1. THE INSTITUTION OF FIRE ENGINEERS United States of America Branch Fire Service Deployment: Meeting the Standards of Cover Performance Criteria Indianapolis, April 2002

2. FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONSE TIMES What would it take to make a difference?

3. John R. Waters, CFPS, EFO Chief Fire Marshal Director of Safety and Codes Enforcement Upper Merion Township, PA

4. NATIONAL FIRE ACADEMY Executive Fire Officer Program

5. RESPONSE TIMES Why take the time to study them?

6. BUDGETS! response times translate to travel distance travel distance translates to number of stations number of stations translates to $$$$$$$$ Volunteer vs. Career also translates to $$$$$

7. It doesn’t matter who provides the service. proprietary by contract response times changes impacts budgetsresponse times changes impacts budgets

8. UNITED STATES FIRE ADMINISTRATION 1987 “The United States has one of the highest fire death rates per capita in the world.”

9. JOHN HALL & ARTHUR COTE 1997 “As a nation, the United States appears to do a better job in protecting property than protecting its citizens, at least compared to other fully industrialized democracies.”

10. NFPA Standard 403 - Aircraft Rescue & Firefighting Services(1996) “The principle objective of a rescue & firefighting service is to save lives....Demonstrated response time to any point on the operational runway shall be 2 minutes or less....”

11. Fire Incidents vs. Fatalities

12. Fire Incidents vs. Injuries

13. Fire Statistics % Residential

14. George Miller (1999) we’re winning the battle but losing the war.” “…while the overall number of home fire deaths dropped in 1997, the percentage of home fire deaths rose…we’re winning the battle but losing the war.”

15. PREVENTING RESIDENTIAL FIRE FATALITIES & INJURIES IS THE KEY Is this news?

16. Benjamin Franklin (1770) “It appears to me of great importance to build our dwelling houses, if we can, in a manner more secure from fire”

17. 1st National Fire Prevention Convention (1913) at the end of the year, totals up the same percentage of figures, with the astounding result that 60% of the fires occur in the homes of people.” “At the outset of the work we established a statistical table of fires, returned monthly by the fire marshals; and for two years that table has read exactly alike each month and, at the end of the year, totals up the same percentage of figures, with the astounding result that 60% of the fires occur in the homes of people.”

18. America Burning (1973) The structures in which Americans live must be the prime focus of a national effort to reduce fire losses Residential fires account for about half of all fire deaths and a third of all property loss. The structures in which Americans live must be the prime focus of a national effort to reduce fire losses.”

19. M. Karter (1993) with home fire deaths accounting for 78.4% of all fire deaths, residential fire safety initiatives remain the key to reduction in the overall fire death toll.” “If we examine deaths by the type of properties in which they occurred, we find that the increase in civilian deaths was due in large part to a rise in deaths in residential properties…with home fire deaths accounting for 78.4% of all fire deaths, residential fire safety initiatives remain the key to reduction in the overall fire death toll.”

20. Fatalities by type of residential use

21. Injuries by type of residential use

22. Yet, in 1998, there were no performance standards for fire department response to house fires! NFPA 1710 Committee appointed - January 1999 1st Meeting - February 1999 Adopted - May 2001

23. NFPA Standards 1710 & 1720 ( 2001 ) Deployment Standards Standard 1710 - Career Fire Departments Standard 1720 - Volunteer Fire Departments

24. A Philosophical Question Compartment fires, do they differ when the structure protected is served by career or volunteers? If not, why two standards?

25. Fire Department Response Times RESEARCH QUESTIONS: At which point does a fire in a structure become deadly? What would it take for the fire department to respond and intervene prior to that point?

26. 1st Research Question At which point does a fire in a structure become deadly?

27. James Milke (1984) life safety for occupants within that room is no longer of concern because the room is obviously untenable after flashover.” “Flashover is considered the point of transition from a ‘small’ fire to a ‘large’ fire involving all objects in the room. Once a fully developed room fire exists, life safety for occupants within that room is no longer of concern because the room is obviously untenable after flashover.”

28. Richard Bukowski & Richard Peacock (1995) “The occurrence of flashover within a room is of considerable interest…it is perhaps the ultimate signal of untenable conditions within the room of origin as well as a sign of greatly increased risk to other rooms within the building.”

29. T.T. Lie (1997) “Thus the time interval between the start of the fire and the occurrence of flashover is a major factor in the time that is available for safe evacuation of the fire area.”

30. John Hall (1998) “The majority of people killed in home fires (51.5%) are killed in a room other than the room of origin by a fire that spreads beyond the room of origin, which suggests flashover in the room of origin.”

31. Victim Location 1994-1998

32. WHAT IS “FLASHOVER?” A stage in the development of a contained fire in which all exposed surfaces reach ignition temperatures more or less simultaneously and fire spreads rapidly throughout the space. NFPA 555 (1996)

33. Richard Custer (1997) Triggering conditions for flashover –temperature of upper gas layer of 600  C –radiant flux of 20kW/meter 2

34. How long to flashover?

35. National Bureau of Standards (1980) < 4 minutes –heavy flame pouring our the full height of doorway 6 minutes –average gas temperature at 700  C

36. National Bureau of Standards (2001) 2 minutes 12 seconds –living room flashes over

37. Fire Power (1986) first flame to flashover took only 3 minutes 41 seconds

38. Fire:Countdown to Disaster first flame to flashover took only 2 minutes 12 seconds

39. Institute for Research in Construction Fire Evaluation and Risk Assessment System Modeled restaurant kitchen fire flashover occurred in 4 minutes 30 seconds

40. Flashover Time ( average ) 4.3 minutes It is interesting to note, that the for the purpose of NFPA Standard 1710, the committee used the standard time-temperature curve, as it relates to flashover, as the basis for fire department response times..

41. 2nd Research Question What would it take for the fire department to respond and intervene prior to flashover?

42. Fire Department Response Time (Traditional) (Total) ignition and pre-burn smoke detector activates and sends alarm alarm arrives to central station & is processed to dispatch center dispatch center processes alarm dispatch turn-out time travel time set-up time

43. Alarm to central station & transferred to dispatch 15 seconds to arrive 30 seconds to process TOTAL - 45 seconds

44. Dispatch Time ( average ) 56 seconds

45. Turn-Out Time ( average ) leaving the fire station – staffed - 57 seconds –unstaffed -184 seconds NFPA 1710 allows 60 seconds for turn-out

46. Travel Time from fire station to arrival at fire scene NFPA 1710 defines this as response time –from time apparatus clears the station to arrival on scene 4 minutes for 1st unit 8 minutes for balance of 1st alarm

47. Set-Up Time arrival at fire scene disembark apparatus pull hoseload from apparatus to front door charge hoseline don SCBA masks advanced hoseline into the building apply water

48. Set-Up Time ( average ) 98 seconds

49. Compare average time to flashover - 4.3 minutes average FD response time –not including detection time –not including travel time staffed 4.2 minutes unstaffed 6.3 minutes

50. Fire Dept. vs. Flashover Time in Seconds

52. Compare average time to flashover - 4.3 minutes NFPA standard response time NFPA 1221 –30 seconds to answer the call ( NFPA 1221 ) NFPA 1221 –60 seconds to dispatch the call ( NFPA 1221 ) NFPA 1710 –60 seconds to hit the street ( NFPA 1710 ) NFPA 1710 –240 seconds to travel to the scene ( NFPA 1710 ) TOTAL 6.5 minutes

53. Conclusion( s ) We can’t beat flashover Alternatives –non-combustible construction - possibly –non-combustible furnishings -unlikely –non-combustible contents - nearly impossible

54. The Long-Term Answer? The widespread use of fixed protection ( read sprinklers ) in all new construction, with an emphasis on residential occupancies, including single-family dwellings.

55. With whom do we work to solve the problem? International City Managers Association National Fire Protection Association International Code Council Elected Officials Associations Building Officials Associations Insurance Service Office

56. Upper Merion’s Modifications to the Model Building Codes

57. International Building Code Modifications Section 903 ( as modified ) requires sprinklers in all use groups if over 2,000 square feet in area or 35 feet in height –Exception: open parking structures originally adopted in 1987originally adopted in 1987

58. International Residential Code Modifications Section 317 ( as modified ) requires an automatic sprinkler system to be installed in all new One and Two Family Dwellings originally adopted in 1988originally adopted in 1988

59. John R. Waters, CFPS Executive Fire Officer Chief Fire Marshal Director of Safety and Codes Enforcement 175 W. Valley Forge Road King of Prussia, PA 19406 610-205-8513 jwaters@umtownship.org