Spring - 2004 

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Home Smoke Alarms work with Faster Fires

Mini Fire Trucks Par of the Iraqi War Effort

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Australians Use Research to Attack Bushfires

Large Spaces Controlled by Computer Monitors

Page 3

Training Web Site and CDs Aid Firefighters

Predicting Structural Collapse

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NIOSH/RAND Study to Protect Firefighters

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Home Smoke Alarms Work with Faster Fires

“The three-minute escape window for flaming fires differs from the 17 minutes NIST recorded in its seminal smoke alarm tests in the 1970s” said Richard Bukowski, the NIST researcher who conducted both the early work and a new series of fire tests. 

New research demonstrates that the three-minute warning time provides enough time to save lives. It also shows that two types of commercially available home smoke alarms

(ionization or photoelectric) are effective.  In addition, the recent two-year NIST home smoke alarm study indicated ionization smoke alarms responded faster to flaming fires; photoelectric smoke alarms responded quicker to smoldering fires.  Smoke alarm placement was studied in the tests that revealed how closed bedroom doors and proper placement of smoke alarms affected one’s chances of survival.

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Instrumentation for measurement of temperature, primary gas analysis, smoke obscuration, and smoke alarm response time.

To fight wars, fire suppression is vital and space is critical on aircraft. For equipment deployment, the smaller the vehicle, the greater the number of vehicles or other supplies that can be carried per flight. 

The U. S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) studied the capabilities of reduced-size high pressure fire extinguishment for Aircraft Crash and Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF), and for the First Response Expeditionary (FRE) fire response vehicles. 

Helping to meet the challenges faced by deployment of fire fighting equipment for the Iraq war, small, compact, and effective fire fighting vehicles based on

the results of AFRL research were produced in a short amount of time.  

The FRE consists of a 22 HP Briggs and Stratton engine with a 3-cylinder 1500-psi plunger pump.  The 52-gallon system is capable of flowing 14 gpm of foam/water in a mist, stream, or aspirated foam. 

This compact, lightweight system is an invaluable contribution because it allows for lightweight systems to be transported on military HUMMVs, Gators or other small vehicles.

The benefits to the military are that the FRE Fire Vehicle provides a lightweight system for effective crash/rescue fire fighting services on deployments.

FRE Fire Vehicles can effectively extinguish 2-D and 3-D fires with one-fifth the agent.  They are easy to use, are virtually maintenance free and adaptable to a wide variety of vehicle platforms. 

Aircraft Crash and Rescue Fire Fighting (ARFF) vehicle [right] and First Response Expeditionary (FRE) vehicle [left].

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