Past News

NIST Firebrand Device Could Save U.S. and Japanese Homes

Crackling embers and glowing firebrands might make for a romantic evening in front of the fireplace, but for homeowners in high fire-risk areas, windborne fire material is the stuff of nightmares. To learn how to mitigate such threats, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) researchers have built a firebrand generator that can be used to study the way firebrands ignite structures.  Details...

Fire Tests Examine Structural Collapse Hazards and Warning Devices

Approximately 20 percent of the deaths of fire fighters in structure fires over the past 10 years have been as a result of structural collapse. Predicting a potential collapse is one of the most challenging tasks facing an incident commander at a fire scene. The test burns, carried out in cooperation with the Delaware County (Pa.) Emergency Services Training Center (ESTC), are part of a multi-year NIST project to investigate potential tools and techniques for predicting structural collapse.  Details...

NIST Begins Technical Study of South Carolina Warehouse Fire

Within 36 hours of the fire, NIST had a reconnaissance team of fire experts on site to assess the situation and gather data about the fire as well as the subsequent collapse of the Super Sofa Store building. Based on that reconnaissance, NIST has determined that additional study is warranted.  Details...

NIST Prepares to Examine Tactics Under Wind Driven Fire Conditions with FDNY on Governor's Island

Starting in February, NIST, partnering with FDNY and Polytechnic University will conduct experiments in order to improve the safety of fire fighters and building occupants by enabling a better understanding of wind driven firefighting tactics, including structural ventilation and suppression.  Further objectives include developing technical information that will enhance our understanding of the dynamics of fire phenomena and prediction of fire intensity and growth under wind driven conditions.  The data from this research will help to identify methods of improved standard operating guidelines (SOG) for the fire service to enhance firefighter safety, fire ground operations, and use of equipment.   Details...

NIST Partners With the NFPA Research Foundation

A series of experiments was conducted in our Large Fire Laboratory to examine the impact of wind control curtains and externally applied hose streams on a wind driven fire.  The results from these experiments will allow us to better understand the fire dynamics within a structure and provide guidance as to the important measurements needed in the future experiments in a high-rise on Governor's Island in New York City.   Details...

NIST Releases Second Report on High-rise Experiments Conducted with the Chicago Fire Department

The report that details the experiments conducted with the Chicago Fire Department, "Evaluating Positive Pressure Ventilation In Large Structures: High-rise Fire Experiments,"  is available for download in the PPV section.  There are short video clips for download and a training DVD set including over 25 hours of test footage will be available in April. Details...