FEMA Fire Project

In the winter of 1998, a fire ball roared down a tenth floor hallway of a nursing home in New York City. Three brave fire fighters who were searching victims became victims themselves as the temperature rose in a matter of seconds to well over 2000 degrees. The heat turned the cement-block hallway into glass. Inside the apartment the concrete ceiling spalled so badly that the steel rods were exposed. A fire-load of this conflagration?

The ensuing investigation found that the apartment had a relatively small fire load but the wind, which was blowing into open the apartment window at approximately 20 mph, fed enough oxygen to engulf this relatively small fire-load. In addition, the space outside the apartment was pressurized by the super heated gasses, creating the conditions that ultimately doomed these brave souls.

High rise fires are among the most technically complex and deadly operations for firefighters and the public. It is estimated that high rise fires account for a loss of up to $26 billion annually, much of which is accountable to smoke and heat damage.

From 1996 to 2004 one hundred civilians and twelve firefighters were killed in high rise fires nationally. In New York City 16 civilians and five firefighters perished, proving that these incidents are among the most difficult emergencies to manage for fire commanders.

With increasing concentration of high rise buildings and the threat of terrorist attack still looming, the fire departments are seeking to investigate new techniques of safer, more efficient high rise fire operations.

The FEMA-FIRE Project at in collaboration with FDNY (Fire Department of New York) and NIST (National Institute of Standard and Technology), funded by AFG (Assistance to Firefighters Grant), is an example of blending scientific mindset into Fire Culture.