José A. Ortega-Becerril, Clara Suarez, D. Vázquez‐Tarrío, Julio Garrote, Miguel Gomez-Heras
{"title":"Sediment Response after Wildfires in Mountain Streams and Their Effects on Cultural Heritage: The Case of the 2021 Navalacruz Wildfire (Avila, Spain)","authors":"José A. Ortega-Becerril, Clara Suarez, D. Vázquez‐Tarrío, Julio Garrote, Miguel Gomez-Heras","doi":"10.3390/fire7020052","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020052","url":null,"abstract":"The 2021 Navalacruz wildfire occurred in a mountainous area in the Sistema Central (Spain). Despite having an average low severity index (dNBR), the loss of vegetation cover associated with the fire was responsible for a high rate of sedimentation in the rivers and streams. Additionally, the burned area affected up to 60 cultural heritage sites, including archaeological and ethnological sites, and damage ranged from burnt pieces of wood to the burial of archaeological sites. In the present work, we document and analyze the post-fire evolution in several rivers and streams. This is based on a field survey of infiltration rates, hydrodynamic modeling, and the study of channel morphological changes. Our analysis revealed how the first post-fire rains caused the mobilization and transport of ashes. This created hydrophobicity in the soils, resulting in large amounts of materials being transported to rivers and streams by subsequent medium- and low-magnitude storms. A hydrological and hydraulic model of the study catchments under pre- and post-fire conditions suggests that these trends are a consequence of a post-fire increase in flow rates for similar rainfall scenarios. In this respect, our estimates point at a significant increase in sediment transport capacities associated with this post-fire increase in flow rates. The combination of locally steep slopes with high-severity fire patches, and a considerable regolith (derived from pre-fire weathering), resulted in a series of cascading responses, such as an exacerbated supply of sand to the drainage network and the triggering of debris flows, followed by erosion and entrenchment.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"15 5-6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139853771","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
W. Dukarski, I. Rykowska, P. Krzyżanowski, M. Gonsior
{"title":"Flame Retardant Additives Used for Polyurea-Based Elastomers—A Review","authors":"W. Dukarski, I. Rykowska, P. Krzyżanowski, M. Gonsior","doi":"10.3390/fire7020050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020050","url":null,"abstract":"The growing interest in modern polymer materials has targeted research on complex plastic coatings and the possibilities of modifying their features and properties during manufacturing. Today’s modern coatings, including polyurea and polyurethane, are among the most modern developed resins. Compared to other polymer coatings, they are distinguished by their versatility, strength, and durability. They undoubtedly represent the next step in the evolution of coatings. Advances in coating technology have also led to the development of spray, injection, and roto-cast application equipment, improving polyurea-based elastomers’ performance. For many years, there has been much interest in increasing the flame resistance of polymers. This is dictated by safety considerations and the increasing requirements for the flammability of plastics, the area of application of which is growing every year. This text attempts to provide an overview of current research on flame retardant composites. Particular attention was paid to polyurea (PU) and polyurea-based hybrids and the application areas of polyurea coatings. The paper defines flame retardants, discusses how they work, and presents the types of flame retardants and the current trends of their usage in the production of plastics.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"11 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139856664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
W. Dukarski, I. Rykowska, P. Krzyżanowski, M. Gonsior
{"title":"Flame Retardant Additives Used for Polyurea-Based Elastomers—A Review","authors":"W. Dukarski, I. Rykowska, P. Krzyżanowski, M. Gonsior","doi":"10.3390/fire7020050","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020050","url":null,"abstract":"The growing interest in modern polymer materials has targeted research on complex plastic coatings and the possibilities of modifying their features and properties during manufacturing. Today’s modern coatings, including polyurea and polyurethane, are among the most modern developed resins. Compared to other polymer coatings, they are distinguished by their versatility, strength, and durability. They undoubtedly represent the next step in the evolution of coatings. Advances in coating technology have also led to the development of spray, injection, and roto-cast application equipment, improving polyurea-based elastomers’ performance. For many years, there has been much interest in increasing the flame resistance of polymers. This is dictated by safety considerations and the increasing requirements for the flammability of plastics, the area of application of which is growing every year. This text attempts to provide an overview of current research on flame retardant composites. Particular attention was paid to polyurea (PU) and polyurea-based hybrids and the application areas of polyurea coatings. The paper defines flame retardants, discusses how they work, and presents the types of flame retardants and the current trends of their usage in the production of plastics.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"155 10‐12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139796766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dengyou Xia, Changlin Chen, Ce Zheng, Jing Xin, Yi Zhu
{"title":"Research on Sequential Decision-Making of Major Accidents with Incomplete Information","authors":"Dengyou Xia, Changlin Chen, Ce Zheng, Jing Xin, Yi Zhu","doi":"10.3390/fire7020049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020049","url":null,"abstract":"In order to solve the problem of emergency decision-making with incomplete information and deal with the accident information in different time series at the scenes of major accidents, this paper proposes a method of sequential decision-making by utilizing the relevant knowledge of D-S evidence theory and game theory. Firstly, we took an oil tank fire accident as an example and sorted out historical cases and expert experiences to establish a logical relationship between key accident scenes and accident scene symptoms in the accident. Meanwhile, we applied the logistic regression analysis method to obtain the basic probability distribution of each key accident scene in the oil tank fire, and on this basis, we constructed an evidence set of the fire. Secondly, based on the D-S evidence theory, we effectively quantified the knowledge uncertainty and evidence uncertainty, with the incomplete and insufficient information taken as an evidence system of the development of key accident scenes to construct a situation prediction model of these accident scenes. Thirdly, based on the game theory, we viewed emergency decision-makers and major accidents as two sides of the game to compare and analyze accident states at different time points and solve the contradiction between loss costs of decision-making and information collection costs. Therefore, this paper has provided a solution for the optimization of accident schemes at different time stages, thus realizing the sequential decision-making at the scenes of major accidents. Furthermore, we combined the situation prediction model with sequential decision-making, with the basic steps described below: (1) We drew up an initial action plan in the case of an extreme lack of information; then, we (2) started to address the accident and constructed a framework of accident identification, (3) collected and dealt with the continuously added evidence information with the evolution of the accident, (4) calculated the confidence levels of key accident scenarios after evaluating different evidence and then predicted the accident state in the next stage, and (5) calculated the profit–loss ratio between the current decision-making scheme and the decision-making scheme of the next stage. Finally, we (6) repeated steps (3) to (5) until the accident completely vanished. We verified the feasibility of the proposed method with the explosion accident of the Zhangzhou P.X. project in Fujian on 6 April used as an example. Based on the D-S evidence theory, this method employs approximate reasoning on the incomplete and insufficient information obtained at the scenes of major accidents, thus realizing the situation prediction of key scenes of these accidents. Additionally, this method uses the game theory to solve the contradiction between decision-making loss costs and information collection costs, thus optimizing the decision-making schemes at different time stages of major accidents.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"21 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139862006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuru Fan, Hao Cui, Jiawen Qin, Changcheng Liu, Que Huang
{"title":"A Case Study on the Evacuation of People during a Fire in the Workshop of a Large Factory","authors":"Yuru Fan, Hao Cui, Jiawen Qin, Changcheng Liu, Que Huang","doi":"10.3390/fire7020047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020047","url":null,"abstract":"A workshop, as a crowded place, is quite easy to cause serious casualties and economic losses once there is a fire. In this paper, Pathfinder software was used to simulate fire emergency evacuation in a workshop of a large factory with building structural symmetry. According to the simulation results, several obstacles to the evacuation were discovered and further analyzed. The results showed that the main factors affecting the evacuation were the width of exits, the distribution of occupants and the effective evacuation width of stairs. Among them, only changing the width of exits had little influence on shortening evacuation time. While changing the effective evacuation width of stairs could greatly relieve the evacuation pressure, every increase of 0.5 m in the width of the staircase could shorten the evacuation time by 30.0 s. Meanwhile, the larger the number of people in high-rise buildings, the longer the evacuation time was. Therefore, the means of restricting people from entering the high-rise buildings in batches could be used to prevent personnel from being evacuated in time when a fire incident occurs.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"57 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139859761","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Yuru Fan, Hao Cui, Jiawen Qin, Changcheng Liu, Que Huang
{"title":"A Case Study on the Evacuation of People during a Fire in the Workshop of a Large Factory","authors":"Yuru Fan, Hao Cui, Jiawen Qin, Changcheng Liu, Que Huang","doi":"10.3390/fire7020047","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020047","url":null,"abstract":"A workshop, as a crowded place, is quite easy to cause serious casualties and economic losses once there is a fire. In this paper, Pathfinder software was used to simulate fire emergency evacuation in a workshop of a large factory with building structural symmetry. According to the simulation results, several obstacles to the evacuation were discovered and further analyzed. The results showed that the main factors affecting the evacuation were the width of exits, the distribution of occupants and the effective evacuation width of stairs. Among them, only changing the width of exits had little influence on shortening evacuation time. While changing the effective evacuation width of stairs could greatly relieve the evacuation pressure, every increase of 0.5 m in the width of the staircase could shorten the evacuation time by 30.0 s. Meanwhile, the larger the number of people in high-rise buildings, the longer the evacuation time was. Therefore, the means of restricting people from entering the high-rise buildings in batches could be used to prevent personnel from being evacuated in time when a fire incident occurs.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"50 5","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139800122","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Dengyou Xia, Changlin Chen, Ce Zheng, Jing Xin, Yi Zhu
{"title":"Research on Sequential Decision-Making of Major Accidents with Incomplete Information","authors":"Dengyou Xia, Changlin Chen, Ce Zheng, Jing Xin, Yi Zhu","doi":"10.3390/fire7020049","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020049","url":null,"abstract":"In order to solve the problem of emergency decision-making with incomplete information and deal with the accident information in different time series at the scenes of major accidents, this paper proposes a method of sequential decision-making by utilizing the relevant knowledge of D-S evidence theory and game theory. Firstly, we took an oil tank fire accident as an example and sorted out historical cases and expert experiences to establish a logical relationship between key accident scenes and accident scene symptoms in the accident. Meanwhile, we applied the logistic regression analysis method to obtain the basic probability distribution of each key accident scene in the oil tank fire, and on this basis, we constructed an evidence set of the fire. Secondly, based on the D-S evidence theory, we effectively quantified the knowledge uncertainty and evidence uncertainty, with the incomplete and insufficient information taken as an evidence system of the development of key accident scenes to construct a situation prediction model of these accident scenes. Thirdly, based on the game theory, we viewed emergency decision-makers and major accidents as two sides of the game to compare and analyze accident states at different time points and solve the contradiction between loss costs of decision-making and information collection costs. Therefore, this paper has provided a solution for the optimization of accident schemes at different time stages, thus realizing the sequential decision-making at the scenes of major accidents. Furthermore, we combined the situation prediction model with sequential decision-making, with the basic steps described below: (1) We drew up an initial action plan in the case of an extreme lack of information; then, we (2) started to address the accident and constructed a framework of accident identification, (3) collected and dealt with the continuously added evidence information with the evolution of the accident, (4) calculated the confidence levels of key accident scenarios after evaluating different evidence and then predicted the accident state in the next stage, and (5) calculated the profit–loss ratio between the current decision-making scheme and the decision-making scheme of the next stage. Finally, we (6) repeated steps (3) to (5) until the accident completely vanished. We verified the feasibility of the proposed method with the explosion accident of the Zhangzhou P.X. project in Fujian on 6 April used as an example. Based on the D-S evidence theory, this method employs approximate reasoning on the incomplete and insufficient information obtained at the scenes of major accidents, thus realizing the situation prediction of key scenes of these accidents. Additionally, this method uses the game theory to solve the contradiction between decision-making loss costs and information collection costs, thus optimizing the decision-making schemes at different time stages of major accidents.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"92 9","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139802077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Keiji Takeno, Hikaru Kido, Hiroki Takeda, Shohei Yamamoto, V. Shentsov, D. Makarov, V. Molkov
{"title":"Flame Stabilisation Mechanism for Under-Expanded Hydrogen Jets","authors":"Keiji Takeno, Hikaru Kido, Hiroki Takeda, Shohei Yamamoto, V. Shentsov, D. Makarov, V. Molkov","doi":"10.3390/fire7020048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020048","url":null,"abstract":"A hydrogen under-expanded jet released from a high-pressure vessel or equipment into the atmosphere through a 0.53 mm diameter orifice results in a sustained lifted flame for pressures above 4 MPa and flame blow-out at pressures below 3 MPa. Knowledge of whether the leaked hydrogen creates a sustained flame or is extinguished is an important issue for safety engineering. This study aims to clarify, in detail, a mechanism of flame stabilisation and blow-out depending on the spouting pressure. The model of flame stabilisation is derived using measurements and observations at the flame base location by means of high-speed schlieren images, laser diagnostics, and electrostatic probe techniques. The sustained stable flame originating from the 0.53 mm orifice is characterised by the existence of the spherical flame structures with a diameter of about 5 to 7 mm that appear one after another at the flame base and outside the streamlines of the hydrogen jet. As the spouting pressure reduces to 3.5 MPa, the sustained lifted flame becomes quasi-steady with higher fluctuations in amplitude of the flame base (lift-off height). In addition to that, flame structures are moving further from the hydrogen jet outlet, with a further decrease of spouting pressure leading to blow-out. The existence of spherical flame formations plays an important role in flame stabilisation. Based on the measurements of OH radicals using the PLIF method and ion currents, multiple flame surfaces were found to be folded in the flame structures. The hydrogen jet generates the vortex-like flow near its outer edge, creating flamelets upon ignition, ultimately forming the observed in the experiments spherical flame structures.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"75 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139861077","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Keiji Takeno, Hikaru Kido, Hiroki Takeda, Shohei Yamamoto, V. Shentsov, D. Makarov, V. Molkov
{"title":"Flame Stabilisation Mechanism for Under-Expanded Hydrogen Jets","authors":"Keiji Takeno, Hikaru Kido, Hiroki Takeda, Shohei Yamamoto, V. Shentsov, D. Makarov, V. Molkov","doi":"10.3390/fire7020048","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020048","url":null,"abstract":"A hydrogen under-expanded jet released from a high-pressure vessel or equipment into the atmosphere through a 0.53 mm diameter orifice results in a sustained lifted flame for pressures above 4 MPa and flame blow-out at pressures below 3 MPa. Knowledge of whether the leaked hydrogen creates a sustained flame or is extinguished is an important issue for safety engineering. This study aims to clarify, in detail, a mechanism of flame stabilisation and blow-out depending on the spouting pressure. The model of flame stabilisation is derived using measurements and observations at the flame base location by means of high-speed schlieren images, laser diagnostics, and electrostatic probe techniques. The sustained stable flame originating from the 0.53 mm orifice is characterised by the existence of the spherical flame structures with a diameter of about 5 to 7 mm that appear one after another at the flame base and outside the streamlines of the hydrogen jet. As the spouting pressure reduces to 3.5 MPa, the sustained lifted flame becomes quasi-steady with higher fluctuations in amplitude of the flame base (lift-off height). In addition to that, flame structures are moving further from the hydrogen jet outlet, with a further decrease of spouting pressure leading to blow-out. The existence of spherical flame formations plays an important role in flame stabilisation. Based on the measurements of OH radicals using the PLIF method and ion currents, multiple flame surfaces were found to be folded in the flame structures. The hydrogen jet generates the vortex-like flow near its outer edge, creating flamelets upon ignition, ultimately forming the observed in the experiments spherical flame structures.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"104 12","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139801403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Juliana Garcia, Michael C. F. Bazzocchi, Kevin Fite, Juan D. Ocampo, Marcias Martinez
{"title":"Review and Statistical Analysis of U.S. Structural Firefighting Injuries: Their Causes and Effects","authors":"Juliana Garcia, Michael C. F. Bazzocchi, Kevin Fite, Juan D. Ocampo, Marcias Martinez","doi":"10.3390/fire7020046","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/fire7020046","url":null,"abstract":"Safety and prevention of injuries should always be considered in a firefighting environment due to the hazardous conditions experienced on the fireground. These hazardous environmental conditions lead to an increased risk of contracting job-related injuries and illnesses. This review article focuses on evaluating from a statistical perspective the potential solutions found in the literature and how they decrease the likelihood and impact of occupational firefighting injuries. Investigating, identifying, and prioritizing the most common activities leading to injury, the nature of injury, and the body parts affected is a vital step in the implementation of preventive solutions. The scientific community has conducted various studies to evaluate the main injuries and injury profiles commonly suffered by firefighters. Researchers have conducted many independent studies on firefighter communities in the United States, while others have referenced national databases from sources such as the National Fire Protection Association, the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System. Unfortunately, the results of these independent studies lacked standardization in survey categories and terminology, impairing the ability to obtain a clear consensus among studies on the primary nature of injuries, the body parts injured, and the activities contributing to these injuries. Consequently, this review article performed a comparative statistical analysis of published data between 1992 and 2020 to define and rank the most common work scenarios where firefighters were likely to be injured, the most common types of injuries, the parts of the body affected, and the activities that most contribute to United States firefighter injuries as documented in both national databases and independent research surveys. The statistical analysis consisted of determining the mean, standard deviation, confidence intervals (95%), and coefficients of variation for the reported data. The present study identified that despite the preventative measures taken by many organizations in the firefighting community, strains and sprains were still the leading type of injury reported from all the databases under this analysis.","PeriodicalId":508952,"journal":{"name":"Fire","volume":"273 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-02-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139809417","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}