The second part of the NIST Wind Driven Fire Conditions reports has been released. This part details the experiments and results from the Governor’s Island tests. The lengthy report is a must read for those who desire to better understand not just high rise firefighting, but positive pressure ventilation as well. We should also be aware that as recently as Sunday in Loudoun County (VA)[1] and last month in Houston[2], the impact that wind conditions have on private dwellings as well. To encourage you to read this report, excerpts from the second part are below.

“NIST Technical Note 1629 Fire Fighting Tactics Under Wind Driven Fire Conditions: 7-Story Building Experiments“

“Each of the 14 experiments started with a fire in a furnished room. The air flow for 12 of the 14 experiments was intensified by a natural or mechanical wind. Each of the tools was evaluated individually as well and in conjunction with each other to assess the benefit to fire fighters, as well as occupants in the structure. The data collected used to examine the impact of the PPV fans, WCDs, and the exterior water application tactics were temperature, differential pressure,and gas velocity inside the structure. Each of the experiments was documented with video and thermal imaging cameras. These experiments also captured video of specific fire phenomena that are not typically observable on the fire ground.”

“All of the fires were ignited in furnished rooms of an apartment. Due to excess fuel pyrolysis/generation (lack of ventilation) the room of fire origin could not transition to flashover until windows self-vented and introduced additional fresh air with oxygen to burn. Without a wind imposed on the vented window, the fire did not spread from the room of origin and never left the apartment of origin. Even with no externally applied wind, creating a flow path from the outside, through the fire apartment into the corridor and up the stairs to the open bulkhead on the roof increased the temperatures and velocities in the corridors and in the stairwell resulting in hazardous conditions for fire fighters and untenable conditions for occupants on the fire floor and above in the stairwell.”

“With an imposed wind of 9 m/s to 11 m/s (20 mph to 25 mph) and a flow path through the fire floor and exiting out of the bulkhead door on the roof, temperatures in excess of 400 ºC (752 ºF) and velocities on the order of 10 m/s (22 mph) were measured in the corridor and stairwell above the fire floor. These extreme thermal conditions are not tenable, even for a firefighter in full protective gear.”

“If the fire has vented a window, important information can be gained by observing the behavior of the flame at the window. If the fire apartment has a high pressure relative to the outside due to an imposed wind, the flame will “pulse” out of the window to balance the overpressure. If the flames are being forced out of the window a flow path has been established through the building and the flow direction maybe favorable to interior fire fighting. If the flames are pulsing or being forced into the window, condition may not be favorable to interior firefighting and caution should be used on the approach to the fire floor. Even if flames are being forced out of adjacent windows in the fire apartment with a high amount of energy, there could still be sufficient energy flows on the fire floor to create a hazard for firefighters.”

“Door control is the most basic means to interrupt or control the flow path in the building. The fire floor stair door should be checked for heat or hot gases flowing around the edges. The door should only be opened a few inches at first to look for rapid changes in smoke volume or velocity and/or thermal conditions. If the thermal environment changes quickly, close the door to interrupt the flowpath. In a smoke filled environment, visual changes to conditions may not be apparent with out a thermal imager. A similar approach would be used on the door to the fire apartment.”

“In these experiments, the externally applied water streams were implemented in different ways; a fog stream inserted into the fire room window, a fog stream flowed from the floor below into the fire room window opening, and a solid water stream flowed from the floor below into the fire room window opening. In all cases, the water flows suppressed the fires, thereby causing reductions in temperature in the corridor and the stairwell of at least 50 %. The water flow rates used in these experiments were between 125 gpm and 200 gpm, demonstrating that a relatively small amount of water applied directly to the burning fuels can have a significant impact.”

“Another factor Norman [16] identifies is that the fire does not have to be 20 stories or more above ground for wind to be a factor. Table 1.1-1 demonstrates that these FDNY wind driven fire incidents have occurred as low as the 3rd story above ground. NFPA data shows that the majority of fires in high rise buildings occur below the 7th floor [2].”

“Every experiment began with all of the doors and windows closed with the exception of the door to the furnished bedrooms and the main entrance door from the public corridor to the fire apartment. After ignition, the fire was allowed to grow until it failed the windows in the room or became ventilation limited. The purpose of the experiments was to get a wind driven fire condition. Therefore when an apartment became ventilation limited because of lack of window failure additional doors were opened remotely such as the stairwell door to provide additional air for the fire to grow. In some cases, windows were manually vented to provide additional air flow.”

“Once wind driven conditions were achieved many different openings were made to simulate the operations of a fire department. These operations included opening the front lobby doors for access, entering the stairwell, opening the door from the stairwell to the fire floor, and opening the bulkhead door at the top of the stairwell. In addition to these operations each of the tools to be tested, PPV fans, Wind Control Devices and Floor Below Nozzles were deployed and evaluated.”

“Wind is a factor. As shown in these experiments, wind can significantly increase the thermal hazards of a fire in a structure. Wind conditions will vary at different elevations above the ground floor, on different sides of a building, due to the effects of surrounding structures or topography, or just changes in the wind itself. Therefore wind needs to be considered as part of the intial “size-up” of the fire conditions and continue to be monitored and reported on throughout the fire incident.”

“Smoke is Fuel. A ventilation limited (fuel rich) condition developed prior to the failure of the windows. Oxyge
n depleted combustion products, containing carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and unburned hydrocarbons, filled the rooms of the structure. Once the window failed, the fresh air provided the oxygen needed to sustain the transition through flashover, which caused a significant increase in temperature.”

“Venting does not always equal cooling. In these experiments, the cool air forced into the broken upwind window resulted in an initial period of cooling in the room of origin, typically followed by a transition to flashover, if a flow path was available.”

“Fire induced flows. Velocities within the structure exceeded 5 m/s (11 mph), just due to the fire growth and the flow path that was set-up between the window opening and the open bulkhead door on the roof.”

References
1. “Photos from Loudoun County: Two-alarm house fire on Sunday morning in Broadlands.” STATter911, May 2009
2. “Wind Driven Fires, Houston” Carey, April 2009
Additional Reading
“Examining Firefighting Tactics under Wind Driven Conditions” USFA, revised May 2009
“Wind Driven Conditions – Lab Experiments” Carey, March 2009
“Breaking Down NIST’s ‘Fire Dynamics’” Carey, Firehouse.com, September 2008
“Fire Dynamics for the Fire Service” Carey, September 2008
“Wind Driven Private Dwelling Fires” Carey, June 2008

Some of the latest news developing from the early LODD investigation in Houston involves the possibility of high winds effecting the fire behavior. If so this will not be the first time we have heard of this regarding private dwellings.

“Winds may have been factor in fatal fire“
““One of the things that we’re looking at is the issue of wind-driven fire, did the wind cause the fire to accelerate?” said Tim Merinar program manager for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) fatality investigation program. Merinar said Houston fire officials asked the group to delay its investigation until after services are held for the two fallen firefighters.”"
Houston Chronicle, 13 April 2009

Additional Reading
“Wind Driven Private Dwelling Fires” Carey, June 2008
“Wind Driven Conditions – Lab Experiments” Carey, March 2009

The National Institute of Standards and Technology has released the first report from the wind driven firefighting research. “Fire Fighting Tactics Under Wind Driven Conditions: Laboratory Experiments“. Eight experiments focused on the effects of wind on fire spread and were intended to expose the public hallway to wind driven, post-flashover fire conditions. The use of wind control devices and exterior water application (high-rise nozzle) showed significant reduction of temperature in the public hall. The second report on this subject will detail the research and findings from the tests done on Governor’s Island.

For the fire service nationwide, this research carries not only significant information for approaching high-rise fires, but for approaching a change of tactics as well. We first take notice of this change a year ago when the testing on Governor’s Island was being done. Immediately the research team (firefighters, fire officers and scientists) concluded that strategies and tactics based on fifty years of firefighting may have to be reviewed and possibly changed. Likewise we learned that wind driven fires apply also to private dwellings. The construction type, fire location and extension, and weather conditions all play a part that need to be reconsidered. That ‘blow torch’ in the hall can be found on the second floor of a newly constructed McMansion just as well as on the 21st floor of an OMD. Another significant fact buried in the research data is the delivery of the data itself. Culture change in the fire service is at times impeded my misunderstood tradition. Culture also is prone to prejudices and biases. Within this research, members of the FDNY and other departments have put aside stereotypes (book-smart firefighting) in an effort to find an more effective fire attack that is less punishing. Go back to two statements made from the first wind driven fire findings:

” – maybe sometimes the tactic of sending the guy to the roof to open the bulkhead first before they go open the door to the fire room may not be the right thing”[1]

” – about our attack strategies; send two lines down the public corridor and through the strategy and technology and NIST was able to provide the data, that really we weren’t effective at all and the only thing we were accomplishing was injuring our own members.”[2]

If one of the largest and busiest departments in the nation can openly introduce science into its review of strategy and tactics, then we all should. The statement below sent to me from a fire officer from the Wisconsin area reinforces the need for us to drop the biases and prejudices in order to embrace the science and technology,

“I was there helping at the Chicago tests and I was amazed at NIST’s methodology; and the cooperation between skeptical Firefighters and their academic counterparts. Everyone was putting their opinions, biases, and ideologies aside during the tests and you get documents like this when that happens. I am glad that NIST is beginning to conduct seminal work that is actually going to give firefighters new methods and benchmarks (NIST’s new staffing research), rather than give manufacturers new products to push. Bunker gear and apparatus are better than ever before, sans their seat belts, so it is refreshing that firefighter methods are being born out of objective research to compliment this protection. Let’s ensure that this type of research continues.”

A good firefighter knows how, a better firefighter knows why.

In a related note, the FDNY also recognized the its members of involved in the research in this year’s administrative awards. They are: Battalion Chief Gerald Tracy; Battalion Chief George Healy; Lieutenant John Ceriello; Deputy Chief John Mooney; Battalion Chief Joseph Cunningham; Captain Thomas Yuneman Bureau of Training; Irene Sullivan, Director, Office of Grants Development; Kristin Eng, Videographer/Producer, Audio-Visual Unit. “

The above-listed FDNY members were the core
group of people who worked on the Fireproof
Multiple Dwelling Wind-Driven Fire Project. The City of New York has experienced too many injuries and fatalities to civilians and members of the Fire Department as a result of these kinds of fires. The FDNY needed a new, alternate method of extinguishing fires affected by high winds. This smoke-control research was field-tested in Toledo, Ohio, Chicago and New York City (on Governors Island). As a result of this testing, the Department started a pilot, employing positive-pressure fans, windcontrol devices and a high-rise nozzle for fire extinguishment. Scientific testing and measurement, assisted by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and PolyTech University, proved the effectiveness of these tools and new approaches to firefighting. Additionally, the team developed a training DVD that covered safe operations for Fighting Wind-Driven Fires in High-Rise Multiple Dwellings and the use of this equipment. This program was funded by a federal grant through the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). DHS has used this endeavor as a model on how to effectively use federal grants to solve problems. This project was highlighted at major fire conferences in Denver and Washington, DC. DHS has just awarded the Department $1.4 million to continue with the expansion of the pilot program and training. Because of the team’s constant oversight and dedication, this undertaking was a tremendous success. This project will positively affect how all fire departments operate at wind-driven fires in fireproof multiple dwelling buildings. For their unwavering commitment to research that will save the lives of Firefighters and members of the public, FDNY presents the above-listed members with the James J. Johnston Memorial Medal.[3]

References
[1] Dan Madrzykowski, FDIC interview
[2] Battalion Chief George Healy, FDNY, FDIC interview
[3] “FDNY 2009 Administrative Medals and Awards” FDNY
“Examining Firefighting Tactics under Wind Driven Conditions” U.S. Fire Administration
“Wind Driven Private Dwelling Fires” Carey, June 2008
“Fire Dynamics for the Fire Service” Carey, September 2008

Relating to the Collyer Mansion article on Firehouse.com this month, there was a 2-alarm fire in the Bronx in Co-op City this week. Unless you happened to be listening to the FDNY online you would be hard pressed to find any information about this job. Fires in major cities are a dime a dozen to some in news and this one lost becoming a news story to Alex Rodriguez and a rampaging chimpanzee.

Co-op City is considered the world’s largest cooperative housing project. Located off of the New England Thruway, it is a complex of many large high-rise and townhouse dwellings. Today’s fire was Box 4482 at 100 Casals Place on the 26th floor of the 33-story occupied multiple dwelling. Six minutes into the attack Battalion 15 had Rescue 3 and Squad 61 reporting in with their high-rise blankets; a injured person coming down to EMS and one line in operation. Squad 61 deployed their blanket and a following progress report declared the fire to be knocked down with searches still in progress. Again, if you happened to be listening in, you would also know that some of the companies on both the box and the 10-75 were responding from a earlier auto extrication.

Collyer Mansion conditions in the fire apartment delayed the primary and secondary searches. The final progress report, approximately one hour since the initial dispatch, stated that the secondary search of the fire apartment was negative.

Recently, firefighters here in Prince George’s County worked a house fire that escalated to a Fire Task Force assignment due to Collyer Mansion conditions.
House fire, 4600 block Queensbury Road, Riverdale, MD
“The crew advanced the line into the basement and within 5 minutes of the Engine being on the scene the fire was knocked. Due to extension to the upper floors via the walls, and “Colliers Mansion” conditions inside, command called for a Task Force.”

Below are a number of resources regarding Collyer Mansion conditions, hoarding and pack rat living.

“Did Suburban Town Demolish Man’s Home Without Due Process?
WFLD (IL), 2009

“Task Force Helps Hoarders”
Salem News (MA) January 2009

Note: The link to the WKRC video story is down and has been replaced by WKRC with the following news story. It is a transcipt of the video report
WKRC report of Cincinnati fire involving hoarding

“Ambulance men ‘decided dying man not worth saving’”
London Time, 2008
A wrong approach to Collyer Mansion conditions.

“Cambridge reaches out to those who can’t stop hoarding”
Boston Globe, 2008

“Former Lilly chemist killed in fire”
WISH (IN), 2008
“Firefighters said it took about 30 minutes for them to find Ovelgonne and put the fire out because of all the debris in the house.”

Online resources
Children of Hoarders
Compulsive Hoarding, Obsessive Compulsive Foundation
Bio-Behavioral Institute
Institute of Living, Anxiety Disorder Center

I attended this event yesterday at NIST and was very impressed. There were many members from Montgomery, Fairfax and Prince William counties. I also saw a few of us from PG and DC and out-of-towners as well. A lot of the information presented was the prologue to the PPV research done at Governors Island. Later information involved research and testing done in two live fire training line of duty deaths (Florida and Pennsylvania) and other significant fires such as:

Vandalia Street (NY)
Cherry Road (DC)
Iowa (private dwelling), 22 December 1999
Texas (McDonald’s restaurant), 14 February 2000
The Station Nightclub
Cook County Administration Bldg., Chicago
Prince William County, VA

One of FH’s reporters was there and I saw Bobby Halton of FE there as well, so expect to see at least a blurb on the two sites at some point. I’ll be writing more about the lecture itself later. Some big things that are still in my mind a day later are:

* NIST (Kerber and Madrzykowski) is fully intent on getting this information to fire departments everywhere. As Steve said in the presentation, “think of this as a train the trainer program”. There is no copyright information on the material specifically for you to take and use and pass along. Each attendee came away with 10 discs of the specific research done in each test. You can still contact them for the information, madzry@nist.gov or skerber@nist.gov

* This is not written in a way that is over the head of the backstep firefighter. The information does not delve into the various formulas and equations. You are given a basic understanding to assist you in interpreting and understanding the data and results.

* This is not “slide rule firefighting” (a PG term, i.e. book smart). There were many, many engine men and truckies eagerly looking into why fires are doing what they do and what more can we learn and then actually use.

* Our basic, tried and true tactics may need to at the very least, be re-evaluated. This is not your grandfather’s fire service anymore.

* We (fire service) learn very little about fire behavior in our required training.

* “Only smoke showing”; our sizeup evaluations and reports are getting complacent and we do not even know it.

* In the various tests, thermal imaging cameras are not showing the heat in the screen (the temperature digits are shown), i.e. the “white” areas. So the viewer is misled into thinking the area is somewhat tenable. This also coincides with the post-investigation statements of “we felt a lot of heat but saw no flame.”

* TICs cannot be relied upon to reveal indications of possible floor collapse during basement fires.

* The fire service tends to zero in on single faults in construction. We need to look at the whole of the structure.

* There is a huge difference between tactics and theory. What is learned (NIST presentation) needs to be put to the test in the field.

* The fire behavior arch (the stages of growth) has changed.

* Firefighters are getting injured and killed in post-flashover fires.

Remember, this isn’t slide rule firefighting. NIST’s purposes are to recreate the conditions, gather data and test hypothesis. In the incidents above they were asked to participate by the involved departments and other organizations.

The purpose of this research is to help reduce the fatalities and injuries. They are fully aware that it still requires stretching a line and putting water on the fire.

Personally, I believe this research and later research will become this generation’s “little drops of water”.

Sadly, I also believe considering “behavior” that long before we see any new widespread adoption of new PPV tactics, we will see firefighters burned or killed because someone will, with only half the knowledge, place a PPV fan on the fire floor hallway of a high-rise or mid-rise fire and start it up as part of a poorly evaluated and planned initial attack.

If you don’t think so then look back at all the YouTube videos showing improper use of PPV at private dwellings.

More later. You can find the specific information NIST is doing online on the Fire.gov link to the left.