Society of Fire Protection Engineers Series – serie

This Handbook is focused on structural resilience in the event of fire. It serves as a single point of reference for practicing structural and fire protection engineers on the topic of structural fire safety. It is also stands as a key point of reference for university students engaged with structural fire engineering.

This Handbook is focused on structural resilience in the event of fire. It serves as a single point of reference for practicing structural and fire protection engineers on the topic of structural fire safety. It is also stands as a key point of reference for university students engaged with structural fire engineering.

This Guide provides information on special topics that affect the fire safety performance of very tall buildings, their occupants and first responders during a fire.  This Guide addresses these topics as part of the overall building design process using performance-based fire protection engineering concepts as described in the SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance Based Fire Protection. This Guide is not intended to be a recommended practice or a document that is suitable for adoption as a code. The Guide pertains to “super tall,” “very tall” and “tall” buildings. Throughout this Guide, all such buildings are called “very tall buildings.”  These buildings are characterized by heights that impose fire protection challenges; they require special attention beyond the protection features typically provided by traditional fire protection methods. This Guide does not establish a definition of buildings that fall within the scope of this document.

This Guide provides information on special topics that affect the fire safety performance of very tall buildings, their occupants and first responders during a fire.  This Guide addresses these topics as part of the overall building design process using performance-based fire protection engineering concepts as described in the SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance Based Fire Protection. This Guide is not intended to be a recommended practice or a document that is suitable for adoption as a code. The Guide pertains to “super tall,” “very tall” and “tall” buildings. Throughout this Guide, all such buildings are called “very tall buildings.”  These buildings are characterized by heights that impose fire protection challenges; they require special attention beyond the protection features typically provided by traditional fire protection methods. This Guide does not establish a definition of buildings that fall within the scope of this document.

​This engineering practice Guide, based on the DETACT-QS program, describes a model for predicting the response time of ceiling-mounted heat detectors/sprinklers and smoke detectors, installed under large unobstructed ceilings, for fires with user-defined, time-dependent heat release rate curves. The Guide provides information on the technical features, theoretical basis, assumptions, limitations, and sensitivities as well as guidance on the use of DETACT-QS. Evaluation is based on comparing predictions from DETACT-QS with results from full-scale fire experiments conducted in compartments with ceiling heights ranging from 2.44 m (8 ft) to 12.2 m (40 ft) and peak fire heat release rates ranging from 150 kW to 3.8 MW. Use of this model with building geometries or fire characteristics other than those used in this evaluation may require further evaluation or testing.

The fundamental purpose of this handbook is to raise awareness about environmental impacts of fire and fire suppression, primarily within the fire engineering and firefighting communities, but also within the environmental engineering and planning disciplines. The Handbook provides readers with a fundamental understanding of the problem and its magnitude and includes a set of tools and methods for assessing environmental, social and financial impacts, and a set of tools for identifying and selecting appropriate mitigation options.

The fundamental purpose of this handbook is to raise awareness about environmental impacts of fire and fire suppression, primarily within the fire engineering and firefighting communities, but also within the environmental engineering and planning disciplines. The Handbook provides readers with a fundamental understanding of the problem and its magnitude and includes a set of tools and methods for assessing environmental, social and financial impacts, and a set of tools for identifying and selecting appropriate mitigation options.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of deaths and injuries from residential fires as well as the most up to date information on evidence-based approaches to reduce this problem. The volume serves as a guide for professionals working in the field of fire prevention and as a textbook for instruction in universities and fire service schools.  The authors’ interdisciplinary approach, where public health methodology is combined with fire protection engineering, medicine, and policy science, is quite distinctive outside of the technical literature devoted to larger scale fire events. Traditional textbooks on fire protection tend to describe the problem as purely technical, whereas in essence it is a problem of human vulnerability. In this book, readers will find lucid and rigorous descriptions of various risk groups and effective preventive measures that are effective, both in general and with respect to the different risk groups. They will also find work processes to facilitate risk reduction.  Summarizing state-of-the-art knowledge and giving guidance for the future, both in terms of preventive efforts and ongoing research, Residential Fire Safety: An Interdisciplinary Approach, is ideal for students, educators, and practitioners of residential fire protection.

This book provides a comprehensive overview of deaths and injuries from residential fires as well as the most up to date information on evidence-based approaches to reduce this problem. The volume serves as a guide for professionals working in the field of fire prevention and as a textbook for instruction in universities and fire service schools.  The authors’ interdisciplinary approach, where public health methodology is combined with fire protection engineering, medicine, and policy science, is quite distinctive outside of the technical literature devoted to larger scale fire events. Traditional textbooks on fire protection tend to describe the problem as purely technical, whereas in essence it is a problem of human vulnerability. In this book, readers will find lucid and rigorous descriptions of various risk groups and effective preventive measures that are effective, both in general and with respect to the different risk groups. They will also find work processes to facilitate risk reduction.  Summarizing state-of-the-art knowledge and giving guidance for the future, both in terms of preventive efforts and ongoing research, Residential Fire Safety: An Interdisciplinary Approach, is ideal for students, educators, and practitioners of residential fire protection.

This engineering guide provides a methodology to define and quantify the fire development andensuing conditions within the room of fire origin from the fire’s incipient stage through its fulldevelopment. The approach presented in this guide was developed using the framework set forthin the SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance-Based Fire Protection. 2nd ed., Quincy, Mass.:National Fire Protection Association, 2007.)It consists of three distinct parts:1.Approach selection2.Input definition and data collection3.Results computationSpecifically, this guide was developed for use as a means to implement the requirements presented in Chapter 10 of the SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance-Based Fire Protection. However, material within this guide has broader applicability and is therefore not limited to performance-based design applications.

This engineering guide provides a methodology to define and quantify the fire development andensuing conditions within the room of fire origin from the fire’s incipient stage through its fulldevelopment. The approach presented in this guide was developed using the framework set forthin the SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance-Based Fire Protection. 2nd ed., Quincy, Mass.:National Fire Protection Association, 2007.)It consists of three distinct parts:1.Approach selection2.Input definition and data collection3.Results computationSpecifically, this guide was developed for use as a means to implement the requirements presented in Chapter 10 of the SFPE Engineering Guide to Performance-Based Fire Protection. However, material within this guide has broader applicability and is therefore not limited to performance-based design applications.

The SFPE Guide to Fire Risk Assessment provides guidance to qualified practitioners in developing, selecting, and using fire risk assessment methodologies for the design, construction, and operation of buildings, facilities, or processes. It also addresses fire risk acceptability, the role of fire risk assessment and fire risk management in the fire safety design process, and associated communication/ monitoring of fire risk.The guide Includes a new flow chart that outlines the risk assessment process. It also includes new information related to:Risk PerceptionF-N curvesRisk communicationResidual risk managementRisk monitoringSensitivity analysisThe guide also provides clear guidance on conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis. It also uses examples that reinforce topics discussed.

The SFPE Guide to Fire Risk Assessment provides guidance to qualified practitioners in developing, selecting, and using fire risk assessment methodologies for the design, construction, and operation of buildings, facilities, or processes. It also addresses fire risk acceptability, the role of fire risk assessment and fire risk management in the fire safety design process, and associated communication/ monitoring of fire risk.The guide Includes a new flow chart that outlines the risk assessment process. It also includes new information related to:Risk PerceptionF-N curvesRisk communicationResidual risk managementRisk monitoringSensitivity analysisThe guide also provides clear guidance on conducting qualitative and quantitative analysis. It also uses examples that reinforce topics discussed.

This book offers an overview of European testing methods for fire protection materials.Used in a broad range of applications, these materials are designed to ensure that fires do not occur, or that their effects are combated to the greatest extent possible. The book deals with methods not only for the construction industry but also, for example, for furniture / interior furnishings, plastics, and clothing, including special-purpose clothing for firefighters and rescuers, explosive mixtures, the intensity of smoke, etc. This comprehensive book examines standardized testing methods, while also assessing large-scale tests and specialized non-standardized tests and providing information on various materials and their behavior when exposed to flame.

This book offers an overview of European testing methods for fire protection materials.Used in a broad range of applications, these materials are designed to ensure that fires do not occur, or that their effects are combated to the greatest extent possible. The book deals with methods not only for the construction industry but also, for example, for furniture / interior furnishings, plastics, and clothing, including special-purpose clothing for firefighters and rescuers, explosive mixtures, the intensity of smoke, etc. This comprehensive book examines standardized testing methods, while also assessing large-scale tests and specialized non-standardized tests and providing information on various materials and their behavior when exposed to flame.

This volume provides the information and methodology needed to predict the thermal boundary condition for a fire over time. The methods contained herein are based on experimental measurements and correlations, and mostly give global rather than local results. Eventually, computational fluid dynamics methods for fire must be subjected to some of the same tests used here and judged accordingly for accuracy and application.

This volume provides the information and methodology needed to predict the thermal boundary condition for a fire over time. The methods contained herein are based on experimental measurements and correlations, and mostly give global rather than local results. Eventually, computational fluid dynamics methods for fire must be subjected to some of the same tests used here and judged accordingly for accuracy and application.

This book provides readers an approach to overall fire and life-life design of high-rise buildings in a way that meets all stakeholders’ objectives. It describes how China began constructing tall and super tall buildings decades ago and imparts many lessons learned through those experiences along with similar projects from all over the world. The author explains the technology and culture for tall building design in China as a context for how the world seeks to ensure fire and life safety in these remarkable structures.

This book provides readers an approach to overall fire and life-life design of high-rise buildings in a way that meets all stakeholders’ objectives. It describes how China began constructing tall and super tall buildings decades ago and imparts many lessons learned through those experiences along with similar projects from all over the world. The author explains the technology and culture for tall building design in China as a context for how the world seeks to ensure fire and life safety in these remarkable structures.