Coordination of suppression and ventilation in single-family homes

UL FSRI study details the effects of flow path control on victim survivability


This is the first article in a three-part series of articles about the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute’s recent analysis of coordinated fire attack operations. Read Part 2 about the coordination of suppression and ventilation in strip malls and Part 3 about the coordination of suppression and ventilation in multi-family dwellings.

In mid-March, the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute released the latest in a series of fire research studies concerning single-family dwelling fires – a 430-page report entitled “Analysis of the Coordination of Suppression and Ventilation in Single-Family Homes.”

This research was funded through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant (AFG) program, primarily to help with firefighter safety at our most prevalent and most deadly fire response: a structure fire in a single-family dwelling. The report is the first of three reports issued as part of the “Study of Coordinated Fire Attack Utilizing Acquired Structures” project.

The study utilized eight acquired structures in the Ohio communities of Sidney and Xenia, and included a total of 20 fire experiments – 14 fire scenarios in bedrooms and six in kitchen areas.

The experiments reviewed the effects on fire growth from various ventilation techniques; control of flow paths, such as from the door of entry; and both interior and exterior suppression techniques. The study also measured whether there was improvement in conditions for potential fire victims based on both suppression and ventilation tactics.

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