scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Analyses of a Home Fire

2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Vasu Vasudevan ◽  
Jeremy Britton
Keyword(s):  
Activation Barrier ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Thermally Induced ◽  
Electrical Failure ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Probable Origin ◽  
Activation Times

A fire had occurred in a single-family home where a family of four was living. The family was asleep whenthe daughter woke up, saw smoke in her bedroom, and screamed. The daughter and father exited by breaking through a bedroom window, but the other two family members were overcome by the fire before exiting (and were later found deceased by the fire department). None of the witnesses heard a smoke detector (activation), and brief searches by investigators did not find any evidence of either the detector bracket or other remains. Forensic engineering analyses of the preserved evidence were performed, and Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) software was used to analyze multiple fire origins, predicted smoke-detector activation, and egress times. Fire growth, thermally induced electrical failure (THIEF), glass breakage, smoke-detector activation, barrier failure, and tenability (CO, temperature and visibility) were calculated. The FDS analyses were performed using a combination of factual information, timelines, fuels derived from the Fire Burning Item Database (FireBID), analyses of photographs, and witness depositions, and were verified and validated. The analyses/methodologies were explained to the trier of the facts (jury), and the results were presented; namely, the most probable origin and cause (ignition) of the fire, smoke-detector-activation times, and egress times for the residents.

Detection and Characterization of an Electrical Failure Induced during Laser Ablation of Packages

2008 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Schwindenhammer ◽  
H. Murray ◽  
P. Descamps ◽  
P. Poirier
Keyword(s):  
Laser Ablation ◽  
Integrated Circuits ◽  
Failure Analysis ◽  
Ablation Process ◽  
Thermally Induced ◽  
Electrical Failure ◽  
Electrical Phenomenon ◽  
Semiconductor Packages ◽  
Complex Semiconductor

Abstract Decapsulation of complex semiconductor packages for failure analysis is enhanced by laser ablation. If lasers are potentially dangerous for Integrated Circuits (IC) surface they also generate a thermal elevation of the package during the ablation process. During measurement of this temperature it was observed another and unexpected electrical phenomenon in the IC induced by laser. It is demonstrated that this new phenomenon is not thermally induced and occurs under certain ablation conditions.

Development of Novel Fire Alarm Warning System Using Automated Remote Messaging Method

2015 ◽  
Vol 793 ◽  
pp. 578-584
Author(s):  
M.S. Jamri ◽  
Zul Hasrizal Bohari ◽  
M.F. Baharom ◽  
M.H. Jali ◽  
M.N.M. Nasir ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Warning System ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Alarm System ◽  
Fire Alarm ◽  
Gas Leakage ◽  
Design And Implementation ◽  
Prevention System ◽  
Fire Alarm System ◽  
Building Owner

This paper discussed on design and development of fire warning system using automated remote messaging method. This device enables to alert the owner whenever fire occur that need rapid attention towards the building. This is maybe due to carelessness of user or gas leakage. Fire warning system is an existing project but it will be enhanced. This project discussed the design and implementation of a fire alarm system using the microcontroller which controlled the entire system. This system comprised of smoke detector that linked to PIC and GSM Modem. When smoke detected, the fire alarm will triggered and send a signal to the PIC. The PIC will process the data and transmit the signal to the GSM modem. The GSM modem will send message to alert the building owner. The owner can make further action by informing the nearest fire department. This module is applied for transferring of GSM SMS message to the owner mobile number. The devices can be the early and fast prevention system for building owner.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Critique Of The Methodology Eliminating Fire Cause Possibilities

2010 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Owens
Keyword(s):  
Heat Energy ◽  
Electrical Failure ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Forensic Engineering ◽  
Fire Scene ◽  
Rotary Switch ◽  
Possible Cause ◽  
Heat Released ◽  
Fire Cause ◽  
Nfpa 921

In A Case Involving A Residential Fire With Fatalities, Plaintiff Experts Alleged That The Fire Originated In A Bedroom As A Result Of An Electrical Failure In An Oscillating Pedestal Fan. At The Time Of The Fire, The Fan Was Plugged Into A Six Foot Extension Cord That Was Lying On The Floor Under The Bed And Plugged Into A Standard 115 Volt Duplex Receptacle. The Plaintiffs, Specific In Their Allegations, Opined That The Failure Occurred In The Rotary Switch That Controlled The Speed Of The Fan Even Though No Physical Evidence Of A Failure Of That Nature Was Identified Or Collected During The Analyses Of The Fire Scene. Since No Physical Evidence Of A Failure Was Identified, Nfpa 921, Guide For Fire & Explosion Investigations, Requires That All Other Potential Ignition Sources In The Area Of Origin Be Eliminated As A Possible Cause. Plaintiffs Eliminated The Power Cord For The Fan, The Extension Cord And The Cord Plug And Cord Receptacle Connection Under The Theory That The Material Was Pvc With A Vw-1 Fire Rating. Plaintiffs Testified That The Self Extinguishing Characteristics Of Vw-1 Material Were Such That, Even With An Electrical Failure In One Of Those Components That Resulted In The Ignition Of The Material, There Would Be Insufficient Heat Released To Ignite The Box Spring For The Bed. Plaintiffs Also Eliminated Improperly Discarded Smoking Material As A Potential Cause.Efendants Were In Sharp Disagreement With Plaintiff Case In Chief Regarding The Elimination Of The Vw-1 Materials As A Potential Fire Cause, Since The Material Will Combust In Situations With A Sustained Electrical Fault. Defendants Conducted Tests Which Not Only Demonstrated An Electrical Failure With Ignition At The Extension Cord Plug Receptacle Interface, But Also That The Burning Vw-1 Pvc Released Sufficient Heat Energy To Ignite A Box Spring Similar To The Box Spring Involved In The Fire. The Results Of Those Tests Assisted In The Resolution Of The Case Prior To Trial.

scholarly journals 12. The Potential Benefits of a Fire Safety Program Within Emergency Medical Services: A Point-of-Contact Intervention

1996 ◽  
Vol 11 (S2) ◽  
pp. S27-S27
Author(s):  
Ronald G. Pirrallo ◽  
Jonathan M. Rubin ◽  
Ronald K. Meyer ◽  
Gloria A. Murawsky
Keyword(s):  
Emergency Medical Services ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Medical Services ◽  
Response Property ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Missed Opportunities ◽  
Emergency Medical ◽  
Fire Condition ◽  
Loss Estimate

Purpose: To determine how often house fires occur at addresses visited previously for emergency medical services (EMS) and were these visits missed opportunities for a point-of-contact fire safety intervention.Method: Retrospective analysis of all Fire Department (FD) responses during 1994. Data studied with descriptive statistics: reason for response, property type, dollar loss estimate, injuries, fatalities, fire cause, smoke detector operation.Results: The FD responded to 94,378 requests for service at 43,556 addresses. 27,406 addresses generated one response. However, 16,150 addresses had multiple requests, receiving 66,972 responses. For the multiple requests, 1,162 addresses had a fire condition of which 728 addresses requested EMS prior to the fire condition. 215 were one/two-family dwelling addresses receiving 489 responses; mean 2.3 EMS responses prior to the fire condition. 182/215 (85%) of these addresses had complete data, incurring a dollar loss estimate of [US]$2,017,470, 33 injuries and 0 fatalities. The top five causes for the fire condition were children playing with smoking materials, arson, suspicious, scorched food and undetermined. 87/182 (49%) of the one/two-family dwellings had a smoke detector present. However, only 31/182 (17%) of the dwellings had an operational smoke detector.

scholarly journals Measurements of Optical Properties of Smoke Particulates Produced from Burning Polymers and Their Implications

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2299
Author(s):  
Ter-Ki Hong ◽  
Beom-Seok Roh ◽  
Seul-Hyun Park
Keyword(s):  
Optical Properties ◽  
Extinction Coefficient ◽  
Light Extinction ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Cone Calorimetry ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Specific Extinction Coefficient ◽  
Smoke Particles ◽  
Light Obscuration ◽  
Smoke Yield

A series of cone calorimetry experiments and simultaneous gravimetric sampling and light extinction (GSLE) measurements were performed to determine the optical properties (light obscuration and extinction characteristics) of smoke particulates produced from burning polymers. The polymer selected in the present study was acrylonitrile-butadiene styrene (ABS), which has a moderate smoke yield during combustion, and unplasticized polyvinyl chloride (UPVC), which has a lower smoke yield than ABS. The experiments show that the measured light obscuration for UPVC smoke particles is much lower than that for ABS smoke particles because of the low rate of smoke production during combustion. Results from the simultaneous GSLE measurements demonstrate more clearly that UPVC smoke particles represent a lower efficiency of light obscuration on a per-unit smoke mass basis, resulting in a 41.3% reduction in a mass specific extinction coefficient compared to the ABS smoke particles. Numerical analysis was performed to further elucidate the effect of optical properties on the smoke behavior using the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) (Version 6.7.1, National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD, USA). The numerical results clearly demonstrated that the UPVC combustion, with its relatively low heat release rate and mass specific extinction coefficient, caused a significant delay in detecting a fire with a smoke detector compared to ABS combustion.

scholarly journals Estimation of Magnitude and Heat Release Rate of Fires Occurring in Historic Buildings-Taking Churches as an Example

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 9193
Author(s):  
Wen-Yao Chang ◽  
Chieh-Hsin Tang ◽  
Ching-Yuan Lin
Keyword(s):  
Heat Release ◽  
Heat Release Rate ◽  
Release Rate ◽  
Water Mist ◽  
Smoke Detector ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Historical Building ◽  
Maximum Heat ◽  
Improvement Measures ◽  
Maximum Heat Release

Historical buildings often fail to meet today’s building and fire protection regulations due to their structure and space restrictions. For this reason, if such buildings encounter fire, serious damage will be resulted. The fire of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris (Notre-Dame de Paris) in April 2019 highlights the seriousness of this problem. In this study, the historical building of “Tamsui Church” was selected as an example. The Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) was adopted to analyze the scale of damage and possible hazards when the wooden seats in the church are on fire, and improvement measures were proposed to ensure that such buildings can be used under safer conditions. It was found that the existing seat arrangement will cause the spreading of fire, and the maximum heat release rate is 2609.88 kW. The wooden roof frame above the fire source will also start to burn at 402.88 s (6.6 min) after the fire, which will lead to a full-scale fire. To maintain the safety of the historical building, it is necessary to add active firefighting equipment (smoke detector and water mist system).

Firefighting Tactics during a Fire Event at a Textile Factory

2014 ◽  
Vol 533 ◽  
pp. 335-341
Author(s):  
Cherng Shing Lin ◽  
Chih Chung Lai ◽  
Ming En Wu ◽  
Chia Chun Yu
Keyword(s):  
Raw Materials ◽  
Reference Value ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Fire Event ◽  
Chemical Substances ◽  
Fire Dynamics Simulator ◽  
Property Losses ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Textile Factory

Many factories contain chemical substances, raw materials, and finished and semi-finished products; thus, a factory fire can cause substantial property losses and endanger lives. The Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) developed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology was used in this study to simulate a fire event at a textile factory in Taiwan. The circumstances of a 2010 fire event in Zhubei City were recreated using data from the fire department and print media, exploring changes in temperature, smoke, and the concentrations of harmful gases (i.e., carbon monoxide; CO). Criteria were established for judging the firefighting techniques used during the fire event. In other words, simulated results of the FDS were used to analyze and assess the planning and use of firefighting tactics to enhance the efficiency of firefighting and rescue techniques, decrease casualties and property losses, and increase the reference value of this study in its application to fighting future factory fires.

scholarly journals Impact of Fire Attack Utilizing Interior and Exterior Streams on Firefighter Safety and Occupant Survival: Air Entrainment

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Craig Weinschenk ◽  
◽  
Keith Stakes ◽  
Robin Zevotek
Keyword(s):  
Scientific Information ◽  
Fire Behavior ◽  
Air Entrainment ◽  
Thermal Exposure ◽  
Fire Service ◽  
Full Scale ◽  
Single Family ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Firefighter Safety ◽  
Fire Ground

As research continues into how fire department interventions affect fire dynamics in the modern fire environment, questions continue to arise on the impact and implications of interior versus exterior fire attack on both firefighter safety and occupant survivability. Previous research into various types of fire ground ventilation, flow paths, and exterior fire streams has provided the fire service with an increased understanding of fire dynamics. However, in some instances, the information from the studies did not support current, experience-based practices. This gap between the research to date and the fire ground suppression experience has driven the need for further study. This study will build upon the fire research conducted to date by analyzing how firefighting tactics, specifically different fire suppression tools and tactics, affect the thermal exposure and survivability of both firefighters and building occupants and affect fire behavior in structures. The purpose of this study is to improve firefighter safety, fire ground tactics, and the knowledge of fire dynamics by providing the fire service with scientific information, developed from water flow and full-scale fire testing, in representative single-family homes. This study will build and expand upon the fire research conducted to date by analyzing how firefighting tactics, specifically suppression methods, affect the thermal exposure and survivability of both firefighters and building occupants in addition to impacting fire behavior in structures. The purpose of this study is to improve firefighter safety, fireground tactics, and the knowledge of fire dynamics by providing the fire service with credible scientific information, developed from both water flow and full-scale fire testing, in representative single family homes. The project is comprised of 3 parts: • Part I: Water Distribution • Part II: Air Entrainment • Part III: Full-Scale Residential Fire Experiments This report details the results and analysis from the air entrainment testing. These tests were conducted without the presence of fire to gain a fundamental understanding of how hose streams entrain air. Each set of experiments was intended to add to the understanding of air entrainment and pressure from fire service hose streams by evaluating the differences caused by various application methods, hose stream types, nozzle movements, pressures/flow rates, manufacturers, and ventilation configurations.

scholarly journals Forensic Engineering Experience with Electrically Ignited Fires

2015 ◽  
Vol 32 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Roger L. Boyell
Keyword(s):  
Air Conditioner ◽  
Electrical Failure ◽  
Physical Evidence ◽  
Forensic Engineering

After a fire that may have been caused by an electrical defect or malfunction, significant physical evidence is often what was most destroyed in the fire. The evidence void might be filled with fire investigators’ inference or speculation that the cause was a specific electrical failure. This paper illustrates two fires in which the initial reconstructions claiming electrical ignition were subsequently found to be wrong. In one case, an investigator drew a conclusion about an extension cord from a floor fire pattern, and this interpretation was refuted when further evidence was unearthed. Investigators on another case retained evidence to support an obviously defective room air conditioner. However, the unit later was shown to be only a victim of the fire, and the needed evidence had been lost. Both cases involved extensive litigation.

Fire dynamics in the attics

2021 ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Евгений Юрьевич Полищук
Keyword(s):  
Detection System ◽  
Fire Department ◽  
Fire Detection ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Federal Law ◽  
Fire Dynamics ◽  
Fire Propagation ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Combustible Materials

Произведена экспериментальная оценка развития пожаров в объеме чердачных помещений в зависимости от типа кровельного покрытия. По результатам исследования отмечается, что применение кровли из горючих материалов способствует более быстрому образованию сквозных прогаров и выходу пламени за пределы помещения, в то время как в случае использования сплошных настилов из негорючих материалов горение в течение длительного времени развивается в объеме, а после появления общей вспышки быстро распространяется от очага в объеме. Представлены рекомендации по осуществлению мероприятий в области обеспечения требований Федерального закона в части ограничений последствий пожара. The article presents the results of an experimental assessment of fire development dynamics in the volume of attics, depending on the type of roofing. According to the results of the study, it is noted that the use of a roof made of combustible materials contributes to the faster formation of through burnouts and the exit of the flame outside the room, when solid decking made of non-combustible materials is used, fire develops for a long time in the volume, and after the formation of a general flash it quickly spreads from the hearth all over the volume. Open fire time over a roof made of combustible materials is more than twice less than when testing a roof with a solid flooring made of non-combustible materials and makes 5.5 minutes, compared to 13.5 minutes. In a real fire with a large amount of fire load in the volume of the attic the temporary gap may be sufficient to ensure that the fire, in the absence or failure of the fire detection system, covers the entire construction volume before it is detected by random witnesses and information about it is received by the fire department. When using a roof system made of combustible materials, it is noted that despite the high rate of initial fire development, the dynamics of subsequent fire propagation in the roof volume is lower, even in the absence of fire-resistant treatment of wooden structures. Based on the results of the study there are presented recommendations for the implementation of measures to meet the requirements of the Federal Law No. 123-FZ dated 22.07.2008 “Technical Regulations on Fire safety requirements” in terms of limiting the fire consequences.

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