Studying the Impact of Fire Attack Using Interior and Exterior Streams on Firefighter Safety and Occupant Survival -- Project Update

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Studying the Impact of Fire Attack Using Interior and Exterior Streams on Firefighter Safety and Occupant Survival -- Project Update
Keith Stakes, UL Robin Zevotek, UL

The UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute is currently conducting a project on the impact of fire attack utilizing interior and exterior fire streams on firefighter safety and occupant survival. This session will provide a project update and allow discussion of preliminary results. Cold flow experiments are being conducted to determine how air moves within a structure dependent on the type of hose stream chosen and how it is applied given various ventilation openings and interior versus exterior deployment. Water flow experiments are being conducted to determine water mapping within compartments based on the type of tactic chosen. The project will culminate with a series of live-fire experiments to see the interaction of hose streams with the modern fire environment and its potential impact on firefighter safety and occupant survival.

Presented by:

Keith Stakes, UL
Keith Stakes is a research fire protection engineer with the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute (FSRI). As a member of FSRI, he studies the effectiveness of fire service tactics as well as advances in firefighter safety and fire ground operations. He has a BS and ME in Fire Protection from the University of Maryland. Keith is a volunteer fire fighter with the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad in Bethesda, Maryland, where he holds the rank of Fire/Rescue Lieutenant. He has previously worked with NIST conducting similar research, as well as the NIH Division of the Fire Marshal, assisting with design reviews and conducting inspections for new fire alarm and suppression systems.

Robin Zevotek, UL
Robin Zevotek is a Research Engineer with the UL Firefighter Safety Research Institute. He has 13 years in the fire service throughout the east coast, most recently serving as Captain with the Moyers Corners Fire Department in Liverpool, NY. He has a BS and is completing his MS, both in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland. In addition, he is a licensed fire protection engineer with several years of design experience.