This article presents a full-scale fire experiment carried out in a dormitory bedroom in the city of Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil. The experiment was recorded by thermal and conventional cameras, and temperatures were measured at 24 different points within the environment, making it possible to observe the dynamics and behavior of the fire in detail. Among the objects in the dormitory were two identical bedside tables, one of which was coated with intumescent paint. Particular attention was paid to the behavior of this piece of furniture, which, despite being in direct contact with the flames for more than 20 minutes, did not completely burn. Similar experiments are rare in Brazil and in Latin America as a whole, especially with the use of furniture and locally built structures. Understanding the dynamics of this fire, which very closely resembles many local cases, is therefore important to generate data on thermal behavior and overall understanding of the phenomenon. Regarding the specially-treated piece of furniture, its performance was found to be satisfactory, suggesting that such a protective process for furniture may help inhibit the spread of similar fires.

This article presents the mapping and analysis of fires with dead and wounded people in the Metropolitan Region of Recife (MRR) served by the Firefighters Department from 2013 to 2016. There was an average rate of 1 death per million inhabitants, similar to countries such as Singapore and Vietnam. The weighted number of fires per wounded or dead person results in rates of 0.5 and 1.7 per 100 recorded fires, respectively. These numbers are concerning, especially when compared to rates from other regions in the world. The victims of fires in MRR were shown to generally not be a perceivable problem in terms of common sense, yet they are real and require accurate analysis and effective measures.

O crescimento desordenado das cidades, aliado à ausência de planejamento e de medidas estruturadoras para contenção de riscos, fez com que as ocorrências relacionadas a desastres naturais aumentassem em todo o país. É conhecido também que a Mata Sul de Pernambuco sofre com desastres relacionados a elevadas precipitações pluviométricas, principalmente nos meses de abril, maio, junho e julho, período da quadra chuvosa na região. Nos últimos 20 anos, emergências relacionadas a fortes chuvas deixaram 25 óbitos e somaram prejuízos acima de 46 milhões no Estado. As elevadas precipitações que assolaram a região nos anos de 2010 e 2017, deixaram mais de 135.000 pessoas fora de suas residências, além de um número superior a 30.000 edificações e obras destruídas e danificadas. Sendo assim, a padronização de procedimentos de gestão por parte da Defesa Civil Estadual diante de um cenário calamitoso, é vista como uma ferramenta essencial para a mobilização de recursos e otimização das ações para que os danos e prejuízos ocasionados pelo desastre sejam minimizados na Mata Sul pernambucana.