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This section mainly refers to the videos of Governors Island Fire Tests, selected video clips to show the effectiveness of PPV, Wind Control Device Deployment, High Rise Nozzle Operation. Also the videos of lab experiments conducted by NIST with the support of Fire Protection Research Foundation and U.S. Fire Administration, are available in this section.
Fire without PPV
This is fire simulation generated by FDS, for the imaginary fire fighting event (with absence of PPV) in one of the small apartment on fifth floor of Building # 844 at Governor's Island, NY. The simulation model has been designed based on real dimensions of building and limitation of computational domain in FDS.
In this simulation, the fire apartment is furnished with sofa, carpet, table etc. to provide sufficient fire load and fire is assumed to start under the sofa. It progresses over the apartment and T shaped public hallway. After certain time the window is assumed to fail. As the fire is completely developed, fire fighter comes and opens the stairwell door on the fifth floor in the ABSENSE of PPV. Temperatures are being observed in a plane perpendicular to the respective stairwell door, which is passing through it. It can be observed that as soon as the fire fighter open the door, the hot smoke and flames coming out of the door can harm the fire fighter very quickly. Also it decreases the visibility inside the stairwell for further fire rescue operations.
Nozzle Operation
This video shows the remote fire suppression technique by water flow through high rise nozzle applied from safe vantage point.
This video was shot during burn test at Building # 844, Governor's Island, NY. The fire was developed inside the fire apartment and the fire was progressing into public hallway. The view through thermal imaging camera placed in public hallway is shown on left hand corner. Before deployment of water flow through high rise nozzle, the rapid propagation fire flame into public hallway can be observed in left hand corner window. As the water flow through high rise nozzle enters into the apartment, its fire suppression effect can be observed in this video.
Stairwell Pressurization
This video shows the results of stairwell pressurization and its ability to drive away the hot smoke from stairwell to increase the visibility and reduce the temperature. This video was shot during stairwell pressurization test at Building # 844, Governor's Island, NY.
The fire was developed inside the fire apartment. Hot smoke was progressed inside public hallway and stairwell (respective stairwell door was open). Then PPV fan placed at ground floor was started to pressurize the stairwell. Through thermal imaging camera placed inside stairwell it was observed that as soon as PPV fan was started to pressurize the stairwell, the positive pressure created by PPV was able to drive away the hot smoke and can help fire fighter in fire rescue operation.
Wind Control Curtain
This video shows the effectiveness of wind control devices in order that it reduces the wind flow into air apartment, which in turn negates or possibly eliminates the wind driven effect on fire.
This video was shot during burn test at Building # 844, Governor's Island, NY. The fire was developed inside the fire apartment on top floor. The extent of fire can be seen by observing flames coming out of living room window of apartment. Due to absence of natural windy conditions on respective test day, the wind driven effect was generated by blowing air into fire apartment using fan. The WCD (wind control devices) deployment unit of fire fighters is on the location above the window failure. The wind driven effect prior to deployment of WCD can be observed through the fire flames coming out of the living room of apartment. It can be seen in the video that after the deployment of WCD the progress of fire flames has been reduced, which discovers the effectiveness of WCD in reduction of wind driven effect for high rise fires.
Overview of wind driven fire experiments
This section includes the videos which provide problem (Wind Driven High Fires) description of the research, the need and benefits of this research for the fire service.
Governor's Island Fire Experiemnts
Lab tests
The National Institute of Standards and Technology, with the support of the Fire Protection Research Foundation and the U.S. Fire Administration conducted eight fire experiments to examine the impact of wind on fire spread through a multiroom structure and examine the capabilities of wind-control devices (WCD) and externally applied water to mitigate the hazard. The measurements used to examine the impact of the WCDs and the external water application tactics were heat release rate, temperature, heat flux, and gas velocity inside the structure. Measurements of oxygen, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, total hydrocarbons and differential pressures were also measured. Each of the experiments was recorded with video and thermal imaging cameras. The experiments were designed to expose a public corridor area to a wind driven, post-flashover apartment fire. The door from the apartment to the corridor was open for each of the experiments. The conditions in the corridor were of critical importance because that is the portion of the building that firefighters would use to approach the fire apartment or that occupants from an adjoining apartment would use to exit the building.
Please Click Here to see the full report
Governers island fire experiments
In February 2008, a series of 14 experiments were conducted in a 7-story building to evaluate the ability of positive pressure ventilation fans, wind control devices and external water application with floor below nozzles to mitigate the hazards of a wind driven fire in a structure. Each of the 14 experiments started with a fire in a furnished room. The air flow for 12 of the 14 experiments was intensified by a natural or mechanical wind.. Each of the tactics were evaluated individually and in conjunction with each other to assess the benefit to fire fighters, as well as occupants in the structure.
The results of the experiments provide a baseline for the hazards associated with a wind driven fire and the impact of pressure, ventilation and flow paths within a structure. Wind created conditions that rapidly caused the environment in the structure to deteriorate by forcing fire gases through the apartment of origin and into the public corridor and stairwell. These conditions would be untenable for advancing fire fighters. Each of the tactics were able to reduce the thermal hazard created by the wind driven fire. Multiple tactics used in conjunction with each other were very effective at improving conditions for fire fighter operations and occupant egress.
Fire departments that wish to implement the tactics used in this study will need to develop training and determine appropriate methods for deploying these tactics. Variations in the methods of deployment may be required due to differences in staffing, equipment, building stock, typical weather conditions, etc. There is uniformity however, in the physics behind the wind driven fire condition and the principles of the tactics examined. The data from this research will help provide the science to identify methods and promulgation of improved standard operating guidelines (SOG) for the fire service to enhance firefighter safety, fire ground operations, and use of equipment.
The experiments were conducted by the National Institute of standards and Technology (NIST), the Fire Department of New York City (FDNY), and the Polytechnic Institute of New York University with the support of the Department of Homeland security (DHS)/Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Assistance to Firefighters Research and Development Grant Program and the United States Fire Administration.
Please Click Here to see the full report
Sequential ventilation tests
Sequential ventilation is a technique, where the smoke on floor above/below the fire floor is vented more efficiently using PPV fans. NYU-Poly and FDNY conducted sequential ventilation tests at Building # 877, Governor's Island - NY in August 2009. Three different approaches were tested for their efficacy to clear the smoke in public hallway. Recordings of these tests are described in this section
Floor 3 Apt. E
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 5 Apt. A
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 5 Apt. E
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 5 Apt. E2
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 5 Apt. G
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 5 Apt. G2
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 5 Apt. K
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 7 Apt. A
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 7 Apt. E
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 7 Apt. G
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 7 Apt. G2
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
Floor 7 Apt. K
These videos contain the experiments performed at a 7-story apartment building on Governor's Island.
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