Conceptual Model Development for Holistic Building Fire Safety Performance Analysis

Park, Haejun; Meacham, Brian J.; Dembsey, Nicholas A.; Goulthorpe, Mark

doi:10.1007/s10694-013-0374-1

Cited by 17 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Let us not also forget that a performance-based building regulatory system puts added responsibility on fire protection engineers, as they are generally expected to demonstrate that the proposed fire safety design solution satisfies the performance objectives [19,[21][22][23]. There is another aspect and that is the cost-benefit assessment of the impact and quantitative comparison of fire safety and protection system designs [24][25][26][27][28]. This is a factor that should be considered relevant for all fire strategies.…”

Section: Issues Surrounding Reality In the Application Of A Performan...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fire risk analysis can range from a simplistic assessment to a much more detailed analysis of how the building, the occupants and the fire itself, interact. Park et al [28] introduce a hierarchical holistic model, known as the Integrated Characteristic Interaction Model (ICIM), which considers fire protection viz a viz the relationship with both the building and the persons within the building. They aimed to derive a quantitative method to support a holistic approach to developing a fire strategy and reducing subjectivity in its development.…”

Section: Fire Strategy Evaluation and Fire Risk Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Risk Index Method—A Tool for Building Fire Safety Assessments

Brzezińska

Bryant

2021

Applied Sciences

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The use of fire safety engineering and performance-based techniques continues to grow in prominence as building design becomes more ambitious, increasing complexity. National fire safety enforcement agencies are tasked with evaluating and approving the resulting fire strategies, which have similarly continued to become more advanced and specialist. To assist with the evaluation of fire strategies, this paper introduces a methodology dedicated to sustainable building fire safety level simulations. The methodology derives from ideas originally introduced in British Standard Specification PAS 911 in 2007 and combines a visual representation of fire strategies with a semi-quantitative approach to allow for their evaluation. The concept can be applied to a range of industrial fire safety assessments and can be modified for specific needs relative to different industries.

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Section: Issues Surrounding Reality In the Application Of A Performan...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Fire Strategy Evaluation and Fire Risk Assessmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Risk Index Method—A Tool for Building Fire Safety Assessments

Brzezińska

Bryant

2021

Applied Sciences

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“…Acknowledgement of interactions between these features, along with the influence of other engineering branches on the fire safety of the building may be referred to as total, or holistic approach to FSE. For such an approach, both qualitative and quantitative approach to modelling fire safety performance is required [81]. Framework for such approach, with an intention to be used by fire service officers as a tool supporting their decisions, was presented in [82,83].…”

Section: Holistic Designmentioning

confidence: 99%

The philosophy of fire safety engineering in the shaping of civil engineering development

Węgrzyński

Sulik

2016

Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences Technical Sciences

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Abstract. This paper presents modern application of fire safety engineering (FSE) in the shaping of civil engineering development. Presented scientific achievements of FSE become tools used in typical modern engineering workflow. Experience gained through successful implementations of these solutions is then further crafted into prescriptive laws that shape future fire safety. This diffusion of knowledge is limited by law requirements themselves, technical limitations, and yet unresolved challenges that are still being worked on by the researchers in this field. This paper aims to present the achievements of the FSE discipline that may and should be used by civil engineers and other participants of the building process. Explanations given for the choices of fire safety engineers allow a better understanding of their gravity by representatives of other engineering branches. That way it is possible to build empathy between different engineering disciplines, which may significantly improve both the building design process and safety of the buildings itself. The chosen framework of this paper is Appendix A to EU Construction Products Regulation defining basic goals for a fire safe building, with a possible application of FSE given for each of these goals. The current framework of performance-based FSE is presented in relation to the Polish legal system, with recommendations on how to improve both FSE and civil engineering in the future.Key words: fire safety engineering, fire protection engineering, fire protection, performance-based design, prescriptive codes. stakeholders who are not FSEs, may unwillingly influence the fire safety. This bidirectional connection requires a systematic, holistic approach to fire safety of a building, which is the essence of the philosophy of modern FSE. A sample of such approach, in the form of a framework for a good cooperation between fire experts and structural engineers, was presented by Abramowicz and Kowalski in [4]. Despite strict regulations and advanced design methodologies, supertall buildings or large road tunnels that can be considered the pinnacle of modern engineering are still the scene of catastrophic fire incidents. To reach the level of safety in which fires would cause no fatalities and limited damage, urgent problems beyond the quality of the design also have to be resolved, e.g. the slow diffusion of knowledge, the stress on reduction of fire protection cost, and abuse of overcomplicated methodologies, beyond their scope of application.

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“…A performance-based building regulatory system puts added responsibility on fire protection engineers, as they are generally expected to demonstrate that the proposed fire safety design solution satisfies the performance objectives [15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. There is another aspect, and that is the cost-benefit assessment of the impact and quantitative comparison of fire protection system designs systems [25,26]. This is a factor that should be considered in all fire strategies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be the case for the vast majority of fires around the world. A properly considered threat analysis as part of the strategy evaluation may identify issues that could be probable and may have been missed without such an analysis [25].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

An Alternative Evaluation and Indicating Methodology for Sustainable Fire Safety in the Process Industry

2019

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There is a mismatch between the desire to introduce greater levels of sustainability in engineering design and in the need to provide effective engineering solutions, particularly where issues of human safety and asset protection are involved. Sustainability engineering typically incorporates economic, environmental, and social factors, all of which are highly relevant and applicable to fire safety and the design of fire protection systems. The term fire strategy denotes a documented methodology to encapsulate a full range of such systems, within a single framework, for more complex risks such as those found in the process industry. The subject of fire safety is emotive and its application within building design may not change unless we refocus on a holistic and strategic approach, especially for complex building profiles. Fire is a recognized critical safety issue for most types of industrial plants. Due to the complexity of the processes, even a relatively small fire accident can lead to a chain of events that could be devastating, resulting in huge asset and continuity losses, damage to the local environment, and of course, the threat to life. More complex processes require a more flexible and relevant approach. The use of fire safety engineering and performance-based evaluation techniques, instead of prescriptive rules, continues to grow in prominence because of this. This is the case when specifying fire protection and safety for modern power generating plants. However, when it comes to critical infrastructure, such as is the case with power plants, it is sometimes not clear whether optimum fire safety engineering solutions have been applied. One of the ideas specifically developed for evaluating the most appropriate fire safety strategies and systems, especially for such infrastructure examples, is a method based upon the British Standard Specification PAS 911. This method is captured in a diagram and identifies eight main elements for fire safety and protection. The idea presented in this article is to allow assessment of a submitted actual fire strategy for a building or other form of infrastructure, against what has been predetermined as a standard baseline fire strategy for, in this case, a power plant building. The assessment makes use of a multi-level questionnaire, in this case specifically formulated for power plant fire safety needs. By comparing the actual fire strategy diagram against a baseline fire strategy, enforcement agencies, or other interested stakeholders, can recognize which fire safety factors play the most important part in the fire strategy, and determine whether proper levels of fire safety and protection have been applied. The fire strategy evaluation is realized by a team of engineers, which consists of independent fire strategist from a consultant office, internal fire and technical experts from the industrial plant, such as the person responsible for fire safety, person responsible for explosion safety, person responsible for housekeeping, and building manager. Additionally, there should be representatives of insurance companies and independent fire experts. Typically, the group consists of 7 to 12 people.

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Conceptual Model Development for Holistic Building Fire Safety Performance Analysis

Cited by 17 publications

References 13 publications

Risk Index Method—A Tool for Building Fire Safety Assessments

Risk Index Method—A Tool for Building Fire Safety Assessments

The philosophy of fire safety engineering in the shaping of civil engineering development

An Alternative Evaluation and Indicating Methodology for Sustainable Fire Safety in the Process Industry

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