Urban fire risk control: House design, upgrading and replanning

PubMed Central

Mbuya, Elinorata Celestine

2018-01-01

Urbanisation leads to house densification, a phenomenon experienced in both planned and unplanned settlements in cities in developing countries. Such densification limits fire brigade access into settlements, thereby aggravating fire disaster risks. In this article, we assess the fire exposure and risks in residences in informal areas of Mchikichini ward, in Dar es Salaam City, Tanzania. We rely on interviews of residents and government officials to obtain background on the occurrence and causes of fire accidents, policy provisions and regulations, and experiences with fire outbreaks and coping strategies, as well as on observations and measurements of house transformations, spatial quality and indoor real life. Our findings suggest that fire risks arise from both inappropriate structural characteristics and unsound behavioural practices. This includes unsafe electric practices by residents, poor capacity of residents to fight fires once started, limited access to structures by firefighting equipment because of flouting of planning regulations and inadequate awareness of local government leaders of the magnitude of fire risks. Potential changes to reduce fire risks in the settlement include the installation of firefighting systems, restriction of cooking to designated spaces, use of safer cooking energy sources and lighting means, improvements of vehicle access routes to neighbourhoods, capacity building at the grass root level and the establishment of community-based fire risk management.

Evaluating potential trade-offs among fuel treatment strategies in mixed-conifer forests of the Sierra Nevada

Treesearch

Jens T. Stevens; Brandon M. Collins; Jonathan W. Long; Malcolm P. North; Susan J. Prichard; Leland W. Tarnay; Angela M. White

2016-01-01

Fuel treatments in fire-suppressed mixed-conifer forests are designed to moderate potential wildfire behavior and effects. However, the objectives for modifying potential fire effects can vary widely, from improving fire suppression efforts and protecting infrastructure, to reintroducing low-severity fire, to restoring and maintaining variable forest structure and...

Lightweight, fire-retardant, crashworthy aircraft seat cushioning

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Haslim, Leonard A.; Mcdonough, Paul T.

1991-01-01

A two page discussion of non-aerospace seating applications and the design of NASA's safety seat cushioning (SSC) is presented. The SSC was designed for both safety and comfort in order to replace polyurethane cushioning which is flammable and produces lethal fumes upon combustion. The SSC is composed of advanced fabric reinforced composites and is lightweight, fire-retardent, and crashworthy. The seat design consists of central elliptical tubular spring supports made of fire-resistant and fatigue-durable composites surrounded by a fire-blocking sheath. The cushioning is made crashworthy by incorporating energy-absorbing, viscoelastic layers between the nested, elliptical-hoop springs. The design is intended to provide comfortable seating that meets aircraft-loading requirements without using the conventional polyurethane materials. The designs of an aircraft seat and structural components of the SSC are also presented.

Structural fire design : wood

Treesearch

E. L. Schaffer

Analytical procedures to predict the fire endurance of structural wood members have been developed worldwide. This research is reviewed for capability to predict the results of tests in North America and what considerations are necessary to apply the information here. Critical research needs suggested include: (1) Investigation of load levels used in reported tests,...

33 CFR 149.641 - What are the structural fire protection requirements for accommodation spaces and modules?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... protection requirements for accommodation spaces and modules? 149.641 Section 149.641 Navigation and... the structural fire protection requirements for accommodation spaces and modules? (a) Accommodation spaces and modules must be designed, located, and constructed so as to minimize the effects of flame...

Analysis of the Earthquake Impact towards water-based fire extinguishing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, J.; Hur, M.; Lee, K.

2015-09-01

Recently, extinguishing system installed in the building when the earthquake occurred at a separate performance requirements. Before the building collapsed during the earthquake, as a function to maintain a fire extinguishing. In particular, the automatic sprinkler fire extinguishing equipment, such as after a massive earthquake without damage to piping also must maintain confidentiality. In this study, an experiment installed in the building during the earthquake, the water-based fire extinguishing saw grasp the impact of the pipe. Experimental structures for water-based fire extinguishing seismic construction step by step, and then applied to the seismic experiment, the building appears in the extinguishing of the earthquake response of the pipe was measured. Construction of acceleration caused by vibration being added to the size and the size of the displacement is measured and compared with the data response of the pipe from the table, thereby extinguishing water piping need to enhance the seismic analysis. Define the seismic design category (SDC) for the four groups in the building structure with seismic criteria (KBC2009) designed according to the importance of the group and earthquake seismic intensity. The event of a real earthquake seismic analysis of Category A and Category B for the seismic design of buildings, the current fire-fighting facilities could have also determined that the seismic performance. In the case of seismic design categories C and D are installed in buildings to preserve the function of extinguishing the required level of seismic retrofit design is determined.

A Thermal Precipitator for Fire Characterization Research

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Marit; Bryg, Vicky

2008-01-01

Characterization of the smoke from pyrolysis of common spacecraft materials provides insight for the design of future smoke detectors and post-fire clean-up equipment on the International Space Station. A thermal precipitator was designed to collect smoke aerosol particles for microscopic analysis in fire characterization research. Information on particle morphology, size and agglomerate structure obtained from these tests supplements additional aerosol data collected. Initial modeling for the thermal precipitator design was performed with the finite element software COMSOL Multiphysics, and includes the flow field and heat transfer in the device. The COMSOL Particle Tracing Module was used to determine particle deposition on SEM stubs which include TEM grids. Modeling provided optimized design parameters such as geometry, flow rate and temperatures. Microscopy results from fire characterization research using the thermal precipitator are presented.

Response of white-footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to fire and fire surrogate fuel reduction treatments in a southern Appalachian hardwood forest

Treesearch

Cathryn H. Greenberg; David L. Otis; Thomas A. Waldrop

2006-01-01

An experiment conducted as part of the multidisciplinary National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study was designed to determine effects of three fuel reduction techniques on small mammals and habitat structure in the southern Appalachian mountains. Four experimental units, each >14-ha were contained within each of three replicate blocks at the Green River Game Land,...

Test stand for Titan 34D SRM static firing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Glozman, Vladimir; Shipway, George

1988-01-01

An existing liquid engine test stand at the AF Astronautics Laboratory was refurbished and extensively modified to accommodate the static firing of the Titan 34D solid rocket motor (SRM) in the vertical nozzle down orientation. The main load restraint structure was designed and built to secure the SRM from lifting off during the firing. In addition, the structure provided weather protection, temperature conditioning of the SRM, and positioning of the measurement and recording equipment. The structure was also used for stacking/de-stacking of SRM segments and other technological processes. The existing stand, its foundation and anchorage were thoroughly examined and reanalyzed. Necessary stand modifications were carried out to comply with the requirements of the Titan 34D SRM static firing.

49 CFR Appendix B to Part 238 - Test Methods and Performance Criteria for the Flammability and Smoke Emission Characteristics of...

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

..., etc.) shall be designed against acting as passageways for fire and smoke and representative... structural flooring assembly to perform as a barrier against under-vehicle fires. The fire resistance period... Flammability and Smoke Emission Characteristics of Materials Used in Passenger Cars and Locomotive Cabs B...

Developing a multiscale fire treatment strategy for species habitat management

Treesearch

Steven P. Norman; Danny C. Lee; David A. Tallmon

2008-01-01

Reintroducing fire to manage vegetation and fuel may have poorly understood consequences for wildlife. Prescribed burning can reduce down wood and snags that provide critical habitat and mechanical thinning designed to reduce fire hazards may alter forest structures that are preferred by some species. Moreover, fine scale fuel treatments may alter wildlife and habitat...

Parametric Study of Fire Performance of Concrete Filled Hollow Steel Section Columns with Circular and Square Cross-Section

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nurfaidhi Rizalman, Ahmad; Tahir, Ng Seong Yap Mahmood Md; Mohammad, Shahrin

2018-03-01

Concrete filled hollow steel section column have been widely accepted by structural engineers and designers for high rise construction due to the benefits of combining steel and concrete. The advantages of concrete filled hollow steel section column include higher strength, ductility, energy absorption capacity, and good structural fire resistance. In this paper, comparison on the fire performance between circular and square concrete filled hollow steel section column is established. A three-dimensional finite element package, ABAQUS, was used to develop the numerical model to study the temperature development, critical temperature, and fire resistance time of the selected composite columns. Based on the analysis and comparison of typical parameters, the effect of equal cross-sectional size for both steel and concrete, concrete types, and thickness of external protection on temperature distribution and structural fire behaviour of the columns are discussed. The result showed that concrete filled hollow steel section column with circular cross-section generally has higher fire resistance than the square section.

Development of assembly techniques for fire resistant aircraft interior panels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lee, S. C. S.

1978-01-01

Ten NASA Type A fire resistant aircraft interior panels were fabricated and tested to develop assembly techniques. These techiques were used in the construction of a full scale lavatory test structure for flame propagation testing. The Type A panel is of sandwich construction consisting of Nomex honeycomb filled with quinone dioxime foam, and bismaleimide/glass face sheets bonded to the core with polyimide film adhesive. The materials selected and the assembly techniques developed for the lavatory test structure were designed for obtaining maximum fire containment with minimum smoke and toxic emission.

FireProt: web server for automated design of thermostable proteins

PubMed Central

Musil, Milos; Stourac, Jan; Brezovsky, Jan; Prokop, Zbynek; Zendulka, Jaroslav; Martinek, Tomas

2017-01-01

Abstract There is a continuous interest in increasing proteins stability to enhance their usability in numerous biomedical and biotechnological applications. A number of in silico tools for the prediction of the effect of mutations on protein stability have been developed recently. However, only single-point mutations with a small effect on protein stability are typically predicted with the existing tools and have to be followed by laborious protein expression, purification, and characterization. Here, we present FireProt, a web server for the automated design of multiple-point thermostable mutant proteins that combines structural and evolutionary information in its calculation core. FireProt utilizes sixteen tools and three protein engineering strategies for making reliable protein designs. The server is complemented with interactive, easy-to-use interface that allows users to directly analyze and optionally modify designed thermostable mutants. FireProt is freely available at http://loschmidt.chemi.muni.cz/fireprot. PMID:28449074

Charring Rate for Fire Exposed X-Lam

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wong, Bernice VY; Fah Tee, Kong

2017-06-01

Design of timber structures has been outlined in Eurocode 5. Notional charring rate for softwood and hardwood timber is given. For the performance of X-LAM panels in fire, only little information on charring is available and whether the fire behaviour of X-LAM is similar to homogenous timber panels has not yet been systematically analysed. This paper presents an overview of fire performance of X-LAM and evaluation of its resistance to elevated temperature as an element of structure in comparison to homogeneous timber panels. Numerical study has been carried out based on available experimental results. Charring rates for X-LAM panels obtained from experimental results are compared with those obtained from Eurocode 5 and proposed simplified model.

Fire propagation performance of intumescent fire protective coatings using eggshells as a novel biofiller.

PubMed

Yew, M C; Ramli Sulong, N H; Yew, M K; Amalina, M A; Johan, M R

2014-01-01

This paper aims to synthesize and characterize an effective intumescent fire protective coating that incorporates eggshell powder as a novel biofiller. The performances of thermal stability, char formation, fire propagation, water resistance, and adhesion strength of coatings have been evaluated. A few intumescent flame-retardant coatings based on these three ecofriendly fire retardant additives ammonium polyphosphate phase II, pentaerythritol and melamine mixed together with flame-retardant fillers, and acrylic binder have been prepared and designed for steel. The fire performance of the coatings has conducted employing BS 476: Part 6-Fire propagation test. The foam structures of the intumescent coatings have been observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy. On exposure, the coated specimens' B, C, and D had been certified to be Class 0 due to the fact that their fire propagation indexes were less than 12. Incorporation of ecofriendly eggshell, biofiller into formulation D led to excellent performance in fire stopping (index value, (I) = 4.3) and antioxidation of intumescent coating. The coating is also found to be quite effective in water repellency, uniform foam structure, and adhesion strength.

Fire Propagation Performance of Intumescent Fire Protective Coatings Using Eggshells as a Novel Biofiller

PubMed Central

Yew, M. C.; Ramli Sulong, N. H.; Yew, M. K.; Amalina, M. A.; Johan, M. R.

2014-01-01

This paper aims to synthesize and characterize an effective intumescent fire protective coating that incorporates eggshell powder as a novel biofiller. The performances of thermal stability, char formation, fire propagation, water resistance, and adhesion strength of coatings have been evaluated. A few intumescent flame-retardant coatings based on these three ecofriendly fire retardant additives ammonium polyphosphate phase II, pentaerythritol and melamine mixed together with flame-retardant fillers, and acrylic binder have been prepared and designed for steel. The fire performance of the coatings has conducted employing BS 476: Part 6-Fire propagation test. The foam structures of the intumescent coatings have been observed using field emission scanning electron microscopy. On exposure, the coated specimens' B, C, and D had been certified to be Class 0 due to the fact that their fire propagation indexes were less than 12. Incorporation of ecofriendly eggshell, biofiller into formulation D led to excellent performance in fire stopping (index value, (I) = 4.3) and antioxidation of intumescent coating. The coating is also found to be quite effective in water repellency, uniform foam structure, and adhesion strength. PMID:25136687

Crack cause analysis of a graphite nozzle throat insert

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sun, Lin; Bao, Futing; Zhao, Yu; Hou, Lian; Hui, Weihua; Zhang, Ning; Shi, Wei

2017-08-01

With an objective to determine the failure cause of a throughout crack at an angle of 45° and a breach during a firing test, a simplified analysis procedure with consideration of the structure gap was established to simulate the thermo-structural response of a nozzle. By neglecting erosion and pyrolysis of the insulating materials and establishing temperature-dependent or anisotropic material models, ANSYS Parameter Design Language codes were written to perform the fully coupled thermal-structural simulation. A Quasi-1D flow was calculated for supplying boundary conditions. Study on mesh independence and time step independence was also conducted to evaluate simulated results. It was found that shortly after ignition, compressive stress in the x direction and tensile stress in the y direction contributed to anomalies. And through contact status analysis, inappropriate gap design was regarded as the origin of the too large stress, which was the primary cause of these anomalies during firing test. Simulation results were in good agreement with firing test results. In addition, the simplified analysis procedure was proven effective. Gap size should be seriously dealt with in the future design.

Techno-economic requirements for composite aircraft components

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Palmer, Ray

1993-01-01

The primary reason for use of composites is to save structural weight. A well designed composite aircraft structure will usually save 25-30 percent of a well designed metal structure. The weight savings then translates into improved performance of the aircraft in measures of greater payload, increased flying range or improved efficiency - less use of fuel. Composite materials offer technical advantages. Key technical advantages that composites offer are high stiffness, tailored strength capability, fatigue resistance, and corrosion resistance. Low thermal expansion properties produce dimensionally stable structures over a wide range of temperature. Specialty resin 'char' forming characteristics in a fire environment offer potential fire barrier application and safer aircraft. The materials and processes of composite fabrication offer the potential for lower cost structures in the near future. The application of composite materials to aircraft are discussed.

Impacts: NIST Building and Fire Research Laboratory (technical and societal)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raufaste, N. J.

1993-08-01

The Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) of the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is dedicated to the life cycle quality of constructed facilities. The report describes major effects of BFRL's program on building and fire research. Contents of the document include: structural reliability; nondestructive testing of concrete; structural failure investigations; seismic design and construction standards; rehabilitation codes and standards; alternative refrigerants research; HVAC simulation models; thermal insulation; residential equipment energy efficiency; residential plumbing standards; computer image evaluation of building materials; corrosion-protection for reinforcing steel; prediction of the service lives of building materials; quality of construction materials laboratory testing; roofing standards; simulating fires with computers; fire safety evaluation system; fire investigations; soot formation and evolution; cone calorimeter development; smoke detector standards; standard for the flammability of children's sleepwear; smoldering insulation fires; wood heating safety research; in-place testing of concrete; communication protocols for building automation and control systems; computer simulation of the properties of concrete and other porous materials; cigarette-induced furniture fires; carbon monoxide formation in enclosure fires; halon alternative fire extinguishing agents; turbulent mixing research; materials fire research; furniture flammability testing; standard for the cigarette ignition resistance of mattresses; support of navy firefighter trainer program; and using fire to clean up oil spills.

Oxygen Compatibility Assessment of Components and Systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoltzfus, Joel; Sparks, Kyle

2010-01-01

Fire hazards are inherent in oxygen systems and a storied history of fires in rocket engine propulsion components exists. To detect and mitigate these fire hazards requires careful, detailed, and thorough analyses applied during the design process. The oxygen compatibility assessment (OCA) process designed by NASA Johnson Space Center (JSC) White Sands Test Facility (WSTF) can be used to determine the presence of fire hazards in oxygen systems and the likelihood of a fire. This process may be used as both a design guide and during the approval process to ensure proper design features and material selection. The procedure for performing an OCA is a structured step-by-step process to determine the most severe operating conditions; assess the flammability of the system materials at the use conditions; evaluate the presence and efficacy of ignition mechanisms; assess the potential for a fire to breach the system; and determine the reaction effect (the potential loss of life, mission, and system functionality as the result of a fire). This process should be performed for each component in a system. The results of each component assessment, and the overall system assessment, should be recorded in a report that can be used in the short term to communicate hazards and their mitigation and to aid in system/component development and, in the long term, to solve anomalies that occur during engine testing and operation.

Engine System Loads Analysis Compared to Hot-Fire Data

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Frady, Gregory P.; Jennings, John M.; Mims, Katherine; Brunty, Joseph; Christensen, Eric R.; McConnaughey, Paul R. (Technical Monitor)

2002-01-01

Early implementation of structural dynamics finite element analyses for calculation of design loads is considered common design practice for high volume manufacturing industries such as automotive and aeronautical industries. However with the rarity of rocket engine development programs starts, these tools are relatively new to the design of rocket engines. In the NASA MC-1 engine program, the focus was to reduce the cost-to-weight ratio. The techniques for structural dynamics analysis practices, were tailored in this program to meet both production and structural design goals. Perturbation of rocket engine design parameters resulted in a number of MC-1 load cycles necessary to characterize the impact due to mass and stiffness changes. Evolution of loads and load extraction methodologies, parametric considerations and a discussion of load path sensitivities are important during the design and integration of a new engine system. During the final stages of development, it is important to verify the results of an engine system model to determine the validity of the results. During the final stages of the MC-1 program, hot-fire test results were obtained and compared to the structural design loads calculated by the engine system model. These comparisons are presented in this paper.

Efficient Flame Detection and Early Warning Sensors on Combustible Materials Using Hierarchical Graphene Oxide/Silicone Coatings.

PubMed

Wu, Qian; Gong, Li-Xiu; Li, Yang; Cao, Cheng-Fei; Tang, Long-Cheng; Wu, Lianbin; Zhao, Li; Zhang, Guo-Dong; Li, Shi-Neng; Gao, Jiefeng; Li, Yongjin; Mai, Yiu-Wing

2018-01-23

Design and development of smart sensors for rapid flame detection in postcombustion and early fire warning in precombustion situations are critically needed to improve the fire safety of combustible materials in many applications. Herein, we describe the fabrication of hierarchical coatings created by assembling a multilayered graphene oxide (GO)/silicone structure onto different combustible substrate materials. The resulting coatings exhibit distinct temperature-responsive electrical resistance change as efficient early warning sensors for detecting abnormal high environmental temperature, thus enabling fire prevention below the ignition temperature of combustible materials. After encountering a flame attack, we demonstrate extremely rapid flame detection response in 2-3 s and excellent flame self-extinguishing retardancy for the multilayered GO/silicone structure that can be synergistically transformed to a multiscale graphene/nanosilica protection layer. The hierarchical coatings developed are promising for fire prevention and protection applications in various critical fire risk and related perilous circumstances.

Introduction, study area description, and experimental design

Treesearch

Elaine Kennedy Sutherland; Todd F. Hutchinson; Daniel A. Yaussy

2003-01-01

Throughout much of the Eastern Deciduous Forest, the sustainability of oak-dominated forests is threatened by poor oak regeneration as other tree species increase in abundance. Historically, fire was a frequent process in oak-dominated ecosystems (savannas, woodlands, open-structured forests) as Native Americans and then Euro-American settlers used fire for a variety...

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Brown, Alexander; Jernigan, Dann A.; Dodd, Amanda B.

New aircraft are being designed with increasing quantities of composite materials used in their construction. Different from the more traditional metals, composites have a higher propensity to burn. This presents a challenge to transportation safety analyses, as the aircraft structure now represents an additional fuel source involved in the fire scenario. Most of the historical fire testing of composite materials is aime d at studying kinetics, flammability or yield strength under fire conditions. Most of this testing is small - scale. Heterogeneous reactions are often length - scale dependent, and this is thought to be particularly true for composites whichmore » exhibit signific ant microscopic dynamics that can affect macro - scale behavior. We have designed a series of tests to evaluate composite materials under various structural loading conditions with a consistent thermal condition. We have measured mass - loss , heat flux, and temperature throughout the experiments. Several types of panels have been tested, including simple composite panels, and sandwich panels. The main objective of the testing was to understand the importance of the structural loading on a composite to its b ehavior in response to fire - like conditions. During flaming combustion at early times, there are some features of the panel decomposition that are unique to the type of loading imposed on the panels. At load levels tested, fiber reaction rates at later t imes appear to be independent of the initial structural loading.« less

The role of defensible space for residential structure protection during wildfires

USGS Publications Warehouse

Syphard, Alexandra D.; Brennan, Teresa J.; Keeley, Jon E.

2014-01-01

With the potential for worsening fire conditions, discussion is escalating over how to best reduce effects on urban communities. A widely supported strategy is the creation of defensible space immediately surrounding homes and other structures. Although state and local governments publish specific guidelines and requirements, there is little empirical evidence to suggest how much vegetation modification is needed to provide significant benefits. We analysed the role of defensible space by mapping and measuring a suite of variables on modern pre-fire aerial photography for 1000 destroyed and 1000 surviving structures for all fires where homes burned from 2001 to 2010 in San Diego County, CA, USA. Structures were more likely to survive a fire with defensible space immediately adjacent to them. The most effective treatment distance varied between 5 and 20 m (16–58 ft) from the structure, but distances larger than 30 m (100 ft) did not provide additional protection, even for structures located on steep slopes. The most effective actions were reducing woody cover up to 40% immediately adjacent to structures and ensuring that vegetation does not overhang or touch the structure. Multiple-regression models showed landscape-scale factors, including low housing density and distances to major roads, were more important in explaining structure destruction. The best long-term solution will involve a suite of prevention measures that include defensible space as well as building design approach, community education and proactive land use planning that limits exposure to fire.

Prevention and suppression of metal packing fires.

PubMed

Roberts, Mark; Rogers, William J; Sam Mannan, M; Ostrowski, Scott W

2003-11-14

Structured packing has been widely used because of large surface area that makes possible columns with high capacity and efficiency. The large surface area also contributes to fire hazards because of hydrocarbon deposits that can easily combust and promote combustion of the thin metal packing materials. Materials of high surface area that can fuel fires include reactive metals, such as titanium, and materials that are not considered combustible, such as stainless steel. Column design and material selection for packing construction is discussed together with employee training and practices for safe column maintenance and operations. Presented also are methods and agents for suppression of metal fires. Guidance for prevention and suppression of metal fires is related to incidents involving packing fires in columns.

Fire Protection Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1980-01-01

Avco has drawn upon its heat shield experience to develop a number of widely-accepted commercial fire protection materials. Originating from NASA's space shuttle thermal protection system, one such material is Chartek 59 fireproofing, an intumescent epoxy coating specifically designed for outdoor use by industrial facilities dealing with highly flammable products such as oil refineries and chemical plants. The coating is applied usually by spray gun to exterior structural steel conduits, pipes and valves, offshore platforms and liquefied petroleum gas tanks. Fireproofing provides two types of protection: ablation or dissipation of heat by burn-off and "intumescence" or swelling; the coating swells to about five times its original size, forming a protective blanket of char which retards transfer of heat to the metal structure preventing loss of structural strength and possible collapse which would compound the fire fighting problem.

The adaption of coal quality to furnace structure

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, Z.; Shun, X.

1996-12-31

This paper gives the research result of coal quality adaption to furnace structure. The designing of a furnace is based on the coal quality that the furnace would fire. If the coal fired in the furnace differs from the design coal, there would be a lot of problems such as flame stability, coal burn-out rate and slagging problem for the furnace during its operation. In order to know the adaptional range of coal quality for an existing furnace the authors had chosen three different furnaces and 18 kinds of coals in their research work. To understand the coal combustion characteristicsmore » they introduce different indexes to show different processes of coal combustion. These indexes include Fz index which demonstrates the coal combustion based on its utility analyzed result, flame stability index, combustion characteristic index and char burn-out index which are based on the analyzed result of thermogravimetric characteristic. As a furnace is built up and set into operation its flame stability, burn-out rate and ash deposition are definite. If a furnace`s fuel changes its structure characteristics and operation condition will change. A relation between coal quality to furnace structure is based on a lot of regressional analysis results of existing furnaces and their fuels. Based on this relation the adaption of coal quality for a furnace are defined and the kinds of coal furnace fired are optimized to its design fuel.« less

Monitoring system of multiple fire fighting based on computer vision

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jinlong; Wang, Li; Gao, Xiaorong; Wang, Zeyong; Zhao, Quanke

2010-10-01

With the high demand of fire control in spacious buildings, computer vision is playing a more and more important role. This paper presents a new monitoring system of multiple fire fighting based on computer vision and color detection. This system can adjust to the fire position and then extinguish the fire by itself. In this paper, the system structure, working principle, fire orientation, hydrant's angle adjusting and system calibration are described in detail; also the design of relevant hardware and software is introduced. At the same time, the principle and process of color detection and image processing are given as well. The system runs well in the test, and it has high reliability, low cost, and easy nodeexpanding, which has a bright prospect of application and popularization.

Research on Influence and Prediction Model of Urban Traffic Link Tunnel curvature on Fire Temperature Based on Pyrosim--SPSS Multiple Regression Analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Xiao Ju; Yao, Kun; Dai, Jun Yu; Song, Yun Long

2018-05-01

The underground space, also known as the “fourth dimension” of the city, reflects the efficient use of urban development intensive. Urban traffic link tunnel is a typical underground limited-length space. Due to the geographical location, the special structure of space and the curvature of the tunnel, high-temperature smoke can easily form the phenomenon of “smoke turning” and the fire risk is extremely high. This paper takes an urban traffic link tunnel as an example to focus on the relationship between curvature and the temperature near the fire source, and use the pyrosim built different curvature fire model to analyze the influence of curvature on the temperature of the fire, then using SPSS Multivariate regression analysis simulate curvature of the tunnel and fire temperature data. Finally, a prediction model of urban traffic link tunnel curvature on fire temperature was proposed. The regression model analysis and test show that the curvature is negatively correlated with the tunnel temperature. This model is feasible and can provide a theoretical reference for the urban traffic link tunnel fire protection design and the preparation of the evacuation plan. And also, it provides some reference for other related curved tunnel curvature design and smoke control measures.

Gain enhancement for wideband end-fire antenna design with artificial material.

PubMed

Wei, Min; Sun, Yuanhua; Wu, Xi; Wen, Wu

2016-01-01

Gain enhancement wideband end-fire antenna is proposed in this paper. The proposed antenna can achieve gain enhancement by loading novel artificial materials structures (Split-ring Resonators) in the end-fire direction while broad bandwidth is realized by using elliptic dipole elements and a microstrip to coplanar balun. The measurements show that the proposed antenna have around 5-8 dB gain in the working band (5-11 GHz), which is around 2 dB more than the unloaded one. This antenna can be used in target recognition systems for its advantages of end-fire radiation broad bandwidth and high gain.

Automated integration of lidar into the LANDFIRE product suite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, Birgit; Nelson, Kurtis; Seielstad, Carl; Stoker, Jason M.; Jolly, W. Matt; Parsons, Russell

2015-01-01

Accurate information about three-dimensional canopy structure and wildland fuel across the landscape is necessary for fire behaviour modelling system predictions. Remotely sensed data are invaluable for assessing these canopy characteristics over large areas; lidar data, in particular, are uniquely suited for quantifying three-dimensional canopy structure. Although lidar data are increasingly available, they have rarely been applied to wildland fuels mapping efforts, mostly due to two issues. First, the Landscape Fire and Resource Planning Tools (LANDFIRE) program, which has become the default source of large-scale fire behaviour modelling inputs for the US, does not currently incorporate lidar data into the vegetation and fuel mapping process because spatially continuous lidar data are not available at the national scale. Second, while lidar data are available for many land management units across the US, these data are underutilized for fire behaviour applications. This is partly due to a lack of local personnel trained to process and analyse lidar data. This investigation addresses these issues by developing the Creating Hybrid Structure from LANDFIRE/lidar Combinations (CHISLIC) tool. CHISLIC allows individuals to automatically generate a suite of vegetation structure and wildland fuel parameters from lidar data and infuse them into existing LANDFIRE data sets. CHISLIC will become available for wider distribution to the public through a partnership with the U.S. Forest Service’s Wildland Fire Assessment System (WFAS) and may be incorporated into the Wildland Fire Decision Support System (WFDSS) with additional design and testing. WFAS and WFDSS are the primary systems used to support tactical and strategic wildland fire management decisions.

Fire Resistance of Large-Scale Cross-Laminated Timber Panels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Henek, Vladan; Venkrbec, Václav; Novotný, Miloslav

2017-12-01

Wooden structures are increasingly being used in the construction of residential buildings. A common and often published reason to avoid wooden structures is their insufficient fire resistance, which reduces bearing capacity. For this reason, composite sandwich structures began to be designed to eliminate this drawback, as well as others. Recently, however, the trend is for a return to the original, wood-only variant and a search is underway for new technical means of improving the properties of such structures. Many timber structure technologies are known, but structures made from cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels have been used very often in recent years. CLT panels, also known as X-LAM, are currently gaining popularity in Europe. In the case of CLT panels composed of several layers of boards, they can be said to offer a certain advantage in that after the surface layer of a board has burnt and the subsurface layer has dried, oxygen is not drawn to the unburned wood for further combustion and thus the burning process ceases. CLT panels do not need to be specially modified or coated with fire resistant materials, although they are usually lined with gypsum-fibre fire resistant boards due to guidelines set out in the relevant standards. This paper presents a new method for the assessment of load-bearing perimeter walls fabricated from CLT panels without the use of an inner fire-retardant lining to ensure fire resistance at the level required by European standards (i.e. those harmonized for the Czech construction industry). The calculations were verified through laboratory tests which show that better parameters can be achieved during the classification of structures from the fire resistance point of view. The aim of the article is to utilize the results of assessment and testing by an accredited laboratory in order to demonstrate the possibilities of using CLT panels for the construction of multistorey as well as multi-purpose buildings in the Czech Republic.

Use of intumescent compounds in fire curtains

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nedryshkin, Oleg; Gravit, Marina; Mukhamedzhanova, Olga

2017-10-01

Automatic fire curtains are designed to divide sections of premises and structures into fire compartments for the purpose of localizing a fire, as well as filling openings in fire barriers. If a fire occurs due to a signal from a fire alarm sensor or a signal from a fire station, the blind automatically falls and locates the source of ignition. The paper presents the results of testing nine samples of fire curtains with an applied intumescent composition. Tests were conducted for 60 minutes before loss of sample integrity. The average temperature from the heated side of the sample reached 800 ∼ 1000 ° C. Depending on the sample, the temperature from the unheated side ranged from 70 ° C to 294 ° C. The best result was shown by a sample from a layer of needle-punched heat-insulating material with a thermal conductivity of 0.036 W/(m×K) placed between layers of foil and treated with water-based intumescent composition of silica material.

Canadian Building Digests 1-100 (With Index).

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa (Ontario). Div. of Building Research.

One hundred different topics related to the technical aspects of building design and construction are discussed. The major areas of discussion are--(1) the effects of climate on building materials, (2) site and soil analysis, (3) acoustical and thermal design considerations, (4) fire and building design, (5) structural analysis and design, and (6)…

Investigation of Titanium Dioxide and Indium Vanadate-Titanium Dioxide semiconductors for the photocatalytic degradation of aqueous organics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pettit, Sandra L.

Designing and constructing safe, secure and cost-effective buildings has always been the goal of architects, engineers, developers and community officials. However, in light of recent tragic events, urban security design has become a major concern for both public and private building owners as the threat of terrorism attacks becomes more evident. Modern research and technology have provided a means to counter some of these threats, but there is little doubt that the need for physical security design will continue to increase as long as there are conflicting social, religious, and political agendas in the world. Parallel to this trend, the desire for aesthetically pleasing structures and architecture which pushes the envelope of typical building design make designing a secure, blast and fire resistant building a challenge, as many protective measures clash with the desires of architects. As a result, development of construction materials and technologies with respect to security is on the rise and there is a need for comprehensive solutions. Research into the behavior of stainless steel may prove it to be an elegant and efficient solution to a secure structural design which does not compromise a building's architecture. As a material that is often chosen for its aesthetic appeal, it also exhibits excellent ductility and high stress-strain rates, allowing it to absorb large amounts of energy from blasts before fracturing, compared to carbon steel. Stainless steel also exhibits superior fire-resisting qualities and can perform similarly to carbon steels without unsightly added fire protection. Using stainless steel for elements which have been identified as vulnerable to attack, such as a major column or transfer girder, or elements which can protect the rest of structure from a blast, such as a blast wall, can be an efficient component of a comprehensive urban security design. The challenges associated with the use of stainless steel, which has kept its use in structural design to a minimum, such as higher costs, availability, or special welding procedures, are minimal and will be easily overcome as the use of stainless steel in structure increases and designers and fabricators become more familiar with the material.

Special Report on Lessons Learned (1985-2011). Volume 2: Handbook of Recommended Design Practices (Fire Protection and Life Safety Design Guidelines for Special Purpose Underground Structures)

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-10-01

mounted pads (also called a raft, bed, platform or floating deck depending on the A & E company’s terminology preference). Combinations of each of...these are frequently employed which is most common where a shock mounted pad is installed. Shock mounting each piece of equipment is self...when a UGF uses shock mounted pads for its major equipment spaces, but does not put all fire protection equipment on the pad . A shock mounted pad

Advanced spacecraft fire safety: Proposed projects and program plan

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Youngblood, Wallace W.; Vedha-Nayagam, M.

1989-01-01

A detailed review identifies spacecraft fire safety issues and the efforts for their resolution, particularly for the threats posed by the increased on-orbit duration, size, and complexity of the Space Station Freedom. Suggestions provided by a survey of Wyle consultants and outside fire safety experts were combined into 30 research and engineering projects. The projects were then prioritized with respect to urgency to meet Freedom design goals, status of enabling technology, cost, and so on, to yield 14 highest priority projects, described in terms of background, work breakdown structure, and schedule. These highest priority projects can be grouped into the thematic areas of fire detection, fire extinguishment, risk assessment, toxicology and human effects, and ground based testing. Recommendations for overall program management stress the need for NASA Headquarters and field center coordination, with information exchange through spacecraft fire safety oversight committees.

Spacecraft Fire Safety Research at NASA Glenn Research Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Marit

2016-01-01

Appropriate design of fire detection systems requires knowledge of both the expected fire signature and the background aerosol levels. Terrestrial fire detection systems have been developed based on extensive study of terrestrial fires. Unfortunately there is no corresponding data set for spacecraft fires and consequently the fire detectors in current spacecraft were developed based upon terrestrial designs. In low gravity, buoyant flow is negligible which causes particles to concentrate at the smoke source, increasing their residence time, and increasing the transport time to smoke detectors. Microgravity fires have significantly different structure than those in 1-g which can change the formation history of the smoke particles. Finally the materials used in spacecraft are different from typical terrestrial environments where smoke properties have been evaluated. It is critically important to detect a fire in its early phase before a flame is established, given the fixed volume of air on any spacecraft. Consequently, the primary target for spacecraft fire detection is pyrolysis products rather than soot. Experimental investigations have been performed at three different NASA facilities which characterize smoke aerosols from overheating common spacecraft materials. The earliest effort consists of aerosol measurements in low gravity, called the Smoke Aerosol Measurement Experiment (SAME), and subsequent ground-based testing of SAME smoke in 55-gallon drums with an aerosol reference instrument. Another set of experiments were performed at NASAs Johnson Space Center White Sands Test Facility (WSTF), with additional fuels and an alternate smoke production method. Measurements of these smoke products include mass and number concentration, and a thermal precipitator was designed for this investigation to capture particles for microscopic analysis. The final experiments presented are from NASAs Gases and Aerosols from Smoldering Polymers (GASP) Laboratory, with selected results focusing on realistic fuel preparations and heating profiles with regards to early detection of smoke. SAFFIRE is the upcoming large-scale fire experiment which will be executed in a Cygnus vehicle after it undocks from the ISS.

The Assessment of Cement Mortars after Thermal Degradation by Acoustic Non-destructive Methods

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Topolář, L.; Štefková, D.; Hoduláková, M.

2017-10-01

Thanks, the terrorist attacks on the worldwide interest in the design of structures for fire greatly increased. One of the advantages of concrete over other building materials is its inherent fire-resistive properties. The concrete structural components still must be able to withstand dead and live loads without collapse even though the rise in temperature causes a decrease in the strength and modulus of elasticity for concrete and steel reinforcement. In addition, fully developed fires cause expansion of structural components and the resulting stresses and strains must be resisted. This paper reports the results of measurements by Impact-echo method and measurement by ultrasound. Both methods are based on the acoustic properties of the material which are dependent on its condition. These acoustic methods allow identifying defects and are thus suitable for monitoring the building structure condition. The results are obtained in the laboratory during the degradation of composite materials based on cement by high-temperature.

Noise exposure assessment and abatement strategies at an indoor firing range.

PubMed

Kardous, Chucri A; Willson, Robert D; Hayden, Charles S; Szlapa, Piotr; Murphy, William J; Reeves, Efrem R

2003-08-01

Exposure to hazardous impulse noise is common during the firing of weapons at indoor firing ranges. The aims of this study were to characterize the impulse noise environment at a law enforcement firing range; document the insufficiencies found at the range from a health and safety standpoint; and provide noise abatement recommendations to reduce the overall health hazard to the auditory system. Ten shooters conducted a typical live-fire exercise using three different weapons--the Beretta.40 caliber pistol, the Remington.308 caliber shotgun, and the M4.223 caliber assault rifle. Measurements were obtained at 12 different positions throughout the firing range and adjacent areas using dosimeters and sound level meters. Personal and area measurements were recorded to a digital audio tape (DAT) recorder for further spectral analysis. Peak pressure levels inside the firing range reached 163 decibels (dB) in peak pressure. Equivalent sound levels (Leq) ranged from 78 decibels, A-weighted (dBA), in office area adjacent to the range to 122 dBA inside the range. Noise reductions from wall structures ranged from 29-44 dB. Noise abatement strategies ranged from simple noise control measures (such as sealing construction joints and leaks) to elaborate design modifications to eliminate structural-borne sounds using acoustical treatments. Further studies are needed to better characterize the effects of firing weapons in enclosed spaces on hearing and health in general.

Do multiple fires interact to affect vegetation structure in temperate eucalypt forests?

PubMed

Haslem, Angie; Leonard, Steve W J; Bruce, Matthew J; Christie, Fiona; Holland, Greg J; Kelly, Luke T; MacHunter, Josephine; Bennett, Andrew F; Clarke, Michael F; York, Alan

2016-12-01

Fire plays an important role in structuring vegetation in fire-prone regions worldwide. Progress has been made towards documenting the effects of individual fire events and fire regimes on vegetation structure; less is known of how different fire history attributes (e.g., time since fire, fire frequency) interact to affect vegetation. Using the temperate eucalypt foothill forests of southeastern Australia as a case study system, we examine two hypotheses about such interactions: (1) post-fire vegetation succession (e.g., time-since-fire effects) is influenced by other fire regime attributes and (2) the severity of the most recent fire overrides the effect of preceding fires on vegetation structure. Empirical data on vegetation structure were collected from 540 sites distributed across central and eastern Victoria, Australia. Linear mixed models were used to examine these hypotheses and determine the relative influence of fire and environmental attributes on vegetation structure. Fire history measures, particularly time since fire, affected several vegetation attributes including ground and canopy strata; others such as low and sub-canopy vegetation were more strongly influenced by environmental characteristics like rainfall. There was little support for the hypothesis that post-fire succession is influenced by fire history attributes other than time since fire; only canopy regeneration was influenced by another variable (fire type, representing severity). Our capacity to detect an overriding effect of the severity of the most recent fire was limited by a consistently weak effect of preceding fires on vegetation structure. Overall, results suggest the primary way that fire affects vegetation structure in foothill forests is via attributes of the most recent fire, both its severity and time since its occurrence; other attributes of fire regimes (e.g., fire interval, frequency) have less influence. The strong effect of environmental drivers, such as rainfall and topography, on many structural features show that foothill forest vegetation is also influenced by factors outside human control. While fire is amenable to human management, results suggest that at broad scales, structural attributes of these forests are relatively resilient to the effects of current fire regimes. Nonetheless, the potential for more frequent severe fires at short intervals, associated with a changing climate and/or fire management, warrant further consideration. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

Developing an assessment of fire-setting to guide treatment in secure settings: the St Andrew's Fire and Arson Risk Instrument (SAFARI).

PubMed

Long, Clive G; Banyard, Ellen; Fulton, Barbara; Hollin, Clive R

2014-09-01

Arson and fire-setting are highly prevalent among patients in secure psychiatric settings but there is an absence of valid and reliable assessment instruments and no evidence of a significant approach to intervention. To develop a semi-structured interview assessment specifically for fire-setting to augment structured assessments of risk and need. The extant literature was used to frame interview questions relating to the antecedents, behaviour and consequences necessary to formulate a functional analysis. Questions also covered readiness to change, fire-setting self-efficacy, the probability of future fire-setting, barriers to change, and understanding of fire-setting behaviour. The assessment concludes with indications for assessment and a treatment action plan. The inventory was piloted with a sample of women in secure care and was assessed for comprehensibility, reliability and validity. Staff rated the St Andrews Fire and Risk Instrument (SAFARI) as acceptable to patients and easy to administer. SAFARI was found to be comprehensible by over 95% of the general population, to have good acceptance, high internal reliability, substantial test-retest reliability and validity. SAFARI helps to provide a clear explanation of fire-setting in terms of the complex interplay of antecedents and consequences and facilitates the design of an individually tailored treatment programme in sympathy with a cognitive-behavioural approach. Further studies are needed to verify the reliability and validity of SAFARI with male populations and across settings.

Chemical Fracturing of Refractory-Metal Vessels

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Campana, R. J.

1986-01-01

Localized reactions cause refractory-metal vessels to break up at predetermined temperatures. Device following concept designed to break up along predetermined lines into smaller pieces at temperature significantly below melting point of metal from which made. Possible applications include fire extinguishers that breakup to release extinguishing gas in enclosed areas, pressure vessels that could otherwise burst dangerously in fire, and self-destroying devices. Technique particularly suitable modification to already existing structures.

Development of fire-resistant, low smoke generating, thermally stable end items for aircraft and spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gagliani, J.; Sorathia, U. A. K.; Wilcoxson, A. L.

1977-01-01

Materials were developed to improve aircraft interior materials by modifying existing polymer structures, refining the process parameters, and by the use of mechanical configurations designed to overcome specific deficiencies. The optimization, selection, and fabrication of five fire resistant, low smoke emitting open cell foams are described for five different types of aircraft cabin structures. These include: resilient foams, laminate floor and wall paneling, thermal/acoustical insulation, molded shapes, and coated fabrics. All five have been produced from essentially the same polyimide precursor and have resulted in significant benefits from transfer of technology between the various tasks.

A cut-cell immersed boundary technique for fire dynamics simulation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Vanella, Marcos; McDermott, Randall; Forney, Glenn

2015-11-01

Fire simulation around complex geometry is gaining increasing attention in performance based design of fire protection systems, fire-structure interaction and pollutant transport in complex terrains, among others. This presentation will focus on our present effort in improving the capability of FDS (Fire Dynamics Simulator, developed at the Fire Research Division, NIST. https://github.com/firemodels/fds-smv) to represent fire scenarios around complex bodies. Velocities in the vicinity of the bodies are reconstructed using a classical immersed boundary scheme (Fadlun and co-workers, J. Comput. Phys., 161:35-60, 2000). Also, a conservative treatment of scalar transport equations (i.e. for chemical species) will be presented. In our method, discrete conservation and no penetration of species across solid boundaries are enforced using a cut-cell finite volume scheme. The small cell problem inherent to the method is tackled using explicit-implicit domain decomposition for scalar, within the FDS time integration scheme. Some details on the derivation, implementation and numerical tests of this numerical scheme will be discussed.

40 CFR Table 1 to Subpart Jjjjj of... - Emission Limits

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

.... Existing large tunnel kiln (design capacity ≥10 tph of fired product), excluding any process stream that is... July 22, 2002; each new or reconstructed small tunnel kiln (design capacity product...) National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants for Brick and Structural Clay Products...

14 CFR 23.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Designated fire zones; regions included. 23... Powerplant Powerplant Fire Protection § 23.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. Designated fire zones are— (a) For reciprocating engines— (1) The power section; (2) The accessory section; (3) Any...

14 CFR 23.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Designated fire zones; regions included. 23... Powerplant Powerplant Fire Protection § 23.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. Designated fire zones are— (a) For reciprocating engines— (1) The power section; (2) The accessory section; (3) Any...

14 CFR 23.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Designated fire zones; regions included. 23... Powerplant Powerplant Fire Protection § 23.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. Designated fire zones are— (a) For reciprocating engines— (1) The power section; (2) The accessory section; (3) Any...

14 CFR 23.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Designated fire zones; regions included. 23... Powerplant Powerplant Fire Protection § 23.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. Designated fire zones are— (a) For reciprocating engines— (1) The power section; (2) The accessory section; (3) Any...

14 CFR 23.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Designated fire zones; regions included. 23... Powerplant Powerplant Fire Protection § 23.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. Designated fire zones are— (a) For reciprocating engines— (1) The power section; (2) The accessory section; (3) Any...

Behaviour of fibre reinforced polymer confined reinforced concrete columns under fire condition

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chowdhury, Ershad Ullah

In recent years, fibre reinforced polymer (FRP) materials have demonstrated enormous potential as materials for repairing and retrofitting concrete bridges that have deteriorated from factors such as electro-chemical corrosion and increased load requirements. However, concerns associated with fire remain an obstacle to applications of FRP materials in buildings and parking garages due to FRP's sensitivity to high temperatures as compared with other structural materials and to limited knowledge on their thermal and mechanical behaviour in fire. This thesis presents results from an ongoing study on the fire performance of FRP materials, fire insulation materials and systems, and FRP wrapped reinforced concrete columns. The overall goal of the study is to understand the fire behaviour of FRP materials and FRP strengthened concrete columns and ultimately, provide rational fire safety design recommendations and guidelines for FRP strengthened concrete columns. A combined experimental and numerical investigation was conducted to achieve the goals of this research study. The experimental work consisted of both small-scale FRP material testing at elevated temperatures and full-scale fire tests on FRP strengthened columns. A numerical model was developed to simulate the behaviour of unwrapped reinforced concrete and FRP strengthened reinforced concrete square or rectangular columns in fire. After validating the numerical model against test data available in literature, it was determined that the numerical model can be used to analyze the behaviour of concrete axial compressive members in fire. Results from this study also demonstrated that although FRP materials experience considerable loss of their mechanical and bond properties at temperatures somewhat below the glass transition temperature of the resin matrix, externally-bonded FRP can be used in strengthening concrete structural members in buildings, if appropriate supplemental fire protection system is provided over the FRP strengthening system.

Improvements to the Understanding of the Fire Performance of Wood over the Past 30 Years-A Tribute to Robert Hawthorne White

Treesearch

Samuel L. Zelinka; Mark A. Dietenberger; Laura E. Hasburgh; Keith J. Bourne; Charles Boardman

2015-01-01

Dr. Robert Hawthorne White had a 31 year career researching the fire performance of wood and wood composites at the USDA Forest Products Laboratory. Over his career, Dr. White made substantial contributions to codes, standards, and regulations pertaining to the design of wood structures. This review article summarizes Robert’s major accomplishments as a tribute to his...

Structurally compliant rocket engine combustion chamber: Experimental and analytical validation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jankovsky, Robert S.; Arya, Vinod K.; Kazaroff, John M.; Halford, Gary R.

1994-01-01

A new, structurally compliant rocket engine combustion chamber design has been validated through analysis and experiment. Subscale, tubular channel chambers have been cyclically tested and analytically evaluated. Cyclic lives were determined to have a potential for 1000 percent increase over those of rectangular channel designs, the current state of the art. Greater structural compliance in the circumferential direction gave rise to lower thermal strains during hot firing, resulting in lower thermal strain ratcheting and longer predicted fatigue lives. Thermal, structural, and durability analyses of the combustion chamber design, involving cyclic temperatures, strains, and low-cycle fatigue lives, have corroborated the experimental observations.

Tree mortality following prescribed fire and a storm surge event in Slash Pine (pinus elliottii var. densa) forests in the Florida Keys, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sah, Jay P.; Ross, Michael S.; Snyder, James R.; Ogurcak, Danielle E.

2010-01-01

In fire-dependent forests, managers are interested in predicting the consequences of prescribed burning on postfire tree mortality. We examined the effects of prescribed fire on tree mortality in Florida Keys pine forests, using a factorial design with understory type, season, and year of burn as factors. We also used logistic regression to model the effects of burn season, fire severity, and tree dimensions on individual tree mortality. Despite limited statistical power due to problems in carrying out the full suite of planned experimental burns, associations with tree and fire variables were observed. Post-fire pine tree mortality was negatively correlated with tree size and positively correlated with char height and percent crown scorch. Unlike post-fire mortality, tree mortality associated with storm surge from Hurricane Wilma was greater in the large size classes. Due to their influence on population structure and fuel dynamics, the size-selective mortality patterns following fire and storm surge have practical importance for using fire as a management tool in Florida Keys pinelands in the future, particularly when the threats to their continued existence from tropical storms and sea level rise are expected to increase.

Chapter 6: Fire damage of wood structures

Treesearch

B. Kukay; R.H. White; F. Woeste

2012-01-01

Depending on the severity, fire damage can compromise the structural integrity of wood structures such as buildings or residences. Fire damage of wood structures can incorporate several models that address (1) the type, cause, and spread of the fire, (2) the thermal gradients and fire-resistance ratings, and (3) the residual load capacity (Figure 6.1). If there is a...

Fire Extinguisher Designated Worker and Fire Watch: Self-Study Course 15672

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harris, Jimmy D.

At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), all workers must be aware of LANL fire protection policies and be trained on what to do in the event of a fire. This course, Fire Extinguisher Training for Fire Watch and Designated Workers (#9893), provides awareness-level and hands-on training for fire watch personnel and designated workers. Fire watch personnel and designated workers are appointed by line management and must receive both awareness-level training and hands-on training in the use of portable fire extinguishers to extinguish an incipient-stage fire. This training meets the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Code ofmore » Federal Regulations (CFR) 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable Fire Extinguishers, and Procedure (P) 101-26, Welding, Cutting, and Other Spark-/Flame-Producing Operations.« less

Fire Extinguisher Training for Fire Watch and Designated Workers, Course 9893

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harris, Jimmy D.

At Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL), all workers must be aware of LANL fire protection policies and be trained on what to do in the event of a fire. This course, Fire Extinguisher Training for Fire Watch and Designated Workers (#9893), provides awareness-level and hands-on training for fire watch personnel and designated workers. Fire watch personnel and designated workers are appointed by line management and must receive both awareness-level training and hands-on training in the use of portable fire extinguishers to extinguish an incipient-stage fire. This training meets the requirements of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Code ofmore » Federal Regulations (CFR) 29 CFR 1910.157, Portable Fire Extinguishers, and Procedure (P) 101-26, Welding, Cutting, and Other Spark-/Flame-Producing Operations.« less

Fire Hazard Assessment in Supporting Fire Protection System Design of a Chemical Process Facility

DTIC Science & Technology

1996-08-01

CSDP/Studies/FireHaz –i– 3/28/97 FIRE HAZARD ASSESSMENT IN SUPPORTING FIRE PROTECTION SYSTEM DESIGN OF A CHEMICAL PROCESS FACILITY Ali Pezeshk...Joseph Chang, Dwight Hunt, and Peter Jahn Parsons Infrastructure & Technology Group, Inc. Pasadena, California 91124 ABSTRACT Because fires in a chemical ...Assessment in Supporting Fire Protection System Design of a Chemical Process Facility 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER 5b. GRANT NUMBER 5c. PROGRAM ELEMENT NUMBER 6

36 CFR 1234.12 - What are the fire safety requirements that apply to records storage facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... records storage facilities? (a) The fire detection and protection systems must be designed or reviewed by a licensed fire protection engineer. If the system was not designed by a licensed fire protection... engineer that describes the design intent of the fire detection and suppression system, detailing the...

36 CFR 1234.12 - What are the fire safety requirements that apply to records storage facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... records storage facilities? (a) The fire detection and protection systems must be designed or reviewed by a licensed fire protection engineer. If the system was not designed by a licensed fire protection... engineer that describes the design intent of the fire detection and suppression system, detailing the...

Spatial patterns in the effects of fire on savanna vegetation three-dimensional structure.

PubMed

Levick, Shaun R; Asner, Gregory P; Smit, Izak P J

2012-12-01

Spatial variability in the effects of fire on savanna vegetation structure is seldom considered in ecology, despite the inherent heterogeneity of savanna landscapes. Much has been learned about the effects of fire on vegetation structure from long-term field experiments, but these are often of limited spatial extent and do not encompass different hillslope catena elements. We mapped vegetation three-dimensional (3-D) structure over 21 000 ha in nine savanna landscapes (six on granite, three on basalt), each with contrasting long-term fire histories (higher and lower fire frequency), as defined from a combination of satellite imagery and 67 years of management records. Higher fire frequency areas contained less woody canopy cover than their lower fire frequency counterparts in all landscapes, and woody cover reduction increased linearly with increasing difference in fire frequency (r2 = 0.58, P = 0.004). Vegetation height displayed a more heterogeneous response to difference in fire frequency, with taller canopies present in the higher fire frequency areas of the wetter sites. Vegetation 3-D structural differences between areas of higher and lower fire frequency differed between geological substrates and varied spatially across hillslopes. Fire had the greatest relative impact on vegetation structure on nutrient-rich basalt substrates, and it imparted different structural responses upon vegetation in upland, midslope, and lowland topographic positions. These results highlight the complexity of fire vegetation relationships in savanna systems, and they suggest that underlying landscape heterogeneity needs more explicit incorporation into fire management policies.

Key issues in application of composites to transport aircraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stone, M.

1978-01-01

The application of composite materials to transport aircraft was identified and reviewed including the major contributing disciplines of design, manufacturing, and processing. Factors considered include: crashworthiness considerations (structural integrity, postcrash fires, and structural fusing), electrical/avionics subsystems integration, lightning, and P-static protection design; manufacturing development, evaluation, selection, and refining of tooling and curing procedures; and major joint design considerations. Development of the DC-10 rudder, DC-10 vertical stabilizer, and the DC-9 wing study project was reviewed. The Federal Aviation Administration interface and the effect on component design of compliance with Federal Aviation Regulation 25 Composite Guidelines are discussed.

PYRONES: pyro-modeling and evacuation simulation system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kanellos, Tassos; Doulgerakis, Adam; Georgiou, Eftichia; Kountouriotis, Vassilios I.; Paterakis, Manolis; Thomopoulos, Stelios C. A.; Pappou, Theodora; Vrahliotis, Socrates I.; Rekouniotis, Thrasos; Protopsaltis, Byron; Rozenberg, Ofir; Livneh, Ofer

2016-05-01

Structural fires continue to pose a great threat towards human life and property. Due to the complexity and non-deterministic characteristics of a building fire disaster, it is not a straightforward task to assess the effectiveness of fire protection measures embedded in the building design, planned evacuation strategies and potential modes of response for mitigating the fire's consequences. Additionally, there is a lack of means that realistically and accurately recreate the conditions of building fire disasters for the purpose of training personnel in order to be sufficiently prepared when vis-a-vis with such an environment. The propagation of fire within a building, the diffusion of its volatile products, the behavior of the occupants and the sustained injuries not only exhibit non-linear behaviors as individual phenomena, but are also intertwined in a web of co-dependencies. The PYRONES system has been developed to address all these aspects through a comprehensive approach that relies on accurate and realistic computer simulations of the individual phenomena and their interactions. PYRONES offers innovative tools and services to strategically targeted niches in two market domains. In the domain of building design and engineering, PYRONES is seamlessly integrated within existing engineering Building Information Modelling (BIM) workflows and serves as a building performance assessment platform, able to evaluate fire protection systems. On another front, PYRONES penetrates the building security management market, serving as a holistic training platform for specialists in evacuation strategy planning, firefighters and first responders, both at a Command and Control and at an individual trainee level.

Fire fighter fatalities 1998–2001: overview with an emphasis on structure related traumatic fatalities

PubMed Central

Hodous, T; Pizatella, T; Braddee, R; Castillo, D

2004-01-01

Objective: To review the causes of all fire fighter line-of-duty-deaths from 1998 through 2001, and present recommendations for preventing fatalities within the specific subgroup of structure related events. Methods: Fire fighter fatality data from the United States Fire Administration were reviewed and classified into three main categories of injury. Investigations conducted through the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program provided the basis for the recommendations presented in this paper. Results: During the time period from 1998–2001, there were 410 line-of-duty deaths among fire fighters in the United States, excluding the 343 fire fighters who died at the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001. The 410 fatalities included 191 medical (non-traumatic) deaths (47%), 75 motor vehicle related fatalities (18%), and 144 other traumatic fatalities (35%). The latter group included 68 fatalities that were associated with structures which commonly involved structural collapse, rapid fire progression, and trapped fire fighters. Conclusions: Structural fires pose particular hazards to fire fighters. Additional efforts must be directed to more effectively use what we have learned through the NIOSH investigations and recommendations from published experts in the safety community, consensus standards, and national fire safety organizations to reduce fire fighter fatalities during structural fire fighting. PMID:15314049

36 CFR § 1234.12 - What are the fire safety requirements that apply to records storage facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... records storage facilities? (a) The fire detection and protection systems must be designed or reviewed by a licensed fire protection engineer. If the system was not designed by a licensed fire protection... engineer that describes the design intent of the fire detection and suppression system, detailing the...

Landscape-scale effects of fire severity on mixed-conifer and red fir forest structure in Yosemite National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kane, Van R.; Lutz, James A.; Roberts, Susan L.; Smith, Douglas F.; McGaughey, Robert J.; Povak, Nicholas A.; Brooks, Matthew L.

2013-01-01

While fire shapes the structure of forests and acts as a keystone process, the details of how fire modifies forest structure have been difficult to evaluate because of the complexity of interactions between fires and forests. We studied this relationship across 69.2 km2 of Yosemite National Park, USA, that was subject to 32 fires ⩾40 ha between 1984 and 2010. Forests types included ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), white fir-sugar pine (Abies concolor/Pinus lambertiana), and red fir (Abies magnifica). We estimated and stratified burned area by fire severity using the Landsat-derived Relativized differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (RdNBR). Airborne LiDAR data, acquired in July 2010, measured the vertical and horizontal structure of canopy material and landscape patterning of canopy patches and gaps. Increasing fire severity changed structure at the scale of fire severity patches, the arrangement of canopy patches and gaps within fire severity patches, and vertically within tree clumps. Each forest type showed an individual trajectory of structural change with increasing fire severity. As a result, the relationship between estimates of fire severity such as RdNBR and actual changes appears to vary among forest types. We found three arrangements of canopy patches and gaps associated with different fire severities: canopy-gap arrangements in which gaps were enclosed in otherwise continuous canopy (typically unburned and low fire severities); patch-gap arrangements in which tree clumps and gaps alternated and neither dominated (typically moderate fire severity); and open-patch arrangements in which trees were scattered across open areas (typically high fire severity). Compared to stands outside fire perimeters, increasing fire severity generally resulted first in loss of canopy cover in lower height strata and increased number and size of gaps, then in loss of canopy cover in higher height strata, and eventually the transition to open areas with few or no trees. However, the estimated fire severities at which these transitions occurred differed for each forest type. Our work suggests that low severity fire in red fir forests and moderate severity fire in ponderosa pine and white fir-sugar pine forests would restore vertical and horizontal canopy structures believed to have been common prior to the start of widespread fire suppression in the early 1900s. The fusion of LiDAR and Landsat data identified post-fire structural conditions that would not be identified by Landsat alone, suggesting a broad applicability of combining Landsat and LiDAR data for landscape-scale structural analysis for fire management.

46 CFR 72.05-40 - Insulation, other than for structural fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Structural Fire Protection § 72.05-40 Insulation, other than for structural fire protection. (a) Any insulation installed for heat and comfort, refrigeration (including air... 46 Shipping 3 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Insulation, other than for structural fire protection...

46 CFR 72.05-40 - Insulation, other than for structural fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Structural Fire Protection § 72.05-40 Insulation, other than for structural fire protection. (a) Any insulation installed for heat and comfort, refrigeration (including air... 46 Shipping 3 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Insulation, other than for structural fire protection...

46 CFR 72.05-40 - Insulation, other than for structural fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Structural Fire Protection § 72.05-40 Insulation, other than for structural fire protection. (a) Any insulation installed for heat and comfort, refrigeration (including air... 46 Shipping 3 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Insulation, other than for structural fire protection...

46 CFR 72.05-40 - Insulation, other than for structural fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Structural Fire Protection § 72.05-40 Insulation, other than for structural fire protection. (a) Any insulation installed for heat and comfort, refrigeration (including air... 46 Shipping 3 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Insulation, other than for structural fire protection...

46 CFR 72.05-40 - Insulation, other than for structural fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... VESSELS CONSTRUCTION AND ARRANGEMENT Structural Fire Protection § 72.05-40 Insulation, other than for structural fire protection. (a) Any insulation installed for heat and comfort, refrigeration (including air... 46 Shipping 3 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Insulation, other than for structural fire protection...

76 FR 63702 - In the Matter of the Designation of Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, aka Conspiracy of the Nuclei of...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-13

... DEPARTMENT OF STATE [Public Notice: 7643] In the Matter of the Designation of Conspiracy of Fire Nuclei, aka Conspiracy of the Nuclei of Fire, aka Conspiracy of Cells of Fire, aka Synomosia of Pyrinon Tis Fotias, aka Thessaloniki-Athens Fire Nuclei Conspiracy, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist...

Hybridized polymer matrix composites

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Henshaw, J.

1983-01-01

Methods of improving the fire resistance of graphite epoxy composite laminates were investigated with the objective of reducing the volume of loose graphite fibers disseminated into the airstream as the result of a high intensity aircraft fuel fire. Improvements were sought by modifying the standard graphite epoxy systems without significantly negating their structural effectiveness. The modifications consisted primarily of an addition of a third constituent material such as glass fibers, glass flakes, carbon black in a glassy resin. These additions were designed to encourage coalescense of the graphite fibers and thereby reduce their aerodynamic float characteristics. A total of 38 fire tests were conducted on thin (1.0 mm) and thick (6.0 mm) hybrid panels.

Fire resistance of structural composite lumber products

Treesearch

Robert H. White

2006-01-01

Use of structural composite lumber products is increasing. In applications requiring a fire resistance rating, calculation procedures are used to obtain the fire resistance rating of exposed structural wood products. A critical factor in the calculation procedures is char rate for ASTM E 119 fire exposure. In this study, we tested 14 structural composite lumber...

Long-term effects of prescribed fire on mixed conifer forest structure in the Sierra Nevada, California

USGS Publications Warehouse

van Mantgem, Phillip J.; Stephenson, Nathan L.; Knapp, Eric; Keeley, Jon E.

2011-01-01

The capacity of prescribed fire to restore forest conditions is often judged by changes in forest structure within a few years following burning. However, prescribed fire might have longer-term effects on forest structure, potentially changing treatment assessments. We examined annual changes in forest structure in five 1 ha old-growth plots immediately before prescribed fire and up to eight years after fire at Sequoia National Park, California. Fire-induced declines in stem density (67% average decrease at eight years post-fire) were nonlinear, taking up to eight years to reach a presumed asymptote. Declines in live stem biomass were also nonlinear, but smaller in magnitude (32% average decrease at eight years post-fire) as most large trees survived the fires. The preferential survival of large trees following fire resulted in significant shifts in stem diameter distributions. Mortality rates remained significantly above background rates up to six years after the fires. Prescribed fire did not have a large influence on the representation of dominant species. Fire-caused mortality appeared to be spatially random, and therefore did not generally alter heterogeneous tree spatial patterns. Our results suggest that prescribed fire can bring about substantial changes to forest structure in old-growth mixed conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada, but that long-term observations are needed to fully describe some measures of fire effects.

A Design Verification of the Parallel Pipelined Image Processings

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wasaki, Katsumi; Harai, Toshiaki

2008-11-01

This paper presents a case study of the design and verification of a parallel and pipe-lined image processing unit based on an extended Petri net, which is called a Logical Colored Petri net (LCPN). This is suitable for Flexible-Manufacturing System (FMS) modeling and discussion of structural properties. LCPN is another family of colored place/transition-net(CPN) with the addition of the following features: integer value assignment of marks, representation of firing conditions as marks' value based formulae, and coupling of output procedures with transition firing. Therefore, to study the behavior of a system modeled with this net, we provide a means of searching the reachability tree for markings.

Tree Mortality following Prescribed Fire and a Storm Surge Event in Slash Pine ( Pinus elliottii var. densa ) Forests in the Florida Keys, USA

DOE PAGES

Sah, Jay P.; Ross, Michael S.; Snyder, James R.; ...

2010-01-01

In fire-dependent forests, managers are interested in predicting the consequences of prescribed burning on postfire tree mortality. We examined the effects of prescribed fire on tree mortality in Florida Keys pine forests, using a factorial design with understory type, season, and year of burn as factors. We also used logistic regression to model the effects of burn season, fire severity, and tree dimensions on individual tree mortality. Despite limited statistical power due to problems in carrying out the full suite of planned experimental burns, associations with tree and fire variables were observed. Post-fire pine tree mortality was negatively correlated withmore » tree size and positively correlated with char height and percent crown scorch. Unlike post-fire mortality, tree mortality associated with storm surge from Hurricane Wilma was greater in the large size classes. Due to their influence on population structure and fuel dynamics, the size-selective mortality patterns following fire and storm surge have practical importance for using fire as a management tool in Florida Keys pinelands in the future, particularly when the threats to their continued existence from tropical storms and sea level rise are expected to increase.« less

14 CFR 29.1181 - Designated fire zones: regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... flammable fluids or gases and are isolated from the designated fire zone prescribed in paragraph (a)(6) of... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Designated fire zones: regions included. 29... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Powerplant Powerplant Fire...

14 CFR 29.1181 - Designated fire zones: regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... flammable fluids or gases and are isolated from the designated fire zone prescribed in paragraph (a)(6) of... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Designated fire zones: regions included. 29... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Powerplant Powerplant Fire...

14 CFR 29.1181 - Designated fire zones: regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... flammable fluids or gases and are isolated from the designated fire zone prescribed in paragraph (a)(6) of... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Designated fire zones: regions included. 29... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Powerplant Powerplant Fire...

14 CFR 29.1181 - Designated fire zones: regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... flammable fluids or gases and are isolated from the designated fire zone prescribed in paragraph (a)(6) of... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Designated fire zones: regions included. 29... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Powerplant Powerplant Fire...

14 CFR 29.1181 - Designated fire zones: regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... flammable fluids or gases and are isolated from the designated fire zone prescribed in paragraph (a)(6) of... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Designated fire zones: regions included. 29... TRANSPORTATION AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Powerplant Powerplant Fire...

The Effects of Warhead-Induced Damage on the Aeroelastic Characteristics of Lifting Surfaces. Volume I. Aeroelastic Effects.

DTIC Science & Technology

1980-07-01

Arnold. Some further insight into the problem is obtained here, however, when it is demonstrated that highly optimized structural designs may...aircraft of this type are normally designed to withstand loads up to 1.5 times the maximum limit load (load factor 8.0 to 8.67), the structure should...on the wing, for example, give rise to concentrated drag and chordwise loadings as does the recoil from firing wing mounted gun systems . The drag on

Characterization of potential fire regimes: applying landscape ecology to fire management in Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jardel, E.; Alvarado, E.; Perez-Salicrup, D.; Morfín-Rios, J.

2013-05-01

Knowledge and understanding of fire regimes is fundamental to design sound fire management practices. The high ecosystem diversity of Mexico offers a great challenge to characterize the fire regime variation at the landscape level. A conceptual model was developed considering the main factors controlling fire regimes: climate and vegetation cover. We classified landscape units combining bioclimatic zones from the Holdridge life-zone system and actual vegetation cover. Since bioclimatic conditions control primary productivity and biomass accumulation (potential fuel), each landscape unit was considered as a fuel bed with a particular fire intensity and behavior potential. Climate is also a determinant factor of post-fire recovery rates of fuel beds, and climate seasonality (length of the dry and wet seasons) influences fire probability (available fuel and ignition efficiency). These two factors influence potential fire frequency. Potential fire severity can be inferred from fire frequency, fire intensity and behavior, and vegetation composition and structure. Based in the conceptual model, an exhaustive literature review and expert opinion, we developed rules to assign a potential fire regime (PFR) defined by frequency, intensity and severity (i.e. fire regime) to each bioclimatic-vegetation landscape unit. Three groups and eight types of potential fire regimes were identified. In Group A are fire-prone ecosystems with frequent low severity surface fires in grasslands (PFR type I) or forests with long dry season (II) and infrequent high-severity fires in chaparral (III), wet temperate forests (IV, fire restricted by humidity), and dry temperate forests (V, fire restricted by fuel recovery rate). Group B includes fire-reluctant ecosystems with very infrequent or occasional mixed severity surface fires limited by moisture in tropical rain forests (VI) or fuel availability in seasonally dry tropical forests (VII). Group C and PFR VIII include fire-free environments that correspond to deserts. Application of PFR model to fire management is discussed.

Modelling Variable Fire Severity in Boreal Forests: Effects of Fire Intensity and Stand Structure

PubMed Central

Miquelajauregui, Yosune; Cumming, Steven G.; Gauthier, Sylvie

2016-01-01

It is becoming clear that fires in boreal forests are not uniformly stand-replacing. On the contrary, marked variation in fire severity, measured as tree mortality, has been found both within and among individual fires. It is important to understand the conditions under which this variation can arise. We integrated forest sample plot data, tree allometries and historical forest fire records within a diameter class-structured model of 1.0 ha patches of mono-specific black spruce and jack pine stands in northern Québec, Canada. The model accounts for crown fire initiation and vertical spread into the canopy. It uses empirical relations between fire intensity, scorch height, the percent of crown scorched and tree mortality to simulate fire severity, specifically the percent reduction in patch basal area due to fire-caused mortality. A random forest and a regression tree analysis of a large random sample of simulated fires were used to test for an effect of fireline intensity, stand structure, species composition and pyrogeographic regions on resultant severity. Severity increased with intensity and was lower for jack pine stands. The proportion of simulated fires that burned at high severity (e.g. >75% reduction in patch basal area) was 0.80 for black spruce and 0.11 for jack pine. We identified thresholds in intensity below which there was a marked sensitivity of simulated fire severity to stand structure, and to interactions between intensity and structure. We found no evidence for a residual effect of pyrogeographic region on simulated severity, after the effects of stand structure and species composition were accounted for. The model presented here was able to produce variation in fire severity under a range of fire intensity conditions. This suggests that variation in stand structure is one of the factors causing the observed variation in boreal fire severity. PMID:26919456

Modelling Variable Fire Severity in Boreal Forests: Effects of Fire Intensity and Stand Structure.

PubMed

Miquelajauregui, Yosune; Cumming, Steven G; Gauthier, Sylvie

2016-01-01

It is becoming clear that fires in boreal forests are not uniformly stand-replacing. On the contrary, marked variation in fire severity, measured as tree mortality, has been found both within and among individual fires. It is important to understand the conditions under which this variation can arise. We integrated forest sample plot data, tree allometries and historical forest fire records within a diameter class-structured model of 1.0 ha patches of mono-specific black spruce and jack pine stands in northern Québec, Canada. The model accounts for crown fire initiation and vertical spread into the canopy. It uses empirical relations between fire intensity, scorch height, the percent of crown scorched and tree mortality to simulate fire severity, specifically the percent reduction in patch basal area due to fire-caused mortality. A random forest and a regression tree analysis of a large random sample of simulated fires were used to test for an effect of fireline intensity, stand structure, species composition and pyrogeographic regions on resultant severity. Severity increased with intensity and was lower for jack pine stands. The proportion of simulated fires that burned at high severity (e.g. >75% reduction in patch basal area) was 0.80 for black spruce and 0.11 for jack pine. We identified thresholds in intensity below which there was a marked sensitivity of simulated fire severity to stand structure, and to interactions between intensity and structure. We found no evidence for a residual effect of pyrogeographic region on simulated severity, after the effects of stand structure and species composition were accounted for. The model presented here was able to produce variation in fire severity under a range of fire intensity conditions. This suggests that variation in stand structure is one of the factors causing the observed variation in boreal fire severity.

Design of a Thermal Precipitator for the Characterization of Smoke Particles from Common Spacecraft Materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meyer, Marit Elisabeth

2015-01-01

A thermal precipitator (TP) was designed to collect smoke aerosol particles for microscopic analysis in fire characterization research. Information on particle morphology, size and agglomerate structure obtained from these tests supplements additional aerosol data collected. Modeling of the thermal precipitator throughout the design process was performed with the COMSOL Multiphysics finite element software package, including the Eulerian flow field and thermal gradients in the fluid. The COMSOL Particle Tracing Module was subsequently used to determine particle deposition. Modeling provided optimized design parameters such as geometry, flow rate and temperatures. The thermal precipitator was built and testing verified the performance of the first iteration of the device. The thermal precipitator was successfully operated and provided quality particle samples for microscopic analysis, which furthered the body of knowledge on smoke particulates. This information is a key element of smoke characterization and will be useful for future spacecraft fire detection research.

Program for developing and implementing a new approach to designing for fire safety in buildings

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1975-01-01

The traditional method of providing for fire safety in buildings through reliance on codes and standards that prescribe specific measures to be taken in the design and construction of buildings to minimize the potential for a fire occurring and to protect property and life should a fire occur was evaluated. A new approach to designing for fire safety in buildings is outlined.

Simulating fire-induced ecological succession with the dynamically coupled fire-vegetation model, ED-SPIFTIRE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Spessa, A.; Fisher, R.

2009-04-01

The simulation of fire-vegetation feedbacks is crucial for determining fire-induced changes to ecosystem structure and function, and emissions of trace gases and aerosols under future climate change. A new global fire model SPITFIRE (SPread and InTensity of FIRE) has been designed to overcome many of the limitations in existing fire models set within DGVM frameworks (Thonicke et al. 2008). SPITFIRE has been applied in coupled mode globally (Thonicke et al. 2008) and northern Australia (Spessa et al. unpubl.) as part of the LPJ DGVM. It has also been driven with MODIS burnt area data applied to sub-Saharan Africa (Lehsten et al. 2008) as part of the LPJ-GUESS vegetation model (Smith et al. 2001). Recently, Spessa & Fisher (unpubl.) completed the coupling of SPIFTIRE to the Ecosystem Demography (ED) model (Moorecroft et al. 2001), which has been globalised by Dr R. Fisher as part of the development of the new land surface scheme JULES (Joint UK Environment Simulator) within the QUEST Earth System Model (http://www.quest-esm.ac.uk/). In contrast to the LPJ DGVM, ED is a ‘size and age structured' approximation of an individual based gap model. The major innovation of the ED-SPITFIRE model compared with LPJ-SPITFIRE is the categorisation of each climatic grid cell into a series of non-spatially contiguous patches which are defined by a common ‘age since last disturbance'. In theory, the age-class structure of ED facilitates ecologically realistic processes of succession and re-growth to be represented. By contrast, LPJ DGVM adopts an ‘area-based approach' that implicitly averages individual and patch differences across a wider area and across ‘populations' of PFTs. This presentation provides an overview of SPITFIRE, and provides preliminary results from ED-SPITFIRE applied to northern Australian savanna ecosystems which, due to spatio-temporal variation in fire disturbance, comprise a patchwork of grasses and trees at different stages of post-fire succession. Comparisons with similar simulations undertaken with LPJ-SPITFIRE are also presented.

Effects of a large wildfire on vegetation structure in a variable fire mosaic.

PubMed

Foster, C N; Barton, P S; Robinson, N M; MacGregor, C I; Lindenmayer, D B

2017-12-01

Management guidelines for many fire-prone ecosystems highlight the importance of maintaining a variable mosaic of fire histories for biodiversity conservation. Managers are encouraged to aim for fire mosaics that are temporally and spatially dynamic, include all successional states of vegetation, and also include variation in the underlying "invisible mosaic" of past fire frequencies, severities, and fire return intervals. However, establishing and maintaining variable mosaics in contemporary landscapes is subject to many challenges, one of which is deciding how the fire mosaic should be managed following the occurrence of large, unplanned wildfires. A key consideration for this decision is the extent to which the effects of previous fire history on vegetation and habitats persist after major wildfires, but this topic has rarely been investigated empirically. In this study, we tested to what extent a large wildfire interacted with previous fire history to affect the structure of forest, woodland, and heath vegetation in Booderee National Park in southeastern Australia. In 2003, a summer wildfire burned 49.5% of the park, increasing the extent of recently burned vegetation (<10 yr post-fire) to more than 72% of the park area. We tracked the recovery of vegetation structure for nine years following the wildfire and found that the strength and persistence of fire effects differed substantially between vegetation types. Vegetation structure was modified by wildfire in forest, woodland, and heath vegetation, but among-site variability in vegetation structure was reduced only by severe fire in woodland vegetation. There also were persistent legacy effects of the previous fire regime on some attributes of vegetation structure including forest ground and understorey cover, and woodland midstorey and overstorey cover. For example, woodland midstorey cover was greater on sites with higher fire frequency, irrespective of the severity of the 2003 wildfire. Our results show that even after a large, severe wildfire, underlying fire histories can contribute substantially to variation in vegetation structure. This highlights the importance of ensuring that efforts to reinstate variation in vegetation fire age after large wildfires do not inadvertently reduce variation in vegetation structure generated by the underlying invisible mosaic. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Optical Flow Estimation for Flame Detection in Videos

PubMed Central

Mueller, Martin; Karasev, Peter; Kolesov, Ivan; Tannenbaum, Allen

2014-01-01

Computational vision-based flame detection has drawn significant attention in the past decade with camera surveillance systems becoming ubiquitous. Whereas many discriminating features, such as color, shape, texture, etc., have been employed in the literature, this paper proposes a set of motion features based on motion estimators. The key idea consists of exploiting the difference between the turbulent, fast, fire motion, and the structured, rigid motion of other objects. Since classical optical flow methods do not model the characteristics of fire motion (e.g., non-smoothness of motion, non-constancy of intensity), two optical flow methods are specifically designed for the fire detection task: optimal mass transport models fire with dynamic texture, while a data-driven optical flow scheme models saturated flames. Then, characteristic features related to the flow magnitudes and directions are computed from the flow fields to discriminate between fire and non-fire motion. The proposed features are tested on a large video database to demonstrate their practical usefulness. Moreover, a novel evaluation method is proposed by fire simulations that allow for a controlled environment to analyze parameter influences, such as flame saturation, spatial resolution, frame rate, and random noise. PMID:23613042

Disturbance and productivity interactions mediate stability of forest composition and structure

Treesearch

Christopher D. O' Connor; Donald A. Falk; Ann M. Lynch; Thomas W. Swetnam; Craig P. Wilcox

2017-01-01

Fire is returning to many conifer-dominated forests where species composition and structure have been altered by fire exclusion. Ecological effects of these fires are influenced strongly by the degree of forest change during the fire-free period. Response of fire-adapted species assemblages to extended fire-free intervals is highly variable, even in communities with...

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108... DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a... space. (b) The fire detection system must be designed to minimize false alarms. ...

36 CFR 331.15 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fires. 331.15 Section 331.15... INDIANA § 331.15 Fires. Open fires are prohibited unless confined to fireplaces, grills, or other facilities designed for this purpose as designated by the District Engineer. Fires shall not be left...

14 CFR 33.17 - Fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection. 33.17 Section 33.17... STANDARDS: AIRCRAFT ENGINES Design and Construction; General § 33.17 Fire protection. (a) The design and... fire during normal operation and failure conditions, and must minimize the effect of such a fire. In...

FTM-West : fuel treatment market model for U.S. West

Treesearch

Peter J. Ince; Andrew Kramp; Henry Spelter; Ken Skog; Dennis Dykstra

2006-01-01

This paper presents FTM–West, a partial market equilibrium model designed to project future wood market impacts of significantly expanded fuel treatment programs that could remove trees to reduce fire hazard on forestlands in the U.S. West. FTM–West was designed to account for structural complexities in marketing and utilization that arise from unconventional size...

Forest Fire Advanced System Technology (FFAST): A Conceptual Design for Detection and Mapping

Treesearch

J. David Nichols; John R. Warren

1987-01-01

The Forest Fire Advanced System Technology (FFAST) project is developing a data system to provide near-real-time forest fire information to fire management at the fire Incident Command Post (ICP). The completed conceptual design defined an integrated forest fire detection and mapping system that is based upon technology available in the 1990's. System component...

Detection of forest stand-level spatial structure in ectomycorrhizal fungal communities

Treesearch

Erik A. Lilleskov; Thomas D. Bruns; Thomas R. Horton; D. Lee Taylor; Paul Grogan

2004-01-01

Ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) communities are highly diverse at the stand level. To begin to understand what might lead to such diversity, and to improve sampling designs, we investigated the spatial structure of these communities. We used EMF community data from a number of studies carried out in seven mature and one recently fire-initiated forest stand. We applied...

Understory vegetation response to thinning and burning restoration treatments in dry conifer forests of the eastern Cascades, USA

Treesearch

Erich Kyle Dodson; David W. Peterson; Richy J. Harrod

2008-01-01

Restoration/fuel reduction treatments are being widely used in fire-prone forests to modify stand structure, reduce risks of severe wildfire, and increase ecosystem resilience to natural disturbances. These treatments are designed to manipulate stand structure and fuels, but may also affect understory vegetation and biodiversity. In this study, we describe prescribed...

Using mixture design of experiments to assess the environmental impact of clay-based structural ceramics containing foundry wastes.

PubMed

Coronado, M; Segadães, A M; Andrés, A

2015-12-15

This work describes the leaching behavior of potentially hazardous metals from three different clay-based industrial ceramic products (wall bricks, roof tiles, and face bricks) containing foundry sand dust and Waelz slag as alternative raw materials. For each product, ten mixtures were defined by mixture design of experiments and the leaching of As, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pb, and Zn was evaluated in pressed specimens fired simulating the three industrial ceramic processes. The results showed that, despite the chemical, mineralogical and processing differences, only chrome and molybdenum were not fully immobilized during ceramic processing. Their leaching was modeled as polynomial equations, functions of the raw materials contents, and plotted as response surfaces. This brought to evidence that Cr and Mo leaching from the fired products is not only dependent on the corresponding contents and the basicity of the initial mixtures, but is also clearly related with the mineralogical composition of the fired products, namely the amount of the glassy phase, which depends on both the major oxides contents and the firing temperature. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Housing Interventions and Control of Injury-Related Structural Deficiencies: A Review of the Evidence

PubMed Central

DiGuiseppi, Carolyn; Jacobs, David E.; Phelan, Kieran J.; Mickalide, Angela; Ormandy, David

2010-01-01

Subject matter experts systematically reviewed evidence on the effectiveness of housing interventions that affect safety and injury outcomes, such as falls, fire-related injuries, burns and drowning, carbon monoxide poisoning, heat-related deaths, and noise-related harm, associated with structural housing deficiencies. Structural deficiencies were defined as those deficiencies for which a builder, landlord, or homeowner would take responsibility (ie, design, construction, installation, repair, monitoring). Three of the 17 interventions reviewed had sufficient evidence for implementation: installed, working smoke alarms; 4-sided isolation pool fencing; and preset safe hot water temperature. Five interventions needed more field evaluation, 8 needed formative research, and 1 was found to be ineffective. This evidence review shows that housing improvements are likely to help reduce burns and scalds, drowning in pools, and fire-related deaths and injuries. PMID:20689373

46 CFR 28.380 - General structural fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... accommodation space must be separated from machinery and fuel tank spaces by a fire resistant boundary which... 46 Shipping 1 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false General structural fire protection. 28.380 Section 28..., 1991, and That Operate With More Than 16 Individuals on Board § 28.380 General structural fire...

Structural wildland intermix

Treesearch

Ronny J. Coleman

1995-01-01

Because many major population centers are located in wildland areas, many structures have been destroyed by increasingly more costly wildland fires. The structure and jurisdiction of the fire service in California are complex, and a uniform approach to fire prevention is lacking. A description of many of the fire issues in the wildland-urban intermix is provided. The...

Effectiveness of Prescribed Fire as a Fuel Treatment in Californian Coniferous Forests

Treesearch

Nicole M. Vaillant; JoAnn Fites-Kaufman; Scott L. Stephens

2006-01-01

Effective fire suppression for the past century has altered forest structure and increased fuel loads. Prescribed fire as a fuels treatment can reduce wildfire size and severity. This study investigates how prescribed fire affects fuel loads, forest structure, potential fire behavior, and modeled tree mortality at 80th, 90th, and 97.5th percentile fire weather...

Validation of the AVM Blast Computational Modeling and Simulation Tool Set

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-08-04

by-construction" methodology is powerful and would not be possible without high -level design languages to support validation and verification. [1,4...to enable the making of informed design decisions.  Enable rapid exploration of the design trade-space for high -fidelity requirements tradeoffs...live-fire tests, the jump height of the target structure is recorded by using either high speed cameras or a string pot. A simple projectile motion

Fire safety

Treesearch

Robert H. White; Mark A. Dietenberger

1999-01-01

Fire safety is an important concern in all types of construction. The high level of national concern for fire safety is reflected in limitations and design requirements in building codes. These code requirements are discussed in the context of fire safety design and evaluation in the initial section of this chapter. Since basic data on fire behavior of wood products...

FEES: design of a Fire Economics Evaluation System

Treesearch

Thomas J. Mills; Frederick W. Bratten

1982-01-01

The Fire Economics Evaluation System (FEES)--a simulation model--is being designed for long-term planning application by all public agencies with wildland fire management responsibilities. A fully operational version of FEES will be capable of estimating the economic efficiency, fire-induced changes in resource outputs, and risk characteristics of a range of fire...

Strategies for preventing invasive plant outbreaks after prescribed fire in ponderosa pine forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Symstad, Amy J.; Newton, Wesley E.; Swanson, Daniel J.

2014-01-01

Land managers use prescribed fire to return a vital process to fire-adapted ecosystems, restore forest structure from a state altered by long-term fire suppression, and reduce wildfire intensity. However, fire often produces favorable conditions for invasive plant species, particularly if it is intense enough to reveal bare mineral soil and open previously closed canopies. Understanding the environmental or fire characteristics that explain post-fire invasive plant abundance would aid managers in efficiently finding and quickly responding to fire-caused infestations. To that end, we used an information-theoretic model-selection approach to assess the relative importance of abiotic environmental characteristics (topoedaphic position, distance from roads), pre-and post-fire biotic environmental characteristics (forest structure, understory vegetation, fuel load), and prescribed fire severity (measured in four different ways) in explaining invasive plant cover in ponderosa pine forest in South Dakota’s Black Hills. Environmental characteristics (distance from roads and post-fire forest structure) alone provided the most explanation of variation (26%) in post-fire cover of Verbascum thapsus (common mullein), but a combination of surface fire severity and environmental characteristics (pre-fire forest structure and distance from roads) explained 36–39% of the variation in post-fire cover of Cirsium arvense (Canada thistle) and all invasives together. For four species and all invasives together, their pre-fire cover explained more variation (26–82%) in post-fire cover than environmental and fire characteristics did, suggesting one strategy for reducing post-fire invasive outbreaks may be to find and control invasives before the fire. Finding them may be difficult, however, since pre-fire environmental characteristics explained only 20% of variation in pre-fire total invasive cover, and less for individual species. Thus, moderating fire intensity or targeting areas of high severity for post-fire invasive control may be the most efficient means for reducing the chances of post-fire invasive plant outbreaks when conducting prescribed fires in this region.

Application of petrographic examination techniques to the assessment of fire-damaged concrete and masonry structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ingham, Jeremy P., E-mail: inghamjp@halcrow.com

The number of building fires has doubled over the last 50 years. There has never been a greater need for structures to be assessed for fire damage to ensure safety and enable appropriate repairs to be planned. Fortunately, even after a severe fire, concrete and masonry structures are generally capable of being repaired rather than demolished. By allowing direct examination of microcracking and mineralogical changes, petrographic examination has become widely used to determine the depth of fire damage for reinforced concrete elements. Petrographic examination can also be applied to fire-damaged masonry structures built of materials such as stone, brick andmore » mortar. Petrography can ensure accurate detection of damaged geomaterials, which provides cost savings during building repair and increased safety reassurance. This paper comprises a review of the role of petrography in fire damage assessments, drawing on a range of actual fire damage investigations.« less

Review of Repair Materials for Fire-Damaged Reinforced Concrete Structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zahid, MZA Mohd; Abu Bakar, BH; Nazri, FM; Ahmad, MM; Muhamad, K.

2018-03-01

Reinforced concrete (RC) structures perform well during fire and may be repaired after the fire incident because their low heat conductivity prevents the loss or degradation of mechanical strength of the concrete core and internal reinforcing steel. When an RC structure is heated to more than 500 °C, mechanical properties such as compressive strength, stiffness, and tensile strength start to degrade and deformations occur. Although the fire-exposed RC structure shows no visible damage, its residual strength decreases compared with that in the pre-fire state. Upon thorough assessment, the fire-damaged RC structure can be repaired or strengthened, instead of subjecting to partial or total demolition followed by reconstruction. The structure can be repaired using several materials, such as carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, glass fiber-reinforced polymer, normal strength concrete, fiber-reinforced concrete, ferrocement, epoxy resin mortar, and high-performance concrete. Selecting an appropriate repair material that must be compatible with the substrate or base material is a vital step to ensure successful repair. This paper reviews existing repair materials and factors affecting their performance. Of the materials considered, ultra-high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) exhibits huge potential for repairing fire-damaged RC structures but lack of information available. Hence, further studies must be performed to assess the potential of UHPFRC in rehabilitating fire-damaged RC structures.

Putting out fire with gasoline: pitfalls in the silvicultural treatment of canopy fuels

Treesearch

Christopher R. Keyes; J. Morgan Varner

2007-01-01

There is little question that forest stand structure is directly related to fire behavior, and that canopy fuel structure may be altered using silvicultural methods to successfully modify forest fire behavior and reduce susceptibility to crown fire initiation and spread. Silvicultural treatments can remediate hazardous stand structures that have developed as a result...

Spatial patterns and controls on historical fire regimes and forest structure in the Klamath Mountains

Treesearch

Alan H. Taylor; Carl N. Skinner

2003-01-01

Fire exclusion in mixed conifer forests has increased the risk of fire due to decades of fuel accumulation. Restoration of fire into altered forests is a challenge because of a poor understanding of the spatial and temporal dynamics of fire regimes. In this study the spatial and temporal characteristics of fire regimes and forest age structure are reconstructed in a...

Fuel variability following wildfire in forests with mixed severity fire regimes, Cascade Range, USA

Treesearch

Jessica L. Hudec; David L. Peterson

2012-01-01

Fire severity influences post-burn structure and composition of a forest and the potential for a future fire to burn through the area. The effects of fire on forests with mixed severity fire regimes are difficult to predict and interpret because the quantity, structure, and composition of forest fuels vary considerably. This study examines the relationship between fire...

Disturbance and productivity interactions mediate stability of forest composition and structure.

PubMed

O'Connor, Christopher D; Falk, Donald A; Lynch, Ann M; Swetnam, Thomas W; Wilcox, Craig P

2017-04-01

Fire is returning to many conifer-dominated forests where species composition and structure have been altered by fire exclusion. Ecological effects of these fires are influenced strongly by the degree of forest change during the fire-free period. Response of fire-adapted species assemblages to extended fire-free intervals is highly variable, even in communities with similar historical fire regimes. This variability in plant community response to fire exclusion is not well understood; however, ecological mechanisms such as individual species' adaptations to disturbance or competition and underlying site characteristics that facilitate or impede establishment and growth have been proposed as potential drivers of assemblage response. We used spatially explicit dendrochronological reconstruction of tree population dynamics and fire regimes to examine the influence of historical disturbance frequency (a proxy for adaptation to disturbance or competition), and potential site productivity (a proxy for underlying site characteristics) on the stability of forest composition and structure along a continuous ecological gradient of pine, dry mixed-conifer, mesic mixed-conifer, and spruce-fir forests following fire exclusion. While average structural density increased in all forests, species composition was relatively stable in the lowest productivity pine-dominated and highest productivity spruce-fir-dominated sites immediately following fire exclusion and for the next 100 years, suggesting site productivity as a primary control on species composition and structure in forests with very different historical fire regimes. Species composition was least stable on intermediate productivity sites dominated by mixed-conifer forests, shifting from primarily fire-adapted species to competition-adapted, fire-sensitive species within 20 years of fire exclusion. Rapid changes to species composition and stand densities have been interpreted by some as evidence of high-severity fire. We demonstrate that the very different ecological process of fire exclusion can produce similar changes by shifting selective pressures from disturbance-mediated to productivity-mediated controls. Restoring disturbance-adapted species composition and structure to intermediate productivity forests may help to buffer them against projected increasing temperatures, lengthening fire seasons, and more frequent and prolonged moisture stress. Fewer management options are available to promote adaptation in forest assemblages historically constrained by underlying site productivity. © 2016 by the Ecological Society of America.

75 FR 40845 - Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Using Risk Management Principles at Structure Fires

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-07-14

... NIOSH 141-A] Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Using Risk Management Principles at Structure Fires AGENCY: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) of the Centers for... publication entitled ``Preventing Deaths and Injuries of Fire Fighters Using Risk Management Principles at...

Fire safety of wood construction

Treesearch

Robert H. White; Mark A. Dietenberger

2010-01-01

Fire safety is an important concern in all types of construction. The high level of national concern for fire safety is reflected in limitations and design requirements in building codes. These code requirements and related fire performance data are discussed in the context of fire safety design and evaluation in the initial section of this chapter. Because basic data...

Massachusetts Public Fire and Safety Education Curriculum Planning Guidebook. Second Version.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Massachusetts Department of Fire Services, Stow.

This updated curriculum planning guidebook is a resource for fire educators throughout the state of Massachusetts. It is designed to be a tool in efforts to: identify fire problems in the community; select appropriate behaviors and lessons to correct the fire problems; design fire education programs; and implement and evaluate the programs. The…

Instrumentation Cables Test Plan

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Muna, Alice Baca; LaFleur, Chris Bensdotter

A fire at a nuclear power plant (NPP) has the potential to damage structures, systems, and components important to safety, if not promptly detected and suppressed. At Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant on March 22, 1975, a fire in the reactor building damaged electrical power and control systems. Damage to instrumentation cables impeded the function of both normal and standby reactor coolant systems, and degraded the operators’ plant monitoring capability. This event resulted in additional NRC involvement with utilities to ensure that NPPs are properly protected from fire as intended by the NRC principle design criteria (i.e., general design criteriamore » 3, Fire Protection). Current guidance and methods for both deterministic and performance based approaches typically make conservative (bounding) assumptions regarding the fire-induced failure modes of instrumentation cables and those failure modes effects on component and system response. Numerous fire testing programs have been conducted in the past to evaluate the failure modes and effects of electrical cables exposed to severe thermal conditions. However, that testing has primarily focused on control circuits with only a limited number of tests performed on instrumentation circuits. In 2001, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) conducted a series of cable fire tests designed to address specific aspects of the cable failure and circuit fault issues of concern1. The NRC was invited to observe and participate in that program. The NRC sponsored Sandia National Laboratories to support this participation, whom among other things, added a 4-20 mA instrumentation circuit and instrumentation cabling to six of the tests. Although limited, one insight drawn from those instrumentation circuits tests was that the failure characteristics appeared to depend on the cable insulation material. The results showed that for thermoset insulated cables, the instrument reading tended to drift and fluctuate, while the thermoplastic insulated cables, the instrument reading fell off-scale rapidly. From an operational point of view, the latter failure characteristics would likely be identified as a failure from the effects of fire, while the former may result in inaccurate readings.« less

Anthropometric Procedures for Protective Equipment Sizing and Design

PubMed Central

Hsiao, Hongwei

2015-01-01

Objectives This article presented four anthropometric theories (univariate, bivariate/probability distribution, multivariate, and shape-based methods) for protective equipment design decisions. Background While the significance of anthropometric information for product design is well recognized, designers continue to face challenges in selecting efficient anthropometric data processing methods and translating the acquired information into effective product designs. Methods For this study, 100 farm tractor operators, 3,718 respirator users, 951 firefighters, and 816 civilian workers participated in four studies on the design of tractor roll-over protective structures (ROPS), respirator test panels, fire truck cabs, and fall-arrest harnesses, respectively. Their anthropometry and participant-equipment interfaces were evaluated. Results Study 1 showed a need to extend the 90-cm vertical clearance for tractor ROPS in the current industrial standards to 98.3 to 101.3 cm. Study 2 indicated that current respirator test panel would have excluded 10% of the male firefighter population; a systematic adjustment to the boundaries of test panel cells was suggested. Study 3 provided 24 principal component analysis-based firefighter body models to facilitate fire truck cab design. Study 4 developed an improved gender-based fall-arrest harness sizing scheme to supplant the current unisex system. Conclusions This article presented four anthropometric approaches and a six-step design paradigm for ROPS, respirator test panel, fire truck cab, and fall-arrest harness applications, which demonstrated anthropometric theories and practices for defining protective equipment fit and sizing schemes. Applications The study provided a basis for equipment designers, standards writers, and industry manufacturers to advance anthropometric applications for product design and improve product efficacy. PMID:23516791

Dendroecological potential of Fabiana imbricata shrub for reconstructing fire history at landscape scale in grasslands

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Oddi, Facundo; Ghermandi, Luciana; Lasaponara, Rosa

2014-05-01

Fire recurrently affects many of the terrestrial ecosystems causing major implications on the structure and dynamics of vegetation. In fire prone, it is particularly important to know the fire regime for which precise fire records are needed. Dendroecology offers the possibility of obtaining fire occurrence data from woody species and has been widely used in forest ecosystems for fire research. Grasslands are regions with no trees but shrubs could be used to acquire dendroecological information in order to reconstructing fire history at landscape scale. We studied the dendroecological potential of shrub F. imbricata to reconstruct fire history at landscape scale in a fire prone grassland of northwestern Patagonia. To do this, we combined spatio-temporal information of recorded fires within the study area with the age structure of F. imbricata shrublands derived by dendroecology. Sampling sites were located over 2500 ha in San Ramón ranch, 30 km east from Bariloche, Río Negro province, Argentina (latitude -41° 04'; longitude -70° 51'). Shrubland age structure correctly described how fires occurred in the past. Pulses of individuals' recruitment were associated with fire in time and space. A bi-variate analysis showed that F. imbricata recruits individuals during the two years after fire and spatial distribution of pulses coincided with the fire map. In sites without fire data, the age structure allowed the identification of two additional fires. Our results show that shrub F. imbricata can be employed with other data sources such as remote sensing and operational databases to improve knowledge on fire regime in northwestern Patagonia grasslands. In conclusion, we raise the possibility of utilizing shrubs as a dendroecological data source to study fire history in grasslands where tree cover is absent.

Fuel reduction treatments affect stand structure of hardwood forests in Western North Carolina and Southern Ohio, USA

Treesearch

Thomas A. Waldrop; Daniel A. Yaussy; Ross J. Phillips; Todd A. Hutchinson; Lucy Brudnak; Ralph E.J. Boerner

2008-01-01

Prescribed fire and mechanical treatments were tested at the two hardwood sites of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study (southern and central Appalachian regions) for impacts to stand structure. After two fires and one mechanical treatment, no treatment or treatment combination restored stand structure to historical levels. Burning alone had little impact on...

Study to develop improved fire resistant aircraft passenger seat materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Duskin, F. E.; Schutter, K. J.; Sieth, H. H.; Trabold, E. L.

1980-01-01

The Phase 3 study of the NASA 'Improved Fire Resistant Aircraft Seat Materials' involved fire tests of improved materials in multilayered combinations representative of cushion configurations. Tests were conducted to determine their thermal, smoke, and fire resistance characteristics. Additionally, a 'Design Guideline' for Fire Resistant Passenger Seats was written outlining general seat design considerations. Finally, a three-abreast 'Tourist Class' passenger seat assembly fabricated from the most advanced fire-resistant materials was delivered.

Reference conditions for giant sequoia forest restoration: structure, process, and precision

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephenson, Nathan L.

1999-01-01

National Park Service policy directs that more natural conditions be restored to giant sequoia groves, which have been altered by a century of fire exclusion. Efforts to find a reasonable and practical definition of “natural” have helped drive scientists and land managers to use past grove conditions as reference conditions for restoration. Extensive research aimed at determining reference conditions has demonstrated that past fire regimes can be characterized with greater precision than past grove structures. Difficulty and imprecision in determining past grove structure has helped fuel a debate between “structural restorationists,” who believe that forest structure should be restored mechanically before fire is reintroduced, and “process restorationists,” who believe that simple reintroduction of fire is appropriate. I evaluate old and new studies from sequoia groves to show that some of the arguments of both groups have been flawed. Importantly, it appears that restoration of fire without a preceding mechanical restoration may restore the pre-Euro-American structure of sequoia groves, at least within the bounds of our imprecise knowledge of past grove structure. However, the same may not be true for all forest types that have experienced lengthy fire exclusion. Our ability to draw robust generalizations about fire's role in forest restoration will depend heavily on a thorough understanding of past and present interactions among climate, fire, and forest structure. Use of reference conditions will be central to developing this understanding.

Acoustic emission non-destructive testing of structures using source location techniques.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beattie, Alan G.

2013-09-01

The technology of acoustic emission (AE) testing has been advanced and used at Sandia for the past 40 years. AE has been used on structures including pressure vessels, fire bottles, wind turbines, gas wells, nuclear weapons, and solar collectors. This monograph begins with background topics in acoustics and instrumentation and then focuses on current acoustic emission technology. It covers the overall design and system setups for a test, with a wind turbine blade as the object. Test analysis is discussed with an emphasis on source location. Three test examples are presented, two on experimental wind turbine blades and one onmore » aircraft fire extinguisher bottles. Finally, the code for a FORTRAN source location program is given as an example of a working analysis program. Throughout the document, the stress is on actual testing of real structures, not on laboratory experiments.« less

Real Time Fire Reconnaissance Satellite Monitoring System Failure Model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nino Prieto, Omar Ariosto; Colmenares Guillen, Luis Enrique

2013-09-01

In this paper the Real Time Fire Reconnaissance Satellite Monitoring System is presented. This architecture is a legacy of the Detection System for Real-Time Physical Variables which is undergoing a patent process in Mexico. The methodologies for this design are the Structured Analysis for Real Time (SA- RT) [8], and the software is carried out by LACATRE (Langage d'aide à la Conception d'Application multitâche Temps Réel) [9,10] Real Time formal language. The system failures model is analyzed and the proposal is based on the formal language for the design of critical systems and Risk Assessment; AltaRica. This formal architecture uses satellites as input sensors and it was adapted from the original model which is a design pattern for physical variation detection in Real Time. The original design, whose task is to monitor events such as natural disasters and health related applications, or actual sickness monitoring and prevention, as the Real Time Diabetes Monitoring System, among others. Some related work has been presented on the Mexican Space Agency (AEM) Creation and Consultation Forums (2010-2011), and throughout the International Mexican Aerospace Science and Technology Society (SOMECYTA) international congress held in San Luis Potosí, México (2012). This Architecture will allow a Real Time Fire Satellite Monitoring, which will reduce the damage and danger caused by fires which consumes the forests and tropical forests of Mexico. This new proposal, permits having a new system that impacts on disaster prevention, by combining national and international technologies and cooperation for the benefit of humankind.

EcoSmart Fire as structure ignition model in wildland urban interface: predictions and validations

Treesearch

Mark A. Dietenberger; Charles R. Boardman

2016-01-01

EcoSmartFire is a Windows program that models heat damage and piloted ignition of structures from radiant exposure to discrete landscaped tree fires. It calculates the radiant heat transfer from cylindrical shaped fires to the walls and roof of the structure while accounting for radiation shadowing, attenuation, and ground reflections. Tests of litter burn, a 0.6 m...

In situ Micrometeorological Measurements during RxCADRE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Clements, C. B.; Hiers, J. K.; Strenfel, S. J.

2009-12-01

The Prescribed Fire Combustion and Atmospheric Dynamics Research Experiment (RxCADRE) was a collaborative research project designed to fully instrument prescribed fires in the Southeastern United States. Data were collected on pre-burn fuel loads, post burn consumption, ambient weather, in situ atmospheric dynamics, plume dynamics, radiant heat release (both from in-situ and remote sensors), in-situ fire behavior, and select fire effects. The sampling was conducted at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, and the Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center in Newton, Georgia, from February 29 to March 6, 2008. Data were collected on 5 prescribed burns, totaling 4458 acres. The largest aerial ignition totaled 2,290 acres and the smallest ground ignition totaled 104 acres. Quantifying fire-atmospheric interactions is critical for understanding wildland fire dynamics and enhancing modeling of smoke plumes. During Rx-CADRE, atmospheric soundings using radiosondes were made at each burn prior to ignition. In situ micrometeorological measurements were made within each burn unit using five portable, 10-m towers equipped with sonic and prop anemometers, fine-wire thermocouples, and a carbon dioxide probes. The towers were arranged within the burn units to capture the wind and temperature fields as the fire front and plume passed the towers. Due to the interaction of fire lines following ignition, several of the fire fronts that passed the towers were backing fires and thus less intense. Preliminary results indicate that the average vertical velocities associated with the fire front passage were on the order of 3-5 m s-1 and average plume temperatures were on the order of 30-50 °C above ambient. During two of the experimental burns, radiosondes were released into the fire plumes to determine the vertical structure of the plume temperature, humidity, and winds. A radiosonde released into the plume during the burn conducted on 3 March 2008 indicated a definite plume boundary in the potential temperature and dew point temperature structure. The plume height immediately downwind of the fire front was approximately 150 m AGL and heating within this layer was on the order of 3 K. One interesting feature of the plume was the enhanced wind velocity at the top of the plume. Winds increased by 2 m s-1 in a shallow layer at the very top of the plume boundary indicating enhanced acceleration due to the increase in buoyancy. This experience highlights the dynamism of interacting fire lines within prescribed burns as well as the difficulty of measuring fire-atmospheric interactions on large prescribed fire ignitions.

14 CFR 27.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 27.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to a controlled landing that would be affected by...

14 CFR 27.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 27.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to a controlled landing that would be affected by...

14 CFR 29.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 29.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, and the rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to controlled landing and (for category A...

14 CFR 29.861 - Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire protection of structure, controls, and... Protection § 29.861 Fire protection of structure, controls, and other parts. Each part of the structure, controls, and the rotor mechanism, and other parts essential to controlled landing and (for category A...

14 CFR 25.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... engines; and (7) Combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations that contain... Protection § 25.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. (a) Designated fire zones are— (1) The engine power section; (2) The engine accessory section; (3) Except for reciprocating engines, any complete...

14 CFR 25.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... engines; and (7) Combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations that contain... Protection § 25.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. (a) Designated fire zones are— (1) The engine power section; (2) The engine accessory section; (3) Except for reciprocating engines, any complete...

14 CFR 25.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... engines; and (7) Combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations that contain... Protection § 25.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. (a) Designated fire zones are— (1) The engine power section; (2) The engine accessory section; (3) Except for reciprocating engines, any complete...

14 CFR 25.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... engines; and (7) Combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations that contain... Protection § 25.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. (a) Designated fire zones are— (1) The engine power section; (2) The engine accessory section; (3) Except for reciprocating engines, any complete...

14 CFR 25.1181 - Designated fire zones; regions included.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... engines; and (7) Combustor, turbine, and tailpipe sections of turbine engine installations that contain... Protection § 25.1181 Designated fire zones; regions included. (a) Designated fire zones are— (1) The engine power section; (2) The engine accessory section; (3) Except for reciprocating engines, any complete...

Land surveys show regional variability of historical fire regimes and dry forest structure of the western United States.

PubMed

Baker, William L; Williams, Mark A

2018-03-01

An understanding of how historical fire and structure in dry forests (ponderosa pine, dry mixed conifer) varied across the western United States remains incomplete. Yet, fire strongly affects ecosystem services, and forest restoration programs are underway. We used General Land Office survey reconstructions from the late 1800s across 11 landscapes covering ~1.9 million ha in four states to analyze spatial variation in fire regimes and forest structure. We first synthesized the state of validation of our methods using 20 modern validations, 53 historical cross-validations, and corroborating evidence. These show our method creates accurate reconstructions with low errors. One independent modern test reported high error, but did not replicate our method and made many calculation errors. Using reconstructed parameters of historical fire regimes and forest structure from our validated methods, forests were found to be non-uniform across the 11 landscapes, but grouped together in three geographical areas. Each had a mixture of fire severities, but dominated by low-severity fire and low median tree density in Arizona, mixed-severity fire and intermediate to high median tree density in Oregon-California, and high-severity fire and intermediate median tree density in Colorado. Programs to restore fire and forest structure could benefit from regional frameworks, rather than one size fits all. © 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

Burning fire-prone Mediterranean shrublands: immediate changes in soil microbial community structure and ecosystem functions.

PubMed

Goberna, M; García, C; Insam, H; Hernández, M T; Verdú, M

2012-07-01

Wildfires subject soil microbes to extreme temperatures and modify their physical and chemical habitat. This might immediately alter their community structure and ecosystem functions. We burned a fire-prone shrubland under controlled conditions to investigate (1) the fire-induced changes in the community structure of soil archaea, bacteria and fungi by analysing 16S or 18S rRNA gene amplicons separated through denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis; (2) the physical and chemical variables determining the immediate shifts in the microbial community structure; and (3) the microbial drivers of the change in ecosystem functions related to biogeochemical cycling. Prokaryotes and eukaryotes were structured by the local environment in pre-fire soils. Fire caused a significant shift in the microbial community structure, biomass C, respiration and soil hydrolases. One-day changes in bacterial and fungal community structure correlated to the rise in total organic C and NO(3)(-)-N caused by the combustion of plant residues. In the following week, bacterial communities shifted further forced by desiccation and increasing concentrations of macronutrients. Shifts in archaeal community structure were unrelated to any of the 18 environmental variables measured. Fire-induced changes in the community structure of bacteria, rather than archaea or fungi, were correlated to the enhanced microbial biomass, CO(2) production and hydrolysis of C and P organics. This is the first report on the combined effects of fire on the three biological domains in soils. We concluded that immediately after fire the biogeochemical cycling in Mediterranean shrublands becomes less conservative through the increased microbial biomass, activity and changes in the bacterial community structure.

Use of Fiber Reinforced Plastics in the Marine Industry

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-09-06

surface should be molded or machined into the hull. 129 Design of Detais Marine Composites With single skin laminates, holes are normally drilled...SH), FIre and Toxicity Test Methods and Qualification Procedure for Composite Material Systems Used In Hull, Machinely and Structural Applications...date on the state of the marine composites industry and should for many years serve as an excellent reference and source book for designers and

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 01: forest structure and fire hazard overview

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Many managers and policymakers guided by the National Environmental Policy Act process want to understand the scientific principles on which they can base fuel treatments for reducing the size and severity of wildfires. These Forest Structure and Fire Hazard fact sheets discuss how to estimate fire hazard, how to visualize fuel treatments, and how the role of...

The Campus as a Total Community.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hunt, Robert E.

The myriad and complex health and safety needs of a college or university campus are discussed. Consideration is given to the demands of fire prevention, accident prevention, food service standards, and the mental and physical well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Structural and architectural concerns of the well-designed campus are…

30 CFR 717.18 - Dams constructed of or impounding waste material.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... freeboard distance between the lowest point on the embankment crest and the maximum water elevation shall be... volume of water stored during the design precipitation event within 10 days. (viii) During construction... waters over the past year, existing storage capacity of impounding structures, any fires occurring in the...

An evaluation of the impact of Melaleuca quinquenervia invasion and managment on plant community structure after fire.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The successful management of invasive species can be particularly difficult in natural areas that depend on disturbances such as fire to maintain community structure and function. In these systems, fire-adapted invasive species may disproportionally benefit from post-fire resource availability, inc...

Long-term effects of fire and fire-return interval on population structure and growth of longleaf pine (Pinus palustris)

Treesearch

Chelcy R. Ford; Emily S. Minor; Gordon A. Fox

2010-01-01

We investigated the effect of fire and fire frequency on stand structure and longleaf pine (Pinus palustris P. Mill.) growth and population demography in an experimental research area in a southwest Florida sandhill community. Data were collected from replicated plots that had prescribed fire-return intervals of 1, 2, 5, or 7 years or were left...

Prediction and Mitigation of the Effects of Catastrophic Fire on Water Supplies: Science for Risk Reduction and Planning for Future Scenarios

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martin, D. A.; Tindall, J.

2008-12-01

Precipitation falling on forests and grasslands provides much of the water to communities across the United States. The U.S. Forest Service estimates that over 3,400 communities are served by water draining land under its jurisdiction alone. Much of this land is subject to wildland fires, which have been increasing in size and severity in the western United States in response to climatic forcing and increased ignitions from human sources. Runoff from burned landscapes can present a significant risk to municipal and agricultural water supplies from ash, sediment, contaminants from burned structures, and fire-fighting chemicals. Several municipalities, including Denver, Colorado, have experienced both short-term and long-term degradation of their water supplies in the aftermath of fires in watersheds upstream from drinking water reservoirs. Scientific efforts to predict and mitigate the effects of catastrophic fire on water supplies have focused on three areas. The first consists of data collection and carefully designed experiments to understand the change of the hydrologic behavior of burned watersheds in response to rain with different intensities, durations, and trajectories as the watersheds recover. Results from these studies are used to validate models that predict watershed response under different initial conditions constrained by remotely-sensed burn severity, topography, rainfall-intensity recurrence probabilities and other factors. These predictions are the basis for rehabilitation measures applied to the landscape to minimize post-fire runoff and erosion. Efforts are under way to incorporate the chemical effects of ash and fire-fighting compounds in decision-support tools. A second area of scientific focus is the characterization of the chemical and physical properties of ash from wildland fire, including ash from structures consumed by fire. The ash chemistry is correlated to remotely- sensed data, type of vegetation that burned, and the underlying geology. Ash affects the hydraulic properties and behavior of soils in burned watersheds while it still mantles the hillslopes, but it is easily delivered to water bodies by rain and wind as a flush of material that affects water chemistry and properties like turbidity and temperature. A third thrust is to identify watersheds that are critical to the function of municipal water supplies and infrastructure to determine their vulnerability to fire and post-fire effects. This information can be used to prioritize areas for fuel treatments or land management practices to minimize the probability of high severity fire and hence the effects of post-fire runoff. Scientific studies are providing crucial information about such topics as changes in soil erodibility, infiltration and runoff after fire, and the effects of vegetation recovery. Even in watersheds where land management actions are limited by topography or land use designation, such as wilderness areas, knowledge of the potential response of burned areas allows water providers to develop rapid-response and long-term plans based on scientific data and tools. Some climate change models are predicting hotter, drier temperatures in certain areas of the United States and a higher probability of larger, more severe wildfires. These predictions have a direct bearing on the potential risk of impairment of water supplies by post-fire runoff and erosion. In an era when water availability and quality are of utmost importance, careful scientific studies focused on the effects of wildland fire on water supplies will continue to inform public policy and decision making on topics of vulnerability and risk reduction.

Effects of fire on ash thickness in a Lithuanian grassland and short-term spatio-temporal changes

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pereira, P.; Cerdà, A.; Úbeda, X.; Mataix-Solera, J.; Martin, D.; Jordán, A.; Burguet, M.

2012-12-01

Ash thickness is a key variable in the protection of soil against erosion agents after planned and unplanned fires. Thicker ash provides better protection against raindrop impact and reduces the runoff response by retaining water and promoting water infiltration although little is known about the distribution and the evolution of the ash layer after the fires. Ash thickness measurements were conducted along two transects (flat and sloping areas) following a a grid experimental design. Both transects extended from the burned area into an adjacent unburned area. We analysed ash thickness evolution according to time and fire severity. In order to interpolate data with accuracy and identify the techniques with the least bias, several interpolation methods were tested in the grid plot. Overall, the fire had a low severity. The fire significantly reduced the ground cover, especially on sloping areas owing to the higher fire severity and/or less biomass previous to the fire. Ash thickness depends on fire severity and is thin where fire severity was higher and thicker in lower fire severity sites. The ash thickness decreased with time after the fire. Between 4 and 16 days after the fire, ash was transported by wind. The major reduction took place between 16 and 34 days after the fire as a result of rainfall, and was more efficient where fire severity was higher. Between 34 and 45 days after the fire no significant differences in ash thickness were identified among ash colours and only traces of the ash layer remained. The omni-directional experimental variograms shown that variable structure did not change importantly with the time, however, the most accurate interpolation methods were different highlighting the slight different patterns of ash thickness distribution with the time. The ash spatial variability increased with the time, particularly on the slope, as a result of water erosion.

University of Minnesota Duluth Engineering Design Challenge

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-03-23

on overall weight, size, lifting capacity, and ease of transporting. Many initial designs were considered including fire hose lift bags, hydraulic...Many initial designs were considered including fire hose lift bags, hydraulic lifts, a scissor lift, a spring loaded pawl tri-pod, and a pulley lift...26 Fire Hose

ICU fire evacuation preparedness in London: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Murphy, G R F; Foot, C

2011-05-01

Hospital fires present a sporadic but significant threat to patients and staff. This is especially so within an intensive care unit (ICU) setting, due to the complexity of moving acutely unwell patients reliant on invasive monitoring and organ support. Despite an average of 500 in-hospital fires reported to the UK department of health per annum, causing 65 injuries and 1-2 fatalities, the readiness of ICUs for urgent evacuation has not been assessed. A cross-sectional survey of all 50 adult and paediatric ICUs within the London Postgraduate Deanery was conducted; neonatal units were excluded. The senior nurse at each unit was asked to complete a 90-question structured questionnaire, covering unit patient characteristics, design, equipment, training, and their evacuation plan. Thirty-five of 50 (70%) responded within 2 months of the study. Significant weaknesses were reported in unit design, equipment, and planning. Unit design was compromised by inadequate fire doors (20%), ventilation cut-outs (17%), and escape routes (up to 60%). The ability to evacuate multiple patients simultaneously may be limited by a lack of portable monitoring equipment (49% of beds) and emergency drug supplies (20% of beds). Evacuation plans were often limited in their scope (96% expected to remain on their floor; 14% had plans to obtain medications after evacuation), and not rehearsed (60%). Staff training, while well provided for permanent staff, is less so for temporary staff (34%). Forward planning for an urgent evacuation can be improved.

The Effects of Thermophysical Properties and Environmental Conditions on Fire Performance of Intumescent Coatings on Glass Fibre-Reinforced Epoxy Composites

PubMed Central

Kandola, Baljinder K.; Luangtriratana, Piyanuch; Duquesne, Sophie; Bourbigot, Serge

2015-01-01

Intumescent coatings are commonly used as passive fire protection systems for steel structures. The purpose of this work is to explore whether these can also be used effectively on glass fibre-reinforced epoxy (GRE) composites, considering the flammability of the composites compared to non-flammable steel substrate. The thermal barrier and reaction-to-fire properties of three commercial intumescent coatings on GRE composites have been studied using a cone calorimeter. Their thermophysical properties in terms of heating rate and/or temperature dependent char expansion ratios and thermal conductivities have been measured and correlated. It has been suggested that these two parameters can be used to design coatings to protect composite laminates of defined thicknesses for specified periods of time. The durability of the coatings to water absorption, peeling, impact, and flexural loading were also studied. A strong adhesion between all types of coatings and the substrate was observed. Water soaking had a little effect on the fire performance of epoxy based coatings. All types of 1 mm thick coatings on GRE helped in retaining ~90% of the flexural property after 2 min exposure to 50 kW/m2 heat flux whereas the uncoated laminate underwent severe delamination and loss in structural integrity after 1 min. PMID:28793500

[Effects of fire recurrence on fire behaviour in cork oak woodlands (Quercus suber L.) and Mediterranean shrublands over the last fifty years].

PubMed

Schaffhauser, Alice; Pimont, François; Curt, Thomas; Cassagne, Nathalie; Dupuy, Jean-Luc; Tatoni, Thierry

2015-12-01

Past fire recurrence impacts the vegetation structure, and it is consequently hypothesized to alter its future fire behaviour. We examined the fire behaviour in shrubland-forest mosaics of southeastern France, which were organized along a range of fire frequency (0 to 3-4 fires along the past 50 years) and had different time intervals between fires. The mosaic was dominated by Quercus suber L. and Erica-Cistus shrubland communities. We described the vegetation structure through measurements of tree height, base of tree crown or shrub layer, mean diameter, cover, plant water content and bulk density. We used the physical model Firetec to simulate the fire behaviour. Fire intensity, fire spread, plant water content and biomass loss varied significantly according to fire recurrence and vegetation structure, mainly linked to the time since the last fire, then the number of fires. These results confirm that past fire recurrence affects future fire behaviour, with multi-layered vegetation (particularly high shrublands) producing more intense fires, contrary to submature Quercus woodlands that have not burnt since 1959 and that are unlikely to reburn. Further simulations, with more vegetation scenes according to shrub and canopy covers, will complete this study in order to discuss the fire propagation risk in heterogeneous vegetation, particularly in the Mediterranean area, with a view to a local management of these ecosystems. Copyright © 2015 Académie des sciences. Published by Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

The simulation of air recirculation and fire/explosion phenomena within a semiconductor factory.

PubMed

I, Yet-Pole; Chiu, Yi-Long; Wu, Shi-Jen

2009-04-30

The semiconductor industry is the collection of capital-intensive firms that employ a variety of hazardous chemicals and engage in the design and fabrication of semiconductor devices. Owing to its processing characteristics, the fully confined structure of the fabrication area (fab) and the vertical airflow ventilation design restrict the applications of traditional consequence analysis techniques that are commonly used in other industries. The adverse situation also limits the advancement of a fire/explosion prevention design for the industry. In this research, a realistic model of a semiconductor factory with a fab, sub-fabrication area, supply air plenum, and return air plenum structures was constructed and the computational fluid dynamics algorithm was employed to simulate the possible fire/explosion range and its severity. The semiconductor factory has fan module units with high efficiency particulate air filters that can keep the airflow uniform within the cleanroom. This condition was modeled by 25 fans, three layers of porous ceiling, and one layer of porous floor. The obtained results predicted very well the real airflow pattern in the semiconductor factory. Different released gases, leak locations, and leak rates were applied to investigate their influence on the hazard range and severity. Common mitigation measures such as a water spray system and a pressure relief panel were also provided to study their potential effectiveness to relieve thermal radiation and overpressure hazards within a fab. The semiconductor industry can use this simulation procedure as a reference on how to implement a consequence analysis for a flammable gas release accident within an air recirculation cleanroom.

Fire hazard considerations for composites in vehicle design

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gordon, Rex B.

1994-01-01

Military ground vehicles fires are a significant cause of system loss, equipment damage, and crew injury in both combat and non-combat situations. During combat, the ability to successfully fight an internal fire, without losing fighting and mobility capabilities, is often the key to crew survival and mission success. In addition to enemy hits in combat, vehicle fires are initiated by electrical system failures, fuel line leaks, munitions mishaps and improper personnel actions. If not controlled, such fires can spread to other areas of the vehicle, causing extensive damage and the potential for personnel injury and death. The inherent fire safety characteristics (i.e. ignitability, compartments of these vehicles play a major roll in determining rather a newly started fire becomes a fizzle or a catastrophe. This paper addresses a systems approach to assuring optimum vehicle fire safety during the design phase of complex vehicle systems utilizing extensive uses of composites, plastic and related materials. It provides practical means for defining the potential fire hazard risks during a conceptual design phase, and criteria for the selection of composite materials based on its fire safety characteristics.

A Response Surface Methodology for Mitigating Hot Gasses in Enclosed Car Park

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Faiz Tharima, Ahmad; Zamri Yusoff, Mohd; Mujibur Rahman, Md

2017-12-01

A hot gas rise towards ceiling due to fire buoyancy will cause severe damage to the building structure. The temperature rises need to be controlled as among the elements of compliance in performance-based design. The channel flow between beams has used in this study to mitigate hot gases out of the enclosure by mean of response surface methodology. Fire Dynamic Simulator was employed as a simulation tool while the result was statistically examined using analysis of variance via Minitab application. It was found that the result was linear with predicted R2 (93.25%) and within the permissible R2 (98.13%). The ceiling height has been identified not affect in controlling hot gases while four control parameters which are beam spacing, transversal beam, extraction rate and longitudinal beam with p-values of 0.00, 0.000, 0.023 and 0.000 respectively, have been found to have the significant effect on the smoke temperature control. This study contributes a good input to the fire safety community in providing the initial design of enclosed car park with better condition.

Patch structure, fire-scar formation, and tree regeneration in a large mixed-severity fire in the South Dakota Black Hills, USA

Treesearch

Leigh B. Lentile; Frederick W. Smith; Wayne D. Shepperd

2005-01-01

We compared patch structure, fire-scar formation, and seedling regeneration in patches of low, moderate, and high burn severity following the large (~34 000 ha) Jasper fire of 2000 that occurred in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa Dougl. ex P. & C. Laws.) forests of the Black Hills of South Dakota, USA. This fire created a patchy mosaic of effects...

Built structure identification in wildland fire decision support

Treesearch

David E. Calkin; Jon D. Rieck; Kevin D. Hyde; Jeffrey D. Kaiden

2011-01-01

Recent ex-urban development within the wildland interface has significantly increased the complexity and associated cost of federal wildland fire management in the United States. Rapid identification of built structures relative to probable fire spread can help to reduce that complexity and improve the performance of incident management teams. Approximate structure...

Suppression and Structure of Low Strain Rate Nonpremixed Flames

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hamins, Anthony; Bundy, Matthew; Park, Woe Chul; Lee, Ki Yong; Logue, Jennifer

2003-01-01

The agent concentration required to achieve suppression of low strain rate nonpremixed flames is an important fire safety consideration. In a microgravity environment such as a space platform, unwanted fires will likely occur in near quiescent conditions where strain rates are very low. Diffusion flames typically become more robust as the strain rate is decreased. When designing a fire suppression system for worst-case conditions, low strain rates should be considered. The objective of this study is to investigate the impact of radiative emission, flame strain, agent addition, and buoyancy on the structure and extinction of low strain rate nonpremixed flames through measurements and comparison with flame simulations. The suppression effectiveness of a suppressant (N2) added to the fuel stream of low strain rate methane-air diffusion flames was measured. Flame temperature measurements were attained in the high temperature region of the flame (T greater than 1200 K) by measurement of thin filament emission intensity. The time varying temperature was measured and simulated as the flame made the transition from normal to microgravity conditions and as the flame extinguished.

Probability model for analyzing fire management alternatives: theory and structure

Treesearch

Frederick W. Bratten

1982-01-01

A theoretical probability model has been developed for analyzing program alternatives in fire management. It includes submodels or modules for predicting probabilities of fire behavior, fire occurrence, fire suppression, effects of fire on land resources, and financial effects of fire. Generalized "fire management situations" are used to represent actual fire...

Contrasts in short- and long-term responses of Mediterranean reptile species to fire and habitat structure.

PubMed

Santos, Xavier; Badiane, Arnaud; Matos, Cátia

2016-01-01

Changes in habitat structure constitute a major factor explaining responses of reptiles to fire. However, few studies have examined habitat factors that covary with fire-history variables to explain reptile responses. We hypothesise that more complex habitats should support richer reptile communities, and that species-specific relative abundance should be related to particular habitat features. From spring 2012-2014, twenty-five transects were surveyed in the Albera Region (north-east Iberia). The vegetation structure was measured and the extent of habitat types in a 1000-m buffer around each transect calculated. Reptile-community metrics (species richness and reptile abundance) were related to fire history, vegetation structure, and habitat types, using generalized additive models. These metrics correlated with habitat-structure variables but not with fire history. The number of species increased with more complex habitats but decreased with pine-plantation abundance in the 1000-m buffer. We found contrasting responses among reptiles in terms of time since fire and those responses differed according to vegetation variables and habitat types. An unplanned fire in August 2012 provided the opportunity to compare reptile abundance values between pre-fire and the short term (1-2 years) after the fire. Most species exhibited a negative short-term response to the 2012 fire except Tarentola mauritanica, a gecko that inhabits large rocks, as opposed to other ground-dwelling species. In the reptiles studied, contrasting responses to time since fire are consistent with the habitat-accommodation model of succession. These differences are linked to specific microhabitat preferences and suggest that functional traits can be used to predict species-specific responses to fire.

A Numerical Study of Atmospheric Perturbations Induced by Heat From a Wildland Fire: Sensitivity to Vertical Canopy Structure and Heat Source Strength

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiefer, Michael T.; Zhong, Shiyuan; Heilman, Warren E.; Charney, Joseph J.; Bian, Xindi

2018-03-01

An improved understanding of atmospheric perturbations within and above a forest during a wildland fire has relevance to many aspects of wildland fires including fire spread, smoke transport and dispersion, and tree mortality. In this study, the ARPS-CANOPY model, a version of the Advanced Regional Prediction System (ARPS) model with a canopy parameterization, is utilized in a series of idealized numerical experiments to investigate the influence of vertical canopy structure on the atmospheric response to a stationary sensible heat flux at the ground ("fire heat flux"), broadly consistent in magnitude with the sensible heat flux from a low-intensity surface fire. Five vertical canopy structures are combined with five fire heat flux magnitudes to yield a matrix of 25 simulations. Analyses of the fire-heat-flux-perturbed u component of the wind, vertical velocity, kinetic energy, and temperature show that the spatial pattern and magnitude of the perturbations are sensitive to vertical canopy structure. Both vertical velocity and kinetic energy exhibit an increasing trend with increasing fire heat flux that is stronger for cases with some amount of overstory vegetation than cases with exclusively understory vegetation. A weaker trend in cases with exclusively understory vegetation indicates a damping of the atmospheric response to the sensible heat from a surface fire when vegetation is most concentrated near the surface. More generally, the results presented in this study suggest that canopy morphology should be considered when applying the results of a fire-atmosphere interaction study conducted in one type of forest to other forests with different canopy structures.

Defined types of cortical interneurone structure space and spike timing in the hippocampus

PubMed Central

Somogyi, Peter; Klausberger, Thomas

2005-01-01

The cerebral cortex encodes, stores and combines information about the internal and external environment in rhythmic activity of multiple frequency ranges. Neurones of the cortex can be defined, recognized and compared on the comprehensive application of the following measures: (i) brain area- and cell domain-specific distribution of input and output synapses, (ii) expression of molecules involved in cell signalling, (iii) membrane and synaptic properties reflecting the expression of membrane proteins, (iv) temporal structure of firing in vivo, resulting from (i)–(iii). Spatial and temporal measures of neurones in the network reflect an indivisible unity of evolutionary design, i.e. neurones do not have separate structure or function. The blueprint of this design is most easily accessible in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, where a relatively uniform population of pyramidal cells and their inputs follow an instantly recognizable laminated pattern and act within stereotyped network activity patterns. Reviewing the cell types and their spatio-temporal interactions, we suggest that CA1 pyramidal cells are supported by at least 16 distinct types of GABAergic neurone. During a given behaviour-contingent network oscillation, interneurones of a given type exhibit similar firing patterns. During different network oscillations representing two distinct brain states, interneurones of the same class show different firing patterns modulating their postsynaptic target-domain in a brain-state-dependent manner. These results suggest roles for specific interneurone types in structuring the activity of pyramidal cells via their respective target domains, and accurately timing and synchronizing pyramidal cell discharge, rather than providing generalized inhibition. Finally, interneurones belonging to different classes may fire preferentially at distinct time points during a given oscillation. As different interneurones innervate distinct domains of the pyramidal cells, the different compartments will receive GABAergic input differentiated in time. Such a dynamic, spatio-temporal, GABAergic control, which evolves distinct patterns during different brain states, is ideally suited to regulating the input integration of individual pyramidal cells contributing to the formation of cell assemblies and representations in the hippocampus and, probably, throughout the cerebral cortex. PMID:15539390

75 FR 20516 - Special Conditions: Cirrus Design Corporation, Model SF50; Fire Extinguishing for Upper Aft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-04-20

...; Special Conditions No. 23-245-SC] Special Conditions: Cirrus Design Corporation, Model SF50; Fire... protect such installed engines from fires, were not envisioned in the development of the part 23 normal... condition for the fire extinguishing system for the engine on the model SF50 is required. Regulations...

Spatially explicit measurements of forest structure and fire behavior following restoration treatments in dry forests

Treesearch

Justin Paul Ziegler; Chad Hoffman; Michael Battaglia; William Mell

2017-01-01

Restoration treatments in dry forests of the western US often attempt silvicultural practices to restore the historical characteristics of forest structure and fire behavior. However, it is suggested that a reliance on non-spatial metrics of forest stand structure, along with the use of wildland fire behavior models that lack the ability to handle complex structures,...

Long-term effects of prescribed fire on mixed conifer forest structure in the Sierra Nevada, California

Treesearch

Phillip J. Van Mantgem; Nathan L. Stephenson; Eric Knapp; John Barrles; Jon E. Keeley

2011-01-01

The capacity of prescribed fire to restore forest conditions is often judged by changes in forest structure within a few years following burning. However, prescribed fire might have longer-term effects on forest structure, potentially changing treatment assessments. We examined annual changes in forest structure in five 1 ha old-growth plots immediately before...

The importance of building construction materials relative to other factors affecting structure survival during wildfire

USGS Publications Warehouse

Syphard, Alexandra D.; Brennan, Teresa J.; Keeley, Jon E.

2017-01-01

Structure loss to wildfire is a serious problem in wildland-urban interface areas across the world. Laboratory experiments suggest that fire-resistant building construction and design could be important for reducing structure destruction, but these need to be evaluated under real wildfire conditions, especially relative to other factors. Using empirical data from destroyed and surviving structures from large wildfires in southern California, we evaluated the relative importance of building construction and structure age compared to other local and landscape-scale variables associated with structure survival. The local-scale analysis showed that window preparation was especially important but, in general, creating defensible space adjacent to the home was as important as building construction. At the landscape scale, structure density and structure age were the two most important factors affecting structure survival, but there was a significant interaction between them. That is, young structure age was most important in higher-density areas where structure survival overall was more likely. On the other hand, newer-construction structures were less likely to survive wildfires at lower density. Here, appropriate defensible space near the structure and accessibility to major roads were important factors. In conclusion, community safety is a multivariate problem that will require a comprehensive solution involving land use planning, fire-safe construction, and property maintenance.

Fire and forest history at Mount Rushmore.

PubMed

Brown, Peter M; Wienk, Cody L; Symstad, Amy J

2008-12-01

Mount Rushmore National Memorial in the Black Hills of South Dakota is known worldwide for its massive sculpture of four of the United States' most respected presidents. The Memorial landscape also is covered by extensive ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest that has not burned in over a century. We compiled dendroecological and forest structural data from 29 plots across the 517-ha Memorial and used fire behavior modeling to reconstruct the historical fire regime and forest structure and compare them to current conditions. The historical fire regime is best characterized as one of low-severity surface fires with occasional (> 100 years) patches (< 100 ha) of passive crown fire. We estimate that only approximately 3.3% of the landscape burned as crown fire during 22 landscape fire years (recorded at > or = 25% of plots) between 1529 and 1893. The last landscape fire was in 1893. Mean fire intervals before 1893 varied depending on spatial scale, from 34 years based on scar-to-scar intervals on individual trees to 16 years between landscape fire years. Modal fire intervals were 11-15 years and did not vary with scale. Fire rotation (the time to burn an area the size of the study area) was estimated to be 30 years for surface fire and 800+ years for crown fire. The current forest is denser and contains more small trees, fewer large trees, lower canopy base heights, and greater canopy bulk density than a reconstructed historical (1870) forest. Fire behavior modeling using the NEXUS program suggests that surface fires would have dominated fire behavior in the 1870 forest during both moderate and severe weather conditions, while crown fire would dominate in the current forest especially under severe weather. Changes in the fire regime and forest structure at Mount Rushmore parallel those seen in ponderosa pine forests from the southwestern United States. Shifts from historical to current forest structure and the increased likelihood of crown fire justify the need for forest restoration before a catastrophic wildfire occurs and adversely impacts the ecological and aesthetic setting of the Mount Rushmore sculpture.

14 CFR 29.1195 - Fire extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire extinguishing systems. 29.1195 Section... AIRWORTHINESS STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Powerplant Powerplant Fire Protection § 29.1195 Fire... inches must have a fire extinguishing system for the designated fire zones. The fire extinguishing system...

14 CFR 29.851 - Fire extinguishers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire extinguishers. 29.851 Section 29.851... STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY ROTORCRAFT Design and Construction Fire Protection § 29.851 Fire extinguishers. (a) Hand fire extinguishers. For hand fire extinguishers the following apply: (1) Each hand fire...

Non-traditional shape GFRP rebars for concrete reinforcement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Claure, Guillermo G.

The use of glass-fiber-reinforced-polymer (GFRP) composites as internal reinforcement (rebars) for concrete structures has proven to be an alternative to traditional steel reinforcement due to significant advantages such as magnetic transparency and, most importantly, corrosion resistance equating to durability and structural life extension. In recent years, the number of projects specifying GFRP reinforcement has increased dramatically leading the construction industry towards more sustainable practices. Typically, GFRP rebars are similar to their steel counterparts having external deformations or surface enhancements designed to develop bond to concrete, as well as having solid circular cross-sections; but lately, the worldwide composites industry has taken advantage of the pultrusion process developing GFRP rebars with non-traditional cross-sectional shapes destined to optimize their mechanical, physical, and environmental attributes. Recently, circular GFRP rebars with a hollow-core have also become available. They offer advantages such as a larger surface area for improved bond, and the use of the effective cross-sectional area that is engaged to carry load since fibers at the center of a solid cross-section are generally not fully engaged. For a complete understanding of GFRP rebar physical properties, a study on material characterization regarding a quantitative cross-sectional area analysis of different GFRP rebars was undertaken with a sample population of 190 GFRP specimens with rebar denomination ranging from #2 to #6 and with different cross-sectional shapes and surface deformations manufactured by five pultruders from around the world. The water displacement method was applied as a feasible and reliable way to conduct the investigation. In addition to developing a repeatable protocol for measuring cross-sectional area, the objectives of establishing critical statistical information related to the test methodology and recommending improvements to existing provisions and standards allowing for a consistent universal norm for all GFRP rebars were reached. This dissertation also presents an evaluation of the structural behavior of reinforced concrete (RC) beams and slabs using the new type of GFRP rebar consisting of a non-traditional hollow-core shape compared to "traditional" solid round rebars with equivalent cross-sectional areas within the framework of two studies, respectively. To validate the design assumptions following ACI 440.1R design guidelines, two conditions were investigated: under-reinforced (failure controlled by rupture of GFRP rebar); and, over-reinforced (failure controlled by crushing of concrete). For comparison, a cyclic three-point bending load test matrix was developed: for beams, 3 under-reinforced and 3 over-reinforced with hollow-core and solid GFRP rebars, respectively, making a total of 12 RC specimens; for slabs, 3 under-reinforced and 3 over-reinforced with hollow-core and 2 types of solid GFRP rebars, respectively, making a total of 18 RC slabs. The studies on GFRP RC beams and slabs concluded that the hollow-core GFRP rebars were as effective as their solid counterpart and ACI 440.1R design guidelines were applicable to predict their performance. It was shown that final design may be controlled by the permissible deflections as governing parameter for elements under service conditions. Also, a final study with a test matrix containing six extra specimens was generated for post-fire residual strength evaluation of fire-exposed GFRP RC slabs along with temperature gradient in the slabs and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) investigation on GFRP samples extracted from the fire-exposed slabs. In this study, the ability of GFRP RC slabs to retain structural integrity during a standards fire exposure as well as determining the residual structural capacity were investigated. The residual strength evaluation of the fire-exposed slabs showed a range of results varying between +/- 10%, of the virgin slabs. And, 19 mm (0.75 in.) cover with normal weight concrete was shown to be adequate to provide the necessary fire protection to the GFRP rebars preventing irreversible damage for two-hour fire rated GFRP RC slabs subjected to service loads; also, from the DMA and glass transition temperature of samples extracted from the GFRP rebars, it is inferred that the resin had undergone a post curing phase.

Influence of landscape structure, topography, and forest type on spatial variation in historical fire regimes, central Oregon, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Merschel, Andrew; Heyerdahl, Emily K.; Spies, Thomas A; Loehman, Rachel A.

2018-01-01

Context In the interior Northwest, debate over restoring mixed-conifer forests after a century of fire exclusion is hampered by poor understanding of the pattern and causes of spatial variation in historical fire regimes. Objectives To identify the roles of topography, landscape structure, and forest type in driving spatial variation in historical fire regimes in mixed-conifer forests of central Oregon. Methods We used tree rings to reconstruct multicentury fire and forest histories at 105 plots over 10,393 ha. We classified fire regimes into four types and assessed whether they varied with topography, the location of fuel-limited pumice basins that inhibit fire spread, and an updated classification of forest type. Results We identified four fire-regime types and six forest types. Although surface fires were frequent and often extensive, severe fires were rare in all four types. Fire regimes varied with some aspects of topography (elevation), but not others (slope or aspect) and with the distribution of pumice basins. Fire regimes did not strictly co-vary with mixed-conifer forest types. Conclusions Our work reveals the persistent influence of landscape structure on spatial variation in historical fire regimes and can help inform discussions about appropriate restoration of fire-excluded forests in the interior Northwest. Where the goal is to restore historical fire regimes at landscape scales, managers may want to consider the influence of topoedaphic and vegetation patch types that could affect fire spread and ignition frequency.

Development of fire test methods for airplane interior materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tustin, E. A.

1978-01-01

Fire tests were conducted in a 737 airplane fuselage at NASA-JSC to characterize jet fuel fires in open steel pans (simulating post-crash fire sources and a ruptured airplane fuselage) and to characterize fires in some common combustibles (simulating in-flight fire sources). Design post-crash and in-flight fire source selections were based on these data. Large panels of airplane interior materials were exposed to closely-controlled large scale heating simulations of the two design fire sources in a Boeing fire test facility utilizing a surplused 707 fuselage section. Small samples of the same airplane materials were tested by several laboratory fire test methods. Large scale and laboratory scale data were examined for correlative factors. Published data for dangerous hazard levels in a fire environment were used as the basis for developing a method to select the most desirable material where trade-offs in heat, smoke and gaseous toxicant evolution must be considered.

Fire suppression in human-crew spacecraft

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Robert; Dietrich, Daniel L.

1991-01-01

Fire extinguishment agents range from water and foam in early-design spacecraft (Halon 1301 in the present Shuttle) to carbon dioxide proposed for the Space Station Freedom. The major challenge to spacecraft fire extinguishment design and operations is from the micro-gravity environment, which minimizes natural convection and profoundly influences combustion and extinguishing agent effectiveness, dispersal, and post-fire cleanup. Discussed here are extinguishment in microgravity, fire-suppression problems anticipated in future spacecraft, and research needs and opportunities.

Design Manual for Impact Damage Tolerant Aircraft Structure

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-10-01

controlled AAA guns having a very high rate of fire, is a significant threat. The final type of non -exploding military projectile-missile warhead fragments...8217~ AGARD-AG-238 NORTH 4TLANTIC TR!EATY ORGANIZATION ADVISORY GROUP FOR AERGSPACE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (ORGANISATION DU TRAITE DE L’ATLANTIQUE NORD...within the Working Group on Impact Damage Tolerance of Structures and also at the Specialists’ Meeting held in Ankara in September 1975 (see AGARD

FIRE INSURANCE AND WOOD SCHOOL BUILDINGS.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PURCELL, FRANK X.

A COMPARISON OF FIRE INSURANCE COSTS OF WOOD, MASONRY, STEEL AND CONCRETE STRUCTURES SHOWS FIRE INSURANCE PREMIMUMS ON WOOD STRUCTURES TEND TO BE HIGHER THAN PREMIUMS ON MASONRY, STEEL AND CONCRETE BUILDINGS, HOWEVER, THE INITIAL COST OF THE WOOD BUILDINGS IS LOWER. DATA SHOW THAT THE SAVINGS ACHIEVED IN THE INITIAL COST OF WOOD STRUCTURES OFFSET…

Frame for a firearm

DOEpatents

Crandall, David L [Idaho Falls, ID; Watson, Richard W [Blackfoot, ID

2008-03-04

A firearm frame which is adapted to be disposed in operative relationship as a component part of a firearm, the firearm having disposed in operative relationships each with one or more of the others, a barrel, a receiver, and at least one firing mechanism; wherein the barrel and receiver form operative parts of a movable assembly and the at least one firing mechanism is disposed in a substantially stationary operative relationship therewith; the firearm frame including at least one elongated support structure discrete from the barrel and receiver, the elongated support structure being adapted to directly support the movable assembly in an operative movable relationship therewith; whereby at least one of the barrel and receiver is in direct contact with and movable on the elongated support structure; and, a firing mechanism support structure connected to the at least one elongated support structure, the firing mechanism support structure being adapted to have the firing mechanism connected thereto; the firearm frame also directly supporting the movable assembly and the firing mechanism in corresponding movable and stationary operative relationships each with the other.

Fire resistance of wood members with directly applied protection

Treesearch

Robert H. White

2009-01-01

Fire-resistive wood construction is achieved either by having the structural elements be part of fire-rated assemblies or by using elements of sufficient size that the elements themselves have the required fire-resistance ratings. For exposed structural wood elements, the ratings in the United States are calculated using either the T.T. Lie method or the National...

Potassium Sodium Niobate-Based Lead-Free Piezoelectric Multilayer Ceramics Co-Fired with Nickel Electrodes.

PubMed

Kawada, Shinichiro; Hayashi, Hiroyuki; Ishii, Hideki; Kimura, Masahiko; Ando, Akira; Omiya, Suetake; Kubodera, Noriyuki

2015-11-03

Although lead-free piezoelectric ceramics have been extensively studied, many problems must still be overcome before they are suitable for practical use. One of the main problems is fabricating a multilayer structure, and one solution attracting growing interest is the use of lead-free multilayer piezoelectric ceramics. The paper reviews work that has been done by the authors on lead-free alkali niobate-based multilayer piezoelectric ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. Nickel inner electrodes have many advantages, such as high electromigration resistance, high interfacial strength with ceramics, and greater cost effectiveness than silver palladium inner electrodes. However, widely used lead zirconate titanate-based ceramics cannot be co-fired with nickel inner electrodes, and silver palladium inner electrodes are usually used for lead zirconate titanate-based piezoelectric ceramics. A possible alternative is lead-free ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. We have thus been developing lead-free alkali niobate-based multilayer ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. The normalized electric-field-induced thickness strain ( S max / E max ) of a representative alkali niobate-based multilayer ceramic structure with nickel inner electrodes was 360 pm/V, where S max denotes the maximum strain and E max denotes the maximum electric field. This value is about half that for the lead zirconate titanate-based ceramics that are widely used. However, a comparable value can be obtained by stacking more ceramic layers with smaller thicknesses. In the paper, the compositional design and process used to co-fire lead-free ceramics with nickel inner electrodes are introduced, and their piezoelectric properties and reliabilities are shown. Recent advances are introduced, and future development is discussed.

Potassium Sodium Niobate-Based Lead-Free Piezoelectric Multilayer Ceramics Co-Fired with Nickel Electrodes

PubMed Central

Kawada, Shinichiro; Hayashi, Hiroyuki; Ishii, Hideki; Kimura, Masahiko; Ando, Akira; Omiya, Suetake; Kubodera, Noriyuki

2015-01-01

Although lead-free piezoelectric ceramics have been extensively studied, many problems must still be overcome before they are suitable for practical use. One of the main problems is fabricating a multilayer structure, and one solution attracting growing interest is the use of lead-free multilayer piezoelectric ceramics. The paper reviews work that has been done by the authors on lead-free alkali niobate-based multilayer piezoelectric ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. Nickel inner electrodes have many advantages, such as high electromigration resistance, high interfacial strength with ceramics, and greater cost effectiveness than silver palladium inner electrodes. However, widely used lead zirconate titanate-based ceramics cannot be co-fired with nickel inner electrodes, and silver palladium inner electrodes are usually used for lead zirconate titanate-based piezoelectric ceramics. A possible alternative is lead-free ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. We have thus been developing lead-free alkali niobate-based multilayer ceramics co-fired with nickel inner electrodes. The normalized electric-field-induced thickness strain (Smax/Emax) of a representative alkali niobate-based multilayer ceramic structure with nickel inner electrodes was 360 pm/V, where Smax denotes the maximum strain and Emax denotes the maximum electric field. This value is about half that for the lead zirconate titanate-based ceramics that are widely used. However, a comparable value can be obtained by stacking more ceramic layers with smaller thicknesses. In the paper, the compositional design and process used to co-fire lead-free ceramics with nickel inner electrodes are introduced, and their piezoelectric properties and reliabilities are shown. Recent advances are introduced, and future development is discussed. PMID:28793646

Protecting residences from wildfires: a guide for homeowners, lawmakers, and planners

Treesearch

Howard E. Moore

1981-01-01

This guide, based on a literature review and personal contacts, offers recommendations and standards for procedures in reducing losses of residences from wildfires. Possible solutions to the problem of fire protection are discussed in the broad areas of land-use planning and zoning, property development, structural design and construction, landscaping, accessories,...

The +vbar breakout during approach to Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dunham, Scott D.

1993-01-01

A set of burn profiles was developed to provide bounding jet firing histories for a +vbar breakout during approaches to Space Station Freedom. The delta-v sequences were designed to place the Orbiter on a safe trajectory under worst case conditions and to try to minimize plume impingement on Space Station Freedom structure.

Incorporating Resource Protection Constraints in an Analysis of Landscape Fuel-Treatment Effectiveness in the Northern Sierra Nevada, CA, USA.

PubMed

Dow, Christopher B; Collins, Brandon M; Stephens, Scott L

2016-03-01

Finding novel ways to plan and implement landscape-level forest treatments that protect sensitive wildlife and other key ecosystem components, while also reducing the risk of large-scale, high-severity fires, can prove to be difficult. We examined alternative approaches to landscape-scale fuel-treatment design for the same landscape. These approaches included two different treatment scenarios generated from an optimization algorithm that reduces modeled fire spread across the landscape, one with resource-protection constrains and one without the same. We also included a treatment scenario that was the actual fuel-treatment network implemented, as well as a no-treatment scenario. For all the four scenarios, we modeled hazardous fire potential based on conditional burn probabilities, and projected fire emissions. Results demonstrate that in all the three active treatment scenarios, hazardous fire potential, fire area, and emissions were reduced by approximately 50 % relative to the untreated condition. Results depict that incorporation of constraints is more effective at reducing modeled fire outputs, possibly due to the greater aggregation of treatments, creating greater continuity of fuel-treatment blocks across the landscape. The implementation of fuel-treatment networks using different planning techniques that incorporate real-world constraints can reduce the risk of large problematic fires, allow for landscape-level heterogeneity that can provide necessary ecosystem services, create mixed forest stand structures on a landscape, and promote resilience in the uncertain future of climate change.

Mobile Landing Platform with Core Capability Set (MLP w/CCS): Combined Initial Operational Test and Evaluation and Live Fire Test and Evaluation Report

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-07-01

annex.   iii Self-defense testing was limited to structural test firing from each machine gun mount and an ammunition resupply drill. Robust self...provided in the classified annex. Self-   8 defense testing was limited to structural test firing from each machine gun mount and a single...Caliber Machine Gun Mount Structural Test Fire November 2014 San Diego, Offshore Ship Weapons Range Operating Independently       9 Section Three

46 CFR 108.419 - Fire main capacity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Fire Main System § 108.419 Fire main capacity. The diameter of the fire... pumps operating simultaneously. ...

46 CFR 108.419 - Fire main capacity.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Fire Main System § 108.419 Fire main capacity. The diameter of the fire... pumps operating simultaneously. ...

Fire safety practices in the Shuttle and the Space Station Freedom

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Friedman, Robert

1993-01-01

The Shuttle reinforces its policy of fire-preventive measures with onboard smoke detectors and Halon 1301 fire extinguishers. The forthcoming Space Station Freedom will have expanded fire protection with photoelectric smoke detectors, radiation flame detectors, and both fixed and portable carbon dioxide fire extinguishers. Many design and operational issues remain to be resolved for Freedom. In particular, the fire-suppression designs must consider the problems of gas leakage in toxic concentrations, alternative systems for single-failure redundancy, and commonality with the corresponding systems of the Freedom international partners. While physical and engineering requirements remain the primary driving forces for spacecraft fire-safety technology, there are, nevertheless, needs and opportunities for the application of microgravity combustion knowledge to improve and optimize the fire-protective systems.

Fire Incident Reporting Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-02-01

Purpose 1-1 B. Scope 1-1 C. Procedures 1-1 D. Exclusions 1-3 E . Preparation 1-3 F. Information Requirements 1-4 CHAPTER 2 - INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING DoD...Structure and Fire Data 2-16 4. Section D - Fire Protection Facilities (In Structures Only) 2-28 5. Section E - Losses 2-30 6. Section F - Times (24...Activities Program," February 21, 1976 ( e ) National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) Standard 901, "Uniform Coding for Fire Protection," 1976 (f) NFPA

Modelling the ecological vulnerability to forest fires in mediterranean ecosystems using geographic information technologies.

PubMed

Duguy, Beatriz; Alloza, José Antonio; Baeza, M Jaime; De la Riva, Juan; Echeverría, Maite; Ibarra, Paloma; Llovet, Juan; Cabello, Fernando Pérez; Rovira, Pere; Vallejo, Ramon V

2012-12-01

Forest fires represent a major driver of change at the ecosystem and landscape levels in the Mediterranean region. Environmental features and vegetation are key factors to estimate the ecological vulnerability to fire; defined as the degree to which an ecosystem is susceptible to, and unable to cope with, adverse effects of fire (provided a fire occurs). Given the predicted climatic changes for the region, it is urgent to validate spatially explicit tools for assessing this vulnerability in order to support the design of new fire prevention and restoration strategies. This work presents an innovative GIS-based modelling approach to evaluate the ecological vulnerability to fire of an ecosystem, considering its main components (soil and vegetation) and different time scales. The evaluation was structured in three stages: short-term (focussed on soil degradation risk), medium-term (focussed on changes in vegetation), and coupling of the short- and medium-term vulnerabilities. The model was implemented in two regions: Aragón (inland North-eastern Spain) and Valencia (eastern Spain). Maps of the ecological vulnerability to fire were produced at a regional scale. We partially validated the model in a study site combining two complementary approaches that focused on testing the adequacy of model's predictions in three ecosystems, all very common in fire-prone landscapes of eastern Spain: two shrublands and a pine forest. Both approaches were based on the comparison of model's predictions with values of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), which is considered a good proxy for green biomass. Both methods showed that the model's performance is satisfactory when applied to the three selected vegetation types.

The interactive effects of fire and diversity on short-term responses of ecosystem processes in experimental mediterranean grasslands.

PubMed

Dimitrakopoulos, Panayiotis G; Siamantziouras, Akis-Stavros D; Galanidis, Alexandros; Mprezetou, Irene; Troumbis, Andreas Y

2006-06-01

We conducted a field experiment using constructed communities to test whether species richness contributed to the maintenance of ecosystem processes under fire disturbance. We studied the effects of diversity components (i.e., species richness and species composition) upon productivity, structural traits of vegetation, decomposition rates, and soil nutrients between burnt and unburnt experimental Mediterranean grassland communities. Our results demonstrated that fire and species richness had interactive effects on aboveground biomass production and canopy structure components. Fire increased biomass production of the highest-richness communities. The effects of fire on aboveground biomass production at different levels of species richness were derived from changes in both vertical and horizontal canopy structure of the communities. The most species-rich communities appeared to be more resistant to fire in relation to species-poor ones, due to both compositional and richness effects. Interactive effects of fire and species richness were not important for belowground processes. Decomposition rates increased with species richness, related in part to increased levels of canopy structure traits. Fire increased soil nutrients and long-term decomposition rate. Our results provide evidence that composition within richness levels had often larger effects on the stability of aboveground ecosystem processes in the face of fire disturbance than species richness per se.

Hot fire test results of subscale tubular combustion chambers

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kazaroff, John M.; Jankovsky, Robert S.; Pavli, Albert J.

1992-01-01

Advanced, subscale, tubular combustion chambers were built and test fired with hydrogen-oxygen propellants to assess the increase in fatigue life that can be obtained with this type of construction. Two chambers were tested: one ran for 637 cycles without failing, compared to a predicted life of 200 cycles for a comparable smooth-wall milled-channel liner configuration. The other chamber failed at 256 cycles, compared to a predicted life of 118 cycles for a comparable smooth-wall milled-channel liner configuration. Posttest metallographic analysis determined that the strain-relieving design (structural compliance) of the tubular configuration was the cause of this increase in life.

Long-term impacts of prescribed fire on stand structure, growth, mortality, and individual tree vigor in Pinus resinosa forests

Treesearch

Sawyer S. Scherer; Anthony W. D' Amato; Christel C. Kern; Brian J. Palik; Matthew B. Russell

2016-01-01

Prescribed fire is increasingly being viewed as a valuable tool for mitigating the ecological consequences of long-term fire suppression within fire-adapted forest ecosystems. While the use of burning treatments in northern temperate conifer forests has at times received considerable attention, the long-term (>10 years) effects on forest structure and...

Fire history and landscape dynamics in a late-successional reserve in the Klamath Mountains, California, USA

Treesearch

Alan H. Taylor; Carl N. Skinner

1998-01-01

The frequency, extent, and severity of fires strongly influence development patterns of forests dominated by Douglas-fir in the Pacific Northwest. Limited data on fire history and stand structure suggest that there is geographical variation in fire regimes and that this variation contributes to regional differences in stand and landscape structure. Managers need region...

The influence of fire on lepidopteran abundance and community structure in forested habitats of eastern Texas

Treesearch

D. Craig Rudolph; Charles A. Ely

2000-01-01

Transect surveys were used to examine the influence of fire on lepidopteran communities (Papilionoidea and Hesperioidea) in forested habitats in eastern Texas. Lepidopteran abundance was greater in pine forests where prescribed fire maintained an open mid- and understory compared to forests where fire had less impact on forest structure. Ahundance of nectar sources...

33 CFR 149.641 - What are the structural fire protection requirements for accommodation spaces and modules?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What are the structural fire protection requirements for accommodation spaces and modules? 149.641 Section 149.641 Navigation and... national consensus standard, as that term is defined in 29 CFR 1910.2, for the structural fire protection...

Ecological Restoration of an Oak Woodland in Kansas Informed with Remote Sensing of Vegetation Dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Galgamuwe Arachchige, Pabodha Galgamuwa

Recurrent, landscape-level fires played an integral part in the development and persistence of eastern oak (Quercus spp.) forests of the United States. These periodic surface fires helped secure a competitive position for oaks in the regeneration pool by maintaining a desirable species composition and forest structure. This historical fire regime was altered with the European settlement of North America, and fire suppression within forestlands became a standard practice since 1930s. With decades of fire suppression, mature oak-dominated woodlands have widely converted to shade-tolerant tree species. Prescribed fire has successfully been used to enhance oak regeneration in eastern forests. However, oak woodland restoration within the forest-prairie ecotone of the Central plains has not been systematically studied. Fuel beds under shade-tolerant species are often less conducive to fire. Therefore, monitoring fuel loading (FL) and its changes are essential to inform management decisions in an oak regeneration project. Rapid expansion of eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana/ERC) is another ecological issue faced by land managers throughout North America's midcontinent forest-prairie ecotone. Hence, it is worthy to monitor ERC expansion and effects on deciduous forests, to inform oak ecosystem restoration interventions within this region. Therefore, the main objectives of this dissertation were three-fold: (1) understand the effects of prescribed burning and mechanical thinning to encourage oak regeneration; (2) investigate the initial effects of an oak regeneration effort with prescribed fire and mechanical thinning on FL; and (3) monitor the spatio-temporal dynamics of ERC expansion in the forest-prairie ecotone of Kansas, and understand its effects on deciduous forests. The first two studies were conducted on a 90-acre oak dominated woodland, north of Manhattan, Kansas. The experimental design was a 2 (burn) x 2 (thin) factorial in a repeated measures design. The design structure allowed four treatment combinations: burn only (B), thin only (T), burn and thin combined (BT), and a control (C). Burning and thinning treatments were administered in spring 2015. Changes in the FL estimates after the burn treatment revealed that the BT treatment combination consumed more fuel and burned more intensely compared to the B treatment. This observation was reflected in vegetation responses. The thinning reduced the canopy cover significantly, but under enhanced light environments, both oaks and competitive species thrived when no burn was incorporated. In contrast, burn treatments controlled the competitive vegetation. Hence, the most promising results were obtained when both fire and thinning were utilized. The remote sensing study documented the expansion of ERC in three areas of eastern Kansas over 30 years. The use of multi-seasonal layer-stacks with a Support Vector Machines (SVM) supervised classification was found to be the most effective approach to map ERC distribution. Total ERC cover increased by more than 6000 acres in all three study areas investigated in this study between 1986 and 2017. Much of the ERC expansion was into deciduous woodlands. Therefore, ERC control measures should be incorporated into oak woodland restoration efforts within the forest-prairie ecotone of Kansas.

Fire Whirls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tohidi, Ali; Gollner, Michael J.; Xiao, Huahua

2018-01-01

Fire whirls present a powerful intensification of combustion, long studied in the fire research community because of the dangers they present during large urban and wildland fires. However, their destructive power has hidden many features of their formation, growth, and propagation. Therefore, most of what is known about fire whirls comes from scale modeling experiments in the laboratory. Both the methods of formation, which are dominated by wind and geometry, and the inner structure of the whirl, including velocity and temperature fields, have been studied at this scale. Quasi-steady fire whirls directly over a fuel source form the bulk of current experimental knowledge, although many other cases exist in nature. The structure of fire whirls has yet to be reliably measured at large scales; however, scaling laws have been relatively successful in modeling the conditions for formation from small to large scales. This review surveys the state of knowledge concerning the fluid dynamics of fire whirls, including the conditions for their formation, their structure, and the mechanisms that control their unique state. We highlight recent discoveries and survey potential avenues for future research, including using the properties of fire whirls for efficient remediation and energy generation.

Effects of past burning frequency on plant species structure and composition in dry dipterocarp forest

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wanthongchai, Dr.; Bauhus, Prof.; Goldammer, Prof.

2009-04-01

Anthropogenic burning in dry dipterocarp forests (DDF) has become a common phenomenon throughout Thailand. It is feared that too frequent fires may affect vegetation structure and composition and thus impact on ecosystem productivity. The aim of this study was to quantify the effects of prescribed fires on sites with different past burning regimes on vegetation structure and composition in the Huay Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary (HKK), Thailand. Fire frequency was determined from satellite images and ranged from frequent, infrequent, rare and unburned with fire occurrences of 7, 2, 1 and 0 out of the past 10 years, respectively. The pre-burn fuel loads, the overstorey and understorey vegetation structure and composition were determined to investigate the effects of the contrasting past burning regimes. The burning experiment was carried out, applying a three-strip head-fire burning technique. The vegetation structure and composition were sampled again one year after the fire to assess the fire impacts. Aboveground fine fuel loads increased with the length of fire-free interval. The woody plant structures of the frequently burned stand differed from those of the other less frequently burned stands. The species composition of the overstorey on the frequently burned site, in particular that of small sized trees (4.5-10 cm dbh), also differed significantly from that of the other sites. Whilst the ground vegetation including shrubs and herbs did not differ between the past burning regimes, frequent burning obviously promoted the proliferation of graminoid vegetation. There was no clear evidence showing that the prescribed fires affected the mortality of trees (dbh> 4.5 cm) on the sites of the different past burning regimes. The effects of prescribed burning on the understorey vegetation structures varied between the past burning regimes and the understorey vegetation type. Therefore, it is recommended that the DDF at HKK should be subjected to a prescribed fire frequency not shorter than every 6-7 years, or 1-2 fires per decade, to maintain ecosystem structure and function. Variation in time and space in this way, the biodiversity of the landscape may be maintained for the long-term. Keywords: Prescribed burning, burning history, burning frequency, plant species, vegetation structure, dry dipterocarp forest, Huay Kha Khaeng wildlife Sanctuary

14 CFR 25.851 - Fire extinguishers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire extinguishers. 25.851 Section 25.851... STANDARDS: TRANSPORT CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Fire Protection § 25.851 Fire extinguishers. (a) Hand fire extinguishers. (1) The following minimum number of hand fire extinguishers must be...

Fire Safety Training Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Montgomery County Dept. of Fire and Rescue Services, Rockville, MD. Div. of Fire Prevention.

Designed for a community fire education effort, particularly in which local volunteers present general information on fire safety to their fellow citizens, this workbook contains nine lessons. Included are an overview of the household fire problem; instruction in basic chemistry and physics of fire, flammable liquids, portable fire extinguishers,…

Mixed-severity fire history at a forest-grassland ecotone in west central British Columbia, Canada.

PubMed

Harvey, Jill E; Smith, Dan J; Veblen, Thomas T

2017-09-01

This study examines spatially variable stand structure and fire-climate relationships at a low elevation forest-grassland ecotone in west central British Columbia, Canada. Fire history reconstructions were based on samples from 92 fire-scarred trees and stand demography from 27 plots collected over an area of about 7 km 2 . We documented historical chronologies of widespread fires and localized grassland fires between AD 1600 and 1900. Relationships between fire events, reconstructed values of the Palmer Drought Severity Index, and annual precipitation were examined using superposed epoch and bivariate event analyses. Widespread fires occurred during warm, dry years and were preceded by multiple anomalously dry, warm years. Localized fires that affected only grassland-proximal forests were more frequent than widespread fires. These localized fires showed a lagged, positive relationship with wetter conditions. The landscape pattern of forest structure provided further evidence of complex fire activity with multiple plots shown to have experienced low-, mixed-, and/or high-severity fires over the last four centuries. We concluded that this forest-grassland ecotone was characterized by fires of mixed severity, dominated by frequent, low-severity fires punctuated by widespread fires of moderate to high severity. This landscape-level variability in fire-climate relationships and patterns in forest structure has important implications for fire and grassland management in west central British Columbia and similar environments elsewhere. Forest restoration techniques such as prescribed fire and thinning are oftentimes applied at the forest-grassland ecotone on the basis that historically high frequency, low-severity fires defined the character of past fire activity. This study provides forest managers and policy makers with important information on mixed-severity fire activity at a low elevation forest-grassland ecotone, a crucial prerequisite for the effective management of these complex ecosystems. © 2017 by the Ecological Society of America.

Fire-induced changes in boreal forest canopy volume and soil organic matter from multi-temporal airborne lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonzo, M.; Cook, B.; Andersen, H. E.; Babcock, C. R.; Morton, D. C.

2016-12-01

Fire in boreal forests initiates a cascade of biogeochemical and biophysical processes. Over typical fire return intervals, net radiative forcing from boreal forest fires depends on the offsetting impacts of greenhouse gas emissions and post-fire changes in land surface albedo. Whether boreal forest fires warm or cool the climate over these multi-decadal intervals depends on the magnitude of fire emissions and the time scales of decomposition, albedo changes, and forest regrowth. Our understanding of vegetation and surface organic matter (SOM) changes from boreal forest fires is shaped by field measurements and moderate resolution remote sensing data. Intensive field plot measurements offer detailed data on overstory, understory, and SOM changes from fire, but sparse plot data can be difficult to extend across the heterogeneous boreal forest landscape. Conversely, satellite measurements of burn severity are spatially extensive but only provide proxy measures of fire effects. In this research, we seek to bridge the scale gap between existing intensive and extensive methods using a combination of airborne lidar data and time series of Landsat data to evaluate pre- and post-fire conditions across Alaska's Kenai Peninsula. Lidar-based estimates of pre-fire stand structure and composition were essential to characterize the loss of canopy volume from fires between 2001 and 2014, quantify transitions from live to dead standing carbon pools, and isolate vegetation recovery following fire over 1 to 13 year time scales. Results from this study demonstrate the utility of lidar for estimating pre-fire structure and species composition at the scale of individual tree crowns. Multi-temporal airborne lidar data also provide essential insights regarding the heterogeneity of canopy and SOM losses at a sub-Landsat pixel scale. Fire effects are forest-structure and species dependent with variable temporal lags in carbon release due to delayed mortality (>5 years post fire) and standing dead trees. Establishing the spatial and temporal scales of canopy structural change will aid in constraining estimates of net radiative forcing from both carbon release and albedo in the years following fire.

Major Losses

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kravis, Miles

2009-01-01

From 2003 to 2005, fires on school properties cost about $85 million a year. An estimated 14,700 fires required a fire department response: 36 percent were trash fires, 19 percent were fires in open fields, and 43 percent were structural fires. Sometimes, the needs of school security seem to conflict with the requirements of fire safety. In this…

Demographic and genetic viability of a medium-sized ground-dwelling mammal in a fire prone, rapidly urbanizing landscape.

PubMed

Ramalho, Cristina E; Ottewell, Kym M; Chambers, Brian K; Yates, Colin J; Wilson, Barbara A; Bencini, Roberta; Barrett, Geoff

2018-01-01

The rapid and large-scale urbanization of peri-urban areas poses major and complex challenges for wildlife conservation. We used population viability analysis (PVA) to evaluate the influence of urban encroachment, fire, and fauna crossing structures, with and without accounting for inbreeding effects, on the metapopulation viability of a medium-sized ground-dwelling mammal, the southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus), in the rapidly expanding city of Perth, Australia. We surveyed two metapopulations over one and a half years, and parameterized the PVA models using largely field-collected data. The models revealed that spatial isolation imposed by housing and road encroachment has major impacts on I. obesulus. Although the species is known to persist in small metapopulations at moderate levels of habitat fragmentation, the models indicate that these populations become highly vulnerable to demographic decline, genetic deterioration, and local extinction under increasing habitat connectivity loss. Isolated metapopulations were also predicted to be highly sensitive to fire, with large-scale fires having greater negative impacts on population abundance than small-scale ones. To reduce the risk of decline and local extirpation of I. obesulus and other small- to medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals in urbanizing, fire prone landscapes, we recommend that remnant vegetation and vegetated, structurally-complex corridors between habitat patches be retained. Well-designed road underpasses can be effective to connect habitat patches and reduce the probability of inbreeding and genetic differentiation; however, adjustment of fire management practices to limit the size of unplanned fires and ensure the retention of long unburnt vegetation will also be required to ensure persistence. Our study supports the evidence that in rapidly urbanizing landscapes, a pro-active conservation approach is required that manages species at the metapopulation level and that prioritizes metapopulations and habitat with greater long-term probability of persistence and conservation capacity, respectively. This strategy may help us prevent future declines and local extirpations, and currently relatively common species from becoming rare.

Demographic and genetic viability of a medium-sized ground-dwelling mammal in a fire prone, rapidly urbanizing landscape

PubMed Central

Ottewell, Kym M.; Chambers, Brian K.; Yates, Colin J.; Wilson, Barbara A.; Bencini, Roberta; Barrett, Geoff

2018-01-01

The rapid and large-scale urbanization of peri-urban areas poses major and complex challenges for wildlife conservation. We used population viability analysis (PVA) to evaluate the influence of urban encroachment, fire, and fauna crossing structures, with and without accounting for inbreeding effects, on the metapopulation viability of a medium-sized ground-dwelling mammal, the southern brown bandicoot (Isoodon obesulus), in the rapidly expanding city of Perth, Australia. We surveyed two metapopulations over one and a half years, and parameterized the PVA models using largely field-collected data. The models revealed that spatial isolation imposed by housing and road encroachment has major impacts on I. obesulus. Although the species is known to persist in small metapopulations at moderate levels of habitat fragmentation, the models indicate that these populations become highly vulnerable to demographic decline, genetic deterioration, and local extinction under increasing habitat connectivity loss. Isolated metapopulations were also predicted to be highly sensitive to fire, with large-scale fires having greater negative impacts on population abundance than small-scale ones. To reduce the risk of decline and local extirpation of I. obesulus and other small- to medium-sized ground-dwelling mammals in urbanizing, fire prone landscapes, we recommend that remnant vegetation and vegetated, structurally-complex corridors between habitat patches be retained. Well-designed road underpasses can be effective to connect habitat patches and reduce the probability of inbreeding and genetic differentiation; however, adjustment of fire management practices to limit the size of unplanned fires and ensure the retention of long unburnt vegetation will also be required to ensure persistence. Our study supports the evidence that in rapidly urbanizing landscapes, a pro-active conservation approach is required that manages species at the metapopulation level and that prioritizes metapopulations and habitat with greater long-term probability of persistence and conservation capacity, respectively. This strategy may help us prevent future declines and local extirpations, and currently relatively common species from becoming rare. PMID:29444118

ECKG Kladno project: First IPP in the Czech Republic

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rode, J.R.; Tichy, O.J.

1999-07-01

The Energy Center Kladno project is the first independent power producer (IPP) project to be financed in the Czech Republic, one of Europe's most rapidly evolving markets. The total financing is $401 million and is structured in three currencies; Czech crowns, German marks, and US dollars. This paper will focus on: Enhanced technology to meet energy demands; Execution to meet the ambitious; and Overall project status. The coal and gas fired plant will produce a total of 343 MW to provide electricity and heat to the town of Kladno, west of Prague. The new plant will be located within themore » existing ECK facility and the project encompasses demolition, upgrading, and rebuilding. The base load will be from two coal-fired 135 MW circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boilers and peaking capacity from the gas-fired combustion (66 MW) turbine. The CFB's will fire a range of low sulfur brown coal supplied from the local mining company Ceskomoravske Doly (CMD). The new CFB's were designed to meet the overall steam demands specified by ECKG. The CFB's design features include in-furnace heat transfer surface and a split backpass that utilizes a biasing damper to allow for control of both the superheat and reheat steam temperatures. The various CFB auxiliary systems will be discussed in the paper as well as the flue gas particulate collection equipment.« less

Experimental Study on the Fire Properties of Nitrocellulose with Different Structures

PubMed Central

Wei, Ruichao; He, Yaping; Liu, Jiahao; He, Yu; Mi, Wenzhong; Yuen, Richard; Wang, Jian

2017-01-01

In order to ensure the safety of inflammable and explosive chemical substance such as nitrocellulose (NC) mixtures in the process of handing, storage, and usage, it is necessary to obtain the fire properties of NC with different exterior structures. In present study, fire properties of two commonly used nitrocelluloses with soft fiber structure and white chip structure were investigated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and the ISO 5660 cone calorimeter. Experimental findings revealed that the most important fire properties such as ignition time, mass loss rate and ash content exhibited significant differences between the two structures of NC. Compared with the soft fiber NC, chip NC possesses a lower fire hazard, and its heat release rate intensity (HRRI) is mainly affected by the sample mass. In addition, oxygen consumption (OC) calorimetry method was compared with thermal chemistry (TC) method based on stoichiometry for HRRI calculation. HRRI results of NC with two structures obtained by these two methods showed a good consistency. PMID:28772675

Current status and future needs of the BehavePlus Fire Modeling System

Treesearch

Patricia L. Andrews

2014-01-01

The BehavePlus Fire Modeling System is among the most widely used systems for wildland fire prediction. It is designed for use in a range of tasks including wildfire behaviour prediction, prescribed fire planning, fire investigation, fuel hazard assessment, fire model understanding, communication and research. BehavePlus is based on mathematical models for fire...

Tree regeneration spatial patterns in ponderosa pine forests following stand-replacing fire: Influence of topography and neighbors

Treesearch

Justin P. Ziegler; Chad M. Hoffman; Paula J. Fornwalt; Carolyn H. Sieg; Michael A. Battaglia; Marin E. Chambers; Jose M. Iniguez

2017-01-01

Shifting fire regimes alter forest structure assembly in ponderosa pine forests and may produce structural heterogeneity following stand-replacing fire due, in part, to fine-scale variability in growing environments. We mapped tree regeneration in eighteen plots 11 to 15 years after stand-replacing fire in Colorado and South Dakota, USA. We used point pattern analyses...

14 CFR 33.17 - Fire protection.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... STANDARDS: AIRCRAFT ENGINES Design and Construction; General § 33.17 Fire protection. (a) The design and... addition, the design and construction of turbine engines must minimize the probability of the occurrence of...

Reverse engineering the ancient ceramic technology based on X-ray fluorescence spectromicroscopy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sciau, Philippe; Leon, Yoanna; Goudeau, Philippe

2011-07-06

We present results of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) microprobe analyses of ancient ceramic cross-sections aiming at deciphering the different firing protocols used for their production. Micro-focused XRF elemental mapping, Fe chemical mapping and Fe K-edge X-ray absorption near edge structure spectroscopy were performed on pre-sigillata ceramics from southern Gaul, and terra Sigillata vessels from Italy and southern Gaul. Pieces from the different workshops and regions showed significant difference in the starting clay material, clay conditioning and kiln firing condition. By contrast, sherds from the same workshop exhibited more subtle differences and possible misfirings. Understanding the precise firing conditions and protocols wouldmore » allow recreation of kilns for various productions. Furthermore, evolution and modification of kiln design would shed some light on how ancient potters devised solutions to diverse technological problems they encountered.« less

The fuelbed: a key element of the Fuel Characteristic Classification System.

Treesearch

Cynthia L. Riccardi; Roger D. Ottmar; David V. Sandberg; Anne Andreu; Ella Elman; Karen Kopper; Jennifer Long

2007-01-01

Wildland fuelbed characteristics are temporally and spatially complex and can vary widely across regions. To capture this variability, we designed the Fuel Characteristic Classification System (FCCS), a national system to create fuelbeds and classify those fuelbeds for their capacity to support fire and consume fuels. This paper describes the structure of the fuelbeds...

The use of network theory to model disparate ship design information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rigterink, Douglas; Piks, Rebecca; Singer, David J.

2014-06-01

This paper introduces the use of network theory to model and analyze disparate ship design information. This work will focus on a ship's distributed systems and their intra- and intersystem structures and interactions. The three system to be analyzed are: a passageway system, an electrical system, and a fire fighting system. These systems will be analyzed individually using common network metrics to glean information regarding their structures and attributes. The systems will also be subjected to community detection algorithms both separately and as a multiplex network to compare their similarities, differences, and interactions. Network theory will be shown to be useful in the early design stage due to its simplicity and ability to model any shipboard system.

Vehicle fires and fire safety in tunnels

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-09-20

Tunnels present what is arguably the most hazardous environment, from the point of view of fire safety, that members of the public ever experience. The fire safety design of tunnels is carried out by tunnel engineers on the basis of a potential fire ...

46 CFR 108.425 - Fire hoses and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... either: (1) Use National Standard fire hose coupling threads for the 11/2 inch (38 millimeter) and 21/2... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fire hoses and associated equipment. 108.425 Section 108... DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Fire Main System § 108.425 Fire hoses and associated...

46 CFR 108.425 - Fire hoses and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... either: (1) Use National Standard fire hose coupling threads for the 11/2 inch (38 millimeter) and 21/2... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire hoses and associated equipment. 108.425 Section 108... DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Fire Main System § 108.425 Fire hoses and associated...

46 CFR 108.425 - Fire hoses and associated equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... either: (1) Use National Standard fire hose coupling threads for the 11/2 inch (38 millimeter) and 21/2... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fire hoses and associated equipment. 108.425 Section 108... DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Fire Main System § 108.425 Fire hoses and associated...

Ecological fire use for ecological fire management: Managing large wildfires by design

Treesearch

Timothy Ingalsbee

2015-01-01

Past fire exclusion policies and fire suppression actions have led to a historic "fire deficit" on public wildlands. These sociocultural actions have led to unprecedented environmental changes that have created conditions conducive to more frequent large-scale wildfires. Politicians, the newsmedia, and agency officials portray large wildland fires as...

Assessment of post-fire forest structural diversity using neighborhood parameter in the Sierra Madre Oriental, Mexico

Treesearch

Diana Yemilet Avila Flores; Marco Aurelio González Tagle; Javier Jiménez Pérez; Oscar Aguirre Calderón; Eduardo Treviño Garza

2013-01-01

The objective of this research was to characterize the spatial structure patterns of a Pinus hartwegii forest in the Sierra Madre Oriental, affected by a fire in 1998. Sampling was stratified by fire severity. A total of three fire severity classes (low, medium and high) were defined. Three sample plots of 40m x 40m were established for each...

Landscape patterns of montane forest age structure relative to fire history at Cheesman Lake in the Colorado Front Range

Treesearch

Laurie S. Huckaby; Merrill R. Kaufmann; Jason M. Stoker; Paula J. Fornwalt

2001-01-01

Lack of Euro-American disturbance, except fire suppression, has preserved the patterns of forest structure that resulted from the presettlement disturbance regime in a ponderosa pine/Douglas-fir landscape at Cheesman Lake in the Colorado Front Range. A mixed-severity fire regime and variable timing of tree recruitment created a heterogeneous forest age structure with...

A Multi-Objective Advanced Design Methodology of Composite Beam-to-Column Joints Subjected to Seismic and Fire Loads

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pucinotti, Raffaele; Ferrario, Fabio; Bursi, Oreste S.

2008-07-01

A multi-objective advanced design methodology dealing with seismic actions followed by fire on steel-concrete composite full strength joints with concrete filled tubes is proposed in this paper. The specimens were designed in detail in order to exhibit a suitable fire behaviour after a severe earthquake. The major aspects of the cyclic behaviour of composite joints are presented and commented upon. The data obtained from monotonic and cyclic experimental tests have been used to calibrate a model of the joint in order to perform seismic simulations on several moment resisting frames. A hysteretic law was used to take into account the seismic degradation of the joints. Finally, fire tests were conducted with the objective to evaluate fire resistance of the connection already damaged by an earthquake. The experimental activity together with FE simulation demonstrated the adequacy of the advanced design methodology.

Foam composite structures. [for fire retardant airframe materials

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Delano, C. B.; Milligan, R. J.

1976-01-01

The need to include fire resistant foams into state of the art aircraft interior paneling to increase passenger safety in aircraft fires was studied. Present efforts were directed toward mechanical and fire testing of panels with foam inclusions. Skinned foam filled honeycomb and PBI structural foams were the two constructions investigated with attention being directed toward weight/performance/cost trade-off. All of the new panels demonstrated improved performance in fire and some were lighter weight but not as strong as the presently used paneling. Continued efforts should result in improved paneling for passenger safety. In particular the simple partial filling (fire side) of state-of-the-art honeycomb with fire resistant foams with little sacrifice in weight would result in panels with increased fire resistance. More important may be the retarded rate of toxic gas evolution in the fire due to the protection of the honeycomb by the foam.

No genetic adaptation of the Mediterranean keystone shrub Cistus ladanifer in response to experimental fire and extreme drought.

PubMed

Torres, Iván; Parra, Antonio; Moreno, José M; Durka, Walter

2018-01-01

In Mediterranean ecosystems, climate change is projected to increase fire danger and summer drought, thus reducing post-fire recruitment of obligate seeder species, and possibly affecting the population genetic structure. We performed a genome-wide genetic marker study, using AFLP markers, on individuals from one Central Spain population of the obligate post-fire seeder Cistus ladanifer L. that established after experimental fire and survived during four subsequent years under simulated drought implemented with a rainout shelter system. We explored the effects of the treatments on marker diversity, spatial genetic structure and presence of outlier loci suggestive of selection. We found no effect of fire or drought on any of the genetic diversity metrics. Analysis of Molecular Variance showed very low genetic differentiation among treatments. Neither fire nor drought altered the small-scale spatial genetic structure of the population. Only one locus was significantly associated with the fire treatment, but inconsistently across outlier detection methods. Neither fire nor drought are likely to affect the genetic makeup of emerging C. ladanifer, despite reduced recruitment caused by drought. The lack of genetic change suggests that reduced recruitment is a random, non-selective process with no genome-wide consequences on this keystone, drought- and fire tolerant Mediterranean species.

Fire and fire surrogate study: annotated highlights from oak-dominated sites

Treesearch

Daniel A. Yaussy; Thomas A. Waldrop

2009-01-01

The National Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) study was implemented to investigate the ecological impacts of prescribed fire and mechanical operations to mimic fire in restoring the structure and function of forests typically maintained by frequent, low-intensity fires. Two of the 12 sites were located in oak-dominated forests, one in Ohio and another in North Carolina....

Avian community responses to post-fire forest structure: implications for fire management in mixed conifer forests

Treesearch

Angela White; Patricia Manley; Gina Tarbill; T. W. Richardson; R. E. Russell; H. D. Safford; S. Z. Dobrowski

2016-01-01

Fire is a natural process and the dominant disturbance shaping plant and animal communities in many coniferous forests of the western US. Given that fire size and severity are predicted to increase in the future, it has become increasingly important to understand how wildlife responds to fire and post-fire management. The Angora Fire...

Soil responses to the fire and fire surrogate study in the Sierra Nevada

Treesearch

Emily E.Y. Moghaddas; Scott L. Stephens

2007-01-01

The Fire and Fire Surrogate Study utilizes forest thinning and prescribed burning in attempt to create forest stand structures that reduce the risk of catastrophic wildfire. Replicated treatments consisting of mechanical tree harvest (commercial harvest plus mastication of submerchantable material), mechanical harvest followed by prescribed fire, prescribed fire alone...

Fire history from three species on a central Appalachian ridgetop

Treesearch

Amy E. Hessl; Tom Saladyga; Thomas Schuler; Peter Clark; Joshua Wixom

2011-01-01

The impact of settlement era fires on Appalachian forests was substantial, but whether these fires affected the extent of fire-adapted ridgetop plant communities is poorly understood. Here we present fire history and stand structure of an Appalachian ridgetop (Pike Knob, West Virginia) based on fire scars from three species (Pinus pungens Lamb.,

Chapter 5. Borderlands fire regimes

Treesearch

Margot Wilkinson-Kaye; Thomas Swetnam; Christopher R. Baisan

2006-01-01

Fire is a keystone process in most natural, terrestrial ecosystems. The vital role that fire plays in controlling the structure of an ecosystem underscores the need for us to increase our knowledge of past and current fire regimes (Morgan and others 1994). Dendrochronological reconstructions of fire histories provide descriptions of past fire regimes across a range of...

Fire Protection for Buildings

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Edmunds, Jane

1972-01-01

Reviews attack on fire safety in high rise buildings made by a group of experts representing the iron and steel industry at a recent conference. According to one expert, fire problems are people oriented, which calls for emphasis on fire prevention rather than reliance on fire suppression and for fire pretection to be built into a structure.…

Modeling the effects of vegetation heterogeneity on wildland fire behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Atchley, A. L.; Linn, R.; Sieg, C.; Middleton, R. S.

2017-12-01

Vegetation structure and densities are known to drive fire-spread rate and burn severity. Many fire-spread models incorporate an average, homogenous fuel density in the model domain to drive fire behavior. However, vegetation communities are rarely homogenous and instead present significant heterogeneous structure and fuel densities in the fires path. This results in observed patches of varied burn severities and mosaics of disturbed conditions that affect ecological recovery and hydrologic response. Consequently, to understand the interactions of fire and ecosystem functions, representations of spatially heterogeneous conditions need to be incorporated into fire models. Mechanistic models of fire disturbance offer insight into how fuel load characterization and distribution result in varied fire behavior. Here we use a physically-based 3D combustion model—FIRETEC—that solves conservation of mass, momentum, energy, and chemical species to compare fire behavior on homogenous representations to a heterogeneous vegetation distribution. Results demonstrate the impact vegetation heterogeneity has on the spread rate, intensity, and extent of simulated wildfires thus providing valuable insight in predicted wildland fire evolution and enhanced ability to estimate wildland fire inputs into regional and global climate models.

Soil shapes community structure through fire.

PubMed

Ojeda, Fernando; Pausas, Juli G; Verdú, Miguel

2010-07-01

Recurrent wildfires constitute a major selecting force in shaping the structure of plant communities. At the regional scale, fire favours phenotypic and phylogenetic clustering in Mediterranean woody plant communities. Nevertheless, the incidence of fire within a fire-prone region may present strong variations at the local, landscape scale. This study tests the prediction that woody communities on acid, nutrient-poor soils should exhibit more pronounced phenotypic and phylogenetic clustering patterns than woody communities on fertile soils, as a consequence of their higher flammability and, hence, presumably higher propensity to recurrent fire. Results confirm the predictions and show that habitat filtering driven by fire may be detected even in local communities from an already fire-filtered regional flora. They also provide a new perspective from which to consider a preponderant role of fire as a key evolutionary force in acid, infertile Mediterranean heathlands.

Fire Impacts on Mixed Pine-oak Forests Assessed with High Spatial Resolution Imagery, Imaging Spectroscopy, and LiDAR

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meng, R.; Wu, J.; Zhao, F. R.; Kathy, S. L.; Dennison, P. E.; Cook, B.; Hanavan, R. P.; Serbin, S.

2016-12-01

As a primary disturbance agent, fire significantly influences forest ecosystems, including the modification or resetting of vegetation composition and structure, which can then significantly impact landscape-scale plant function and carbon stocks. Most ecological processes associated with fire effects (e.g. tree damage, mortality, and vegetation recovery) display fine-scale, species specific responses but can also vary spatially within the boundary of the perturbation. For example, both oak and pine species are fire-adapted, but fire can still induce changes in composition, structure, and dominance in a mixed pine-oak forest, mainly because of their varying degrees of fire adaption. Evidence of post-fire shifts in dominance between oak and pine species has been documented in mixed pine-oak forests, but these processes have been poorly investigated in a spatially explicit manner. In addition, traditional field-based means of quantifying the response of partially damaged trees across space and time is logistically challenging. Here we show how combining high resolution satellite imagery (i.e. Worldview-2,WV-2) and airborne imaging spectroscopy and LiDAR (i.e. NASA Goddard's Lidar, Hyperspectral and Thermal airborne imager, G-LiHT) can be effectively used to remotely quantify spatial and temporal patterns of vegetation recovery following a top-killing fire that occurred in 2012 within mixed pine-oak forests in the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Region, New York. We explore the following questions: 1) what are the impacts of fire on species composition, dominance, plant health, and vertical structure; 2) what are the recovery trajectories of forest biomass, structure, and spectral properties for three years following the fire; and 3) to what extent can fire impacts be captured and characterized by multi-sensor remote sensing techniques from active and passive optical remote sensing.

Fire regimes, forest change, and self-organization in an old-growth mixed-conifer forest, Yosemite National Park, USA.

PubMed

Scholl, Andrew E; Taylor, Alan H

2010-03-01

Fire is recognized as a keystone process in dry mixed-conifer forests that have been altered by decades of fire suppression, Restoration of fire disturbance to these forests is a guiding principle of resource management in the U.S. National Park Service. Policy implementation is often hindered by a poor understanding of forest conditions before fire exclusion, the characteristics of forest changes since excluding fire, and the influence of topographic or self-organizing controls on forest structure. In this study the spatial and temporal characteristics of fire regimes and forest structure are reconstructed in a 2125-ha mixed-conifer forest. Forests were multi-aged, burned frequently at low severity and fire-return interval, and forest structure did not vary with slope aspect, elevation, or slope position. Fire exclusion has caused an increase in forest density and basal area and a compositional shift to shade-tolerant and fire-intolerant species. The median point fire-return interval and extent of a fire was 10 yr and 115 ha, respectively. The pre-Euro-American settlement fire rotation of 13 yr increased to 378 yr after 1905. The position of fire scars within tree rings indicates that 79% of fires burned in the midsummer to fall period. The spatial pattern of burns exhibited self-organizing behavior. Area burned was 10-fold greater when an area had not been burned by the previous fire. Fires were frequent and widespread, but patches of similar aged trees were < 0.2 ha, suggesting small fire-caused canopy openings. Managers need to apply multiple burns at short intervals for a sustained period to reduce surface fuels and create small canopy openings characteristic of the reference forest. By coupling explicit reference conditions with consideration of current conditions and projected climate change, management activities can balance restoration and risk management.

Fire performance in traditional silvicultural and fire and fire surrogate treatments in Sierran mixed-conifer forests: a brief summary

Treesearch

Jason J. Moghaddas; Scott L. Stephens

2007-01-01

Mixed conifer forests cover 7.9 million acres of California’s total land base. Forest structure in these forests has been influenced by harvest practices and silvicultural systems implemented since the beginning of the California Gold Rush in 1849. Today, the role of fire in coniferous forests, both in shaping past stand structure and its ability to shape future...

Prescribed fire as the minimum tool for wilderness forest and fire regime restoration: a case study from the Sierra Nevada, California

Treesearch

MaryBeth Keifer; Nathan L. Stephenson; Jeff Manley

2000-01-01

Changes in forest structure were monitored in areas treated with prescribed fire in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. Five years after the initial prescribed fires, tree density was reduced by 61% in the giant sequoia-mixed conifer forest, with the greatest reduction in the smaller trees. This post-burn forest structure falls within the range that may have been...

Fire Safety: Stop the Heat. Fourth Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the fourth grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of fourth grade students, its objectives include: (1) understanding principles of extinguishing fires, (2) investigating issues of peer pressure related to fire setting, (3) developing…

40 CFR 60.40 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators § 60.40 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facilities to which the provisions of this subpart apply are: (1) Each fossil-fuel-fired... per hour (MMBtu/hr)). (2) Each fossil-fuel and wood-residue-fired steam generating unit capable of...

40 CFR 60.40 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators § 60.40 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facilities to which the provisions of this subpart apply are: (1) Each fossil-fuel-fired... per hour (MMBtu/hr)). (2) Each fossil-fuel and wood-residue-fired steam generating unit capable of...

40 CFR 60.40 - Applicability and designation of affected facility.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... for Fossil-Fuel-Fired Steam Generators § 60.40 Applicability and designation of affected facility. (a) The affected facilities to which the provisions of this subpart apply are: (1) Each fossil-fuel-fired... per hour (MMBtu/hr)). (2) Each fossil-fuel and wood-residue-fired steam generating unit capable of...

78 FR 35747 - Special Conditions: Cirrus Design Corporation, Model SF50; Fire Extinguishing for Upper Aft...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-06-14

... DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION Federal Aviation Administration 14 CFR Part 23 [Docket No. CE305; Special Conditions No. 23-245-SC] Special Conditions: Cirrus Design Corporation, Model SF50; Fire... from fires, were not envisioned in the development of the part 23 normal category regulations. The...

Assessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park

Treesearch

Van R. Kane; Malcolm P. North; James A. Lutz; Derek J. Churchill; Susan L. Roberts; Douglas F. Smith; Robert J. McGaughey; Jonathan T. Kane; Matthew L. Brooks

2014-01-01

Mosaics of tree clumps and openings are characteristic of forests dominated by frequent, low-and moderate-severity fires. When restoring these fire-suppressed forests, managers often try to reproduce these structures to increase ecosystem resilience. We examined unburned and burned forest structures for 1937 0.81 ha sample areas in Yosemite National Park, USA. We...

Is forest structure related to fire severity? Yes, no, and maybe: Methods and insights in quantifying the answer

Treesearch

Theresa Benavidez Jain; Russell T. Graham

2004-01-01

Wildfires in 2000 burned over 500,000 forested ha in the Northern Rocky Mountains. In 2001, National Fire Plan funding became available to evaluate the influence of pre-wildfire forest structure on post wildfire fire severity. Results from this study will provide information on forest structures that are resilient to wildfire. Three years of data (558 plots) have been...

A semiconductor bridge ignited hot gas piston ejector

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Grubelich, M. C.; Bickes, Robert W., Jr.

1993-01-01

The topics are presented in viewgraph form and include the following: semiconductor bridge technology (SCB); SCB philosophy; technology transfer; simplified sketch of SCB; SCB processing; SCB design; SCB test assembly; 5 mJ SCB burst based on a polaroid photograph; micro-convective heat transfer hypothesis; SCB fire set; comparison of SCB and hot-wire actuators; satellite firing sets; logic fire set; SCB smart component; SCB smart firing set; semiconductor design considerations; and the adjustable actuator system.

Analysis of Architectural Building Design Influences on Fire Spread in Densely Urban Settlement using Cellular Automata

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Tambunan, L.; Salamah, H.; Asriana, N.

2017-03-01

This study aims to determine the influence of architectural design on the risk of fire spread in densely urban settlement area. Cellular Automata (CA) is used to analyse the fire spread pattern, speed, and the extent of damage. Four cells represent buildings, streets, and fields characteristic in the simulated area, as well as their flammability level and fire spread capabilities. Two fire scenarios are used to model the spread of fire: (1) fire origin in a building with concrete and wood material majority, and (2) fire origin in building with wood material majority. Building shape, building distance, road width, and total area of wall openings are considered constant, while wind is ignored. The result shows that fire spread faster in the building area with wood majority than with concrete majority. Significant amount of combustible building material, absence of distance between buildings, narrow streets and limited fields are factors which influence fire spread speed and pattern as well as extent of damage when fire occurs in the densely urban settlement area.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Sommer, T.; Melick, T.; Morrison, D.

The objective of this DOE sponsored project was to successfully fire coal-water slurry in a fire-tube boiler that was designed for oil/gas firing and establish a data base that will be relevant to a large number of existing installations. Firing slurry in a fire-tube configuration is a very demanding application because of the extremely high heat release rates and the correspondingly low furnace volume where combustion can be completed. Recognizing that combustion efficiency is the major obstacle when firing slurry in a fire-tube boiler, the program was focused on innovative approaches for improving carbon burnout without major modifications to themore » boiler. The boiler system was successfully designed and operated to fire coal-water slurry for extended periods of time with few slurry related operational problems. The host facility was a 3.8 million Btu/hr Cleaver-Brooks fire-tube boiler located on the University of Alabama Campus. A slurry atomizer was designed that provided outstanding atomization and was not susceptible to pluggage. The boiler was operated for over 1000 hours and 12 shipments of slurry were delivered. The new equipment engineered for the coal-water slurry system consisted of the following: combustion air and slurry heaters; cyclone; baghouse; fly ash reinjection system; new control system; air compressor; CWS/gas burner and gas valve train; and storage tank and slurry handling system.« less

Firing of pulverized solvent refined coal

DOEpatents

Derbidge, T. Craig; Mulholland, James A.; Foster, Edward P.

1986-01-01

An air-purged burner for the firing of pulverized solvent refined coal is constructed and operated such that the solvent refined coal can be fired without the coking thereof on the burner components. The air-purged burner is designed for the firing of pulverized solvent refined coal in a tangentially fired boiler.

46 CFR 108.405 - Fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fire detection system. 108.405 Section 108.405 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.405 Fire detection system. (a) Each fire detection system and...

46 CFR 108.401 - Fire main system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fire main system. 108.401 Section 108.401 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.401 Fire main system. Each unit must have a fire main system. ...

46 CFR 108.405 - Fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire detection system. 108.405 Section 108.405 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.405 Fire detection system. (a) Each fire detection system and...

46 CFR 108.405 - Fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire detection system. 108.405 Section 108.405 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.405 Fire detection system. (a) Each fire detection system and...

46 CFR 108.401 - Fire main system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire main system. 108.401 Section 108.401 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.401 Fire main system. Each unit must have a fire main system. ...

46 CFR 108.401 - Fire main system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fire main system. 108.401 Section 108.401 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.401 Fire main system. Each unit must have a fire main system. ...

46 CFR 108.405 - Fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fire detection system. 108.405 Section 108.405 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.405 Fire detection system. (a) Each fire detection system and...

46 CFR 108.401 - Fire main system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire main system. 108.401 Section 108.401 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.401 Fire main system. Each unit must have a fire main system. ...

46 CFR 108.401 - Fire main system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire main system. 108.401 Section 108.401 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.401 Fire main system. Each unit must have a fire main system. ...

46 CFR 108.413 - Fusible element fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fusible element fire detection system. 108.413 Section... UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.413 Fusible element fire detection system. (a) A fusible element fire detection system may be installed. (b) The arrangements for the system...

14 CFR 23.851 - Fire extinguishers.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire extinguishers. 23.851 Section 23.851... STANDARDS: NORMAL, UTILITY, ACROBATIC, AND COMMUTER CATEGORY AIRPLANES Design and Construction Fire Protection § 23.851 Fire extinguishers. (a) There must be at least one hand fire extinguisher for use in the...

36 CFR 261.52 - Fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Fire. 261.52 Section 261.52... in Areas Designated by Order § 261.52 Fire. When provided by an order, the following are prohibited: (a) Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire. (b) Using an explosive...

36 CFR 261.52 - Fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Fire. 261.52 Section 261.52... in Areas Designated by Order § 261.52 Fire. When provided by an order, the following are prohibited: (a) Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire. (b) Using an explosive...

36 CFR 261.52 - Fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Fire. 261.52 Section 261.52... in Areas Designated by Order § 261.52 Fire. When provided by an order, the following are prohibited: (a) Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire. (b) Using an explosive...

36 CFR 261.52 - Fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 2 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Fire. 261.52 Section 261.52... in Areas Designated by Order § 261.52 Fire. When provided by an order, the following are prohibited: (a) Building, maintaining, attending or using a fire, campfire, or stove fire. (b) Using an explosive...

A Home Ignition Assessment Model Applied to Structures in the Wildland-Urban Interface

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Biswas, Kaushik; Werth, David; Gupta, Narendra

2013-01-01

The issue of exterior fire threat to buildings, from either wildfires in the wildland-urban interface or neighboring structure fires, is critically important. To address this, theWildfire Ignition Resistant Home Design (WIRHD) program was initiated. The WIRHD program developed a tool, theWildFIREWizard, that will allow homeowners to estimate the external fire threat to their homes based on specific features and characteristics of the homes and yards. The software then makes recommendations to reduce the threat. The inputs include the structural and material features of the home and information about any ignition sources or flammable objects in its immediate vicinity, known asmore » the home ignition zone. The tool comprises an ignition assessment model that performs explicit calculations of the radiant and convective heating of the building envelope from the potential ignition sources. This article describes a series of material ignition and flammability tests that were performed to calibrate and/or validate the ignition assessment model. The tests involved exposing test walls with different external siding types to radiant heating and/or direct flame contact.The responses of the test walls were used to determine the conditions leading to melting, ignition, or any other mode of failure of the walls. Temperature data were used to verify the model predictions of temperature rises and ignition times of the test walls.« less

Comparing effects of climate warming, fire, and timber harvesting on a boreal forest landscape in northeastern China.

PubMed

Li, Xiaona; He, Hong S; Wu, Zhiwei; Liang, Yu; Schneiderman, Jeffrey E

2013-01-01

Forest management under a changing climate requires assessing the effects of climate warming and disturbance on the composition, age structure, and spatial patterns of tree species. We investigated these effects on a boreal forest in northeastern China using a factorial experimental design and simulation modeling. We used a spatially explicit forest landscape model (LANDIS) to evaluate the effects of three independent variables: climate (current and expected future), fire regime (current and increased fire), and timber harvesting (no harvest and legal harvest). Simulations indicate that this forested landscape would be significantly impacted under a changing climate. Climate warming would significantly increase the abundance of most trees, especially broadleaf species (aspen, poplar, and willow). However, climate warming would have less impact on the abundance of conifers, diversity of forest age structure, and variation in spatial landscape structure than burning and harvesting. Burning was the predominant influence in the abundance of conifers except larch and the abundance of trees in mid-stage. Harvesting impacts were greatest for the abundance of larch and birch, and the abundance of trees during establishment stage (1-40 years), early stage (41-80 years) and old- growth stage (>180 years). Disturbance by timber harvesting and burning may significantly alter forest ecosystem dynamics by increasing forest fragmentation and decreasing forest diversity. Results from the simulations provide insight into the long term management of this boreal forest.

Post-fire vegetation and fuel development influences fire severity patterns in reburns.

PubMed

Coppoletta, Michelle; Merriam, Kyle E; Collins, Brandon M

2016-04-01

In areas where fire regimes and forest structure have been dramatically altered, there is increasing concern that contemporary fires have the potential to set forests on a positive feedback trajectory with successive reburns, one in which extensive stand-replacing fire could promote more stand-replacing fire. Our study utilized an extensive set of field plots established following four fires that occurred between 2000 and 2010 in the northern Sierra Nevada, California, USA that were subsequently reburned in 2012. The information obtained from these field plots allowed for a unique set of analyses investigating the effect of vegetation, fuels, topography, fire weather, and forest management on reburn severity. We also examined the influence of initial fire severity and time since initial fire on influential predictors of reburn severity. Our results suggest that high- to moderate-severity fire in the initial fires led to an increase in standing snags and shrub vegetation, which in combination with severe fire weather promoted high-severity fire effects in the subsequent reburn. Although fire behavior is largely driven by weather, our study demonstrates that post-fire vegetation composition and structure are also important drivers of reburn severity. In the face of changing climatic regimes and increases in extreme fire weather, these results may provide managers with options to create more fire-resilient ecosystems. In areas where frequent high-severity fire is undesirable, management activities such as thinning, prescribed fire, or managed wildland fire can be used to moderate fire behavior not only prior to initial fires, but also before subsequent reburns.

Structural design of an in-line bolted joint for the space shuttle solid rocket motor case segments

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dorsey, John T.; Stein, Peter A.; Bush, Harold G.

1987-01-01

Results of a structural design study of an in-line bolted joint concept which can be used to assemble Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Motor (SRM) case segments are presented. Numerous parametric studies are performed to characterize the in-line bolted joint behavior as major design variables are altered, with the primary objective always being to keep the inside of the joint (where the O-rings are located) closed during the SRM firing. The resulting design has 180 1-inch studs, an eccentricity of -0.5 inch, a flange thickness of 3/4 inch, a bearing plate thickness of 1/4 inch, and the studs are subjected to a preload which is 70% of ultimate. The mass penalty per case segment joint for the in-line design is 346 lbm more than the weight penalty for the proposed capture tang fix.

Simulating dynamic and mixed-severity fire regimes: a process-based fire extension for LANDIS-II

Treesearch

Brian R. Sturtevant; Robert M. Scheller; Brian R. Miranda; Douglas Shinneman; Alexandra Syphard

2009-01-01

Fire regimes result from reciprocal interactions between vegetation and fire that may be further affected by other disturbances, including climate, landform, and terrain. In this paper, we describe fire and fuel extensions for the forest landscape simulation model, LANDIS-II, that allow dynamic interactions among fire, vegetation, climate, and landscape structure, and...

The fire-safe cigarette: a burn prevention tool.

PubMed

Barillo, D J; Brigham, P A; Kayden, D A; Heck, R T; McManus, A T

2000-01-01

Cigarettes are the most common ignition source for fatal house fires, which cause approximately 29% of the fire deaths in the United States. A common scenario is the delayed ignition of a sofa, chair, or mattress by a lit cigarette that is forgotten or dropped by a smoker whose alertness is impaired by alcohol or medication. Cigarettes are designed to continue burning when left unattended. If they are dropped on mattresses, upholstered furniture, or other combustible material while still burning, their propensity to start fires varies depending on the cigarette design and content. The term "fire-safe" has evolved to describe cigarettes designed to have a reduced propensity for igniting mattresses and upholstered furniture. Legislative interest in the development of fire-safe smoking materials has existed for more than 50 years. Studies that showed the technical and economic feasibility of commercial production of fire-safe cigarettes were completed more than 10 years ago. Despite this, commercial production of fire-safe smoking materials has not been undertaken. The current impasse relates to the lack of consensus on a uniform test method on which to base a standard for fire-safe cigarettes. Although the fire-safe cigarette is a potentially important burn prevention tool, commercial production of such cigarettes will not occur until a standard against which fire-starting performance can be measured has been mandated by law at the state or federal level. The burn care community can play a leadership role in such legislative efforts.

Small mammal abundance in Mediterranean post-fire habitats: a role for predators?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Torre, I.; Díaz, M.

2004-05-01

We studied patterns of small mammal abundance and species richness in post-fire habitats by sampling 33 plots (225 m 2 each) representing different stages of vegetation recovery after fire. Small mammal abundance was estimated by live trapping during early spring 1999 and vegetation structure was sampled by visual estimation at the same plots. Recently-burnt areas were characterised by shrubby and herbaceous vegetation with low structural variability, and unburnt areas were characterised by well developed forest cover with high structural complexity. Small mammal abundance and species richness decreased with time elapsed since the last fire (from 5 to at least 50 years), and these differences were associated to the decreasing cover of short shrubs as the post-fire succession of plant communities advanced. However, relationships between vegetation structure and small mammals differed among areas burned in different times, with weak or negative relationship in recently burnt areas and positive and stronger relationship in unburnt areas. Furthermore, the abundance of small mammals was larger than expected from vegetation structure in plots burned recently whereas the contrary pattern was found in unburned areas. We hypothesised that the pattern observed could be related to the responses of small mammal predators to changes in vegetation and landscape structure promoted by fire. Fire-related fragmentation could have promoted the isolation of forest predators (owls and carnivores) in unburned forest patches, a fact that could have produced a higher predation pressure for small mammals. Conversely, small mammal populations would have been enhanced in early post-fire stages by lower predator numbers combined with better predator protection in areas covered by resprouting woody vegetation.

Development and testing of advanced fire-resistant photovoltaic modules

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Sugimura, R. S.; Otth, D. H.; Ross, R. G., Jr.

1985-01-01

The evaluation of back-surface materials flammability in order to identify fire resistant module designs is examined. The fire test apparatus, burning-brand test sequence, and spread-of-flame test sequence are described. Video recordings and time-temperature profiles of module back surfaces are utilized to study the flammability failure mechanism and identify high-temperature materials. A table of flammability test results for various module designs is provided. The data reveals that 2-mil kapton, fiberglass cloth coated or impregnated with a material to plug pores, and metal foil back-surface materials achieve class A and B fire-resistance levels, and are applicable for photovoltaic module designs.

Native herbivore exerts contrasting effects on fire regime and vegetation structure

Treesearch

Jose L. Hierro; Kenneth L. Clark; Lyn C. Branch; Diego Villarreal

2011-01-01

Although native herbivores can alter fire regimes by consuming herbaceous vegetation that serves as fine fuel and, less commonly, accumulating fuel as nest material and other structures, simultaneous considerations of contrasting effects of herbivores on fire have scarcely been addressed. We proposed that a colonial rodent, vizcacha (Lagostomus maximus...

Fire, Habitat structure and herpetofauna in the Southeast

Treesearch

Cathryn H. Greenberg

2002-01-01

In this paper I review studies of herpetofauna in two fire-maintained, xeric pineland southeastern U.S. ecosystems, longleaf pine-turkey oak sandhills and Florida sand pine scrub. I address evolutionary adaptations of herpetofauna to these xeric environments, and how fire disturbance influences herpetofaunal community composition by structuring habitat. Where data are...

Monitoring landscape change for LANDFIRE using multi-temporal satellite imagery and ancillary data

Treesearch

James E. Vogelmann; Jay R. Kost; Brian Tolk; Stephen Howard; Karen Short; Xuexia Chen; Chengquan Huang; Kari Pabst; Matthew G. Rollins

2011-01-01

LANDFIRE is a large interagency project designed to provide nationwide spatial data for fire management applications. As part of the effort, many 2000 vintage Landsat Thematic Mapper and Enhanced Thematic Mapper plus data sets were used in conjunction with a large volume of field information to generate detailed vegetation type and structure data sets for the entire...

Design and construction of gas-fed burners for laboratory studies of flame structure

Treesearch

Dan Jimenez; Mark A. Finney; Jack Cohen

2010-01-01

The study of buoyant convection for diffusion flames in wildland fires is critical to understanding heating and cooling dynamics related to particle ignition. Studies based on solid biomass fuels are made difficult by short flame residence time associated with fine fuels. An alternative is to use artificial fuel gas rather than relying on pyrolysis of solid fuels to...

Wildland fire management. Volume 2: Wildland fire control 1985-1995. [satellite information system for California fire problems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Saveker, D. R. (Editor)

1973-01-01

The preliminary design of a satellite plus computer earth resources information system is proposed for potential uses in fire prevention and control in the wildland fire community. Suggested are satellite characteristics, sensor characteristics, discrimination algorithms, data communication techniques, data processing requirements, display characteristics, and costs in achieving the integrated wildland fire information system.

Ecological effects of alternative fuel-reduction treatments: highlights of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate study (FFS)

Treesearch

James D. McIver; Scott L. Stephens; James K. Agee; Jamie Barbour; Ralph E. J. Boerner; Carl B. Edminster; Karen L. Erickson; Kerry L. Farris; Christopher J. Fettig; Carl E. Fiedler; Sally Haase; Stephen C. Hart; Jon E. Keeley; Eric E. Knapp; John F. Lehmkuhl; Jason J. Moghaddas; William Otrosina; Kenneth W. Outcalt; Dylan W. Schwilk; Carl N. Skinner; Thomas A. Waldrop; C. Phillip Weatherspoon; Daniel A. Yaussy; Andrew Youngblood; Steve Zack

2012-01-01

The 12-site National Fire and Fire Surrogate study (FFS) was a multivariate experiment that evaluated ecological consequences of alternative fuel-reduction treatments in seasonally dry forests of the US. Each site was a replicated experiment with a common design that compared an un-manipulated control, prescribed fire, mechanical and mechanical + fire treatments....

Comparing effects of fire modeling methods on simulated fire patterns and succession: a case study in the Missouri Ozarks

Treesearch

Jian Yang; Hong S. He; Brian R. Sturtevant; Brian R. Miranda; Eric J. Gustafson

2008-01-01

We compared four fire spread simulation methods (completely random, dynamic percolation. size-based minimum travel time algorithm. and duration-based minimum travel time algorithm) and two fire occurrence simulation methods (Poisson fire frequency model and hierarchical fire frequency model) using a two-way factorial design. We examined these treatment effects on...

Fire Safety's My Job. Eighth Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the eighth grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of eighth grade students, its objectives include: (1) focusing on technical aspects of fire hazards and detection, and (2) exploring fire hazards outside the home. Texas essential elements of…

Responsible for Fire Safety. Seventh Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the seventh grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of seventh grade students, its objectives include: (1) practicing responsible decision-making regarding fire and burn hazards, including peer pressure related to fire risks; and (2) practicing…

BehavePlus fire modeling system, version 5.0: Design and Features

Treesearch

Faith Ann Heinsch; Patricia L. Andrews

2010-01-01

The BehavePlus fire modeling system is a computer program that is based on mathematical models that describe wildland fire behavior and effects and the fire environment. It is a flexible system that produces tables, graphs, and simple diagrams. It can be used for a host of fire management applications, including projecting the behavior of an ongoing fire, planning...

Post-fire regeneration across a fire severity gradient in the southern Cascades

Treesearch

Justin Crotteau; Morgan Varner; Martin Ritchie

2012-01-01

Large scale, high-severity fires are increasing in the western United States. Despite this trend, there have been few studies investigating post-fire tree regeneration. We established a study in the footprint of the 2000 Storrie Fire, a 23,000 ha wildfire that occurred in northern California, USA. We used a stratified sampling design to quantify post-fire vegetation...

Design of monocular head-mounted displays for increased indoor firefighting safety and efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilson, Joel; Steingart, Dan; Romero, Russell; Reynolds, Jessica; Mellers, Eric; Redfern, Andrew; Lim, Lloyd; Watts, William; Patton, Colin; Baker, Jessica; Wright, Paul

2005-05-01

Four monocular Head-Mounted Display (HMD) prototypes from the Fire Information and Rescue Equipment (FIRE) project at UC Berkeley are presented. The FIRE project aims to give firefighters a system of information technology tools for safer and more efficient firefighting in large buildings. The paper begins by describing the FIRE project and its use of a custom wireless sensor network (WSN) called SmokeNet for personnel tracking. The project aims to address urban/industrial firefighting procedures in need of improvement. Two "user-needs" studies with the Chicago and Berkeley Fire Departments are briefly presented. The FIRE project"s initial HMD prototype designs are then discussed with regard to feedback from the user-needs studies. These prototypes are evaluated in their potential costs and benefits to firefighters and found to need improvement. Next, some currently available commercial HMDs are reviewed and compared in their cost, performance, and potential for use by firefighters. Feedback from the Berkeley Fire Department user-needs study, in which the initial prototypes were demonstrated, is compiled into a concept selection matrix for the next prototypes. This matrix is used to evaluate a variety of HMDs, including some of the commercial units presented, and to select the best design options. Finally, the current prototypes of the two best design options are presented and discussed.

Demographic responses of Pinguicula ionantha to prescribed fire: a regression-design LTRE approach.

PubMed

Kesler, Herbert C; Trusty, Jennifer L; Hermann, Sharon M; Guyer, Craig

2008-06-01

This study describes the use of periodic matrix analysis and regression-design life table response experiments (LTRE) to investigate the effects of prescribed fire on demographic responses of Pinguicula ionantha, a federally listed plant endemic to the herb bog/savanna community in north Florida. Multi-state mark-recapture models with dead recoveries were used to estimate survival and transition probabilities for over 2,300 individuals in 12 populations of P. ionantha. These estimates were applied to parameterize matrix models used in further analyses. P. ionantha demographics were found to be strongly dependent on prescribed fire events. Periodic matrix models were used to evaluate season of burn (either growing or dormant season) for fire return intervals ranging from 1 to 20 years. Annual growing and biannual dormant season fires maximized population growth rates for this species. A regression design LTRE was used to evaluate the effect of number of days since last fire on population growth. Maximum population growth rates calculated using standard asymptotic analysis were realized shortly following a burn event (<2 years), and a regression design LTRE showed that short-term fire-mediated changes in vital rates translated into observed increases in population growth. The LTRE identified fecundity and individual growth as contributing most to increases in post-fire population growth. Our analyses found that the current four-year prescribed fire return intervals used at the study sites can be significantly shortened to increase the population growth rates of this rare species. Understanding the role of fire frequency and season in creating and maintaining appropriate habitat for this species may aid in the conservation of this and other rare herb bog/savanna inhabitants.

Fuels planning: science synthesis and integration; forest structure and fire hazard fact sheet 02: fire hazard

Treesearch

Rocky Mountain Research Station USDA Forest Service

2004-01-01

Fire hazard reflects the potential fire behavior and magnitude of effects as a function of fuel conditions. This fact sheet discusses crown fuels, surface fuels, and ground fuels and their contribution and involvement in wildland fire.Other publications in this series...

Fires, ecological effects of

Treesearch

W. J. Bond; Robert Keane

2017-01-01

Fire is both a natural and anthropogenic disturbance influencing the distribution, structure, and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems around the world. Many plants and animals depend on fire for their continued existence. Others species, such as rainforest plants species, are extremely intolerant of burning and need protection from fire. The properties of a fire...

36 CFR 34.6 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... administrative site shall comply with applicable standards prescribed by the National Fire Codes, Federal OSHA... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2012-07-01 2012-07-01 false Fires. 34.6 Section 34.6... ADMINISTRATIVE SITE REGULATIONS § 34.6 Fires. (a) All wildland, vehicular or structural fires shall be reported...

36 CFR 34.6 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... administrative site shall comply with applicable standards prescribed by the National Fire Codes, Federal OSHA... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Fires. 34.6 Section 34.6... ADMINISTRATIVE SITE REGULATIONS § 34.6 Fires. (a) All wildland, vehicular or structural fires shall be reported...

36 CFR 34.6 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... administrative site shall comply with applicable standards prescribed by the National Fire Codes, Federal OSHA... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2013-07-01 2013-07-01 false Fires. 34.6 Section 34.6... ADMINISTRATIVE SITE REGULATIONS § 34.6 Fires. (a) All wildland, vehicular or structural fires shall be reported...

36 CFR 34.6 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... administrative site shall comply with applicable standards prescribed by the National Fire Codes, Federal OSHA... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fires. 34.6 Section 34.6... ADMINISTRATIVE SITE REGULATIONS § 34.6 Fires. (a) All wildland, vehicular or structural fires shall be reported...

36 CFR 34.6 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... administrative site shall comply with applicable standards prescribed by the National Fire Codes, Federal OSHA... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2014-07-01 2014-07-01 false Fires. 34.6 Section 34.6... ADMINISTRATIVE SITE REGULATIONS § 34.6 Fires. (a) All wildland, vehicular or structural fires shall be reported...

Fire treatment effects on vegetation structure, fuels, and potential fire severity in western U.S. forests

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stephens, S.L.; Moghaddas, J.J.; Edminster, C.; Fiedler, C.E.; Haase, S.; Harrington, M.; Keeley, J.E.; Knapp, E.E.; Mciver, J.D.; Metlen, K.; Skinner, C.N.; Youngblood, A.

2009-01-01

Abstract. Forest structure and species composition in many western U.S. coniferous forests have been altered through fire exclusion, past and ongoing harvesting practices, and livestock grazing over the 20th century. The effects of these activities have been most pronounced in seasonally dry, low and mid-elevation coniferous forests that once experienced frequent, low to moderate intensity, fire regimes. In this paper, we report the effects of Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) forest stand treatments on fuel load profiles, potential fire behavior, and fire severity under three weather scenarios from six western U.S. FFS sites. This replicated, multisite experiment provides a framework for drawing broad generalizations about the effectiveness of prescribed fire and mechanical treatments on surface fuel loads, forest structure, and potential fire severity. Mechanical treatments without fire resulted in combined 1-, 10-, and 100-hour surface fuel loads that were significantly greater than controls at three of five FFS sites. Canopy cover was significantly lower than controls at three of five FFS sites with mechanical-only treatments and at all five FFS sites with the mechanical plus burning treatment; fire-only treatments reduced canopy cover at only one site. For the combined treatment of mechanical plus fire, all five FFS sites with this treatment had a substantially lower likelihood of passive crown fire as indicated by the very high torching indices. FFS sites that experienced significant increases in 1-, 10-, and 100-hour combined surface fuel loads utilized harvest systems that left all activity fuels within experimental units. When mechanical treatments were followed by prescribed burning or pile burning, they were the most effective treatment for reducing crown fire potential and predicted tree mortality because of low surface fuel loads and increased vertical and horizontal canopy separation. Results indicate that mechanical plus fire, fire-only, and mechanical-only treatments using whole-tree harvest systems were all effective at reducing potential fire severity under severe fire weather conditions. Retaining the largest trees within stands also increased fire resistance. ?? 2009 by the Ecological Society of America.

Uncertainty in Wildfire Behavior

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Finney, M.; Cohen, J. D.

2013-12-01

The challenge of predicting or modeling fire behavior is well recognized by scientists and managers who attempt predictions of fire spread rate or growth. At the scale of the spreading fire, the uncertainty in winds, moisture, fuel structure, and fire location make accurate predictions difficult, and the non-linear response of fire spread to these conditions means that average behavior is poorly represented by average environmental parameters. Even more difficult are estimations of threshold behaviors (e.g. spread/no-spread, crown fire initiation, ember generation and spotting) because the fire responds as a step-function to small changes in one or more environmental variables, translating to dynamical feedbacks and unpredictability. Recent research shows that ignition of fuel particles, itself a threshold phenomenon, depends on flame contact which is absolutely not steady or uniform. Recent studies of flame structure in both spreading and stationary fires reveals that much of the non-steadiness of the flames as they contact fuel particles results from buoyant instabilities that produce quasi-periodic flame structures. With fuel particle ignition produced by time-varying heating and short-range flame contact, future improvements in fire behavior modeling will likely require statistical approaches to deal with the uncertainty at all scales, including the level of heat transfer, the fuel arrangement, and weather.

Design of housing file box of fire academy based on RFID

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Huaiyi

2018-04-01

This paper presents a design scheme of intelligent file box based on RFID. The advantages of RFID file box and traditional file box are compared and analyzed, and the feasibility of RFID file box design is analyzed based on the actual situation of our university. After introducing the shape and structure design of the intelligent file box, the paper discusses the working process of the file box, and explains in detail the internal communication principle of the RFID file box and the realization of the control system. The application of the RFID based file box will greatly improve the efficiency of our school's archives management.

Exploration Spacecraft and Space Suit Internal Atmosphere Pressure and Composition

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lange, Kevin; Duffield, Bruce; Jeng, Frank; Campbell, Paul

2005-01-01

The design of habitat atmospheres for future space missions is heavily driven by physiological and safety requirements. Lower EVA prebreathe time and reduced risk of decompression sickness must be balanced against the increased risk of fire and higher cost and mass of materials associated with higher oxygen concentrations. Any proposed increase in space suit pressure must consider impacts on space suit mass and mobility. Future spacecraft designs will likely incorporate more composite and polymeric materials both to reduce structural mass and to optimize crew radiation protection. Narrowed atmosphere design spaces have been identified that can be used as starting points for more detailed design studies and risk assessments.

Broad Frequency LTCC Vertical Interconnect Transition for Multichip Modules and System on Package Applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Decrossas, Emmanuel; Glover, Michael D.; Porter, Kaoru; Cannon, Tom; Mantooth, H. Alan; Hamilton, M. C.

2013-01-01

Various stripline structures and flip chip interconnect designs for high-speed digital communication systems implemented in low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) substrates are studied in this paper. Specifically, two different transition designs from edge launch 2.4 millimeter connectors to stripline transmission lines embedded in LTCC are discussed. After characterizing the DuPont (sup trademark) 9K7 green tape, different designs are proposed to improve signal integrity for high-speed digital data. The full-wave simulations and experimental data validate the presented designs over a broad frequency band from Direct Current to 50 gigahertz and beyond.

Previous fires moderate burn severity of subsequent wildland fires in two large western US wilderness areas

Treesearch

Sean A. Parks; Carol Miller; Cara R. Nelson; Zachary A. Holden

2014-01-01

Wildland fire is an important natural process in many ecosystems. However, fire exclusion has reduced frequency of fire and area burned in many dry forest types, which may affect vegetation structure and composition, and potential fire behavior. In forests of the western U.S., these effects pose a challenge for fire and land managers who seek to restore the ecological...

Short- and long-term effects on fuels, forest structure, and wildfire potential from prescribed fire and resource benefit fire in southwestern forests, USA

Treesearch

Molly E. Hunter; Jose M. Iniguez; Leigh B. Lentile

2011-01-01

Prescribed and resource benefit fires are used to manage fuels in fire-prone landscapes in the Southwest. These practices, however, typically occur under different conditions, potentially leading to differences in fire behavior and effects. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of recent prescribed fires, resource benefit fires, and repeated...

Increased fire frequency promotes stronger spatial genetic structure and natural selection at regional and local scales in Pinus halepensis Mill

PubMed Central

González-Martínez, Santiago C.; Navascués, Miguel; Burgarella, Concetta; Mosca, Elena; Lorenzo, Zaida; Zabal-Aguirre, Mario; Vendramin, Giovanni G.; Verdú, Miguel; Pausas, Juli G.

2017-01-01

Background and Aims The recurrence of wildfires is predicted to increase due to global climate change, resulting in severe impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Recurrent fires can drive plant adaptation and reduce genetic diversity; however, the underlying population genetic processes have not been studied in detail. In this study, the neutral and adaptive evolutionary effects of contrasting fire regimes were examined in the keystone tree species Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo pine), a fire-adapted conifer. The genetic diversity, demographic history and spatial genetic structure were assessed at local (within-population) and regional scales for populations exposed to different crown fire frequencies. Methods Eight natural P. halepensis stands were sampled in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, five of them in a region exposed to frequent crown fires (HiFi) and three of them in an adjacent region with a low frequency of crown fires (LoFi). Samples were genotyped at nine neutral simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and at 251 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from coding regions, some of them potentially important for fire adaptation. Key Results Fire regime had no effects on genetic diversity or demographic history. Three high-differentiation outlier SNPs were identified between HiFi and LoFi stands, suggesting fire-related selection at the regional scale. At the local scale, fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) was overall weak as expected for a wind-pollinated and wind-dispersed tree species. HiFi stands displayed a stronger SGS than LoFi stands at SNPs, which probably reflected the simultaneous post-fire recruitment of co-dispersed related seeds. SNPs with exceptionally strong SGS, a proxy for microenvironmental selection, were only reliably identified under the HiFi regime. Conclusions An increasing fire frequency as predicted due to global change can promote increased SGS with stronger family structures and alter natural selection in P. halepensis and in plants with similar life history traits. PMID:28159988

Chemical fields during Southeast Nexus (SENEX) field experiment and design of verification metrics for efficacy of capturing wild fire emissions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lee, P.

2016-12-01

Wildfires are commonplace in North America. Air pollution resulted from wildfires pose a significant risk for human health and crop damage. The pollutants alter the vertical distribution of many atmospheric constituents including O3 and many fine particulate (PM) species. Compared to anthropogenic emissions of air pollutants, emissions from wildfires are largely uncontrolled and unpredictable. Therefore, quantitatively describing wildfire emissions and their contributions to air pollution remains a substantial challenge for atmospheric modeler and air quality forecasters. In this study, we investigated the modification and redistribution of atmospheric composition within the Conterminous U.S (CONUS) by wild fire plumes originated within and outside of the CONUS. We used the National Air Quality Forecasting Capability (NAQFC) to conduct the investigation. NAQFC uses dynamic lateral chemical boundary conditions derived from the National Weather Service experimental global aerosol tracer model accounting for intrusion of fire-associated aerosol species. Within CONUS, the NAQFC derives both gaseous and aerosol wildfire associated species from the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) hazard mapping system (HMS) hot-spot detection, and US Forestry Service Blue-sky protocol for quantifying fire characteristics, and the US EPA Sparse Matrix Object Kernel Emission (SMOKE) calculation for plume rise. Attributions of both of these wildfire influences inherently reflect the aged plumes intruded into the CONUS through the model boundaries as well as the fresher emissions from sources within the CONUS. Both emission sources contribute significantly to the vertical structure modification of the atmosphere. We conducted case studies within the fire active seasons to demonstrate some possible impacts on the vertical structures of O3 and PM species by the wildfire activities.

Multi-temporal LiDAR and Landsat quantification of fire-induced changes to forest structure

USGS Publications Warehouse

McCarley, T. Ryan; Kolden, Crystal A.; Vaillant, Nicole M.; Hudak, Andrew T.; Smith, Alistair M.S.; Wing, Brian M.; Kellogg, Bryce; Kreitler, Jason R.

2017-01-01

Measuring post-fire effects at landscape scales is critical to an ecological understanding of wildfire effects. Predominantly this is accomplished with either multi-spectral remote sensing data or through ground-based field sampling plots. While these methods are important, field data is usually limited to opportunistic post-fire observations, and spectral data often lacks validation with specific variables of change. Additional uncertainty remains regarding how best to account for environmental variables influencing fire effects (e.g., weather) for which observational data cannot easily be acquired, and whether pre-fire agents of change such as bark beetle and timber harvest impact model accuracy. This study quantifies wildfire effects by correlating changes in forest structure derived from multi-temporal Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) acquisitions to multi-temporal spectral changes captured by the Landsat Thematic Mapper and Operational Land Imager for the 2012 Pole Creek Fire in central Oregon. Spatial regression modeling was assessed as a methodology to account for spatial autocorrelation, and model consistency was quantified across areas impacted by pre-fire mountain pine beetle and timber harvest. The strongest relationship (pseudo-r2 = 0.86, p < 0.0001) was observed between the ratio of shortwave infrared and near infrared reflectance (d74) and LiDAR-derived estimate of canopy cover change. Relationships between percentage of LiDAR returns in forest strata and spectral indices generally increased in strength with strata height. Structural measurements made closer to the ground were not well correlated. The spatial regression approach improved all relationships, demonstrating its utility, but model performance declined across pre-fire agents of change, suggesting that such studies should stratify by pre-fire forest condition. This study establishes that spectral indices such as d74 and dNBR are most sensitive to wildfire-caused structural changes such as reduction in canopy cover and perform best when that structure has not been reduced pre-fire.

Biodiversity and fire in shortgrass steppe

Treesearch

P. L. (Paulette) Ford

2001-01-01

Effects of fire at two levels of intensity on beetle diversity in shortgrass steppe were examined. The experimental design was completely randomized, with 3 treatments and 4 replicates per treatment. Treatments were two levels of fire 1) dormant-season fire (relatively hot), and 2) growing-season fire (relatively cool), and unburned plots. The response variables were...

46 CFR 108.407 - Detectors for electric fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Detectors for electric fire detection system. 108.407... DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.407 Detectors for electric fire detection system. (a) Each detector in an electric fire detection system must be located where— (1) No...

Determination of Survivable Fires

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dietrich, D. L.; Niehaus, J. E.; Ruff, G. A.; Urban, D. L.; Takahashi, F.; Easton, J. W.; Abbott, A. A.; Graf, J. C.

2012-01-01

At NASA, there exists no standardized design or testing protocol for spacecraft fire suppression systems (either handheld or total flooding designs). An extinguisher's efficacy in safely suppressing any reasonable or conceivable fire is the primary benchmark. That concept, however, leads to the question of what a reasonable or conceivable fire is. While there exists the temptation to over-size' the fire extinguisher, weight and volume considerations on spacecraft will always (justifiably) push for the minimum size extinguisher required. This paper attempts to address the question of extinguisher size by examining how large a fire a crew member could successfully survive and extinguish in the confines of a spacecraft. The hazards to the crew and equipment during an accidental fire include excessive pressure rise resulting in a catastrophic rupture of the vehicle skin, excessive temperatures that burn or incapacitate the crew (due to hyperthermia), carbon dioxide build-up or other accumulation of other combustion products (e.g. carbon monoxide). Estimates of these quantities are determined as a function of fire size and mass of material burned. This then becomes the basis for determining the maximum size of a target fire for future fire extinguisher testing.

Fire and fire surrogate treatments in mixed-oak forests: Effects on herbaceous layer vegetation

Treesearch

Ross Phillips; Todd Hutchinson; Lucy Brudnak; Thomas Waldrop

2007-01-01

Herbaceous layer vegetation responses to prescribed fire and fire surrogate treatments (thinning and understory removal) were examined. Results from 3 to 4 years following treatment are presented for the Ohio Hills Country and the Southern Appalachian Mountain sites of the National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study. At the Ohio Hills site, changes in forest structure were...

Effects of biotic feedback and harvest management on boreal forest fire activity under climate change.

PubMed

Krawchuk, Meg A; Cumming, Steve G

2011-01-01

Predictions of future fire activity over Canada's boreal forests have primarily been generated from climate data following assumptions that direct effects of weather will stand alone in contributing to changes in burning. However, this assumption needs explicit testing. First, areas recently burned can be less likely to burn again in the near term, and this endogenous regulation suggests the potential for self-limiting, negative biotic feedback to regional climate-driven increases in fire. Second, forest harvest is ongoing, and resulting changes in vegetation structure have been shown to affect fire activity. Consequently, we tested the assumption that fire activity will be driven by changes in fire weather without regulation by biotic feedback or regional harvest-driven changes in vegetation structure in the mixedwood boreal forest of Alberta, Canada, using a simulation experiment that includes the interaction of fire, stand dynamics, climate change, and clear cut harvest management. We found that climate change projected with fire weather indices calculated from the Canadian Regional Climate Model increased fire activity, as expected, and our simulations established evidence that the magnitude of regional increase in fire was sufficient to generate negative feedback to subsequent fire activity. We illustrate a 39% (1.39-fold) increase in fire initiation and 47% (1.47-fold) increase in area burned when climate and stand dynamics were included in simulations, yet 48% (1.48-fold) and 61% (1.61-fold) increases, respectively, when climate was considered alone. Thus, although biotic feedbacks reduced burned area estimates in important ways, they were secondary to the direct effect of climate on fire. We then show that ongoing harvest management in this region changed landscape composition in a way that led to reduced fire activity, even in the context of climate change. Although forest harvesting resulted in decreased regional fire activity when compared to unharvested conditions, forest composition and age structure was shifted substantially, illustrating a trade-off between management goals to minimize fire and conservation goals to emulate natural disturbance.

The interaction between design and occupier behaviour in the safety of new homes.

PubMed

McDermott, Hilary; Haslam, Roger; Gibb, Alistair

2007-03-01

The design of new homes includes many safety features intended to protect occupiers from injury or ill health within the home, however the effectiveness of these primary intervention measures is likely to be affected by user behaviour. This study examined the interaction between user activity and dwelling design and how this might affect health and safety. It aimed to identify how people use features within new homes and how this may limit the protection afforded by building design, codes and regulations. Forty, home-based, semi-structured, in-depth interviews and home inspections were conducted with individuals recently inhabiting a new home. A range of behaviours were reported in relation to building features including fire doors, pipes and cables, and loft access, which may lead to increased risk of injury or ill-health. For example, occupiers described interfering with the self-closing mechanisms on fire doors and drilling into walls without considering the location of services. They also reported knowingly engaging in unsafe behaviour when accessing the loft, increasing their risk of falls. The accounts suggest that designers and builders need to give greater consideration to how occupier behaviour interacts with building features so that improvements in both design and occupier education can lead to improved health and safety.

Native peoples’ relationship to the California chaparral

USGS Publications Warehouse

Anderson, M. Kat; Keeley, Jon E.; Underwood, Emma C.; Safford, Hugh D.; Molinari, Nicole A.; Keeley, Jon E.

2018-01-01

Ethnographic interviews and historical literature reviews provide evidence that for many tribes of California, chaparral plant communities were a rich source of food, medicines, and technologies and that they supplemented natural fires with deliberate burning of chaparral to maximize its ability to produce useful products. Many of the most important chaparral plant species used in the food and material culture have strong adaptations to fire. Particularly useful were many annual and perennial herbs, which proliferate after fire from seed and bulb banks, shrub resprouts that made superb cordage and basketry material, as well as animals that were more readily caught in postfire environments. The reasons for burning in chaparral are grouped into seven ecological categories, each relying on a known response to fire of the chaparral community. The authors posit that tribes employed intentional burning to maintain chaparral in different ages and size classes to meet diverse food and material needs, tracking the change in plant and animal abundance and diversity, and shifts in shrub architecture and habitat structure during the recovery of the chaparral community. Areas were burned in ways designed to create a mosaic of open grassland and recently burned, young and mature stands of chaparral with different combinations of species and densities. This management conferred on chaparral plant communities a degree of spatial, structural, successional, and biotic diversity that exceeded what would have been the case in the absence of human intervention. These impacts are still evident on contemporary landscapes.

Fire safety design of a mobile quarantine facility

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Bass, R. S.; Hirasaki, J. K.

1971-01-01

During the design phase of the Mobile Quarantine Facility (MQF), a primary consideration was fire safety. Therefore, appropriate criteria and ground rules were used in the design and construction of the facility. The fire codes and fire-requirement listings that are used by commerical airlines were supplied to the Manned Spacecraft Center (MSC) by the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA). After these codes were reviewed, a basic ground rule was adopted that flame protection for all combustible materials should be at least equivalent to or better than the standards for commercial aircraft. Because the MQF was designed to operate with an interior atmosphere of air rather than with an oxygen-enriched atmosphere such as that of the Apollo spacecraft cabin, the requirements for MQF material were not as stringent as those for the spacecraft.

A Lifetime for Fire Safety. Health (High School). Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the high school health component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. It is designed to meet the age-specific needs of ninth and tenth grade students. Objectives include: (1) reviewing comprehensive fire and burn prevention techniques and emergency actions; (2) developing an awareness of fire safety…

Making Me Fire Safe. Second Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the second grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of second grade students, its objectives include acquiring basic understanding of how to prevent and put out fires and developing greater self-direction to prevent and react to fire, smoke, or burn…

Effects of multiple fires on the structure of southwestern Washington forests

Treesearch

Andrew N. Gray; Jerry F. Franklin

1997-01-01

Fire frequcncy, intensity, and size can influence the nature of forest development, with potentially profound effects on ecosystem processes and the abundance of native species. The effect of an intense wildfire and subsequent severe fires within a short period (reburns) on forest establishment, composition, and structure was examined in the 16,000 ha Siouxon Creek...

Restoring forest health: fire and thinning effects on mixed-conifer forests

Treesearch

Malcolm P. North

2006-01-01

Even after 140 years without a fire, mixed-conifer forest such as Teakettle's Experimental Forest has a distinct patch pattern and complex structure. Researcher Malcolm North and colleagues examined the structure and function of these ecosystems and their response to widely used restoration treatments. Collectively the studies found fire was essential to restoring...

Ignition and flame travel on realistic building and landscape objects in changing environments

Treesearch

Mark A. Dietenberger

2007-01-01

Effective mitigation of external fires on structures can be achieved flexibly, economically, and aesthetically by (1) preventing large-area ignition on structures from close proximity of burning vegetations and (2) stopping flame travel from firebrands landing on combustible building objects. In using bench-scale and mid-scale fire tests to obtain fire growth...

Bark beetles responses to stand structure and prescribed fire at Black Mountain Experimental Forest, California, USA: 5-year data

Treesearch

C.J. Fettig; S.R. McKelvey

2010-01-01

Highly effective fire suppression and selective harvesting of large-diameter, fire-tolerant tree species, such as ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa C. Lawson) and Jeffrey pine (P. jeffreyi Balf.), have resulted in substantial changes to the structure and composition of interior ponderosa pine forests. Mechanical thinning and the...

Forest structure and fire hazard in dry forests of the Western United States

Treesearch

David L. Peterson; Morris C. Johnson; James K. Agee; Theresa B. Jain; Donald McKenzie; Elizabeth D. Reinhardt

2005-01-01

Fire, in conjunction with landforms and climate, shapes the structure and function of forests throughout the Western United States, where millions of acres of forest lands contain accumulations of flammable fuel that are much higher than historical conditions owing to various forms of fire exclusion. The Healthy Forests Restoration Act mandates that public land...

Spike Train Auto-Structure Impacts Post-Synaptic Firing and Timing-Based Plasticity

PubMed Central

Scheller, Bertram; Castellano, Marta; Vicente, Raul; Pipa, Gordon

2011-01-01

Cortical neurons are typically driven by several thousand synapses. The precise spatiotemporal pattern formed by these inputs can modulate the response of a post-synaptic cell. In this work, we explore how the temporal structure of pre-synaptic inhibitory and excitatory inputs impact the post-synaptic firing of a conductance-based integrate and fire neuron. Both the excitatory and inhibitory input was modeled by renewal gamma processes with varying shape factors for modeling regular and temporally random Poisson activity. We demonstrate that the temporal structure of mutually independent inputs affects the post-synaptic firing, while the strength of the effect depends on the firing rates of both the excitatory and inhibitory inputs. In a second step, we explore the effect of temporal structure of mutually independent inputs on a simple version of Hebbian learning, i.e., hard bound spike-timing-dependent plasticity. We explore both the equilibrium weight distribution and the speed of the transient weight dynamics for different mutually independent gamma processes. We find that both the equilibrium distribution of the synaptic weights and the speed of synaptic changes are modulated by the temporal structure of the input. Finally, we highlight that the sensitivity of both the post-synaptic firing as well as the spike-timing-dependent plasticity on the auto-structure of the input of a neuron could be used to modulate the learning rate of synaptic modification. PMID:22203800

Linking complex forest fuel structure and fire behavior at fine scales

Treesearch

EL Loudermilk; Joseph O' Brien; RJ Mitchell; JK Hiers; WP Cropper; S Grunwald; J Grego; J Fernandez

2012-01-01

Improved fire management of savannas and open woodlands requires better understanding of the fundamental connection between fuel heterogeneity, variation in fire behaviour and the influence of fire variation on vegetation feedbacks. In this study, we introduce a novel approach to predicting fire behaviour at the submetre scale, including measurements of forest...

Historical fire regime and forest variability on two eastern Great Basin fire-sheds (USA)

Treesearch

Stanley G. Kitchen

2012-01-01

Proper management of naturally forested landscapes requires knowledge of key disturbance processes and their effects on species composition and structure. Spatially-intensive fire and forest histories provide valuable information about how fire and vegetation may vary and interact on heterogeneous landscapes. I constructed 800-year fire and tree recruitment...

Benefits of hindsight: reestablishing fire on the landscape.

Treesearch

Sally Duncan

2001-01-01

Well-intentioned fire suppression efforts during the last 80 to 100 years have altered the structure of low-elevation forests in the interior Northwest. Historically, nondestructive, frequent, low-intensity fires have given way to larger, infrequent, severe, high-intensity fires. Because of altered fire behavior, forests now have increased fuel, and consequently, are...

A method for determining fire history in coniferous forests in the Mountain West

Treesearch

Stephen F. Arno; Kathy M. Sneck

1977-01-01

Describes a method for determining historic fire frequency, intensity, and size from cross sections collected from fire-scarred trees and tree age classes determined through increment borings. Tells how to interpret the influence of fire in stand composition and structure and how to identify effects of modern fire suppression.

Short- and long-term effects of fire on carbon in US dry temperate forest systems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hurteau, Matthew D.; Brooks, Matthew L.

2011-01-01

Forests sequester carbon from the atmosphere, and in so doing can mitigate the effects of climate change. Fire is a natural disturbance process in many forest systems that releases carbon back to the atmosphere. In dry temperate forests, fires historically burned with greater frequency and lower severity than they do today. Frequent fires consumed fuels on the forest floor and maintained open stand structures. Fire suppression has resulted in increased understory fuel loads and tree density; a change in structure that has caused a shift from low- to high-severity fires. More severe fires, resulting in greater tree mortality, have caused a decrease in forest carbon stability. Fire management actions can mitigate the risk of high-severity fires, but these actions often require a trade-off between maximizing carbon stocks and carbon stability. We discuss the effects of fire on forest carbon stocks and recommend that managing forests on the basis of their specific ecologies should be the foremost goal, with carbon sequestration being an ancillary benefit. ?? 2011 by American Institute of Biological Sciences. All rights reserved.

What's Your Fire Safety IQ?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

PTA Today, 1992

1992-01-01

The National Fire Protection Association offers a quiz on fire safety designed to help people learn about the major fire dangers and change the way they respond to them. Recommends that families sit down and take the quiz together, focusing on the correct answers provided. (SM)

Systematic control of nonmetallic materials for improved fire safety

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1972-01-01

The elements of a systematic fire safety program are summarized and consist of fire safety criteria, design considerations, testing of materials, development of nonmetallic materials, nonmetallic materials information systems, design reviews, and change control. The system described in this report was developed for the Apollo spacecraft. The system can, however, be tailored to many industrial, commercial, and military activities.

Designing seasonal initial attack resource deployment and dispatch rules using a two-stage stochastic programming procedure

Treesearch

Yu Wei; Michael Bevers; Erin J. Belval

2015-01-01

Initial attack dispatch rules can help shorten fire suppression response times by providing easy-to-follow recommendations based on fire weather, discovery time, location, and other factors that may influence fire behavior and the appropriate response. A new procedure is combined with a stochastic programming model and tested in this study for designing initial attack...

Native and domestic browsers and grazers reduce fuels, fire temperatures, and acacia ant mortality in an African savanna.

PubMed

Kimuyu, Duncan M; Sensenig, Ryan L; Riginos, Corinna; Veblen, Kari E; Young, Truman P

2014-06-01

Despite the importance of fire and herbivory in structuring savanna systems, few replicated experiments have examined the interactive effects of herbivory and fire on plant dynamics. In addition, the effects of fire on associated ant-tree mutualisms have been largely unexplored. We carried out small controlled burns in each of 18 herbivore treatment plots of the Kenya Long-term Exclosure Experiment (KLEE), where experimentally excluding elephants has resulted in 42% greater tree densities. The KLEE design includes six different herbivore treatments that allowed us to examine how different combinations of megaherbivore wildlife, mesoherbivore wildlife, and cattle affect fire temperatures and subsequent loss of ant symbionts from Acacia trees. Before burning, we quantified herbaceous fuel loads and plant community composition. We tagged all trees, measured their height and basal diameter, and identified the resident ant species on each. We recorded weather conditions during the burns and used ceramic tiles painted with fire-sensitive paints to estimate fire temperatures at different heights and in different microsites (under vs. between trees). Across all treatments, fire temperatures were highest at 0-50 cm off the ground and hotter in the grass under trees than in the grassy areas between trees. Plots with more trees burned hotter than plots with fewer trees, perhaps because of greater fine woody debris. Plots grazed by wildlife and by cattle prior to burning had lower herbaceous fuel loads and experienced lower burn temperatures than ungrazed plots. Many trees lost their ant colonies during the burns. Ant survivorship differed by ant species and at the plot level was positively associated with previous herbivory (and lower fire temperatures). Across all treatments, ant colonies on taller trees were more likely to survive, but even some of the tallest trees lost their ant colonies. Our study marks a significant step in understanding the mechanisms that underlie the interactions between fire and herbivory in savanna ecosystems.

Highly Sensitive Sensors Based on Metal-Oxide Nanocolumns for Fire Detection.

PubMed

Lee, Kwangjae; Shim, Young-Seok; Song, Young Geun; Han, Soo Deok; Lee, Youn-Sung; Kang, Chong-Yun

2017-02-07

A fire detector is the most important component in a fire alarm system. Herein, we present the feasibility of a highly sensitive and rapid response gas sensor based on metal oxides as a high performance fire detector. The glancing angle deposition (GLAD) technique is used to make the highly porous structure such as nanocolumns (NCs) of various metal oxides for enhancing the gas-sensing performance. To measure the fire detection, the interface circuitry for our sensors (NiO, SnO₂, WO₃ and In₂O₃ NCs) is designed. When all the sensors with various metal-oxide NCs are exposed to fire environment, they entirely react with the target gases emitted from Poly(vinyl chlorides) (PVC) decomposed at high temperature. Before the emission of smoke from the PVC (a hot-plate temperature of 200 °C), the resistances of the metal-oxide NCs are abruptly changed and SnO₂ NCs show the highest response of 2.1. However, a commercial smoke detector did not inform any warning. Interestingly, although the NiO NCs are a p -type semiconductor, they show the highest response of 577.1 after the emission of smoke from the PVC (a hot-plate temperature of 350 °C). The response time of SnO₂ NCs is much faster than that of a commercial smoke detector at the hot-plate temperature of 350 °C. In addition, we investigated the selectivity of our sensors by analyzing the responses of all sensors. Our results show the high potential of a gas sensor based on metal-oxide NCs for early fire detection.

Mechanical Behavior of Recycled Aggregate Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Columns before and after Fire.

PubMed

Liu, Wenchao; Cao, Wanlin; Zhang, Jianwei; Wang, Ruwei; Ren, Lele

2017-03-09

Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is an environmentally friendly building material. This paper investigates the mechanical behavior of recycled aggregate concrete filled steel tube (RACFST) columns exposed to fire. Two groups of 12 columns were designed and tested, under axial compression, before and after fire, to evaluate the degradation of bearing capacity due to fire exposure. Six specimens were subjected to axial compression tests at room temperature and the other six specimens were subjected to axial compression tests after a fire exposure. The main parameters of the specimens include the wall thickness of the steel tube (steel content) and the type of concrete materials. Several parameters as obtained from the experimental results were compared and analyzed, including the load-bearing capacity, deformation capacity, and failure characteristics of the specimens. Meanwhile, rate of loss of bearing capacity of specimens exposed to fire were calculated based on the standards EC4 and CECS28:90. The results show that concrete material has a large influence on the rate of loss of bearing capacity in the case of a relatively lower steel ratio. While steel content has little effect on the rate of loss of bearing capacity of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns after fire, it has a relatively large influence on the loss rate of bearing capacity of the RACFST columns. The loss of bearing capacity of the specimens from the experiment is more serious than that from the calculation. As the calculated values are less conservative, particular attention should be given to the application of recycled aggregate concrete in actual structures.

Mechanical Behavior of Recycled Aggregate Concrete-Filled Steel Tubular Columns before and after Fire

PubMed Central

Liu, Wenchao; Cao, Wanlin; Zhang, Jianwei; Wang, Ruwei; Ren, Lele

2017-01-01

Recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) is an environmentally friendly building material. This paper investigates the mechanical behavior of recycled aggregate concrete filled steel tube (RACFST) columns exposed to fire. Two groups of 12 columns were designed and tested, under axial compression, before and after fire, to evaluate the degradation of bearing capacity due to fire exposure. Six specimens were subjected to axial compression tests at room temperature and the other six specimens were subjected to axial compression tests after a fire exposure. The main parameters of the specimens include the wall thickness of the steel tube (steel content) and the type of concrete materials. Several parameters as obtained from the experimental results were compared and analyzed, including the load-bearing capacity, deformation capacity, and failure characteristics of the specimens. Meanwhile, rate of loss of bearing capacity of specimens exposed to fire were calculated based on the standards EC4 and CECS28:90. The results show that concrete material has a large influence on the rate of loss of bearing capacity in the case of a relatively lower steel ratio. While steel content has little effect on the rate of loss of bearing capacity of concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) columns after fire, it has a relatively large influence on the loss rate of bearing capacity of the RACFST columns. The loss of bearing capacity of the specimens from the experiment is more serious than that from the calculation. As the calculated values are less conservative, particular attention should be given to the application of recycled aggregate concrete in actual structures. PMID:28772634

Technology of civil usage of composites. [in commercial aircraft structures

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kemp, D. E.

1977-01-01

The paper deals with the use of advanced composites in structural components of commercial aircraft. The need for testing the response of a material system to service environment is discussed along with methods for evaluating design and manufacturing aspects of a built-up structure under environmental conditions and fail-safe (damage-tolerance) evaluation of structures. Crashworthiness aspects, the fire-hazard potential, and electrical damage of composite structures are considered. Practical operational experience with commercial aircraft is reviewed for boron/epoxy foreflaps, Kevlar/epoxy fillets and fairings, graphite/epoxy spoilers, graphite/polysulfone spoilers, graphite/epoxy floor posts, boron/aluminum aft pylon skin panels, graphite/epoxy engine nose cowl outer barrels, and graphite/epoxy upper aft rudder segments.

Spinoff from a Mooncraft Technology

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1988-01-01

Avco Specialty Materials' Chartek III fireproofing provides longterm fire protection for structural steel in high risk industrial applications such as structural conduits, pipes and valves of offshore platforms, and storage tanks used in hydrocarbon processing industry. In the presence of fire, Chartek III fire-proofing provides two kinds of protection. One of them is ablation, technique used on Apollo involving dissipation of heat by burnoff. The other is called intumescence or swelling. Heat causes the Chartek coating to swell to a thickness six times greater than when it was applied forming a protective blanket of char that retards transfer of heat to the steel structure. Mesh reinforcement keeps the char intact and reduces metal fatigue. Chartek provides fire protection for as much as two or three hours depending on the type of fire and the thickness of the coating applied.

The national Fire and Fire Surrogate study: effects of fuel reduction methods on forest vegetation structure and fuels

Treesearch

Dylan W. Schwilk; Jon E. Keeley; Eric E. Knapp; James Mciver; John D. Bailey; Christopher J. Fettig; Carl E. Fiedler; Richy J. Harrod; Jason J. Moghaddas; Kenneth W. Outcalt; Carl N. Skinner; Scott L. Stephens; Thomas A. Waldrop; Daniel A. Yaussy; Andrew Youngblood

2009-01-01

Changes in vegetation and fuels were evaluated from measurements taken before and after fuel reduction treatments (prescribed fire, mechanical treatments, and the combination of the two) at 12 Fire and Fire Surrogate (FFS) sites located in forests with a surface fire regime across the conterminous United States. To test the relative effectiveness of fuel reduction...

Brazil Fire Characterization and Burn Area Estimation Using the Airborne Infrared Disaster Assessment (AIRDAS) System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brass, J. A.; Riggan, P. J.; Ambrosia, V. G.; Lockwood, R. N.; Pereira, J. A.; Higgins, R. G.; Peterson, David L. (Technical Monitor)

1995-01-01

Remotely sensed estimations of regional and global emissions from biomass combustion have been used to characterize fire behavior, determine fire intensity, and estimate burn area. Highly temporal, low resolution satellite data have been used to calculate estimates of fire numbers and area burned. These estimates of fire activity and burned area have differed dramatically, resulting in a wide range of predictions on the ecological and environmental impacts of fires. As part of the Brazil/United States Fire Initiative, an aircraft campaign was initiated in 1992 and continued in 1994. This multi-aircraft campaign was designed to assist in the characterization of fire activity, document fire intensity and determine area burned over prescribed, agricultural and wildland fires in the savanna and forests of central Brazil. Using a unique, multispectral scanner (AIRDAS), designed specifically for fire characterization, a variety of fires and burned areas were flown with a high spatial and high thermal resolution scanner. The system was used to measure flame front size, rate of spread, ratio of smoldering to flaming fronts and fire intensity. In addition, long transects were flown to determine the size of burned areas within the cerrado and transitional ecosystems. The authors anticipate that the fire activity and burned area estimates reported here will lead to enhanced information for precise regional trace gas prediction.

Northern California Fires

NASA Image and Video Library

2017-10-31

The October fires in Northern California were some of the most destructive in the state's history. The burned area on the right side of the image is the ATLAS fire, that burned east of Napa; the fire consumed 51,000 acres and destroyed almost 500 structures. The burned area on the left is part of the Nuns fire that burned between Sonoma and Napa; it consumed 110,000 acres, and destroyed almost 7,000 structures. The images were acquired September 7, 2016 and October 28, 2017, cover an area of 34.5 by 39 kilometers, and are located near 38.3 degrees north, 122.3 degrees east. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA22019

Dilute Oxygen Combustion Phase IV Final Report

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Riley, M.F.

2003-04-30

Novel furnace designs based on Dilute Oxygen Combustion (DOC) technology were developed under subcontract by Techint Technologies, Coraopolis, PA, to fully exploit the energy and environmental capabilities of DOC technology and to provide a competitive offering for new furnace construction opportunities. Capital cost, fuel, oxygen and utility costs, NOx emissions, oxide scaling performance, and maintenance requirements were compared for five DOC-based designs and three conventional air5-fired designs using a 10-year net present value calculation. A furnace direct completely with DOC burners offers low capital cost, low fuel rate, and minimal NOx emissions. However, these benefits do not offset the costmore » of oxygen and a full DOC-fired furnace is projected to cost $1.30 per ton more to operate than a conventional air-fired furnace. The incremental cost of the improved NOx performance is roughly $6/lb NOx, compared with an estimated $3/lb. NOx for equ8pping a conventional furnace with selective catalytic reduction (SCCR) technology. A furnace fired with DOC burners in the heating zone and ambient temperature (cold) air-fired burners in the soak zone offers low capital cost with less oxygen consumption. However, the improvement in fuel rate is not as great as the full DOC-fired design, and the DOC-cold soak design is also projected to cost $1.30 per ton more to operate than a conventional air-fired furnace. The NOx improvement with the DOC-cold soak design is also not as great as the full DOC fired design, and the incremental cost of the improved NOx performance is nearly $9/lb NOx. These results indicate that a DOC-based furnace design will not be generally competitive with conventional technology for new furnace construction under current market conditions. Fuel prices of $7/MMBtu or oxygen prices of $23/ton are needed to make the DOC furnace economics favorable. Niche applications may exist, particularly where access to capital is limited or floor space limitations are critical. DOC technology will continue to have a highly competitive role in retrofit applications requiring increases in furnace productivity.« less

Restoration of fire in National Parks

Treesearch

David J. Parsons; Stephen J. Botti

1996-01-01

Over the past century, policies related to the management of fire in U.S. National Parks have evolved fiom efforts to eliminate all fire to recognition of the importance of restoring and maintaining fire as a natural ecological process. Prior to their formal designation by Congress, most National Parks had experienced thousands of years of periodic fire. Long-term...

Fire Safe Together. Kindergarten. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the kindergarten component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of kindergarten students, its objectives include developing basic awareness of fire and burn dangers, developing simple actions to reduce injury, and encouraging parent involvement. Texas essential…

Chapter 1: Fire and fuels reduction

Treesearch

B.M. Collins; S.L. Stephens

2012-01-01

Fire will continue to be a major management challenge in mixed-conifer forests in the Sierra Nevada. Fire is a fundamental ecosystem process in these forests that was largely eliminated in the 20th century. Fire reintroduction is a critical goal but is subject to constraints such as smoke production, risk of fire moving outside designated boundaries, the expanding...

Economic efficiency and risk character of fire management programs, Northern Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

Thomas J. Mills; Frederick W. Bratten

1988-01-01

Economic efficiency and risk have long been considered during the selection of fire management programs and the design of fire management polices. The risk considerations was largely subjective, however, and efficiency has only recently been calculated for selected portions of the fire management program. The highly stochastic behavior of the fire system and the high...

25 CFR 247.16 - What fire is permitted?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What fire is permitted? 247.16 Section 247.16 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE USE OF COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY FISHING ACCESS SITES § 247.16 What fire is permitted? (a) You may have a fire in designated fire places...

25 CFR 247.16 - What fire is permitted?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What fire is permitted? 247.16 Section 247.16 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR FISH AND WILDLIFE USE OF COLUMBIA RIVER TREATY FISHING ACCESS SITES § 247.16 What fire is permitted? (a) You may have a fire in designated fire places...

"Lighting the Fire" of Design Conversation.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rowland, Gordon

1996-01-01

A design group needs to sift through confusion, come together, and converse as a team before it can be productive in design tasks. At the 1994 Fuschl Conversation on Systems Design, the metaphor of lighting a fire was used to symbolize this coming together; three tables examine the relationships between the metaphor and starting a design…

Deconstructing the King Megafire.

PubMed

Coen, Janice L; Stavros, E Natasha; Fites-Kaufman, Josephine A

2018-05-24

Hypotheses that megafires - very large, high impact fires - are caused by either climate effects such as drought or fuel accumulation due to fire exclusion with accompanying changes to forest structure have long been alleged and guided policy but their physical basis remains untested. Here, unique airborne observations and microscale simulations using a coupled weather - wildland fire behavior model allowed a recent megafire, the King Fire, to be deconstructed and the relative impacts of forest structure, fuel load, weather, and drought on fire size, behavior, and duration to be separated. Simulations reproduced observed details including the arrival at an inclined canyon, a 25-km run, and later slower growth and features. Analysis revealed that fire-induced winds that equaled or exceeded ambient winds and fine-scale airflow undetected by surface weather networks were primarily responsible for the fire's rapid growth and size. Sensitivity tests varied fuel moisture and amount across wide ranges and showed that both drought and fuel accumulation effects were secondary, limited to sloped terrain where they compounded each other, and, in this case, unable to significantly impact the final extent. Compared to standard data, fuel models derived solely from remote sensing of vegetation type and forest structure improved simulated fire progression, notably in disturbed areas, and the distribution of burn severity. These results point to self-reinforcing internal dynamics rather than external forces as a means of generating this and possibly other outlier fire events. Hence, extreme fires need not arise from extreme fire environment conditions. Kinematic models used in operations do not capture fire-induced winds and dynamic feedbacks so can underestimate megafire events. The outcomes provided a nuanced view of weather, forest structure, fuel accumulation, and drought impacts on landscape-scale fire behavior - roles that can be misconstrued using correlational analyses between area burned and macroscale climate data or other exogenous factors. A practical outcome is that fuel treatments should be focused on sloped terrain, where factors multiply, for highest impact. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Guidelines of the Design of Electropyrotechnic Firing Circuit for Unmanned Flight and Ground Test Projects

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gonzalez, Guillermo A.; Lucy, Melvin H.; Massie, Jeffrey J.

2013-01-01

The NASA Langley Research Center, Engineering Directorate, Electronic System Branch, is responsible for providing pyrotechnic support capabilities to Langley Research Center unmanned flight and ground test projects. These capabilities include device selection, procurement, testing, problem solving, firing system design, fabrication and testing; ground support equipment design, fabrication and testing; checkout procedures and procedure?s training to pyro technicians. This technical memorandum will serve as a guideline for the design, fabrication and testing of electropyrotechnic firing systems. The guidelines will discuss the entire process beginning with requirements definition and ending with development and execution.

Health Impacts of Climate Change-Induced Subzero Temperature Fires.

PubMed

Metallinou, Maria-Monika; Log, Torgrim

2017-07-20

General fire risk and the special risk related to cold climate cellulosic drying processes are outlined. Four recent subzero temperatures fires are studied with respect to health impacts: a wooden village fire, a single wood structure fire, a wildland urban interface (WUI) fire and a huge wildland fire. The health impacts range from stress related to loss of jobs, psychological effects of lost possessions, exposure to smoke and heat as well as immediate, or delayed, loss of lives. These four fires resulted in 32 fatalities, 385 persons hospitalized for shorter or longer periods, 104 structures lost and 1015 km² of wildland burned north of, and just south of, the Arctic Circle. It is shown that the combination of subzero temperature dry weather, strong winds, changing agricultural activities and declining snowpack may lead to previously anticipated threats to people and the environment. There are reasons to believe that these fires are a result of the ongoing climate changes. Risk impacts are discussed. Rural districts and/or vulnerable populations seem to be most affected. Training methods to identify and better monitor critical fire risk parameters are suggested to mitigate the health impacts of a possibly increasing number of such fires.

Health Impacts of Climate Change-Induced Subzero Temperature Fires

PubMed Central

Metallinou, Maria-Monika; Log, Torgrim

2017-01-01

General fire risk and the special risk related to cold climate cellulosic drying processes are outlined. Four recent subzero temperatures fires are studied with respect to health impacts: a wooden village fire, a single wood structure fire, a wildland urban interface (WUI) fire and a huge wildland fire. The health impacts range from stress related to loss of jobs, psychological effects of lost possessions, exposure to smoke and heat as well as immediate, or delayed, loss of lives. These four fires resulted in 32 fatalities, 385 persons hospitalized for shorter or longer periods, 104 structures lost and 1015 km2 of wildland burned north of, and just south of, the Arctic Circle. It is shown that the combination of subzero temperature dry weather, strong winds, changing agricultural activities and declining snowpack may lead to previously anticipated threats to people and the environment. There are reasons to believe that these fires are a result of the ongoing climate changes. Risk impacts are discussed. Rural districts and/or vulnerable populations seem to be most affected. Training methods to identify and better monitor critical fire risk parameters are suggested to mitigate the health impacts of a possibly increasing number of such fires. PMID:28726752

Wildfire and drought dynamics destabilize carbon stores of fire-suppressed forests.

PubMed

Earles, J Mason; North, Malcolm P; Hurteau, Matthew D

2014-06-01

Widespread fire suppression and thinning have altered the structure and composition of many forests in the western United States, making them more susceptible to the synergy of large-scale drought and fire events. We examine how these changes affect carbon storage and stability compared to historic fire-adapted conditions. We modeled carbon dynamics under possible drought and fire conditions over a 300-year simulation period in two mixed-conifer conditions common in the western United States: (1) pine-dominated with an active fire regime and (2) fir-dominated, fire suppressed forests. Fir-dominated stands, with higher live- and dead-wood density, had much lower carbon stability as drought and fire frequency increased compared to pine-dominated forest. Carbon instability resulted from species (i.e., fir's greater susceptibility to drought and fire) and stand (i.e., high density of smaller trees) conditions that develop in the absence of active management. Our modeling suggests restoring historic species composition and active fire regimes can significantly increase carbon stability in fire-suppressed, mixed-conifer forests. Long-term management of forest carbon should consider the relative resilience of stand structure and composition to possible increases in disturbance frequency and intensity under changing climate.

European developments in the application of structural austenitic and duplex stainless steels

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cochrane, D.J.

1995-12-31

Stainless steel is increasingly being specified for structural applications. Principally, this is due to the aesthetic appeal of the material, no need for surface protection, durability, and the growing awareness, and use, of Life Cycle Cost analysis for assessing costs over the longer term, However, use of stainless steel in the U.K. offshore oil and gas platforms for fire and blast walls, has highlighted valuable properties of stainless steel that may be unfamiliar to structural designers. It is the purpose of this paper to demonstrate these properties. Additionally, new design guidance has become available in Europe as a result ofmore » a 4 year research program into the structural use of stainless steel. The ``Design Manual for Structural Stainless Steel`` was issued by Euro Inox and the Nickel Development Institute in 1994. This new manual will be outlined in this paper together with its influence on new European Building Standards and new European material standards for structural stainless steel. Currently in preparation, these include high strength grades with significantly higher strength than structural carbon steels. Finally, this paper will address the use of stainless steel for the reinforcement of concrete structures.« less

Digitally controlled twelve-pulse firing generator

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Berde, D.; Ferrara, A.A.

1981-01-01

Control System Studies for the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) indicate that accurate thyristor firing in the AC-to-DC conversion system is required in order to achieve good regulation of the various field currents. Rapid update and exact firing angle control are required to avoid instabilities, large eddy currents, or parasitic oscillations. The Prototype Firing Generator was designed to satisfy these requirements. To achieve the required /plus or minus/0.77/degree/firing accuracy, a three-phase-locked loop reference was designed; otherwise, the Firing Generator employs digital circuitry. The unit, housed in a standard CAMAC crate, operates under microcomputer control. Functions are performed under program control,more » which resides in nonvolatile read-only memory. Communication with CICADA control system is provided via an 11-bit parallel interface.« less

14 CFR 121.273 - Fire-detector systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire-detector systems. 121.273 Section 121.273 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED...-detector systems. Enough quick-acting fire detectors must be provided in each designated fire zone to...

14 CFR 121.273 - Fire-detector systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Fire-detector systems. 121.273 Section 121.273 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED...-detector systems. Enough quick-acting fire detectors must be provided in each designated fire zone to...

14 CFR 121.273 - Fire-detector systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Fire-detector systems. 121.273 Section 121.273 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED...-detector systems. Enough quick-acting fire detectors must be provided in each designated fire zone to...

14 CFR 121.273 - Fire-detector systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Fire-detector systems. 121.273 Section 121.273 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED...-detector systems. Enough quick-acting fire detectors must be provided in each designated fire zone to...

14 CFR 121.273 - Fire-detector systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire-detector systems. 121.273 Section 121.273 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED...-detector systems. Enough quick-acting fire detectors must be provided in each designated fire zone to...

14 CFR 125.161 - Fire-extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 125.161 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... protection against destruction of the airplane in case of fire is provided by the use of fireproof materials... be provided to serve all designated fire zones. (b) Materials in the fire-extinguishing system must...

14 CFR 125.161 - Fire-extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 125.161 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... protection against destruction of the airplane in case of fire is provided by the use of fireproof materials... be provided to serve all designated fire zones. (b) Materials in the fire-extinguishing system must...

Quantitative Risk Modeling of Fire on the International Space Station

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Castillo, Theresa; Haught, Megan

2014-01-01

The International Space Station (ISS) Program has worked to prevent fire events and to mitigate their impacts should they occur. Hardware is designed to reduce sources of ignition, oxygen systems are designed to control leaking, flammable materials are prevented from flying to ISS whenever possible, the crew is trained in fire response, and fire response equipment improvements are sought out and funded. Fire prevention and mitigation are a top ISS Program priority - however, programmatic resources are limited; thus, risk trades are made to ensure an adequate level of safety is maintained onboard the ISS. In support of these risk trades, the ISS Probabilistic Risk Assessment (PRA) team has modeled the likelihood of fire occurring in the ISS pressurized cabin, a phenomenological event that has never before been probabilistically modeled in a microgravity environment. This paper will discuss the genesis of the ISS PRA fire model, its enhancement in collaboration with fire experts, and the results which have informed ISS programmatic decisions and will continue to be used throughout the life of the program.

Interactive effects of historical logging and fire exclusion on ponderosa pine forest structure in the northern Rockies.

PubMed

Naficy, Cameron; Sala, Anna; Keeling, Eric G; Graham, Jon; DeLuca, Thomas H

2010-10-01

Increased forest density resulting from decades of fire exclusion is often perceived as the leading cause of historically aberrant, severe, contemporary wildfires and insect outbreaks documented in some fire-prone forests of the western United States. Based on this notion, current U.S. forest policy directs managers to reduce stand density and restore historical conditions in fire-excluded forests to help minimize high-severity disturbances. Historical logging, however, has also caused widespread change in forest vegetation conditions, but its long-term effects on vegetation structure and composition have never been adequately quantified. We document that fire-excluded ponderosa pine forests of the northern Rocky Mountains logged prior to 1960 have much higher average stand density, greater homogeneity of stand structure, more standing dead trees and increased abundance of fire-intolerant trees than paired fire-excluded, unlogged counterparts. Notably, the magnitude of the interactive effect of fire exclusion and historical logging substantially exceeds the effects of fire exclusion alone. These differences suggest that historically logged sites are more prone to severe wildfires and insect outbreaks than unlogged, fire-excluded forests and should be considered a high priority for fuels reduction treatments. Furthermore, we propose that ponderosa pine forests with these distinct management histories likely require distinct restoration approaches. We also highlight potential long-term risks of mechanical stand manipulation in unlogged forests and emphasize the need for a long-term view of fuels management.

Contrasting spatial patterns in active-fire and fire-suppressed Mediterranean climate old-growth mixed conifer forests.

PubMed

Fry, Danny L; Stephens, Scott L; Collins, Brandon M; North, Malcolm P; Franco-Vizcaíno, Ernesto; Gill, Samantha J

2014-01-01

In Mediterranean environments in western North America, historic fire regimes in frequent-fire conifer forests are highly variable both temporally and spatially. This complexity influenced forest structure and spatial patterns, but some of this diversity has been lost due to anthropogenic disruption of ecosystem processes, including fire. Information from reference forest sites can help management efforts to restore forests conditions that may be more resilient to future changes in disturbance regimes and climate. In this study, we characterize tree spatial patterns using four-ha stem maps from four old-growth, Jeffrey pine-mixed conifer forests, two with active-fire regimes in northwestern Mexico and two that experienced fire exclusion in the southern Sierra Nevada. Most of the trees were in patches, averaging six to 11 trees per patch at 0.007 to 0.014 ha(-1), and occupied 27-46% of the study areas. Average canopy gap sizes (0.04 ha) covering 11-20% of the area were not significantly different among sites. The putative main effects of fire exclusion were higher densities of single trees in smaller size classes, larger proportion of trees (≥ 56%) in large patches (≥ 10 trees), and decreases in spatial complexity. While a homogenization of forest structure has been a typical result from fire exclusion, some similarities in patch, single tree, and gap attributes were maintained at these sites. These within-stand descriptions provide spatially relevant benchmarks from which to manage for structural heterogeneity in frequent-fire forest types.

Patterns of Canopy and Surface Layer Consumption in a Boreal Forest Fire from Repeat Airborne Lidar

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Alonzo, Michael; Morton, Douglas C.; Cook, Bruce D.; Andersen, Hans-Erik; Babcock, Chad; Pattison, Robert

2017-01-01

Fire in the boreal region is the dominant agent of forest disturbance with direct impacts on ecosystem structure, carbon cycling, and global climate. Global and biome-scale impacts are mediated by burn severity, measured as loss of forest canopy and consumption of the soil organic layer. To date, knowledge of the spatial variability in burn severity has been limited by sparse field sampling and moderate resolution satellite data. Here, we used pre- and post-fire airborne lidar data to directly estimate changes in canopy vertical structure and surface elevation for a 2005 boreal forest fire on Alaskas Kenai Peninsula. We found that both canopy and surface losses were strongly linked to pre-fire species composition and exhibited important fine-scale spatial variability at sub-30m resolution. The fractional reduction in canopy volume ranged from 0.61 in lowland black spruce stands to 0.27 in mixed white spruce and broad leaf forest. Residual structure largely reflects standing dead trees, highlighting the influence of pre-fire forest structure on delayed carbon losses from above ground biomass, post-fire albedo, and variability in understory light environments. Median loss of surface elevation was highest in lowland black spruce stands (0.18 m) but much lower in mixed stands (0.02 m), consistent with differences in pre-fire organic layer accumulation. Spatially continuous depth-of-burn estimates from repeat lidar measurements provide novel information to constrain carbon emissions from the surface organic layer and may inform related research on post-fire successional trajectories. Spectral measures of burn severity from Landsat were correlated with canopy (r = 0.76) and surface (r = -0.71) removal in black spruce stands but captured less of the spatial variability in fire effects for mixed stands (canopy r = 0.56, surface r = -0.26), underscoring the difficulty in capturing fire effects in heterogeneous boreal forest landscapes using proxy measures of burn severity from Landsat.

Patterns of canopy and surface layer consumption in a boreal forest fire from repeat airborne lidar

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alonzo, Michael; Morton, Douglas C.; Cook, Bruce D.; Andersen, Hans-Erik; Babcock, Chad; Pattison, Robert

2017-05-01

Fire in the boreal region is the dominant agent of forest disturbance with direct impacts on ecosystem structure, carbon cycling, and global climate. Global and biome-scale impacts are mediated by burn severity, measured as loss of forest canopy and consumption of the soil organic layer. To date, knowledge of the spatial variability in burn severity has been limited by sparse field sampling and moderate resolution satellite data. Here, we used pre- and post-fire airborne lidar data to directly estimate changes in canopy vertical structure and surface elevation for a 2005 boreal forest fire on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. We found that both canopy and surface losses were strongly linked to pre-fire species composition and exhibited important fine-scale spatial variability at sub-30 m resolution. The fractional reduction in canopy volume ranged from 0.61 in lowland black spruce stands to 0.27 in mixed white spruce and broadleaf forest. Residual structure largely reflects standing dead trees, highlighting the influence of pre-fire forest structure on delayed carbon losses from aboveground biomass, post-fire albedo, and variability in understory light environments. Median loss of surface elevation was highest in lowland black spruce stands (0.18 m) but much lower in mixed stands (0.02 m), consistent with differences in pre-fire organic layer accumulation. Spatially continuous depth-of-burn estimates from repeat lidar measurements provide novel information to constrain carbon emissions from the surface organic layer and may inform related research on post-fire successional trajectories. Spectral measures of burn severity from Landsat were correlated with canopy (r = 0.76) and surface (r = -0.71) removal in black spruce stands but captured less of the spatial variability in fire effects for mixed stands (canopy r = 0.56, surface r = -0.26), underscoring the difficulty in capturing fire effects in heterogeneous boreal forest landscapes using proxy measures of burn severity from Landsat.

Alternative pathways to landscape transformation: Invasive grasses, burn severity and fire frequency in arid ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Klinger, Robert C.; Brooks, Matthew L.

2017-01-01

Arid ecosystems are often vulnerable to transformation to invasive-dominated states following fire, but data on persistence of these states are sparse. The grass/fire cycle is a feedback process between invasive annual grasses and fire frequency that often leads to the formation of alternative vegetation states dominated by the invasive grasses. However, other components of fire regimes, such as burn severity, also have the potential to produce long-term vegetation transformations. Our goal was to evaluate the influence of both fire frequency and burn severity on the transformation of woody-dominated communities to communities dominated by invasive grasses in major elevation zones of the Mojave Desert of western North America.We used a chronosequence design to collect data on herbaceous and woody cover at 229 unburned reference plots and 578 plots that burned between 1972 and 2010. We stratified the plots by elevation zone (low, mid, high), fire frequency (1–3 times) and years post-fire (YPF; 1–5, 6–10, 11–20 and 21–40 YPF). Burn severity for each plot was estimated by the difference normalized burn ratio.We identified two broad post-fire successional pathways. One was an outcome of fire frequency, resulting in a strong potential transformation via the grass/fire cycle. The second pathway was driven by burn severity, the critical aspect being that long-term transformation of a community could occur from just one fire in areas that burned at high or sometimes moderate severity. Dominance by invasive grasses was most likely to occur in low-and high-elevation communities; cover of native herbaceous species was often greater than that of invasive grasses in the mid-elevation zone.Synthesis. Invasive grasses can dominate a site that burned only one time in many decades at high severity, or a site that burned at low severity but multiple times in the same time period. However, high burn severity may predispose areas to more frequent fire because they have relatively high cover of invasive annual grass, suggesting burn severity and fire frequency have both independent and synergistic effects. Resilience in vegetation structure following fire in many arid communities may be limited to a narrow window of low burn severity in areas that have not burned in many decades.

Fire treatment effects on vegetation structure, fuels, and potential fire severity in western U.S. forests

Treesearch

Scott L. Stephens; Jason J. Moghaddas; Carl Edminster; Carl E. Fiedler; Sally Haase; Michael Harrington; Jon E. Keeley; Eric E. Knapp; James D. McIver; Kerry Metlen; Carl N. Skinner; Andrew Youngblood

2009-01-01

Forest structure and species composition in many western U.S. coniferous forests have been altered through fire exclusion, past and ongoing harvesting practices, and livestock grazing over the 20th century. The effects of these activities have been most pronounced in seasonally dry, low and mid-elevation coniferous forests that once experienced frequent, low to...

Wildlife adaptations and management in eastside interior forests with mixed severity fire regimes.

Treesearch

John F. Lehmkuhl

2004-01-01

Little is known about the effects of mixed severity fire on wildlife, but a population viability analysis framework that considers habitat quantity and quality, species life history, and species population structure can be used to analyze management options. Landscape-scale habitat patterns under a mixed severity fire regime are a mosaic of compositional and structural...

Science basis for changing forest structure to modify wildfire behavior and severity

Treesearch

Russell T. Graham; Sarah McCaffrey; Theresa B. Jain

2004-01-01

Fire, other disturbances, physical setting, weather, and climate shape the structure and function of forests throughout the Western United States. More than 80 years of fire research have shown that physical setting, fuels, and weather combine to determine wildfire intensity (the rate at which it consumes fuel) and severity (the effect fire has on vegetation, soils,...

Analysis of the effects of firing Orbiter primary reaction control system jets with an attached truss structure

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kaszubowski, M.; Raney, J. P.

1986-01-01

A study was conducted to determine the dynamic effects of firing the orbiter primary reaction control jets during assembly of protoflight space station structure. Maximum longeron compressive load was calculated as a function of jet pulse time length, number of jet pulses, and total torque imposed by the reaction control jets. The study shows that it is possible to fire selected jets to achieve a pitch maneuver without causing failure of the attached structure.

Assessing the regeneration potential of productive mixed-hardwood stands following single and repeated prescribed fire

Treesearch

Tara L. Keyser; Katie Greenberg; Dean Simon; Gordon S. Warburton

2016-01-01

Management efforts on public lands across the southern Appalachian Mountains are increasingly focused on the creation, maintenance, and/or restoration of resilient structures and species compositions, with prescribed burning being the primary tool by which many of these restoration efforts are conducted. In this study, we use regeneration data from a study designed to...

Future Role of Fire Service in Homeland Security

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

to fight terrorism (Office of the President, 2007). In his letter to Americans in which he introduced the NSHS, President Bush explained that...structures struggling to fight non-state terrorists operating without clearly defined leadership. Furthermore, according to James R. Locker III...learned from World War II and designed to fight the Cold War. Current exposure to terrorism and terrorist cells is vastly different 16 from

Fire in Eastern Hardwood Forests through 14,000 Years

Treesearch

Martin A. Spetich; Roger W. Perry; Craig A. Harper; Stacy L. Clark

2011-01-01

Fire helped shape the structure and species composition of hardwood forests of the eastern United States over the past 14,000 years. Periodic fires were common in much of this area prior to European settlement, and fire-resilient species proliferated. Early European settlers commonly adopted Native American techniques of applying fire to the landscape. As the demand...

Fire on the mountain: birds and burns in the Rocky Mountains

Treesearch

Natasha B. Kotliar; Victoria A. Saab; Richard L. Hutto

2005-01-01

The diversity of climate and topography across the Rocky Mountains has resulted in a broad spectrum of fire regimes ranging from frequent, low-severity fires to infrequent stand-replacement events. Such variation in fire history contributes to landscape structure and dynamics, and in turn can influence subsequent fire behavior (Allen et al. 2002). In essence,...

Madrean pine-oak forest in Arizona: altered fire regimes, altered communities

Treesearch

Andrew M. Barton

2005-01-01

In Madrean pine-oak forests in the Chiricahua Mountains, surface fire favors pines, which exhibit high top-survival, but resprouting allows oaks to rebound during inter-fire periods. These patterns plus age structure and radial growth data suggest that frequent presettlement surface fire maintained open stands, promoted a high pine:oak ratio, and excluded less fire...

Wildland fire in ecosystems: effects of fire on fauna

Treesearch

Jane Kapler Smith

2000-01-01

VOLUME 1: Fires affect animals mainly through effects on their habitat. Fires often cause short-term increases in wildlife foods that contribute to increases in populations of some animals. These increases are moderated by the animals' ability to thrive in the altered, often simplified, structure of the postfire environment. The extent of fire effects on animal...

Contrasting spatial patterns in active-fire and fire-suppressed Mediterranean climate old-growth mixed conifer forests

Treesearch

Danny L. Fry; Scott L. Stephens; Brandon M. Collins; Malcolm North; Ernesto Franco-Vizcaino; Samantha J. Gill

2014-01-01

In Mediterranean environments in western North America, historic fire regimes in frequent-fire conifer forests are highly variable both temporally and spatially. This complexity influenced forest structure and spatial patterns, but some of this diversity has been lost due to anthropogenic disruption of ecosystem processes, including fire. Information from reference...

Reintroducing fire in regenerated dry forests following stand-replacing wildfire.

Treesearch

David W. Peterson; Paul F. Hessburg; Brion Salter; Kevin M. James; Matthew C. Dahlgreen; John A. Barnes

2007-01-01

Prescribed fire use may be effective for increasing fire resilience in young coniferous forests by reducing surface fuels, modifying overstory stand structure, and promoting development of large trees of fire resistant species. Questions remain, however, about when and how to reintroduce fire in regenerated forests, and to what end. We studied the effects of spring...

Two centuries of fire in a southwestern Virginia Pinus pungens community

Treesearch

E. K. Sutherland; H. Grissino-Mayer; C. A. Woodhouse; W. W. Covington; S. Horn; L. Huckaby; R. Kerr; J. Kush; M. Moore; T. Plumb

1995-01-01

Fire exclusion in fire-dependent forest communities can alter stand structure and composition. The objective was to construct a fire history of two Pinus pungens Lamb. communities growing in southwestern Virgina. Treering analysis of fire-scarred P. pungens specimens and a tree survey were used to determine species composition and age distributions. From 1798-1944,...

The EMS system and disaster planning: some observations.

PubMed

Holloway, R D; Steliga, J F; Ryan, C T

1978-02-01

Disaster planning, one of the 15 essential components of the Emergency Medical Service System Act of 1973, should be the culmination of the establishment of other components. Regions have gone to varying lengths to describe disaster plans but how realistic the plans are is questionable. New York has planned for multiple casualty incidents (MCI) to care for victims of fires, explosions, structural collapses and major transportation incidents. The irrational emotional response in mass disasters conflicts with the rational disaster plans written by health planners. Drills of disaster plans are not realistic. One solution is to designate the next serious incident, such as a fire or traffic accident, a major MCI. The ability to handle an MCI is probably the best measure of an EMS system's effectiveness.

500 MW demonstration of advanced wall-fired combustion techniques for the reduction of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from coal-fired boilers. Public design report (preliminary and final)

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

NONE

1996-07-01

This Public Design Report presents the design criteria of a DOE Innovative Clean Coal Technology (ICCT) project demonstrating advanced wall-fired combustion techniques for the reduction of NO{sub x} emissions from coal-fired boilers. The project is being conducted at Georgia Power Company`s Plant Hammond Unit 4 (500 MW) near Rome, Georgia. The technologies being demonstrated at this site include Foster Wheeler Energy Corporation`s advanced overfire air system and Controlled Flow/Split Flame low NO{sub x} burner. This report provides documentation on the design criteria used in the performance of this project as it pertains to the scope involved with the low NO{submore » x} burners, advanced overfire systems, and digital control system.« less

Fire-Resistant Reinforcement Makes Steel Structures Sturdier

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

2006-01-01

Built and designed by Avco Corporation, the Apollo heat shield was coated with an ablative material whose purpose was to burn and, thus, dissipate energy. The material charred to form a protective coating which blocked heat penetration beyond the outer surface. Avco Corporation subsequently entered into a contract with Ames Research Center to develop spinoff applications of the heat shield in the arena of fire protection, specifically for the development of fire-retardant paints and foams for aircraft. This experience led to the production of Chartek 59, manufactured by Avco Specialty Materials (a subsidiary of Avco Corporation eventually acquired by Textron, Inc.) and marketed as the world s first intumescent epoxy material. As an intumescent coating, Chartek 59 expanded in volume when exposed to heat or flames and acted as an insulating barrier. It also retained its space-age ablative properties and dissipated heat through burn-off. Further applications were discovered, and the fireproofing formulation found its way into oil refineries, chemical plants, and other industrial facilities working with highly flammable products.

FireProt: Energy- and Evolution-Based Computational Design of Thermostable Multiple-Point Mutants.

PubMed

Bednar, David; Beerens, Koen; Sebestova, Eva; Bendl, Jaroslav; Khare, Sagar; Chaloupkova, Radka; Prokop, Zbynek; Brezovsky, Jan; Baker, David; Damborsky, Jiri

2015-11-01

There is great interest in increasing proteins' stability to enhance their utility as biocatalysts, therapeutics, diagnostics and nanomaterials. Directed evolution is a powerful, but experimentally strenuous approach. Computational methods offer attractive alternatives. However, due to the limited reliability of predictions and potentially antagonistic effects of substitutions, only single-point mutations are usually predicted in silico, experimentally verified and then recombined in multiple-point mutants. Thus, substantial screening is still required. Here we present FireProt, a robust computational strategy for predicting highly stable multiple-point mutants that combines energy- and evolution-based approaches with smart filtering to identify additive stabilizing mutations. FireProt's reliability and applicability was demonstrated by validating its predictions against 656 mutations from the ProTherm database. We demonstrate that thermostability of the model enzymes haloalkane dehalogenase DhaA and γ-hexachlorocyclohexane dehydrochlorinase LinA can be substantially increased (ΔTm = 24°C and 21°C) by constructing and characterizing only a handful of multiple-point mutants. FireProt can be applied to any protein for which a tertiary structure and homologous sequences are available, and will facilitate the rapid development of robust proteins for biomedical and biotechnological applications.

Properties of concrete containing different type of waste materials as aggregate replacement exposed to elevated temperature – A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghadzali, N. S.; Ibrahim, M. H. W.; Sani, M. S. H. Mohd; Jamaludin, N.; Desa, M. S. M.; Misri, Z.

2018-04-01

Concrete is the chief material of construction and it is non-combustible in nature. However, the exposure to the high temperature such as fire can lead to change in the concrete properties. Due to the higher temperature, several changes in terms of mechanical properties were observed in concrete such as compressive strength, modulus of elasticity, tensile strength and durability of concrete will decrease significantly at high temperature. The exceptional fire-proof achievement of concrete is might be due to the constituent materials of concrete such as its aggregates. The extensive use of aggregate in concrete will leads to depletion of natural resources. Hence, the use of waste and other recycled and by-product material as aggregates replacements becomes a leading research. This review has been made on the utilization of waste materials in concrete and critically evaluates its effects on the concrete performances during the fire exposure. Therefore, the objective of this paper is to review the previous search work regarding the concrete containing waste material as aggregates replacement when exposed to elevated temperature and come up with different design recommendations to improve the fire resistance of structures.

Impact of prescribed fire and other factors on cheatgrass persistence in a Sierra Nevada ponderosa pine forest

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keeley, J.E.; McGinnis, T.W.

2007-01-01

Following the reintroduction of fire Bromus tectorum has invaded the low elevation ponderosa pine forests in parts of Kings Canyon National Park, California. We used prescribed burns, other field manipulations, germination studies, and structural equation modelling, to investigate how fire and other factors affect the persistence of cheatgrass in these forests. Our studies show that altering burning season to coincide with seed maturation is not likely to control cheatgrass because sparse fuel loads generate low fire intensity. Increasing time between prescribed fires may inhibit cheatgrass by increasing surface fuels (both herbaceous and litter), which directly inhibit cheatgrass establishment, and by creating higher intensity fires capable of killing a much greater fraction of the seed bank. Using structural equation modelling, postfire cheatgrass dominance was shown to be most strongly controlled by the prefire cheatgrass seedbank; other factors include soil moisture, fire intensity, soil N, and duration of direct sunlight. Current fire management goals in western conifer forests are focused on restoring historical fire regimes; however, these frequent fire regimes may enhance alien plant invasion in some forest types. Where feasible, fire managers should consider the option of an appropriate compromise between reducing serious fire hazards and exacerbating alien plant invasions. ?? IAWF 2007.

46 CFR 108.403 - Fire extinguishing systems: General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: General. 108.403 Section 108.403 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403 Fire extinguishing systems: General. (a) Each...

46 CFR 108.403 - Fire extinguishing systems: General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: General. 108.403 Section 108.403 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403 Fire extinguishing systems: General. (a) Each...

46 CFR 108.403 - Fire extinguishing systems: General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: General. 108.403 Section 108.403 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403 Fire extinguishing systems: General. (a) Each...

46 CFR 108.403 - Fire extinguishing systems: General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: General. 108.403 Section 108.403 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403 Fire extinguishing systems: General. (a) Each...

46 CFR 108.403 - Fire extinguishing systems: General.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: General. 108.403 Section 108.403 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403 Fire extinguishing systems: General. (a) Each...

46 CFR 108.477 - Fire hydrants.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire hydrants. 108.477 Section 108.477 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Foam Extinguishing Systems § 108.477 Fire hydrants. (a) If a fixed foam...

14 CFR 121.263 - Fire-extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 121.263 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... the airplane in case of fire is provided by the use of fireproof materials in the nacelle and other... designated fire zones. (b) Materials in the fire-extinguishing system must not react chemically with the...

14 CFR 121.263 - Fire-extinguishing systems.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 121.263 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED... the airplane in case of fire is provided by the use of fireproof materials in the nacelle and other... designated fire zones. (b) Materials in the fire-extinguishing system must not react chemically with the...

Canadian and Siberian Boreal Fire Activity during ARCTAS Spring and Summer Phases

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Stocks, B. J.; Fromm, M. D.; Soja, A. J.; Servranckx, R.; Lindsey, D.; Hyer, E.

2009-12-01

The summer phase of ARCTAS (Arctic Research of the Composition of the Troposphere from Aircraft and Satellites) was designed specifically around forest fire activity in the Canadian boreal forest, and located in areas of northern Canada where summer forest fires are ubiquitous. Lightning fires are most often allowed to burn naturally in these regions, and a number of large free-burning fires in northern Saskatchewan in late June/early July 2008 provided excellent targets during the summer phase of ARCTAS. Smoke generated by a large number of early spring fires in Kazakhstan and southern Siberia unexpectedly made a significant contribution to arctic haze during the Alaska-based spring phase of ARCTAS, Numerous smoke plumes were sampled during the spring phase of ARCTAS, creating interest in the origin and characteristics of the fires in the source regions of East Asia. This presentation is designed to connect aircraft and satellite smoke chemistry/transport measurements with ground-based measurements of fire activity during the spring and summer phases of ARCTAS. The Canadian Forest Fire Danger Rating System (CFFDRS) is used to determine forest fire danger conditions in regions of fire activity, and these measurements are in turn used to project fire behavior characteristics. Fuel consumption, spread rates, and frontal fire intensity are calculated using the CFFDRS. Energy release rates at ground level are related to convection/smoke column development and smoke injection heights.

Configuration of electro-optic fire source detection system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fabian, Ram Z.; Steiner, Zeev; Hofman, Nir

2007-04-01

The recent fighting activities in various parts of the world have highlighted the need for accurate fire source detection on one hand and fast "sensor to shooter cycle" capabilities on the other. Both needs can be met by the SPOTLITE system which dramatically enhances the capability to rapidly engage hostile fire source with a minimum of casualties to friendly force and to innocent bystanders. Modular system design enable to meet each customer specific requirements and enable excellent future growth and upgrade potential. The design and built of a fire source detection system is governed by sets of requirements issued by the operators. This can be translated into the following design criteria: I) Long range, fast and accurate fire source detection capability. II) Different threat detection and classification capability. III) Threat investigation capability. IV) Fire source data distribution capability (Location, direction, video image, voice). V) Men portability. ) In order to meet these design criteria, an optimized concept was presented and exercised for the SPOTLITE system. Three major modular components were defined: I) Electro Optical Unit -Including FLIR camera, CCD camera, Laser Range Finder and Marker II) Electronic Unit -including system computer and electronic. III) Controller Station Unit - Including the HMI of the system. This article discusses the system's components definition and optimization processes, and also show how SPOTLITE designers successfully managed to introduce excellent solutions for other system parameters.

Positively Fire Safe. Third Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the third grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of third grade students, its objectives include: (1) acquiring basic knowledge of hazards and safe storage of flammable liquids; and (2) developing positive actions to prevent fires and burns or to…

Act Quickly! Seconds Count! Second Edition.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ogden, Bob; Hayter, Roy, Ed.

This booklet is designed to help hotel employees know what to do if a fire breaks out in the hotel. It also gives hints and suggestions that will help employees to reduce the risk of a fire occurring. Topics are as follows: an employee's responsibility if a fire breaks out; procedures to follow in the event of fire; mapping fire exits and escape…

Fire Safety Power. Sixth Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the sixth grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of sixth grade students, its objectives include: (1) developing a comprehensive understanding of fire physics, (2) evaluating electrical hazards and how to respond to those hazards, and (3)…

Fire Safety: Any Time, Any Place. First Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the first grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of first grade students, its objectives include acquiring basic knowledge of fire and burn hazards, developing a basic understanding of simple injury reduction, and encouraging parent involvement.…

2007 Research and Engineering Annual Report

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Stoliker, Patrick; Bowers, Albion; Cruciani, Everlyn

2008-01-01

Selected research and technology activities at NASA Dryden Flight Research Center are summarized. These following activities exemplify the Center's varied and productive research efforts: Developing a Requirements Development Guide for an Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance System; Digital Terrain Data Compression and Rendering for Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Systems; Nonlinear Flutter/Limit Cycle Oscillations Prediction Tool; Nonlinear System Identification Using Orthonormal Bases: Application to Aeroelastic/Aeroservoelastic Systems; Critical Aerodynamic Flow Feature Indicators: Towards Application with the Aerostructures Test Wing; Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool Development Using a Genetic Algorithm; Structural Model Tuning Capability in an Object-Oriented Multidisciplinary Design, Analysis, and Optimization Tool; Extension of Ko Straight-Beam Displacement Theory to the Deformed Shape Predictions of Curved Structures; F-15B with Phoenix Missile and Pylon Assembly--Drag Force Estimation; Mass Property Testing of Phoenix Missile Hypersonic Testbed Hardware; ARMD Hypersonics Project Materials and Structures: Testing of Scramjet Thermal Protection System Concepts; High-Temperature Modal Survey of the Ruddervator Subcomponent Test Article; ARMD Hypersonics Project Materials and Structures: C/SiC Ruddervator Subcomponent Test and Analysis Task; Ground Vibration Testing and Model Correlation of the Phoenix Missile Hypersonic Testbed; Phoenix Missile Hypersonic Testbed: Performance Design and Analysis; Crew Exploration Vehicle Launch Abort System-Pad Abort-1 (PA-1) Flight Test; Testing the Orion (Crew Exploration Vehicle) Launch Abort System-Ascent Abort-1 (AA-1) Flight Test; SOFIA Flight-Test Flutter Prediction Methodology; SOFIA Closed-Door Aerodynamic Analyses; SOFIA Handling Qualities Evaluation for Closed-Door Operations; C-17 Support of IRAC Engine Model Development; Current Capabilities and Future Upgrade Plans of the C-17 Data Rack; Intelligent Data Mining Capabilities as Applied to Integrated Vehicle Health Management; STARS Flight Demonstration No. 2 IP Data Formatter; Space-Based Telemetry and Range Safety (STARS) Flight Demonstration No. 2 Range User Flight Test Results; Aerodynamic Effects of the Quiet Spike(tm) on an F-15B Aircraft; F-15 Intelligent Flight Controls-Increased Destabilization Failure; F-15 Integrated Resilient Aircraft Control (IRAC) Improved Adaptive Controller; Aeroelastic Analysis of the Ikhana/Fire Pod System; Ikhana: Western States Fire Missions Utilizing the Ames Research Center Fire Sensor; Ikhana: Fiber-Optic Wing Shape Sensors; Ikhana: ARTS III; SOFIA Closed-Door Flutter Envelope Flight Testing; F-15B Quiet Spike(TM) Aeroservoelastic Flight Test Data Analysis; and UAVSAR Platform Precision Autopilot Flight Results.

[Study on discrimination of varieties of fire resistive coating for steel structure based on near-infrared spectroscopy].

PubMed

Xue, Gang; Song, Wen-qi; Li, Shu-chao

2015-01-01

In order to achieve the rapid identification of fire resistive coating for steel structure of different brands in circulating, a new method for the fast discrimination of varieties of fire resistive coating for steel structure by means of near infrared spectroscopy was proposed. The raster scanning near infrared spectroscopy instrument and near infrared diffuse reflectance spectroscopy were applied to collect the spectral curve of different brands of fire resistive coating for steel structure and the spectral data were preprocessed with standard normal variate transformation(standard normal variate transformation, SNV) and Norris second derivative. The principal component analysis (principal component analysis, PCA)was used to near infrared spectra for cluster analysis. The analysis results showed that the cumulate reliabilities of PC1 to PC5 were 99. 791%. The 3-dimentional plot was drawn with the scores of PC1, PC2 and PC3 X 10, which appeared to provide the best clustering of the varieties of fire resistive coating for steel structure. A total of 150 fire resistive coating samples were divided into calibration set and validation set randomly, the calibration set had 125 samples with 25 samples of each variety, and the validation set had 25 samples with 5 samples of each variety. According to the principal component scores of unknown samples, Mahalanobis distance values between each variety and unknown samples were calculated to realize the discrimination of different varieties. The qualitative analysis model for external verification of unknown samples is a 10% recognition ration. The results demonstrated that this identification method can be used as a rapid, accurate method to identify the classification of fire resistive coating for steel structure and provide technical reference for market regulation.

Why were California's wine country fires so destructive?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Keeley, Jon E.

2017-01-01

As of late October more than a dozen wildfires north of San Francisco had killed more than 40 people, burned approximately 160,000 acres and destroyed more than 7,000 structures.This tragic loss of life and property is unprecedented in California. However, the fires are not anomalous events in terms of their size, intensity or the speed with which they spread. Indeed, the path of the destructive Tubbs fire in Napa and Sonoma counties mirrors that of the Hanley fire of 1964. This extreme wind-driven fire burned under similar conditions, across much of the same landscape and covered an area substantially greater than the recent Tubbs fire.Strikingly, though, no lives were lost during the Hanley fire and only 29 structures were destroyed. Why did these two fires, 50 years apart, burn on the same general landscape, under similar extreme winds, with such different human impacts? Fire scientists will study these events intensively to parse out the relative importance of various factors. But it is clear that two factors probably were major contributors: wind and population growth.

Abrupt climate-independent fire regime changes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pausas, Juli G.; Keeley, Jon E.

2014-01-01

Wildfires have played a determining role in distribution, composition and structure of many ecosystems worldwide and climatic changes are widely considered to be a major driver of future fire regime changes. However, forecasting future climatic change induced impacts on fire regimes will require a clearer understanding of other drivers of abrupt fire regime changes. Here, we focus on evidence from different environmental and temporal settings of fire regimes changes that are not directly attributed to climatic changes. We review key cases of these abrupt fire regime changes at different spatial and temporal scales, including those directly driven (i) by fauna, (ii) by invasive plant species, and (iii) by socio-economic and policy changes. All these drivers might generate non-linear effects of landscape changes in fuel structure; that is, they generate fuel changes that can cross thresholds of landscape continuity, and thus drastically change fire activity. Although climatic changes might contribute to some of these changes, there are also many instances that are not primarily linked to climatic shifts. Understanding the mechanism driving fire regime changes should contribute to our ability to better assess future fire regimes.

Fire structures pine serotiny at different scales.

PubMed

Hernández-Serrano, Ana; Verdú, Miguel; González-Martínez, Santiago C; Pausas, Juli G

2013-12-01

Serotiny (delayed seed release with the consequent accumulation of a canopy seedbank) confers fitness benefits in environments with crown-fire regimes. Thus, we predicted that serotiny level should be higher in populations recurrently subjected to crown-fires than in populations where crown-fires are rare. In addition, under a high frequency of fires, space and resources are recurrently available, permitting recruitment around each mother to follow the seed rain shadow. Thus, we also predicted spatial aggregation of serotiny within populations. We compared serotiny, considering both the proportion and the age of serotinous cones, in populations living in contrasting fire regimes for two iconic Mediterranean pine species (Pinus halepensis, P. pinaster). We framed our results by quantitatively comparing the strength of the fire-serotiny relationship with previous studies worldwide. For the two species, populations living under high crown-fire recurrence regimes had a higher serotiny level than those populations where the recurrence of crown-fires was low. For P. halepensis (the species with higher serotiny), populations in high fire recurrence regimes had higher fine-scale spatial aggregation of serotiny than those inhabiting low fire recurrence systems. The strength of the observed fire-serotiny relationship in P. halepensis is among the highest in published literature. Fire regime shapes serotiny level among populations, and in populations with high serotiny, recurrent fires maintain a significant spatial structure for this trait. Consequently, fire has long-term evolutionary implications at different scales, emphasizing its prominent role in shaping the ecology of pines.

Assessing fire effects on forest spatial structure using a fusion of Landsat and airborne LiDAR data in Yosemite National Park

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kane, Van R.; North, Malcolm P.; Lutz, James A.; Churchill, Derek J.; Roberts, Susan L.; Smith, Douglas F.; McGaughey, Robert J.; Kane, Jonathan T.; Brooks, Matthew L.

2014-01-01

Mosaics of tree clumps and openings are characteristic of forests dominated by frequent, low- and moderate-severity fires. When restoring these fire-suppressed forests, managers often try to reproduce these structures to increase ecosystem resilience. We examined unburned and burned forest structures for 1937 0.81 ha sample areas in Yosemite National Park, USA. We estimated severity for fires from 1984 to 2010 using the Landsat-derived Relativized differenced Normalized Burn Ratio (RdNBR) and measured openings and canopy clumps in five height strata using airborne LiDAR data. Because our study area lacked concurrent field data, we identified methods to allow structural analysis using LiDAR data alone. We found three spatial structures, canopy-gap, clump-open, and open, that differed in spatial arrangement and proportion of canopy and openings. As fire severity increased, the total area in canopy decreased while the number of clumps increased, creating a patchwork of openings and multistory tree clumps. The presence of openings > 0.3 ha, an approximate minimum gap size needed to favor shade-intolerant pine regeneration, increased rapidly with loss of canopy area. The range and variation of structures for a given fire severity were specific to each forest type. Low- to moderate-severity fires best replicated the historic clump-opening patterns that were common in forests with frequent fire regimes. Our results suggest that managers consider the following goals for their forest restoration: 1) reduce total canopy cover by breaking up large contiguous areas into variable-sized tree clumps and scattered large individual trees; 2) create a range of opening sizes and shapes, including ~ 50% of the open area in gaps > 0.3 ha; 3) create multistory clumps in addition to single story clumps; 4) retain historic densities of large trees; and 5) vary treatments to include canopy-gap, clump-open, and open mosaics across project areas to mimic the range of patterns found for each forest type in our study.

Wildfire risk in the wildland-urban interface: A simulation study in northwestern Wisconsin

USGS Publications Warehouse

Massada, Avi Bar; Radeloff, Volker C.; Stewart, Susan I.; Hawbaker, Todd J.

2009-01-01

The rapid growth of housing in and near the wildland–urban interface (WUI) increases wildfirerisk to lives and structures. To reduce fire risk, it is necessary to identify WUI housing areas that are more susceptible to wildfire. This is challenging, because wildfire patterns depend on fire behavior and spread, which in turn depend on ignition locations, weather conditions, the spatial arrangement of fuels, and topography. The goal of our study was to assess wildfirerisk to a 60,000 ha WUI area in northwesternWisconsin while accounting for all of these factors. We conducted 6000 simulations with two dynamic fire models: Fire Area Simulator (FARSITE) and Minimum Travel Time (MTT) in order to map the spatial pattern of burn probabilities. Simulations were run under normal and extreme weather conditions to assess the effect of weather on fire spread, burn probability, and risk to structures. The resulting burn probability maps were intersected with maps of structure locations and land cover types. The simulations revealed clear hotspots of wildfire activity and a large range of wildfirerisk to structures in the study area. As expected, the extreme weather conditions yielded higher burn probabilities over the entire landscape, as well as to different land cover classes and individual structures. Moreover, the spatial pattern of risk was significantly different between extreme and normal weather conditions. The results highlight the fact that extreme weather conditions not only produce higher fire risk than normal weather conditions, but also change the fine-scale locations of high risk areas in the landscape, which is of great importance for fire management in WUI areas. In addition, the choice of weather data may limit the potential for comparisons of risk maps for different areas and for extrapolating risk maps to future scenarios where weather conditions are unknown. Our approach to modeling wildfirerisk to structures can aid fire risk reduction management activities by identifying areas with elevated wildfirerisk and those most vulnerable under extreme weather conditions.

Thermal cycling and electrochemical characteristics of solid oxide fuel cell supported on stainless steel with a new 3-phase composite anode

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dayaghi, Amir Masoud; Kim, Kun Joong; Kim, Sun Jae; Kim, Sunwoong; Bae, Hongyeul; Choi, Gyeong Man

2017-06-01

We report design, fabrication method, and fast thermal-cycling ability of solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) that use stainless steel (STS) as a support, and a new 3-phase anode. La and Ni co-doped SrTiO3 (La0.2Sr0.8Ti0.9Ni0.1O3-d, LSTN), replaces some of the Ni in conventional Ni-yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) anode; the resultant LSTN-YSZ-Ni 3-phase-composite anode is tested as a new reduction (or decomposition)-resistant anode of STS-supported SOFCs that can be co-fired with STS. A multi-layered cell with YSZ electrolyte (thickness ∼5 μm), composite anode, STS-cermet contact-layer, and STS support is designed, then fabricated by tape casting, lamination, and co-firing at 1250 °C in reducing atmosphere. The maximum power density (MPD) is 325 mW cm-2 at 650 °C; this is one of the highest among STS-supported cells fabricated by co-firing. The cell also shows stable open-circuit voltage and Ohmic resistance during 100 rapid thermal cycles between 170 and 600 °C. STS support minimizes stress and avoids cracking of electrolyte during rapid thermal cycling. The excellent MPD and stability during thermal cycles, and promising characteristics of SOFC as a power source for vehicle or mobile devices that requires rapid thermal cycles, are attributed to the new design of the cell with new anode structure.

Effects of fire on major forest ecosystem processes: an overview.

PubMed

Chen, Zhong

2006-09-01

Fire and fire ecology are among the best-studied topics in contemporary ecosystem ecology. The large body of existing literature on fire and fire ecology indicates an urgent need to synthesize the information on the pattern of fire effects on ecosystem composition, structure, and functions for application in fire and ecosystem management. Understanding fire effects and underlying principles are critical to reduce the risk of uncharacteristic wildfires and for proper use of fire as an effective management tool toward management goals. This overview is a synthesis of current knowledge on major effects of fire on fire-prone ecosystems, particularly those in the boreal and temperate regions of the North America. Four closely related ecosystem processes in vegetation dynamics, nutrient cycling, soil and belowground process and water relations were discussed with emphases on fire as the driving force. Clearly, fire can shape ecosystem composition, structure and functions by selecting fire adapted species and removing other susceptible species, releasing nutrients from the biomass and improving nutrient cycling, affecting soil properties through changing soil microbial activities and water relations, and creating heterogeneous mosaics, which in turn, can further influence fire behavior and ecological processes. Fire as a destructive force can rapidly consume large amount of biomass and cause negative impacts such as post-fire soil erosion and water runoff, and air pollution; however, as a constructive force fire is also responsible for maintaining the health and perpetuity of certain fire-dependent ecosystems. Considering the unique ecological roles of fire in mediating and regulating ecosystems, fire should be incorporated as an integral component of ecosystems and management. However, the effects of fire on an ecosystem depend on the fire regime, vegetation type, climate, physical environments, and the scale of time and space of assessment. More ecosystem-specific studies are needed in future, especially those focusing on temporal and spatial variations of fire effects through long-term experimental monitoring and modeling.

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

46 CFR 108.413 - Fusible element fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fusible element fire detection system. 108.413 Section 108.413 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.413 Fusible element fire detection system...

46 CFR 108.407 - Detectors for electric fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Detectors for electric fire detection system. 108.407 Section 108.407 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.407 Detectors for electric fire...

46 CFR 108.413 - Fusible element fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fusible element fire detection system. 108.413 Section 108.413 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.413 Fusible element fire detection system...

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

46 CFR 108.413 - Fusible element fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fusible element fire detection system. 108.413 Section 108.413 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.413 Fusible element fire detection system...

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

46 CFR 108.407 - Detectors for electric fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Detectors for electric fire detection system. 108.407 Section 108.407 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.407 Detectors for electric fire...

46 CFR 108.407 - Detectors for electric fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Detectors for electric fire detection system. 108.407 Section 108.407 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.407 Detectors for electric fire...

46 CFR 108.404 - Selection of fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Selection of fire detection system. 108.404 Section 108.404 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.404 Selection of fire detection system. (a) If a...

46 CFR 108.407 - Detectors for electric fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Detectors for electric fire detection system. 108.407 Section 108.407 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.407 Detectors for electric fire...

46 CFR 108.413 - Fusible element fire detection system.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fusible element fire detection system. 108.413 Section 108.413 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.413 Fusible element fire detection system...

46 CFR 108.499 - Fire axes.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire axes. 108.499 Section 108.499 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems Miscellaneous Firefighting Equipment § 108.499 Fire axes. Each unit must have at least two...

30 CFR 36.31 - Fire extinguisher.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 30 Mineral Resources 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fire extinguisher. 36.31 Section 36.31 Mineral... Construction and Design Requirements § 36.31 Fire extinguisher. Each unit of mobile diesel-powered transportation equipment shall be fitted with a fire extinguisher carried in a location easily accessible to the...

36 CFR 2.13 - Fires.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 36 Parks, Forests, and Public Property 1 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Fires. 2.13 Section 2.13... PROTECTION, PUBLIC USE AND RECREATION § 2.13 Fires. (a) The following are prohibited: (1) Lighting or maintaining a fire, except in designated areas or receptacles and under conditions that may be established by...

Yellow pine regeneration as a function of fire severity and post-burn stand structure in the southern Appalachian Mountains

Treesearch

Michael A. Jenkins; Robert N. Klein; Virginia L. McDaniel

2011-01-01

We used pre- and post-burn fire effects data from six prescribed burns to examine post-burn threshold effects of stand structure (understory density, overstory density, shrub cover, duff depth, and total fuel load) on the regeneration of yellow pine (Pinus subgenus Diploxylon) seedlings and cover of herbaceous vegetation in six prescribed-fire management units located...

Algorithm for Estimating the Plume Centerline Temperature and Ceiling Jet Temperature in the Presence of a Hot Upper Layer

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Davis, William D.; Notarianni, Kathy A.; Tapper, Phillip Z.

1998-01-01

The experiments were designed to provide insight into the behavior of jet fuel fires in aircraft hangars and to study the impact of these fires on the design and operation of a variety of fire protection systems. As a result, the test series included small fires designed to investigate the operation of UV/IR detectors and smoke detectors as well as large fires which were used to investigate the operation of ceiling mounted heat detectors and sprinklers. The impact of the presence or absence of draft curtains was also studied in the 15 m hangar. It is shown that in order to predict the plume centerline temperature within experimental uncertainty, the entrainment of the upper layer gas must be modeled. For large fires, the impact of a changing radiation fraction must also be included in the calculation. The dependence of the radial temperature profile of the ceiling jet as a function of layer development is demonstrated and a ceiling jet temperature algorithm which includes the impact of a growing layer is developed.

Comparing Effects of Climate Warming, Fire, and Timber Harvesting on a Boreal Forest Landscape in Northeastern China

PubMed Central

Li, Xiaona; He, Hong S.; Wu, Zhiwei; Liang, Yu; Schneiderman, Jeffrey E.

2013-01-01

Forest management under a changing climate requires assessing the effects of climate warming and disturbance on the composition, age structure, and spatial patterns of tree species. We investigated these effects on a boreal forest in northeastern China using a factorial experimental design and simulation modeling. We used a spatially explicit forest landscape model (LANDIS) to evaluate the effects of three independent variables: climate (current and expected future), fire regime (current and increased fire), and timber harvesting (no harvest and legal harvest). Simulations indicate that this forested landscape would be significantly impacted under a changing climate. Climate warming would significantly increase the abundance of most trees, especially broadleaf species (aspen, poplar, and willow). However, climate warming would have less impact on the abundance of conifers, diversity of forest age structure, and variation in spatial landscape structure than burning and harvesting. Burning was the predominant influence in the abundance of conifers except larch and the abundance of trees in mid-stage. Harvesting impacts were greatest for the abundance of larch and birch, and the abundance of trees during establishment stage (1–40 years), early stage (41–80 years) and old- growth stage (>180 years). Disturbance by timber harvesting and burning may significantly alter forest ecosystem dynamics by increasing forest fragmentation and decreasing forest diversity. Results from the simulations provide insight into the long term management of this boreal forest. PMID:23573209

36 CFR 13.976 - Fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (fda) § 13.976 Fire. Lighting or maintaining a fire is prohibited in the FDA except— (a) In established receptacles within designated campgrounds; (b) From October 1 through April 14 in that portion of the FDA...

36 CFR 13.976 - Fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... (fda) § 13.976 Fire. Lighting or maintaining a fire is prohibited in the FDA except— (a) In established receptacles within designated campgrounds; (b) From October 1 through April 14 in that portion of the FDA...

36 CFR 13.976 - Fire.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (fda) § 13.976 Fire. Lighting or maintaining a fire is prohibited in the FDA except— (a) In established receptacles within designated campgrounds; (b) From October 1 through April 14 in that portion of the FDA...

Increased fire frequency promotes stronger spatial genetic structure and natural selection at regional and local scales in Pinus halepensis Mill.

PubMed

Budde, Katharina B; González-Martínez, Santiago C; Navascués, Miguel; Burgarella, Concetta; Mosca, Elena; Lorenzo, Zaida; Zabal-Aguirre, Mario; Vendramin, Giovanni G; Verdú, Miguel; Pausas, Juli G; Heuertz, Myriam

2017-04-01

The recurrence of wildfires is predicted to increase due to global climate change, resulting in severe impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Recurrent fires can drive plant adaptation and reduce genetic diversity; however, the underlying population genetic processes have not been studied in detail. In this study, the neutral and adaptive evolutionary effects of contrasting fire regimes were examined in the keystone tree species Pinus halepensis Mill. (Aleppo pine), a fire-adapted conifer. The genetic diversity, demographic history and spatial genetic structure were assessed at local (within-population) and regional scales for populations exposed to different crown fire frequencies. Eight natural P. halepensis stands were sampled in the east of the Iberian Peninsula, five of them in a region exposed to frequent crown fires (HiFi) and three of them in an adjacent region with a low frequency of crown fires (LoFi). Samples were genotyped at nine neutral simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and at 251 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from coding regions, some of them potentially important for fire adaptation. Fire regime had no effects on genetic diversity or demographic history. Three high-differentiation outlier SNPs were identified between HiFi and LoFi stands, suggesting fire-related selection at the regional scale. At the local scale, fine-scale spatial genetic structure (SGS) was overall weak as expected for a wind-pollinated and wind-dispersed tree species. HiFi stands displayed a stronger SGS than LoFi stands at SNPs, which probably reflected the simultaneous post-fire recruitment of co-dispersed related seeds. SNPs with exceptionally strong SGS, a proxy for microenvironmental selection, were only reliably identified under the HiFi regime. An increasing fire frequency as predicted due to global change can promote increased SGS with stronger family structures and alter natural selection in P. halepensis and in plants with similar life history traits. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Annals of Botany Company. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Litter and dead wood dynamics in ponderosa pine forests along a 160-year chronosequence.

PubMed

Hall, S A; Burke, I C; Hobbs, N T

2006-12-01

Disturbances such as fire play a key role in controlling ecosystem structure. In fire-prone forests, organic detritus comprises a large pool of carbon and can control the frequency and intensity of fire. The ponderosa pine forests of the Colorado Front Range, USA, where fire has been suppressed for a century, provide an ideal system for studying the long-term dynamics of detrital pools. Our objectives were (1) to quantify the long-term temporal dynamics of detrital pools; and (2) to determine to what extent present stand structure, topography, and soils constrain these dynamics. We collected data on downed dead wood, litter, duff (partially decomposed litter on the forest floor), stand structure, topographic position, and soils for 31 sites along a 160-year chronosequence. We developed a compartment model and parameterized it to describe the temporal trends in the detrital pools. We then developed four sets of statistical models, quantifying the hypothesized relationship between pool size and (1) stand structure, (2) topography, (3) soils variables, and (4) time since fire. We contrasted how much support each hypothesis had in the data using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). Time since fire explained 39-80% of the variability in dead wood of different size classes. Pool size increased to a peak as material killed by the fire fell, then decomposed rapidly to a minimum (61-85 years after fire for the different pools). It then increased, presumably as new detritus was produced by the regenerating stand. Litter was most strongly related to canopy cover (r2 = 77%), suggesting that litter fall, rather than decomposition, controls its dynamics. The temporal dynamics of duff were the hardest to predict. Detrital pool sizes were more strongly related to time since fire than to environmental variables. Woody debris peak-to-minimum time was 46-67 years, overlapping the range of historical fire return intervals (1 to > 100 years). Fires may therefore have burned under a wide range of fuel conditions, supporting the hypothesis that this region's fire regime was mixed severity.

Developing custom fire behavior fuel models from ecologically complex fuel structures for upper Atlantic Coastal Plain forests

Treesearch

Bernard R. Parresol; Joe H. Scott; Anne Andreu; Susan Prichard; Laurie Kurth

2012-01-01

Currently geospatial fire behavior analyses are performed with an array of fire behavior modeling systems such as FARSITE, FlamMap, and the Large Fire Simulation System. These systems currently require standard or customized surface fire behavior fuel models as inputs that are often assigned through remote sensing information. The ability to handle hundreds or...

Developmental metaplasticity in neural circuit codes of firing and structure.

PubMed

Baram, Yoram

2017-01-01

Firing-rate dynamics have been hypothesized to mediate inter-neural information transfer in the brain. While the Hebbian paradigm, relating learning and memory to firing activity, has put synaptic efficacy variation at the center of cortical plasticity, we suggest that the external expression of plasticity by changes in the firing-rate dynamics represents a more general notion of plasticity. Hypothesizing that time constants of plasticity and firing dynamics increase with age, and employing the filtering property of the neuron, we obtain the elementary code of global attractors associated with the firing-rate dynamics in each developmental stage. We define a neural circuit connectivity code as an indivisible set of circuit structures generated by membrane and synapse activation and silencing. Synchronous firing patterns under parameter uniformity, and asynchronous circuit firing are shown to be driven, respectively, by membrane and synapse silencing and reactivation, and maintained by the neuronal filtering property. Analytic, graphical and simulation representation of the discrete iteration maps and of the global attractor codes of neural firing rate are found to be consistent with previous empirical neurobiological findings, which have lacked, however, a specific correspondence between firing modes, time constants, circuit connectivity and cortical developmental stages. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Fire tolerance of a resprouting Artemisia (Asteraceae) shrub

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winter, S.L.; Fuhlendorf, S.D.; Goad, C.L.; Davis, C.A.; Hickman, K.R.; Leslie, David M.

2011-01-01

In North America, most Artemisia (Asteraceae) shrub species lack the ability to resprout after disturbances that remove aboveground biomass. We studied the response of one of the few resprouting Artemisia shrubs, Artemisia filifolia (sand sagebrush), to the effects of prescribed fires. We collected data on A. filifolia density and structural characteristics (height, canopy area, and canopy volume) in an A. filifolia shrubland in the southern Great Plains of North America. Our study sites included areas that had not been treated with prescribed fire, areas that had been treated with only one prescribed fire within the previous 5 years, and areas that had been treated with two prescribed fires within the previous 10 years. Our data were collected at time periods ranging from 1/2 to 5 years after the prescribed fires. Density of A. filifolia was not affected by one or two fires. Structural characteristics, although initially altered by prescribed fire, recovered to levels characteristic of unburned areas in 3-4 years after those fires. In contrast to most non-sprouting North American Artemisia shrub species, our research suggested that the resprouting A. filifolia is highly tolerant to the effects of fire. ?? 2011 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.

Postwildfire debris flows hazard assessment for the area burned by the 2011 Track Fire, northeastern New Mexico and southeastern Colorado

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tillery, Anne C.; Darr, Michael J.; Cannon, Susan H.; Michael, John A.

2011-01-01

In June 2011, the Track Fire burned 113 square kilometers in Colfax County, northeastern New Mexico, and Las Animas County, southeastern Colorado, including the upper watersheds of Chicorica and Raton Creeks. The burned landscape is now at risk of damage from postwildfire erosion, such as that caused by debris flows and flash floods. This report presents a preliminary hazard assessment of the debris-flow potential from basins burned by the Track Fire. A pair of empirical hazard-assessment models developed using data from recently burned basins throughout the intermountain western United States were used to estimate the probability of debris-flow occurrence and volume of debris flows at the outlets of selected drainage basins within the burned area. The models incorporate measures of burn severity, topography, soils, and storm rainfall to estimate the probability and volume of post-fire debris flows following the fire. In response to a design storm of 38 millimeters of rain in 30 minutes (10-year recurrence-interval), the probability of debris flow estimated for basins burned by the Track fire ranged between 2 and 97 percent, with probabilities greater than 80 percent identified for the majority of the tributary basins to Raton Creek in Railroad Canyon; six basins that flow into Lake Maloya, including the Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins; two tributary basins to Sugarite Canyon, and an unnamed basin on the eastern flank of the burned area. Estimated debris-flow volumes ranged from 30 cubic meters to greater than 100,000 cubic meters. The largest volumes (greater than 100,000 cubic meters) were estimated for Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins, which drain into Lake Maloya. The Combined Relative Debris-Flow Hazard Ranking identifies the Segerstrom Creek and Swachheim Creek basins as having the highest probability of producing the largest debris flows. This finding indicates the greatest post-fire debris-flow impacts may be expected to Lake Maloya. In addition, Interstate Highway 25, Raton Creek and the rail line in Railroad Canyon, County road A-27, and State Highway 526 in Sugarite Canyon may also be affected where they cross drainages downstream from recently burned basins. Although this assessment indicates that a rather large debris flow (approximately 42,000 cubic meters) may be generated from the basin above the City of Raton (basin 9) in response to the design storm, the probability of such an event is relatively low (approximately 10 percent). Additional assessment is necessary to determine if the estimated volume of material is sufficient to travel into the City of Raton. In addition, even small debris flows may affect structures at or downstream from basin outlets and increase the threat of flooding downstream by damaging or blocking flood mitigation structures. The maps presented here may be used to prioritize areas where erosion mitigation or other protective measures may be necessary within a 2- to 3-year window of vulnerability following the Track Fire.

On-line structural health and fire monitoring of a composite personal aircraft using an FBG sensing system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chandler, K.; Ferguson, S.; Graver, T.; Csipkes, A.; Mendez, A.

2008-03-01

We report in this paper on the design and development of a novel on-line structural health monitoring and fire detection system based on an array of optical fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors and interrogation system installed on a new, precommercial compact aircraft. A combined total of 17 FBG sensors - strain, temperature and high-temperature - were installed at critical locations in an around the wings, fuselage and engine compartment of a prototype, Comp Air CA 12 all-composite, ten-passenger personal airplane powered by a 1,650 hp turbine engine. The sensors are interrogated online and in real time by a swept laser FBG interrogator (Micron Optics sm125-700) mounted on board the plane. Sensors readings are then combined with the plane's avionics system and displayed on the pilot's aviation control panel. This system represents the first of its kind in commercial, small frame, airplanes and a first for optical fiber sensors.

The design of a simulated forcible entry test for fire fighters.

PubMed

Pelot, R P; Dwyer, J W; Deakin, J M; McCabe, J F

1999-04-01

This study investigated the physiological responses and performances for 20 fire fighters when completing simulated forcible entry tests. The purpose was to establish the validity of using a tire striking test and to examine the effects of varying the test parameters. The tests consisted of striking a reinforced structure and a weighted truck tire on a plywood covered table with either a 4.54 or a 5.60 kg sledge hammer. The results indicate that the simulated forcible entry tests are short in duration (range = 8.0-17.6 s), but are also physically demanding in terms of cardiovascular response (range = 86.5-97.2 for a percentage of heart rate reserve). The differences in striking a reinforced structure versus hitting a tire were insignificant according to most of the measures taken. The parameters for the simulated forcible entry test that were determined to be most appropriate were to move the tire 30 cm and use the 4.54 kg sledge hammer.

Cast Coil Transformer Fire Susceptibility and Reliability Study

DTIC Science & Technology

1991-04-01

transformers reduce risk to the user compared to liquid-filled units, eliminate environmental impacts, are more efficient than most transformer designs, and...filled units, eliminate environmental impacts, arc more efficient than most transformer designs, and add minimal risk to the facility in a fire situation...add minimal risk to the facility in a fire situation. Cast coil transformers have a long record of operation and have proven to be reliable and

Home Fires Involving Grills

MedlinePlus

... the home and from other things that can burn. f fEleven percent of home grill structure fires ... 200 or 49%) of the injuries were thermal burns, including burns both from fire and from contact ...

The role of fire in deep time ecosystems

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Scott, Andrew C.; Bond, William J.; Collinson, Margaret E.; Glasspool, Ian J.; Brown, Sarah; Braman, Dennis R.

2010-05-01

Fires are very widespread in the world today and fire has also been common in the deep past. Fire is important in structuring contemporary World vegetation maintaining extensive open vegetation where the climate has the potential to support closed forests. The influence of fire on the structure of vegetation and plant traits present in a community vary depending on the fire regime. The fire regime is the characteristic pattern of fire frequency, severity (amount of biomass removed) and spatial extent. Fire regimes depend on the synergy between external physical factors and the properties of vegetation. Changes in the fire regime can be brought about by changes in external conditions such as climate, but also by changes in vegetation such as changes in flammability or productivity that influence the amount of fuel. For example, invasion of grasses into closed wooded habitats has initiated a ‘grass fire cycle' in many parts of the world triggering cascading changes in vegetation structure and composition from forest to open grassland or savanna woodland. The spread of flammable invasive species, especially grasses, has even altered fire regimes of fire-dependent flammable communities causing catastrophic ecosystem changes. We suggest that the spread of angiosperms in the Cretaceous was promoted by the development of novel fire regimes linked to the evolution of novel, highly productive (and flammable) plants. Within the limits of physical constraints on fire occurrence, Cretaceous angiosperms would have initiated a positive feedback analogous to the grass-fire cycle rapidly accumulating fuel that promoted more frequent fires, which maintained open habitats in which rapid growth-traits of angiosperms would be most favoured promoting rapid fuel accumulation etc. Frequent fires would have altered vegetation structure and composition both by increasing mortality rates of fire-damaged trees and reducing recruitment rates of seedlings and saplings where fires recurred before juveniles had reached "fire-proof" sizes. The effect would be to create more open conditions favouring plants with the angiosperm innovations of high photosynthetic rates, rapid maturation and rapid reproduction relative to gymnosperms. Fire has some analogies to large vertebrate herbivory, particularly in the potential to open forests and create habitat for low-growing sun-loving plants over extensive areas. The role of fire in favouring low-growing ‘ruderal', plants of open habitats is similar to that proposed for dinosaurs. A switch from high-browsing dinosaurs in the Jurassic to low-browsing dinosaurs in the Cretaceous has been noted and it has been argued that the switch in browse height would favour fast-growing angiosperms. The dinosaur hypothesis has recently been tested and found wanting, for example in the timing and coincidence of angiosperm abundance and low vs. high-browsing dinosaurs. Our research of the co-occurrence of dinosaur remains and charcoal assemblages in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, has suggested that it was a dominance of gymnospermous, woody vegetation that was ravaged by fire. In addition, the co-occurrence of dinosaur remains and charcoal is significant in demonstrating that the some dinosaur bone beds may have formed as a result of extensive post-fire erosion/rapid deposition cycles. In this paper we consider the evidence for and against fire as a major factor promoting vegetation change and angiosperm spread in the Cretaceous.

Mapping and Analysis of Forest and Land Fire Potential Using Geospatial Technology and Mathematical Modeling

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Suliman, M. D. H.; Mahmud, M.; Reba, M. N. M.; S, L. W.

2014-02-01

Forest and land fire can cause negative implications for forest ecosystems, biodiversity, air quality and soil structure. However, the implications involved can be minimized through effective disaster management system. Effective disaster management mechanisms can be developed through appropriate early warning system as well as an efficient delivery system. This study tried to focus on two aspects, namely by mapping the potential of forest fire and land as well as the delivery of information to users through WebGIS application. Geospatial technology and mathematical modeling used in this study for identifying, classifying and mapping the potential area for burning. Mathematical models used is the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), while Geospatial technologies involved include remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS) and digital field data collection. The entire Selangor state was chosen as our study area based on a number of cases have been reported over the last two decades. AHP modeling to assess the comparison between the three main criteria of fuel, topography and human factors design. Contributions of experts directly involved in forest fire fighting operations and land comprising officials from the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia also evaluated in this model. The study found that about 32.83 square kilometers of the total area of Selangor state are the extreme potential for fire. Extreme potential areas identified are in Bestari Jaya and Kuala Langat High Ulu. Continuity of information and terrestrial forest fire potential was displayed in WebGIS applications on the internet. Display information through WebGIS applications is a better approach to help the decision-making process at a high level of confidence and approximate real conditions. Agencies involved in disaster management such as Jawatankuasa Pengurusan Dan Bantuan Bencana (JPBB) of District, State and the National under the National Security Division and the Fire and Rescue Department Malaysia can use the end result of this study in preparation for the land and forest fires in the future.

Quantifying the multi-scale response of avifauna to prescribed fire experiments in the southwest United States.

PubMed

Dickson, Brett G; Noon, Barry R; Flather, Curtis H; Jentsch, Stephanie; Block, William M

2009-04-01

Landscape-scale disturbance events, including ecological restoration and fuel reduction activities, can modify habitat and affect relationships between species and their environment. To reduce the risk of uncharacteristic stand-replacing fires in the southwestern United States, land managers are implementing restoration and fuels treatments (e.g., mechanical thinning, prescribed fire) in progressively larger stands of dry, lower elevation ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) forest. We used a Before-After/Control-Impact experimental design to quantify the multi-scale response of avifauna to large (approximately 250-400 ha) prescribed fire treatments on four sites in Arizona and New Mexico dominated by ponderosa pine. Using distance sampling and an information-theoretic approach, we estimated changes in density for 14 bird species detected before (May-June 2002-2003) and after (May-June 2004-2005) prescribed fire treatments. We observed few site-level differences in pre- and posttreatment density, and no species responded strongly to treatment on all four sites. Point-level spatial models of individual species response to treatment, habitat variables, and fire severity revealed ecological relationships that were more easily interpreted. At this scale, pretreatment forest structure and patch characteristics were important predictors of posttreatment differences in bird species density. Five species (Pygmy Nuthatch [Sitta pygmaea], Western Bluebird [Sialia mexicana], Steller's Jay [Cyanocitta stelleri], American Robin [Turdus migratorius], and Hairy Woodpecker [Picoides villosus]) exhibited a strong treatment response, and two of these species (American Robin and Hairy Woodpecker) could be associated with meaningful fire severity response functions. The avifaunal response patterns that we observed were not always consistent with those reported by more common studies of wildland fire events. Our results suggest that, in the short-term, the distribution and abundance of common members of the breeding bird community in Southwestern ponderosa pine forests appear to be tolerant of low- to moderate-intensity prescribed fire treatments at multiple spatial scales and across multiple geographic locations.

Charged Up for Fire Safety. Fifth Grade. Fire Safety for Texans: Fire and Burn Prevention Curriculum Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texas State Commission on Fire Protection, Austin.

This booklet comprises the fifth grade component of a series of curriculum guides on fire and burn prevention. Designed to meet the age-specific needs of fifth grade students, its objectives include: (1) exploring heating equipment safety, (2) analyzing the impact of fire on the outdoor environment and methods to reduce that impact, (3) developing…

Rates of initial spread of free-burning fires on the National Forests of California

Treesearch

C.A. Abell

1940-01-01

As early as 1914 Coert DuBois and his staff recognized that knowledge of the rates which fires spread was essential to sound fire control planning, strategy, and tactics, and therefore designed the fire report form so that such data might be accumulated. Although the individual fire report form has changed appreciably since that time, the supply of data has grown...

Fire Alters Emergence of Invasive Plant Species from Soil Surface-Deposited Seeds

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

1. Fire is recognized as an important process controlling ecosystem structure and function. Restoration of fire regimes is complicated by global concerns about exotic plants invasions, yet little is known of how the two may interact. Characterizing relationships between fire conditions and the vi...

The Wildland/Urban Interface in 2025

Treesearch

Gary O. Tokle

1987-01-01

In the year 2025, wildland fire fighting practices have improved significantly over the method employed during the late1900's. Improved methods for predicting severe fire weather conditions, the establishment of the North American Fire Coordination Center, and the utilization of foam products for both wildfire and structural fire control have significantly changed...

Hayman Fire case study: Summary [RMRS-GTR-114

Treesearch

Russell T. Graham

2003-01-01

Historically, wildfires burned Western forests creating and maintaining a variety of forest compositions and structures (Agee 1993). Prior to European settlement lightning along with Native Americans ignited fires routinely across many forested landscapes. After Euro-American settlement, fires continued to be quite common with fires ignited by settlers, railroads, and...

Effects of fire damage on the structural properties of steel bridge elements.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-04-30

It is well known that fire can cause severe damage to steel bridges. There are documented cases where fire has directly led to the collapse or significant sagging of a steel bridge. However, when the damage is less severe, the effects of the fire, if...

Contrasting Spatial Patterns in Active-Fire and Fire-Suppressed Mediterranean Climate Old-Growth Mixed Conifer Forests

PubMed Central

Fry, Danny L.; Stephens, Scott L.; Collins, Brandon M.; North, Malcolm P.; Franco-Vizcaíno, Ernesto; Gill, Samantha J.

2014-01-01

In Mediterranean environments in western North America, historic fire regimes in frequent-fire conifer forests are highly variable both temporally and spatially. This complexity influenced forest structure and spatial patterns, but some of this diversity has been lost due to anthropogenic disruption of ecosystem processes, including fire. Information from reference forest sites can help management efforts to restore forests conditions that may be more resilient to future changes in disturbance regimes and climate. In this study, we characterize tree spatial patterns using four-ha stem maps from four old-growth, Jeffrey pine-mixed conifer forests, two with active-fire regimes in northwestern Mexico and two that experienced fire exclusion in the southern Sierra Nevada. Most of the trees were in patches, averaging six to 11 trees per patch at 0.007 to 0.014 ha−1, and occupied 27–46% of the study areas. Average canopy gap sizes (0.04 ha) covering 11–20% of the area were not significantly different among sites. The putative main effects of fire exclusion were higher densities of single trees in smaller size classes, larger proportion of trees (≥56%) in large patches (≥10 trees), and decreases in spatial complexity. While a homogenization of forest structure has been a typical result from fire exclusion, some similarities in patch, single tree, and gap attributes were maintained at these sites. These within-stand descriptions provide spatially relevant benchmarks from which to manage for structural heterogeneity in frequent-fire forest types. PMID:24586472

Comparative Analysis of the Reliability of Steel Structure with Pinned and Rigid Nodes Subjected to Fire

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kubicka, Katarzyna; Radoń, Urszula; Szaniec, Waldemar; Pawlak, Urszula

2017-10-01

The paper concerns the reliability analysis of steel structures subjected to high temperatures of fire gases. Two types of spatial structures were analysed, namely with pinned and rigid nodes. The fire analysis was carried out according to prescriptions of Eurocode. The static-strength analysis was conducted using the finite element method (FEM). The MES3D program, developed by Szaniec (Kielce University of Technology, Poland), was used for this purpose. The results received from MES3D made it possible to carry out the reliability analysis using the Numpress Explore program that was developed at the Institute of Fundamental Technological Research of the Polish Academy of Sciences [9]. The measurement of reliability of structures is the Hasofer-Lind reliability index (β). The reliability analysis was carried out according to approximation (FORM, SORM) and simulation (Importance Sampling, Monte Carlo) methods. As the fire progresses, the value of reliability index decreases. The analysis conducted for the study made it possible to evaluate the impact of node types on those changes. In real structures, it is often difficult to define correctly types of nodes, so some simplifications are made. The presented analysis contributes to the recognition of consequences of such assumptions for the safety of structures, subjected to fire.

Using tree recruitment patterns and fire history to guide restoration of an unlogged ponderosa pine/Douglas‐fir landscape in the southern Rocky Mountains after a century of fire suppression

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kaufmann, M.R.; Huckaby, L.S.; Fornwalt, P.J.; Stoker, J.M.; Romme, W.H.

2003-01-01

Tree age and fire history were studied in an unlogged ponderosa pine/Douglas‐fir ( Pinus ponderosa/Pseudotsuga menziesii ) landscape in the Colorado Front Range mountains. These data were analysed to understand tree survival during fire and post‐fire recruitment patterns after fire, as a basis for understanding the characteristics of, and restoration needs for, an ecologically sustainable landscape. Comparisons of two independent tree age data sets indicated that sampling what subjectively appear to be the five oldest trees in a forest polygon could identify the oldest tree. Comparisons of the ages of the oldest trees in each data set with maps of fire history suggested that delays in establishment of trees, after stand‐replacing fire, ranged from a few years to more than a century. These data indicate that variable fire severity, including patches of stand replacement, and variable temporal patterns of tree recruitment into openings after fire were major causes of spatial heterogeneity of patch structure in the landscape. These effects suggest that restoring current dense and homogeneous ponderosa pine forests to an ecologically sustainable and dynamic condition should reflect the roles of fires and variable patterns of tree recruitment in regulating landscape structure.

Infrared fiber-optic fire sensors - Concepts and designs for Space Station applications

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tapphorn, Ralph M.; Porter, Alan R.

1990-01-01

Various design configurations used for testing IR fiber-optic (IFO) fire-sensor concepts are presented. Responsibility measurements conducted to select the best concept are reviewed. The results indicate that IFO fire-sensor systems based on distributed fiber sensors are feasible for future aerospace applications. For Space Station Freedom, these systems offer alternative fire detectors for monitoring areas within equipment or stage compartments where the ventilation may be inadequate for proper operation of smoke detectors. They also allow a large number of areas to be monitored by a single central detector unit, which reduces the associated cost and weight.

Fire effects in southwestern forests: Proceedings of the Second La Mesa Fire symposium

USGS Publications Warehouse

Allen, Craig D.

1996-01-01

In 1977, the La Mesa Fire burned across 15,444 acres of ponderosa pine forests on the adjoining lands of Bandelier National Monument, the Santa Fe National Forest, and Los Alamos National Laboratory. Following this event, several fire effects studies were initiated. The 16 papers herein document longer-term knowledge gained about the ecological effects of the fire and about Southwestern fire ecology in general. The presentations are also designed to give resource managers practical information for managing fire in local landscapes. Studies presented range from fire histories and avifauna to geomorphology and arthropods.

Alternative Fuels Data Center: Propane Related Links

Science.gov Websites

Amerex Corporation's Vehicle Fire Suppression Systems are designed to warn the vehicle operator and suppress the fire, protecting both equipment and employees. Automatic systems suppress the fire in its

Compressed Natural Gas Vehicle Maintenance Facility Modification Handbook

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Kelly, K.; Melendez, M.; Gonzales, J.

To ensure the safety of personnel and facilities, vehicle maintenance facilities are required by law and by guidelines of the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and the International Fire Code (IFC) to exhibit certain design features. They are also required to be fitted with certain fire protection equipment and devices because of the potential for fire or explosion in the event of fuel leakage or spills. All fuels have an explosion or fire potential if specific conditions are present. This handbook covers the primary elements that must be considered when developing a CNG vehicle maintenance facility design that will protectmore » against the ignition of natural gas releases. It also discusses specific protocols and training needed to ensure safety.« less

Historical dominance of low-severity fire in dry and wet mixed-conifer forest habitats of the endangered terrestrial Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Margolis, Ellis; Malevich, Steven B.

2016-01-01

Anthropogenic alteration of ecosystem processes confounds forest management and conservation of rare, declining species. Restoration of forest structure and fire hazard reduction are central goals of forest management policy in the western United States, but restoration priorities and treatments have become increasingly contentious. Numerous studies have documented changes in fire regimes, forest stand structure and species composition following a century of fire exclusion in dry, frequent-fire forests of the western U.S. (e.g., ponderosa pine and dry mixed-conifer). In contrast, wet mixed-conifer forests are thought to have historically burned infrequently with mixed- or high-severity fire—resulting in reduced impacts from fire exclusion and low restoration need—but data are limited. In this study we quantified the current forest habitat of the federally endangered, terrestrial Jemez Mountains salamander (Plethodon neomexicanus) and compared it to dendroecological reconstructions of historical habitat (e.g., stand structure and composition), and fire regime parameters along a gradient from upper ponderosa pine to wet mixed-conifer forests. We found that current fire-free intervals in Jemez Mountains salamander habitat (116–165 years) are significantly longer than historical intervals, even in wet mixed-conifer forests. Historical mean fire intervals ranged from 10 to 42 years along the forest gradient. Low-severity fires were historically dominant across all forest types (92 of 102 fires). Although some mixed- or highseverity fire historically occurred at 67% of the plots over the last four centuries, complete mortality within 1.0 ha plots was rare, and asynchronous within and among sites. Climate was an important driver of temporal variability in fire severity, such that mixed- and high-severity fires were associated with more extreme drought than low-severity fires. Tree density in dry conifer forests historically ranged from open (90 trees/ha) to moderately dense (400 trees/ha), but has doubled on average since fire exclusion. Infill of fire-sensitive tree species has contributed to the conversion of historically dry mixedconifer to wet mixed-conifer forest. We conclude that low-severity fire, which has been absent for over a century, was a critical ecosystem process across the forest gradient in Jemez Mountains salamander habitat, and thus is an important element of ecosystem restoration, resilience, and rare species recovery.

Restoration of the fire-grazing interaction in Artemisia filifolia shrubland

USGS Publications Warehouse

Winter, S.L.; Fuhlendorf, S.D.; Goad, C.L.; Davis, C.A.; Hickman, K.R.; Leslie, David M.

2012-01-01

Patterns of landscape heterogeneity are crucial to the maintenance of biodiversity in shrublands and grasslands, yet management practices in these ecosystems typically seek to homogenize landscapes. Furthermore, there is limited understanding of how the interaction of ecological processes, such as fire and grazing, affects patterns of heterogeneity at different spatial scales. We conducted research in Artemisia filifolia (Asteraceae) shrublands located in the southern Great Plains of North America to determine the effect of restoring the fire-grazing interaction on vegetation structure. Data were collected for 3years in replicated pastures grazed by cattle Bos taurus where the fire-grazing interaction had been restored (fire and grazing=treatment pastures) and in pastures that were grazed but remained unburned (grazing only, no fire=control pastures). The effect of the fire-grazing interaction on heterogeneity (variance) of vegetation structure was assessed at scales from 12??5m 2 to 609ha. Most measurements of vegetation structure within treatment pastures differed from control pastures for 1-3years after being burned but were thereafter similar to the values found in unburned control pastures. Treatment pastures were characterized by a lower amount of total heterogeneity and a lower amount of heterogeneity through time. Heterogeneity of vegetation structure tended to decrease as the scale of measurement increased in both treatment and control pastures. There was deviation from this trend, however, in the treatment pastures that exhibited much higher heterogeneity at the patch scale (mean patch size=202ha) of measurement, the scale at which patch fires were conducted. Synthesis and applications.Vegetation structure in A. filifolia shrublands of our study was readily altered by the fire-grazing interaction but also demonstrated substantial resilience to these effects. The fire-grazing interaction also changed the total amount of heterogeneity characterizing this system, the scale at which heterogeneity in this system was expressed and the amount of heterogeneity expressed through time. Land managers seeking to impose a shifting mosaic of heterogeneity on this vegetation type can do so by restoring the fire-grazing interaction with potential conservation benefits similar to what has been achieved in other ecosystems where historic cycles of disturbance and rest have been restored. ?? 2011 The Authors. Journal of Applied Ecology ?? 2011 British Ecological Society.

Experimental validation of finite element model analysis of a steel frame in simulated post-earthquake fire environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Huang, Ying; Bevans, W. J.; Xiao, Hai; Zhou, Zhi; Chen, Genda

2012-04-01

During or after an earthquake event, building system often experiences large strains due to shaking effects as observed during recent earthquakes, causing permanent inelastic deformation. In addition to the inelastic deformation induced by the earthquake effect, the post-earthquake fires associated with short fuse of electrical systems and leakage of gas devices can further strain the already damaged structures during the earthquakes, potentially leading to a progressive collapse of buildings. Under these harsh environments, measurements on the involved building by various sensors could only provide limited structural health information. Finite element model analysis, on the other hand, if validated by predesigned experiments, can provide detail structural behavior information of the entire structures. In this paper, a temperature dependent nonlinear 3-D finite element model (FEM) of a one-story steel frame is set up by ABAQUS based on the cited material property of steel from EN 1993-1.2 and AISC manuals. The FEM is validated by testing the modeled steel frame in simulated post-earthquake environments. Comparisons between the FEM analysis and the experimental results show that the FEM predicts the structural behavior of the steel frame in post-earthquake fire conditions reasonably. With experimental validations, the FEM analysis of critical structures could be continuously predicted for structures in these harsh environments for a better assistant to fire fighters in their rescue efforts and save fire victims.

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 108.403a - Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-10-01

... 46 Shipping 4 2011-10-01 2011-10-01 false Fire extinguishing systems: Non-vital services. 108.403a Section 108.403a Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) A-MOBILE OFFSHORE DRILLING UNITS DESIGN AND EQUIPMENT Fire Extinguishing Systems § 108.403a Fire extinguishing systems: Non...

46 CFR 52.25-15 - Fired thermal fluid heaters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2014-10-01 2014-10-01 false Fired thermal fluid heaters. 52.25-15 Section 52.25-15 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING POWER BOILERS Other Boiler Types § 52.25-15 Fired thermal fluid heaters. (a) Fired thermal fluid heaters shall be designed...

46 CFR 52.25-15 - Fired thermal fluid heaters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2013-10-01 2013-10-01 false Fired thermal fluid heaters. 52.25-15 Section 52.25-15 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING POWER BOILERS Other Boiler Types § 52.25-15 Fired thermal fluid heaters. (a) Fired thermal fluid heaters shall be designed...

46 CFR 52.25-15 - Fired thermal fluid heaters.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-10-01

... 46 Shipping 2 2012-10-01 2012-10-01 false Fired thermal fluid heaters. 52.25-15 Section 52.25-15 Shipping COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) MARINE ENGINEERING POWER BOILERS Other Boiler Types § 52.25-15 Fired thermal fluid heaters. (a) Fired thermal fluid heaters shall be designed...

14 CFR 23.1451 - Fire protection for oxygen equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Fire protection for oxygen equipment. 23... Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment § 23.1451 Fire protection for oxygen equipment. Oxygen equipment and lines... in, or escape from, any designated fire zone. (c) Be installed so that escaping oxygen cannot come in...

14 CFR 23.1451 - Fire protection for oxygen equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Fire protection for oxygen equipment. 23... Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment § 23.1451 Fire protection for oxygen equipment. Oxygen equipment and lines... in, or escape from, any designated fire zone. (c) Be installed so that escaping oxygen cannot come in...

14 CFR 23.1451 - Fire protection for oxygen equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Fire protection for oxygen equipment. 23... Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment § 23.1451 Fire protection for oxygen equipment. Oxygen equipment and lines... in, or escape from, any designated fire zone. (c) Be installed so that escaping oxygen cannot come in...

14 CFR 23.1451 - Fire protection for oxygen equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire protection for oxygen equipment. 23... Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment § 23.1451 Fire protection for oxygen equipment. Oxygen equipment and lines... in, or escape from, any designated fire zone. (c) Be installed so that escaping oxygen cannot come in...

14 CFR 23.1451 - Fire protection for oxygen equipment.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 1 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Fire protection for oxygen equipment. 23... Equipment Miscellaneous Equipment § 23.1451 Fire protection for oxygen equipment. Oxygen equipment and lines... in, or escape from, any designated fire zone. (c) Be installed so that escaping oxygen cannot come in...

Designing and Maintaining a Communication Consulting Relationship: A Fire Officer Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cragan, John F.

2008-01-01

This case study describes a 35-year communication consulting relationship with the Illinois Fire Chiefs' Association. This case explains the fire chiefs' educational problems, the five-step method for creating an educational curriculum for fire officers, and the five-step procedure for continuous evaluation of the curriculum. Finally, an…

14 CFR 125.119 - Fire precautions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Fire precautions. 125.119 Section 125.119....119 Fire precautions. (a) Each compartment must be designed so that, when used for storing cargo or... movement of cargo in the compartment and so that damage to or failure of the item would not create a fire...

Integrating fire management analysis into land management planning

Treesearch

Thomas J. Mills

1983-01-01

The analysis of alternative fire management programs should be integrated into the land and resource management planning process, but a single fire management analysis model cannot meet all planning needs. Therefore, a set of simulation models that are analytically separate from integrated land management planning models are required. The design of four levels of fire...

75 FR 35437 - Notice of Request for Extension of a Currently Approved Information Collection

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-22

... from construction of a fire station with fire fighting and rescue equipment to financing a 911 emergency system. These facilities are designed to provide fire protection and emergency rescue services to... for a currently approved information collection in support of the program for Fire and Rescue Loans...

Manual for Public School Facilities: Fire Prevention and Fire Inspection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York State Education Dept., Albany. Bureau of Educational Management Services.

This manual is designed for use by New York public school administrators and facility inspectors, providing instruction for completing the state's Fire Safety Report. It provides background information and details about the State Fire Prevention and Building Code and regulations, and explains the inspection and enforcement processes. One-third of…

Fire in High Buildings. Fire Study No. 21.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Galbreath, M.

Research into and measures of fire protection with regard to high building design are discussed with suggestions for proper building equipment, materials, and planning. The study outlines how smoke and toxic gases spread in high buildings through stairs, service shafts, air handling and heating equipment. The problems of basement fires, means of…

Application of fire and evacuation models in evaluation of fire safety in railway tunnels

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cábová, Kamila; Apeltauer, Tomáš; Okřinová, Petra; Wald, František

2017-09-01

The paper describes an application of numerical simulation of fire dynamics and evacuation of people in a tunnel. The software tool Fire Dynamics Simulator is used to simulate temperature resolution and development of smoke in a railway tunnel. Comparing to temperature curves which are usually used in the design stage results of the model show that the numerical model gives lower temperature of hot smoke layer. Outputs of the numerical simulation of fire also enable to improve models of evacuation of people during fires in tunnels. In the presented study the calculated high of smoke layer in the tunnel is in 10 min after the fire ignition lower than the level of 2.2 m which is considered as the maximal limit for safe evacuation. Simulation of the evacuation process in bigger scale together with fire dynamics can provide very valuable information about important security conditions like Available Safe Evacuation Time (ASET) vs Required Safe Evacuation Time (RSET). On given example in software EXODUS the paper summarizes selected results of evacuation model which should be in mind of a designer when preparing an evacuation plan.

Development of the International Space Station (ISS) Fine Water Mist (FWM) Portable Fire Extinguisher

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clements, Anna L.

2011-01-01

NASA is developing a Fine Water Mist Portable Fire Extinguisher for use on the International Space Station. The International Space Station presently uses two different types of fire extinguishers: a water foam extinguisher in the Russian Segment, and a carbon dioxide extinguisher in the US Segment and Columbus and Kibo pressurized elements. Changes in emergency breathing equipment make Fine Water Mist operationally preferable. Supplied oxygen breathing systems allow for safe discharge of a carbon dioxide fire extinguisher, without concerns of the crew inhaling unsafe levels of carbon dioxide. But the Portable Breathing Apparatus (PBA) offers no more than 15 minutes of capability, and continued use of hose based supplied oxygen system increases the oxygen content in a fire situation. NASA has developed a filtering respirator cartridge for use in a fire environment. It is qualified to provide up to 90 minutes of capability, and because it is a filtering respirator it does not add oxygen to the environment. The fire response respirator cartridge does not filter carbon dioxide (CO2), so a crew member discharging a CO2 fire extinguisher while wearing this filtering respirator would be at risk of inhaling unsafe levels of CO2. Fine Water Mist extinguishes a fire without creating a large volume of air with reduced oxygen and elevated CO2. From a flight hardware design perspective, the fine water mist fire extinguisher has two major elements: (1) the nozzle and crew interface, and (2) the tank. The nozzle and crew interface has been under development for several years. It has gone through several design iterations, and has been part of more than 400 fire challenge and spray characterizations. The crew and vehicle interface aspects of the design will use the heritage of the CO2 based Portable Fire Extinguisher, to minimize the disruption to the crew and integration impacts to the ISS. The microgravity use environment of the system poses a set of unique design requirements specifically for the tank. The nozzle requirements drive a tank pressure that is 2-5 times higher than any commercially available water mist systems. Microgravity requires deliberate separation of gas and water, facilitated by a bladder, a diaphragm, a piston, or separate tanks. This paper will describe the design details of the tank and the nozzle, and discuss the trade studies that informed the decisions to select the tank and nozzle configuration.

The influence of fire on the assemblage structure of foraging birds in grasslands of the Serra da Canastra National Park, Brazil.

PubMed

Reis, Matheus G; Fieker, Carolline Z; Dias, Manoel M

2016-05-13

Grasslands are the most threatened physiognomies of the Cerrado biome (Brazilian savanna), a biodiversity hotspot with conservation as a priority. The Serra da Canastra National Park protects the most important remnants of the Cerrado's southern grasslands, which are under strong anthropogenic pressure. The present study describes the structure of bird assemblages that directly use food resources in burned areas, comparing areas affected by natural fire to the areas where controlled fires were set (a management strategy to combat arson). The tested null hypothesis was that different bird assemblages are structured in a similar manner, regardless of the post-fire period or assessed area. Between December/2012 and January/2015, 92 species were recorded foraging in the study areas. The results indicate that both types of burnings triggered profound and immediate changes in bird assemblages, increasing the number of species and individuals. Natural fires exhibited a more significant influence on the structure (diversity and dominance) than prescribed burnings. Nevertheless, all the differences were no longer noticeable after a relatively short time interval of 2-3 months after prescribed burnings and 3-4 after natural fires. The findings may help the understanding of prescribed burnings as a management strategy for bird conservation in grasslands.

Analytical modeling of fire growth on fire-resistive wood-based materials with changing conditions

Treesearch

Mark A. Dietenberger

2006-01-01

Our analytical model of fire growth for the ASTM E 84 tunnel, which simultaneously predicts heat release rate, flame-over area, and pyrolysis area as functions of time for constant conditions, was documented in the 2001 BCC Symposium for different treated wood materials. The model was extended to predict ignition and fire growth on exterior fire-resistive structures...

Understanding the effects of fire management practices on forest health: implications for weeds and vegetation structure

Treesearch

Anne E. Black; Peter Landres

2012-01-01

Current fire policy to restore ecosystem function and resiliency and reduce buildup of hazardous fuels implies a larger future role for fire (both natural and human ignitions) (USDA Forest Service and U.S. Department of the Interior 2000). Yet some fire management (such as building fire line, spike camps, or helispots) potentially causes both short- and longterm...

Fire and fire surrogate study in the Sierra Nevada: evaluating restoration treatments at Blodgett Forest and Sequoia National Park

Treesearch

Eric E. Knapp; Scott L. Stephens; James D. McIver; Jason J. Moghaddas; Jon E. Keeley

2004-01-01

Management practices have altered both the structure and function of forests throughout the United States. Some of the most dramatic changes have resulted from fire exclusion, especially in forests that historically experienced relatively frequent, low- to moderate-intensity fire regimes. In the Sierra Nevada, fire exclusion is believed to have resulted in widespread...

Relating fire-caused change in forest structure to remotely sensed estimates of fire severity

Treesearch

Jamie M. Lydersen; Brandon M. Collins; Jay D. Miller; Danny L. Fry; Scott L. Stephens

2016-01-01

Fire severity maps are an important tool for understanding fire effects on a landscape. The relative differenced normalized burn ratio (RdNBR) is a commonly used severity index in California forests, and is typically divided into four categories: unchanged, low, moderate, and high. RdNBR is often calculated twice--from images collected the year of the fire (initial...

Coupled numerical simulation of fire in tunnel

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pesavento, F.; Pachera, M.; Schrefler, B. A.; Gawin, D.; Witek, A.

2018-01-01

In this work, a coupling strategy for the analysis of a tunnel under fire is presented. This strategy consists in a "one-way" coupling between a tool considering the computational fluid dynamics and radiation with a model treating concrete as a multiphase porous material exposed to high temperature. This global approach allows for taking into account in a realistic manner the behavior of the "system tunnel", composed of the fluid and the solid domain (i.e. the concrete structures), from the fire onset, its development and propagation to the response of the structure. The thermal loads as well as the moisture exchange between the structure surface and the environment are calculated by means of computational fluid dynamics. These set of data are passed in an automatic way to the numerical tool implementing a model based on Multiphase Porous Media Mechanics. Thanks to this strategy the structural verification is no longer based on the standard fire curves commonly used in the engineering practice, but it is directly related to a realistic fire scenario. To show the capability of this strategy some numerical simulations of a fire in the Brenner Base Tunnel, under construction between Italy and Austria, is presented. The numerical simulations show the effects of a more realistic distribution of the thermal loads with respect to the ones obtained by using the standard fire curves. Moreover, it is possible to highlight how the localized thermal load generates a non-uniform pressure rise in the material, which results in an increase of the structure stress state and of the spalling risk. Spalling is likely the most dangerous collapse mechanism for a concrete structure. This coupling approach still represents a "one way" strategy, i.e. realized without considering explicitly the mass and energy exchange from the structure to the fluid through the interface. This results in an approximation, but from physical point of view the current form of the solid-fluid coupling is considered sufficiently accurate in this first phase of the research.

Improved Sprayable Insulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hill, W. F.; Sharpe, M. H.; Lester, C. N.; Echols, Sherman; Simpson, W. G.; Lambert, J. D.; Norton, W. F.; Mclemore, J. P.; Patel, A. K.; Patel, S. V.;