Critical Issues and Analysis in Fire Protection and Prevention

With an estimated 135,000 reported fire incidents occurring each day worldwide (CTIF World Fire Statistics Center, 2020), fire safety is a major societal and safety issue. Fires have an enormous impact on people's lives and well-being. They cause massive amounts of air pollution, increase carbon emissions, and are responsible for the loss of invaluable natural and cultural heritage. In the current context of climate change, it is hence crucial to develop appropriate preventive and protective measures against fire. This book is a compilation of studies and advances on the current state of research related to critical issues and analysis in the field of fire safety, with chapter contributions from various countries and research institutions worldwide (Australia, Chile, France, India and USA). It aims to provide a broad picture of currently faced challenges and potential solutions from passive and active protective measures, to modelling and experimentation related to compartment and wild fires. Chapters 1 and 2 address the issues of smoke generation in compartment fires, with the risk of the ignition of unburnt gases and on the one hand, and the need for visibility through smoke for evacuation on the other hand. Chapters 3 and 4 are dedicated to the fire resistance and the pyrolysis study of innovative composite materials and bio-based flame retardants, notably for vehicle and aircraft applications. Chapter 5 discusses the challenges related to the fire protection of built cultural heritage and evaluates the performance of an innovative sprinkler fire suppression system. Chapter 6 addresses the issue of forest fires and provides a methodology to improve the emergency response time at urban-forest interfaces. Chapter 7 opens up the discussion and provides potential solutions to help reduce the occurrence of wildfires and increase community safety in the context of climate change by involving renewable energies and local fire stations.