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Residential detector sample test board used in study.
Interaction between smoke alarms and residential sprinklers of the type required in new homes also was studied. Tests reaffirmed earlier findings that smoke alarms of either type will activate faster than sprinklers. Another observation was that later activation times implied that residential sprinkler installations always should include smoke
alarms (as currently required in National Fire Protection Association Standards 13D and 13R) to provide greater escape time for those capable of escaping. To learn more about the tests, the complete report, Performance of Home Smoke Alarms: Analysis of the Response of Several Available Technologies in Residential Fire Settings,
may be downloaded as a PDF file at: http://smokealarm.nist.gov.
For additional information, contact Richard Bukowski (1) + 301-975-6853, richard.bukowski@nist.gov .
The opening of the $100 million Bushfire Cooperative Research Center (CRC) is a salvo launched by the Australian government, firefighters, researchers, and industry in the fight against bushfires.
Bush fire fighting
Bushfire CRC is a relatively new resource that was established under the Commonwealth Government’s Cooperative Research Centres Program to better manage the bushfire risk to the Australian community. It will not only increase understanding of bushfires but also offer better knowledge of how to control them. The risk of bushfires will be managed in a more economical and environmentally smart manner, in addition to increasing the ability of communities to independently manage this risk.
Do you want to know about the intentional burning fire ban in Victoria? The Bushfire Cooperative Research Center (CRC) is just the place to find the answer(s). Go to www.bushfirecrc.com and click on the weather reports icon on the home page for the site of the Bureau of Meteorology. This site provides weather and related information including what should be (or should not be) done today! Other weather areas of interest, for example, Flood Warnings, Radar Images, Satellite Imagery and other weather phenomena are available.
Research results will be shared quickly by fire agencies, farmers, and communities because of the coordinated approach by the CRCs. Press releases providing timely information on current research projects are readily available. Publications and press releases are made available in the Public Documents area of the site. Another way to locate information on available publications would be to identify the researcher from the Research web page and contact them directly. For additional information contact: Derek McCormack, Communications Coordinator, e-mail, derek.mccormack@bushfirecrc.com .
A fire location and suppression system with computer controlled water nozzles for locating and suppressing fires in large open spaces has been developed by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC). The fire location is identified by the computer vision system that looks at the space through a digital video camera fixed near the end of the nozzle. While the camera is pivoting, continuous images are taken by the video monitor and transmitted to a computer.
The images then are processed using the USTC’s IFDM (Image Fire Detection Method) to determine whether a fire occurs in the computer controlled monitor’s vision field. Once a fire is detected, the water stream from the nozzle is directed by the video for automatic pinpoint suppression.
To test and evaluate the technology, experiments were conducted in a large test hall which is 30 meters high, 30 meters
long and 18 meters wide. The computer controlled nozzle and camera were installed on one wall at the height of 10 meters. Fuels in different tests were placed in a line on the ground of the hall every two meters apart from the nozzle. Different fuels such as diesel oil, wood, and paper boxes were tested separately. To learn more, see the paper: “Fire Location and Suppression with Automatic Hydrant in Big Space” by Hongyong Yuan,
Tao Chen, Guofeng Su, and Weichen Fan, presented at the Second NRIFD Symposium—Science, Technology and Standards for Fire Suppression, July17-19, 2002, Mitaka, Toyko, Japan, sponsored by the National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster.
For additional information, contact Dr. Hongyoung Yuan, yuanhy@ustc.edu.cn.