Browse Topic: Fire fighting

Items (128)

10/27/2020

This Aerospace Standard (AS) specifies the minimum design and performance criteria and testing methods of passive fire resistant containers (FRCs) used either: a In those cargo compartments of civil transport aircraft where they constitute one means of complying with applicable airworthiness regulations, or b On a voluntary basis, when deemed appropriate by operators to improve fire protection in aircraft cargo compartments where airworthiness regulations do not mandate their use.

AGE-2 Air Cargo

Fire Resistant Container Design, Performance, and Testing Requirements

AS8992-TEST-REC (Historical)10/27/2020

AGE-2 Air Cargo

Fire Prevention on Forestry Machinery

J1212_202010 (Current)

10/06/2020

This document applies to off-road forestry work machines defined in SAE J1116 or ISO 6814.

MTC4, Forestry and Logging Equipment

Safety Considerations for Airplane Lavatories

ARP1315E (Current)06/25/2020

This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) establishes safety recommendations for lavatories in transport category airplanes.

S-9B Cabin Interiors and Furnishings Committee

Wool Mask Used to Fight Fires in Space Improves Fire Equipment on Earth

TBMG-3702706/01/2020

Spinoff is NASA’s annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health and medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety, computer technology, and environmental resources.

Fire Containment Cover - Operation and Use

ARP6905-TEST-REC (Historical)04/23/2020

This SAE Aerospace Recommended Practice (ARP) provides guidelines for the effective operation and use of fire containment covers (FCCs). Technical Standard Orders (TSOs) C203 and C90e (and later revisions) incorporate AS6453, and provide the Minimum Performance Standards (MPS) for an FCC design. The net and pallet used with the FCC must be approved using the updated net and flammability requirements in TSO C90e and later revisions. However, fire containment performance also requires this equipment is properly used. Fire safety is compromised when FCCs are used in an inadequate manner.

AGE-2 Air Cargo

Fire Containment Cover - Operation and Use

ARP6905 (Current)

04/23/2020

AGE-2 Air Cargo

NIST/NASA Study Shows One Detector Doesn't Fit All for Smoke in Spacecraft

TBMG-3287209/01/2018

What had been a peaceful and productive mission for the six men aboard the Russian space station Mir, including U.S. astronaut Jerry Linenger, nearly became a tragic nightmare during the evening of Feb. 24, 1997. A lithium-perchlorate canister, designed to generate oxygen via a chemical reaction, suddenly burst into flames when activated. Although the fire was quickly subdued, a dense, life-threatening smoke — different in form and movement from its gravity-bound counterpart on Earth — rapidly filled the station. Being confined in a limited area 360 kilometers (224 miles) above the nearest fire brigade made the situation even more precarious.

Remote Sensing for Smarter Forest Fire Fighting

TBMG-2972107/01/2018

Spinoff is NASA's annual publication featuring successfully commercialized NASA technology. This commercialization has contributed to the development of products and services in the fields of health and medicine, consumer goods, transportation, public safety, computer technology, and environmental resources.

Full Scale Burn Demonstration of Two 2013 Ford Fusions - Arc Mapping Analysis

2018-01-143904/03/2018

Vehicle fire investigators sometimes use the existence and location of thermally damaged wiring (arced, shorted, melted, & beaded) discovered in a post burn analysis of a vehicle as an indication of the fire origin and its cause. One systematic method of analysis is to use the process of arc mapping. To examine the reliability of arc mapping in motor vehicle fires, two full scale burn demonstrations were conducted on 2013 Ford Fusions. Both vehicles had similar fire origins artificially initiated in the interior of the vehicles near the driver’s front seat. The engines were running and all accessories were off. During the burn sequence, occurrences of fire induced unintended electrical activity were captured with video and still photography. Examples of this unintended activity include lights, horn, wipers, and decklid latch activation. The burn concluded when the measured battery voltage went to zero in demonstration 1. The burn concluded in demonstration 2 after the measured battery

DeMarois, Paul H., Ballard, William, Engle, James, West, Gregory, Pappas, Bill, Williams, Jeff

Aircraft Rescue Fire Fighting Vehicles (ARFF)

TBMG-2717906/01/2017

Oshkosh Defense, LLC Oshkosh, WI 920-235-9150

Air Cargo Unit Load Devices - Reference Documents

AIR36105B (Current)04/13/2017

The present SAE Aerospace Information Report (AIR) provides a list of the main government regulations, SAE and international standards, and standing industry recommendations applying to air cargo unit load devices (pallets, nets, and containers) to be loaded with either baggage or freight on board civil transport aircraft.

AGE-2 Air Cargo

Effects of Wind Speed and Longitudinal Direction on Fire Patterns from a Vehicle Fire in a Compact Car

2017-01-135303/28/2017

This paper compares the material consumption and fire patterns which developed on four nearly identical compact sedans when each was burned for exactly the same amount of time, but with different wind speed and direction during the burns. This paper will also compare the effects of environmental exposure to the fire patterns on the vehicles. The burn demonstrations were completed at an outdoor facility in southeast Michigan on four late model compact sedans. The wind direction was controlled by placing the subject vehicle with either the front facing into the wind, or rear facing into the wind. Two of the burns were conducted when the average observed wind speed was 5-6kph and two of the burns were conducted at an average observed wind speed of 19kph. The origin of the fire in each vehicle was the same, with the fire being set by a small incendiary device and allowed to burn freely for twenty-four minutes, then extinguished using water applied using techniques typical of municipal fire

Leffert, Michael G.

Full Scale Burn Test of Four Aluminum Body Ford F-150’s

2017-01-135503/28/2017

Four full scale burn tests on aluminum body Ford F-150’s were conducted with four unique origins. The purpose of these burn tests was to determine if the origin of the fire could be accurately identified after the vehicle fires progressed to near complete burn (with near absence of the aluminum body panels). The points of origin for the four burn tests were: 1) Engine Compartment - driver’s side front of engine compartment, 2) Passenger Compartment - Instrument panel, driver’s side near the headlamp switch, 3) Passenger Compartment - passenger side rear seat, 4) Outside of Vehicle - passenger side front tire. Photographic, video, and temperature data was recorded to document the burn process from initiation to extinguishment. Post-fire analysis was conducted in an attempt to determine the origin of the fire based solely on the burn damage. The analysis showed that due to the lack of body structure remaining, since the aluminum body panels burned/melted, no origin could be determined

DeMarois, Paul H., Pappas, Bill, Ballard, William G., Williams, Jeffrey R., West, Gregory

Fire Suppression Modeling & Simulation Framework for Ground Vehicles

2017-01-135103/28/2017

The US Army Tank Automotive Research, Development and Engineering Center (TARDEC) has developed a unique physics based modeling & simulation (M&S) capability using Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) techniques to optimize automatic fire extinguishing system (AFES) designs and complement vehicle testing for both occupied and unoccupied spaces of military ground vehicles. The modeling techniques developed are based on reduced global kinetics for computational efficiency and are applicable to fire suppressants that are being used in Army vehicles namely, bromotrifluoromethane (Halon 1301), heptafluoropropane (HFC-227ea, trade name FM200), sodium-bicarbonate (SBC) powder, water + potassium acetate mixture, and pentafluoroethane (HFC-125, trade name, FE-25). These CFD simulations are performed using High Performance Computers (HPC) that enable the Army to assess AFES designs in a virtual world at far less cost than physical-fire tests. This methodology is applied to vehicle crew

Korivi, Vamshi, McCormick, Steven, Hodges, Steven

Darmindra Arumugam, Senior Research Technologist, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, CA

TBMG-2657903/21/2017

In outdoor locations, firefighters and emergency responders can use GPS technology to track one another. Indoor environments like high-rises and steel-reinforced structures, however, frequently block radio signals. With the development of POINTER (Precision Outdoor and Indoor Navigation and Tracking for Emergency Responders), Darmindra Arumugam has addressed the sensing challenge, and provided a potentially game-changing tool for search and rescue teams.

Lightweight, Flexible Thermal Protection System for Fire Protection

TBMG-2614501/01/2017

CHIEFS (Convective Heating Im provement for Emergency Fire Shelters) is being developed by NASA’s Langley Research Center to potentially improve the performance of emergency fire shelters for wildland firefighters. A fire shelter is a last-resort safety measure that may protect firefighters entrapped by wildfire that has compromised their escape route. The current shelter design, resembling a small foldable tent, is primarily designed to protect the user from exposure from radiant heat. It provides limited protection when exposed to direct flame contact and convective heat. The Washington Office Fire and Aviation Management (WO-FAM) initiated a product review for the fire shelters to be completed by 2018. NASA is working closely with the USDA Forest Service to understand the emergency fire shelter requirements and testing procedures.

Carbon Brake Contamination and Oxidation

AIR5490A (Current)04/12/2016

This document provides information on contamination and its effects on brakes having carbon-carbon composite friction materials (carbon). Carbon is hygroscopic and porous, and therefore readily absorbs liquids and contaminants. Some of the contaminants can impact intended performance of the brake. This document is intended to raise awareness of the effects of carbon brake contamination and provide information on industry practices for its prevention. Although not addressed in this report, contaminants can cause problems with other landing system components including tires.

A-5A Wheels, Brakes and Skid Controls Committee

Fire Protection in Military Ground Vehicles

2016-01-140404/05/2016

Fire protection, active and passive, has been, and is, an important area of concern during the design, development and deployment phases for all modern ground vehicles. All US military vehicles carry handheld fire extinguishers, and many tactical and all combat vehicles have automatic fire protection systems that protect the crew, engine, and in some cases, external components such as fuel tanks and wheels, from potentially catastrophic combat events involving fire. Vehicle designs also mitigate fire hazards by separating the vehicle occupants from the most flammable materials, e.g., fuel and ammunition, as much as practical. Explosion protection of the crew and passengers in military vehicles is a unique application with unique requirements that must balance suppression actions with safety limits. This paper presents an overview of general guidelines related to protecting military ground vehicle crews from injury due to fire, and lessons learned from the experiences of fielded systems

Hodges, Steven E.

Hydrostatic Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Chamber

TBMG-2349512/01/2015

A hyperbaric chamber has been designed to achieve the goals of maximizing safety, minimizing complexity, and minimizing cost of hyperbaric chamber therapy. This design minimizes the volume of compressed gas in the chamber, and eliminates the need for complex gas mixing, carbon dioxide scrubbing, thermal management, and fire suppression systems. The simple pressurization system affords safe operation by minimally trained personnel. It requires only clean water and small volumes of compressed oxygen, and uses no electrical power. These features allow the chamber to be used in remote, undeveloped locations where hyperbaric oxygen therapy is currently not feasible.

Hydrostatic Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatment Chamber

TBMG-23041

10/01/2015

Walt Bruce, Convective Heating for Improvement for Emergency Fire Shelters (CHIEFS) Senior Engineer and Anthony Calomino, Materials and Structures Engineer

TBMG-2283708/24/2015

After a 2013 wildfire led to the loss of 19 elite Arizona firefighters, Langley Research Center engineers, including Walt Bruce and Anthony Calomino, worked with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service to see how NASA’s spacecraft thermal protection system could be used to create new emergency fire shelters on Earth.

Fire Prevention on Forestry Machinery

J1212_201501 (Historical)01/20/2015

This document applies to off-road forestry work machines defined in SAE J1116 or ISO 6814.

MTC4, Forestry and Logging Equipment

Patient Simulators Train Emergency Caregivers

TBMG-20802

10/01/2014

Medical training is one of the most important aspects of preparing astronauts for space. Every crewmember must become proficient in basic emergency skills, such as CPR, ventilation, and intubation.

Patient Simulators Train Emergency Caregivers

TBMG-3609410/01/2014

Medical training is one of the most important aspects of preparing astronauts for space. Every crewmember must become proficient in basic emergency skills, such as CPR, ventilation, and intubation.

Global Fire Detection Constellation

TBMG-20730

10/01/2014

Wildfires that start in backcountry areas sometimes burn for hours before being detected and reported. Satellites offer a vantage point from which infrared sensors can detect fires. Individual satellites in low Earth orbit (LEO) offer infrequent overpasses, making the delay from ignition to detection unacceptably long. Geostationary satellites offer a platform from which to maintain a round-the-clock vigil, but lack geographic precision, and cannot detect a rather small fire within a large pixel definitively above noise.

Video Acuity Measurement System

TBMG-2050509/01/2014

There is a widely acknowledged need for metrics to quantify the performance of video systems. Existing metrics are either difficult to measure or are largely theoretical. They do not reflect the full range of effects to which video may be subject, or do not relate easily to video performance in real-world tasks. The empirical Video Acuity metric is simple to measure and relates directly to task performance. Video acuity is determined by the smallest letters that can be automatically identified using a video system. It is expressed most conveniently in letters per degree of visual angle.

Wireless Sensor Node for Autonomous Monitoring and Alerts in Remote Environments

TBMG-19365

04/01/2014

The current radio infrastructure for firefighters provides voice communications, but does not support data transfer capability for continuous monitoring of people in the field. Current radios require user interaction to perform manual voice check-in for firefighter status. A new infrastructure is required to enable continuous, autonomous monitoring of firefighters at work via a remote command and control center. The system also needs the capability to send two-way alerts in real time as early warning of impending danger to firefighters and as indication of an emergency in the field due to a downed firefighter(s).

Aircraft Crash Axes

AIR5401A (Current)09/19/2013

This SAE Aerospace Information Report (AIR) provides information demonstrating the need for establishing design and performance standards for aircraft crash axes.

S-9A Safety Equipment and Survival Systems Committee

Review of Canadian Flight Deck and Cabin Smoke and Fire Incidents: 2001-2010

2013-01-230709/17/2013

This paper presents a review of the flight deck and cabin fire and smoke incidents reported to the Canadian airworthiness authorities over a ten year span. The fire and smoke related diversions are categorized to identify areas where efforts could be increased to improve safety. The costs of diversions are estimated to identify areas where operators could reduce costs by seeking technologies to reduce the number of diversions without any impact on safety. Only twenty-eight investigation reports into fire and smoke incidents onboard aircraft have been published over the past three decades. These reports are not sufficient to identify areas where operators can reduce their operating costs. The Canadian airworthiness authorities received over 1,000 smoke and fire incidents from the years 2001 to 2010, of which, over 680 reported fire and smoke in the flight deck and cabin compartments for various makes and models of aircraft. Some of these flight deck and cabin incidents were related to

Lebbin, Paul

Fire Containment Cover - Design, Performance, and Testing Requirements

AS6453 (Historical)08/06/2013

This SAE Aerospace Standard (AS), identical to ISO 14186, specifies the minimum design and performance criteria and testing methods of fire containment covers (FCCs) used either: a in those cargo compartments of civil transport aircraft where they constitute one means of complying with applicable airworthiness regulations, or b on a voluntary basis, when deemed appropriate by operators to improve fire protection in aircraft cargo compartments where airworthiness regulations do not mandate their use.

AGE-2 Air Cargo

Test Method for Fire Suppression Systems in Bus and Coach Engine Compartments

2013-01-020804/08/2013

This paper presents a recently developed method meant to act as a tool for objectively assessing and comparing the performance of automatic fire suppression systems. This methodology specifies requirements and procedures for evaluating the efficiency and performance of automatic fire suppression systems permanently installed in the engine compartments of buses and coaches. The testing is done according to SP method 4912 and carried out in a test enclosure where the fire performance of different suppression systems can be objectively assessed in a well-defined way. The test methodology includes a battery of fire tests simulating different engine loads, air flows and fire scenarios. Every tested system is rated according to its performance. The test method also includes testing of re-ignition due to hot surface ignition of liquid fuels.

Brandt, Jonas, Modin, Håkan, Rosen, Fredrik, Försth, Michael, Ochoterena, Raúl

Practical Case Studies of Thermal Events in Buses

2013-01-021204/08/2013

Buses often combine high occupancy loads, limited pathways for egress, and the involvement of passengers with limited mobility. In the event of a fire, the potential for passenger injury and loss of life is significant. Additionally, there can be substantial financial losses due to equipment loss and service interruption. In order to prevent future occurrences, it is critical to thoroughly investigate bus fires and develop an understanding of their causes. The causes of non-arson bus fires typically can be categorized as electrical, friction at the wheel level, or engine component failures. This paper examines actual fire occurrences, their root cause investigation, and the measures that were taken to prevent future incidents.

Jones, Aaron, Schimpf, Nicole, Dube, Normand

High-Pressure Systems Suppress Fires in Seconds

TBMG-1625604/01/2013

Orbital Technologies Corp. (ORBITEC) of Madison, WI, has been a longtime NASA partner, working with the Agency on numerous projects, many through the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. ORBITEC collaborated with Marshall Space Flight Center to develop products such as a cool-wall vortex combustion chamber that represents a new method of rocket engine design. By feeding liquid or gas oxidizer into the combustion chamber in a manner that generates a swirling vortex flow, the design confines the mixing and burning of the propellant to the core of the chamber, keeping the walls free from volatile thermal stresses. ORBITEC applied this innovation to an advanced vortex hybrid rocket engine that combines solid and liquid fuel to power a low-cost, highly reliable, and versatile propulsion option.

ISS Experiment Studies Flames and Fire Suppression in Space

TBMG-1492910/01/2012

A combustion experiment jointly designed by scientists and engineers at NASA’s Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, OH) and the Universities Space Research Association (USRA) is currently in operation onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The Burning and Suppression of Solids (BASS) experiment will bridge the gap among normal-gravity material flammability screening tests, short-time ground-based microgravity tests, and actual zero-gravity spacecraft conditions. The basic applied hypothesis is that in certain conditions, a material in zero-gravity will be more flammable than it is in normal gravity.

Japan - Amendments to the Fire Services Act

RS-BNA-AUG_12_1606/27/2012

The Cabinet has issued amendments to the Fire Services Act requiring businesses to submit necessary information to fire authorities on products manufactured or imported, such as electrical and electronic equipment (EEE), burning appliances (e.g. oil heater), and vehicles, when requested to do so by the authorities. This applies only when such products are suspected to be a probable cause of a fire. The amendments were adopted June 27, 2012, and are effective April 1, 2013.

The Development of a Standard Test for Assessing the Effectiveness of Transit Vehicle Fire Extinguishing Systems

2012-01-098604/16/2012

Few standard approval tests exist for fire extinguishing systems for commercial vehicles, such as transit vehicles, coaches etc. Therefore, a representative test article has been constructed to evaluate the fire extinguishing performance of current in-house fire protection systems. This data will then be used as a benchmark against which the performance of future fire extinguishing systems can be judged. The test article is a fire-hardened simulation of a rear-engine transit bus. Several fire locations are used, in two configurations: “small” and “large”. The former encompasses diesel fuel spray fires and small, obscured diesel pool fires some containing additional wood chips; the latter represents a more developed diesel fuel spray and larger diesel pool fires. Tests have also been run simulating the ignition of a diesel fuel spray impinging on a hot turbocharger. Parameters pertaining to restrike have also been investigated. Suppression tests have been carried out varying the type

Chattaway, Adam, Dunster, Robert, Weller, Paul, Peoples, Joey

A Review of Oxidation on Steel Surfaces in the Context of Fire Investigations

2012-01-099004/16/2012

During the course of a fire and subsequent exposure to the environment, iron and low-carbon steels oxidize by two mechanisms: high temperature oxidation and atmospheric corrosion. Of particular interest to fire investigators are oxide properties and distribution that could be of use to better understand important characteristics of the fire such as the location the fire originated, the direction the fire traveled or even temperature versus time characteristics. This could be particularly valuable in cases where burn damage to combustible material, which is known to be an important indicator of fire origin, is so extensive that little if any material remains after the fire. However, there is little data in the literature that specifically addresses the utility of oxide properties in the context of fire investigations. In this paper, we review the literature associated with both the high-temperature oxidation and atmospheric corrosion mechanisms in the context of a fire and post-fire

Colwell, Jeff D., Babic, Darko

The Development of a Standard Test for Assessing the Effectiveness of Transit Vehicle Fire Extinguishing Systems

2012-01-0986-TEST-REC04/16/2012

Chattaway, Adam, Dunster, Robert, Weller, Paul, Peoples, Joey

Deicing Facility Operational Procedures

ARP5660A (Historical)01/06/2011

The purpose of this document is to provide guidelines for the standardization of safe operating procedures to be used in performing the services and maintenance at Designated Deicing Facilities (Central Deicing Facilities/Remote Deicing Facilities) that are necessary for proper deicing/anti-icing of aircraft on the ground and performing of associated checks in accordance with the various approved ground icing programs, while considering applicable local environmental, operational and economic requirements. This document should be used by regulators and airport authorities to develop and standardize approvals and permits for the establishment and operation of a DDF. The coordination of stakeholders is required prior to the approval of design plans for a deicing facility. Operating procedures must be agreed to, in writing, by all air operators, airport authorities, regulators and service providers prior to commencing deicing operations.

G-12DF Deicing Facilities Committee

Off-Road Tire Fire Handling Guidelines

J2828_201004 (Historical)

04/23/2010

This SAE Informational report applies to tires used on off-road, rubber-tired work machines as identified in SAE J1116. This SAE document provides general guidelines for proper handling of potential and actual off-road tire fires and possible related explosions.

MTC8, Tire and Rim