branch's AGM in Chicago and visiting the International Association of Fire Chiefs exhibition. I look forward to meeting our US colleagues and to hear more about their highly successful Vision 20/20 programme
John Woodcock BSc(Eng), CEng, FIFireE