Fire Safety

Advancing Fire Safety Science to Protect People and Property

The UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI) collaborates with the global fire service to generate and share life-saving fire safety science knowledge that firefighters use every day to make better decisions in the line of duty.

Fire safety: Our commitment

Guided by a global advisory board comprised of fire service personnel, UL FSRI investigates residential, commercial and industrial fires through full-scale testing, field-testing and modeling to replicate actual fire ground conditions faced by firefighters. Research results are vetted through academic and peer review, published in journals and as digital content and transformed into e-learning and face-to-face training courses that have reached hundreds of thousands of firefighters globally. UL FSRI further convenes fire service and other stakeholders with varied health and fire safety interests to raise awareness of issues and disseminate research findings on topics such as usage of specific firefighting tactics.

Improving firefighting strategies and practices through research

The UL FSRI focus on fire safety serves the UL mission by providing independent research knowledge and training for the fire science community around the world to protect people and property.

UL FSRI is dedicated to increasing firefighter knowledge to advance safety

Working in partnership with the fire service, research departments and agencies, UL FSRI executes cutting-edge firefighter research and makes the results widely available to the global fire community. With a team of pioneering experts and access to UL’s leading infrastructure, equipment, vast knowledge and insights, UL FSRI conducts and disseminates cutting-edge research and training programs that focus on the changing dynamics of residential, commercial and industrial fires and the impact they have on the fire service tactics and strategies.

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Studying the Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction

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Studying the Effectiveness of Fire Service Vertical Ventilation and Suppression Tactics

Featured

Studying the Impact of Ventilation on Fire Patterns

Featured

Studying the Impact of Fire Attack Methods on Firefighter Safety and Occupant Survival

Featured

Assessing the Cardiovascular and Chemical Risks Faced by Firefighters

Featured

Studying the Impact of Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) During Fire Attacks

Fire Safety

Type

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

During the past decade, the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute has conducted research examining fire-fighting tactics. This research found that factors such as construction materials, contents, size, and geometry have a significant impact on residential structure fires. These factors also impact fire investigation. Today’s fires are predominantly fueled by synthetic contents and commonly become ventilation-limited, meaning that how and where the fire receives oxygen impacts the fire dynamics and subsequent fire patterns. This presentation will examine the changes that have occurred on the fire scene through comparisons of furnishings made with natural materials and furnishing composed of synthetic materials. Additionally, we will review fire dynamics basics and flow paths to prepare for examining results from a series of full-scale house experiments. The experiments examined the changes in fire patterns relative to the changes in ventilation. The structures built for the study included a 1,200 sq. ft. one-story ranch structure and a 3,200 sq. ft. two-story colonial. The colonial had an open design floor plan, which included a two-story family room and open foyer. The results from the full-scale experiments demonstrate how “two points of origin” may be generated from a single point of origin. The experiments were planned with the assistance of a technical panel that included members of ATF, IAAI, NAFI, NASFM, NIST, NIST OSAC, and NFPA 921. The test scenarios ranged from fires in the structures with no exterior ventilation to room fires with flow paths that connected the fires with remote intake and exhaust vents throughout the structures. This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice. Detailed Learning Objectives: 1) To understand the difference between a fuel controlled fire and a ventilation controlled fires. 2) To understand the definition of flow path with regard to structure fires and how this impacts where flaming combustion can exist. 3) To understand the relationship of oxygen availability to fire damage in different areas of the structures. Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence event has been provided by the National Institute of Justice.

Online
Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Fire Safety

During the past decade, the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute has conducted research examining fire-fighting tactics. This research found that factors such as construction materials, contents, size, and geometry have a significant impact on residential structure fires. These factors also impact fire investigation. Today’s fires are predominantly fueled by synthetic contents and commonly become ventilation-limited, meaning that how and where the fire receives oxygen impacts the fire dynamics and subsequent fire patterns. This presentation will examine the changes that have occurred on the fire scene through comparisons of furnishings made with natural materials and furnishing composed of synthetic materials. Additionally, we will review fire dynamics basics and flow paths to prepare for examining results from a series of full-scale house experiments. The experiments examined the changes in fire patterns relative to the changes in ventilation. The structures built for the study included a 1,200 sq. ft. one-story ranch structure and a 3,200 sq. ft. two-story colonial. The colonial had an open design floor plan, which included a two-story family room and open foyer. The results from the full-scale experiments demonstrate how “two points of origin” may be generated from a single point of origin. The experiments were planned with the assistance of a technical panel that included members of ATF, IAAI, NAFI, NASFM, NIST, NIST OSAC, and NFPA 921. The test scenarios ranged from fires in the structures with no exterior ventilation to room fires with flow paths that connected the fires with remote intake and exhaust vents throughout the structures. This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice. Detailed Learning Objectives: 1) To understand the difference between a fuel controlled fire and a ventilation controlled fires. 2) To understand the definition of flow path with regard to structure fires and how this impacts where flaming combustion can exist. 3) To understand the relationship of oxygen availability to fire damage in different areas of the structures. Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence event has been provided by the National Institute of Justice.
Online

Fire Safety

Type

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

During the past decade, the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute has conducted research examining fire-fighting tactics. This research found that factors such as construction materials, contents, size, and geometry have a significant impact on residential structure fires. These factors also impact fire investigation. Today’s fires are predominantly fueled by synthetic contents and commonly become ventilation-limited, meaning that how and where the fire receives oxygen impacts the fire dynamics and subsequent fire patterns. This presentation will examine the changes that have occurred on the fire scene through comparisons of furnishings made with natural materials and furnishing composed of synthetic materials. Additionally, we will review fire dynamics basics and flow paths to prepare for examining results from a series of full-scale house experiments. The experiments examined the changes in fire patterns relative to the changes in ventilation. The structures built for the study included a 1,200 sq. ft. one-story ranch structure and a 3,200 sq. ft. two-story colonial. The colonial had an open design floor plan, which included a two-story family room and open foyer. The results from the full-scale experiments demonstrate how “two points of origin” may be generated from a single point of origin. The experiments were planned with the assistance of a technical panel that included members of ATF, IAAI, NAFI, NASFM, NIST, NIST OSAC, and NFPA 921. The test scenarios ranged from fires in the structures with no exterior ventilation to room fires with flow paths that connected the fires with remote intake and exhaust vents throughout the structures. This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice. Detailed Learning Objectives: 1) To understand the difference between a fuel controlled fire and a ventilation controlled fires. 2) To understand the definition of flow path with regard to structure fires and how this impacts where flaming combustion can exist. 3) To understand the relationship of oxygen availability to fire damage in different areas of the structures. Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence event has been provided by the National Institute of Justice.

Online
Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Fire Safety

During the past decade, the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute has conducted research examining fire-fighting tactics. This research found that factors such as construction materials, contents, size, and geometry have a significant impact on residential structure fires. These factors also impact fire investigation. Today’s fires are predominantly fueled by synthetic contents and commonly become ventilation-limited, meaning that how and where the fire receives oxygen impacts the fire dynamics and subsequent fire patterns. This presentation will examine the changes that have occurred on the fire scene through comparisons of furnishings made with natural materials and furnishing composed of synthetic materials. Additionally, we will review fire dynamics basics and flow paths to prepare for examining results from a series of full-scale house experiments. The experiments examined the changes in fire patterns relative to the changes in ventilation. The structures built for the study included a 1,200 sq. ft. one-story ranch structure and a 3,200 sq. ft. two-story colonial. The colonial had an open design floor plan, which included a two-story family room and open foyer. The results from the full-scale experiments demonstrate how “two points of origin” may be generated from a single point of origin. The experiments were planned with the assistance of a technical panel that included members of ATF, IAAI, NAFI, NASFM, NIST, NIST OSAC, and NFPA 921. The test scenarios ranged from fires in the structures with no exterior ventilation to room fires with flow paths that connected the fires with remote intake and exhaust vents throughout the structures. This study was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Justice. Detailed Learning Objectives: 1) To understand the difference between a fuel controlled fire and a ventilation controlled fires. 2) To understand the definition of flow path with regard to structure fires and how this impacts where flaming combustion can exist. 3) To understand the relationship of oxygen availability to fire damage in different areas of the structures. Funding for this Forensic Technology Center of Excellence event has been provided by the National Institute of Justice.
Online

Advancing Fire Safety Science to Protect People and Property

Fire safety: Our commitment

Improving firefighting strategies and practices through research

UL FSRI is dedicated to increasing firefighter knowledge to advance safety

Study of the Fire Service Training Environment: Safety, Fidelity, and Exposure

Study of Fire Service Residential Home Size-Up and Search & Rescue Operations

Residential Flashover Prevention Research

UL FSRI Fire Safety Academy

Studying the Impact of Ventilation on Fire Behavior in Legacy and Contemporary Residential Construction

Studying the Effectiveness of Fire Service Vertical Ventilation and Suppression Tactics

Studying the Impact of Ventilation on Fire Patterns

Studying the Impact of Fire Attack Methods on Firefighter Safety and Occupant Survival

Assessing the Cardiovascular and Chemical Risks Faced by Firefighters

Studying the Impact of Positive Pressure Ventilation (PPV) During Fire Attacks

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The Dramatic Difference a Closed Door Can Make During a House Fire Featured on Today Show

Close Before You Doze Demonstrated Live in New York's Times Square on Fox News Channel

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis

Ventilation Limited Fires - Considerations for Fire Pattern Analysis