Nanotechnology is used, to an increasing extent, in practically every aspect of the economy and society. One area where nanotechnology is constantly advancing is fire protection. Nanostructures are found in elements used in direct protection, such as in protective clothing, filters, and helmets. Solutions in the field of nanotechnology are also used in elements reducing the fire risk and increasing the fire safety, such as building materials and structures, paints, coatings, or fire safety equipment (e.g., fire detectors). However, new solutions may also pose a threat to the safety of people and the environment. As a result of operation or combustion and degradation processes, the emission of nano-substances with toxic properties may occur. Therefore, knowledge in this field is necessary, as it allows for the appropriate targeting and use of nanotechnology.

No abstract

No abstract

Cel: The purpose of this article is to present the results of ongoing theoretical research – the evaluation of normative and legal documents in the area of emergency voice communication. The research was aimed at analysing and comparing the operation of emergency communication systems (SKA) in selected countries and the possibility of their wider use in construction objects in Poland. The utilitarian purpose of the publication is a discussion that should contribute to the development of appropriate standards for ensuring the proper level of reliability of such installations and the safety of those who use them. Wprowadzenie: Emergency communication systems enable communication between locations in a building that are critical for conducting evacuation and rescue, as well as firefighting operations and a central location in the building object (e.g. the fire equipment service room) that provides control and support for these processes. They can be used to communicate with people with different types and degrees of disabilities, who are in survival areas, firefighters/rescuers in the fire vestibules of lifts for rescue teams or stairwells, and stewards at sporting events. Their use in Poland is not common, but increasingly required by the investors. Metodologia: The authors used theoretical research, such as analysis of literature and legal documents, synthesis, generalization, inference, comparison and analogy. Documents from Poland, the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States were analysed. The selection of individual countries was guided by the level of development of these systems in the given country and the availability of source documents. Wnioski: Up until now SKA installations are not widespread in our country. However, an increasing demand for such installations is to be expected, especially given changes in the attitudes toward ensuring the safety of people with various disabilities, as well as, perhaps to a somewhat lesser extent, the emerging need to support the communication of the rescue teams, especially in buildings with very high heights. So far, emergency communication systems have been used mainly for utility purposes under normal operating conditions of a construction object. Thus there are no national regulations or standards on the requirements for such installations to function under fire conditions. Słowa kluczowe: evacuation of buildings, safety of evacuation, fire intercoms, emergency communication systems

Electrical cables are a potential source of ignition and fire hazards in various types of buildings and industrial installations, as well as in all modes of transportation, including aircraft. Fires in buildings pose the greatest threat to human life and health. The composition of thermal degradation products depends mainly on the type of combustible materials and the type of combustion process—flaming or smoldering. The purpose of this paper was to determine, based on experimental studies, the effects of flaming and smoldering combustion on the response times of fire smoke detectors. In addition, the concentrations of fire gases formed in the process of duct combustion, including CO, SO2, NO2, NO, HCN, HCl, HBr and HF, were measured using an FTIR spectrometer. The results presented confirm the significant effect of the way the cable samples burned on detector tripping time. The highest concentration of smoke (Y) in the test chamber was obtained during flame combustion. It was further found that the characteristics of the cable insulation material used, such as the type of PVC, had a significant effect on the toxicity of the emitted gases. The largest amounts of toxic gases were emitted during the smoldering combustion of a cable with a plasticized PVC sheath.