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Researchers are analyzing patterns of spikes in data on a graph that may help them design an early earning system to identify a building collapse. The information was captured by sensitive instruments that detected tiny wall vibrations as a building burned in a controlled fire test in May 2002. NIST cooperating with the Dale City and Prince William County (Virginia) Fire Departments set fires in vacant stores in a shopping center in Woodbridge, Virginia scheduled to be demolished. Fire Research Engineers from NIST grantee Harvey Mudd College, in Claremont, CA, tested the capability of highly sensitive motion
detectors to detect pre-collapse vibrations of walls in the lightweight steel frame building construction during fires large enough to cause collapse of steel deck roofs. The researchers hope to develop a methodology for interpreting the vibration data to enable the development of warning devices. A future warning device that uses this technology could be attached to burning buildings by firefighters or installed into the structure permanently. Advanced warning of unsafe structures can reduce the risks to firefighters and rescue workers from collapsing walls or falling roofs.
Previously, NIST and Harvey Mudd researchers used the same sensors to collect data on pre-collapse structural vibrations in two other burn tests: A wood framed house in Kinston, NC (the test is described in the Winter 2002 issue of FIRE.GOV) and a wood frame warehouse in Phoenix, AZ. All three NIST structural collapse experiments were part of a two-year series sponsored by the US Fire Administration.
For additional information, contact: Professor Ziyad Duron at Harvey Mudd College, (1) + 909-607-3883 or e-mail: ziyad.duron@hmc.edu.
Roof collapses in shopping center store fire.
Measurements of building vibrations during fire up to roof collapse.
What Factors Determine Situational Awareness?
The fire environment calls for critical decision making under extreme stress and the decisions often determine whether or not one survives the fire. Situational awareness (SA) is a cognitive construct that is important to consider in human behavior in fires because SA is linked to human performance. Lack of SA leads to errors in judgment and response during critical events; SA is related to expertise and also is considered the basis for decision making. Lt. Stephen J. Walsh (Quincy, MA, Fire Department) conducted a study with professional firefighters and emergency medical technicians for over a decade to learn what factors indicate a presence of SA in the critical fire environment.
Later, the results of the study were presented at the Worcester, MA, International Symposium of the International Association for Fire Safety Science. Seven SA factors were identified by the group: Training, experience, commitment, confidence, physical awareness, fear and size-up. To achieve better operational performances, trainers should be mindful of these factors to improve operational performance. Emergency responder will continue to train and gain experience. SA is one of the building blocks in expert performance. It is the first step in decision making.
As more trainers become aware of using SA, greater opportunities for usage will evolve. One potential usage of this cognitive process is in performance based code design and compliance, for example, considering critical tasks such as emergency evacuations.
To learn more about this study, contact Stephen Walsh, (1) + 781-925-9679, firefamily2000@hotmail.com.
Click HERE to see the report: Improved Calculation of Fire-Fighting Water-Flow Requirement – The Key To Strategic Management of Fire-Hydrant Provision.
Enhanced accuracy in the three stages of situational awareness decreases risk.