Fire Development

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Fire Development
‘The Front Room Fire’ video reflects how a normal
domestic living room was likely to behave if a fire started in
it prior to changes in Furniture Regulations and
Building Regulations guidance.

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 Electrical safety 
Housekeeping  
Waste management  
Smoking controls  

Risk

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Arson prevention 
Naked flames?  
Hot work permits
Cooking controls 
Flammable liquids?  
Storage management
Use of  cylinder s  
Mechanical sparks
Other risks of fire!!!
FRA Considerations

Ignition
Fire development
Fire

Fire & smoke spread

Detection 
Time from ignition

Pre‐alarm investigation

Alarm

Recognition time
Automatic or manual intervention?

Response time
Evacuation strategy
Safety margin

Flashover 
Hazard

Management from prevention measures through to protection measures

Safe 

Decay/intervention
Unsafe 
Fire Development
‘The Front Room Fire 2 ’ video reflects how a normal
domestic living room is likely to behave if a fire starts in it –
new regulations & guidance have been introduced
regarding furniture and smoke.

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What is Smoke?
Production of smoke particles
Under conditions of complete combustion, fuel will be
completely burnt to stable gaseous products – primarily
water vapour and CO2. However, this is rarely, if ever,
achieved in diffusion flames.

Methane (CH4) Oxygen (O2) Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Water (H2O)

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What is Smoke, other than H2O & CO2? H CN
H CN
H CN C O
C O
C O
C O
C O
H CN
H CN
C O C O

C O
PU foam molecule C O
H CN H CN
C O H CN

H CN
C O

H CN H CN

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Production of Smoke Particles

Soot is made up of clumps of Wall insert ethanol fuel steel

these molecules all stuck together, fireplace smokeless fire.
e.g. polystyrene produces by far
the greatest yield of smoke,
because it is has lots of carbon
molecules.

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 =/> 80%

1 Kg timber

8 – 20% soot
< 200g charred timber particles

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Man Made Materials, e.g. PU foam

10 – 50 ppm

3,200 ppm – dizziness

in 5 minutes Approx 35 ppm

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Development of a Smoke Plume
Smoke Buoyancy

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Development of a Smoke Plume
Position of the fire

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Development of a Smoke Plume
Position of the fire

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Development of a Smoke Plume
Fire Risk Assessment
• Set fire to a bin in the middle of
a yard, and the flames
produced may reach a metre or
so above the surface
• Set fire to the same bin when it
is in the inside corner of an
alcove of a building, and the
flames will reach the eves of
the building in no time.

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 Introduction to
Course Workbook

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Syndicate Mini-Exercises
Day 1
• Means of escape and
assistance to the fire
and rescue service
• Control over fire spread
• Fire doors & glazing
• Fire detection & alarms
• Emergency lighting &
signage
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Day 2
• Fire fighting equipment
• People & fire
• Fire related legislation
• Fire safety management
issues
• Principles of fire risk
assessment
• Practical aspects of the
fire risk assessment
process
The Dingle Office Building

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MacLay House Exercise – Day 3

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 Any
Questions?

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Presentation History
Fire Development and Syndicate Exercise
Date created: 23rd March 2016 Author: Unknown Approver: S Skarratt

Superseded presentation:

Videos / linked objects:

Version control info: FSFRA3D_FireDevelopmentandSyndicateExercise_v1_20160323

Amendments
Date Summary of Change Requester Approver

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