| M36 |
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| Assessing Environmental and Economic Impact: A New Tool for the Fire Service |
| Francine Amon, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden |
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Concern for the environment is growing as new levels of contamination are revealed. Most fires occurring in the built environment contribute to contamination of air and possibly also to surface water, groundwater, sediment, and soil. From an economic perspective, the direct and indirect costs of fire on a community can be devastating but are not usually reported at a local scale beyond human deaths and injuries and the amount of property destroyed or damaged. Knowledge of the financial impact of specific fire incidents that includes such factors as fire protection, insurance, rebuilding of structure(s), temporary housing, missed work, and loss of business could be of benefit to the fire service. This session will explain a tool that enables fire departments to estimate the value of their services to a community in terms of environmental and financial impact.
Presented by:
Francine Amon, SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden
Dr. Francine Amon has been working for the past 5 years at SP Fire Research, where her research focus has been on studying the effects of fire on the environment. Projects have included ignition mechanisms of wildland fires, life cycle assessment of flame retardants and nanoparticles, and work supporting the development of standard documents in ISO TC 92 SC3 WG6 (Fire Threat to the Environment). Prior to SP, Francine was a researcher at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, working in the area of firefighter technology. During this time she was also active in NFPA standards development for electronic equipment for the fire service.
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