Fire Protection Design for Wildland/Urban Interface Communities

T71
Fire Protection Design for Wildland/Urban Interface Communities
Michael Gollner, University of Maryland Sara Caton, University of Maryland Raquel Hakes, University of Maryland Daniel Gorham, NFPA

This presentation will discuss fire protection engineering principles useful in the design and protection of wildland-urban interface (WUI) communities. There are a variety of codes and standards governing the design of WUI communities (NFPA 1141-44, ICC WUI, L133CA CBC Chp. 7), but there is no design "guide" to lead engineers, community planners and AHJ's in how to implement those requirements. Included will be an overview of the WUI problem, wildland fire behavior, pathways to fire spread, existing codes and standards, and water supply design, as well as simulation tools and online references. Attendees will be presented with a cohesive strategy for designing protection measures and a review of the many tools available in the field.

Presented by:

Michael Gollner, University of Maryland
Michael Gollner is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland. He holds a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from UCSD and serves as an Associate Editor of Fire Technology, a principal member of the NFPA Technical Committee on Wildland and Rural Fire Protection, and is a member of the NFPA FPRF Research Advisory Board. He runs a research program focused on fire spread through urban and wildland environments.

Sara Caton, University of Maryland
Sara Caton is a graduate student in the Department of Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park pursuing her Masters of Science in Engineering. She is also a Pathways Student at the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Gaithersburg, MD. Sara was part of the NFPA-sponsored report on Pathways for Fire Spread in the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI). She is currently researching the generation and breakage mechanics of firebrands through small-scale laboratory experiments to aid in developing and enhancing WUI fire spread models.

Raquel Hakes, University of Maryland
Please send 175 word bio to Andrea White awhite@nfpa.org. Sample bio: John Doe is a Vice President at Doe & Associates, Inc, in Atlanta, GA. He is a professional engineer registered in the states of Georgia, Utah, and Ohio. John is an NFPA member and serves on several technical committees. He is also a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers, the Building Industry Council - City of Atlanta, and the Fire Protection Engineering Honorary Society. Mr. Doe is the author of many technical papers, publications, and speeches.

Daniel Gorham, NFPA
Daniel Gorham is a Project Manager with the NFPA Research Foundation. He holds an MS in Fire Protection Engineering from the University of Maryland, which included research on wildland fire spread. He is also an incident qualified wildland firefighter.