Fire Safety Research Institute

Equip your members with the resources to help your community Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of battery safety this holiday season. FSRI just released new materials to share safety tips around lithium-ion battery use, storage, and disposal.?Visit https://lnkd.in/efmgQCNZ to download and share today. #BatteryFireSafety #HolidayFireSafety #FireSafetyResearch

While we evaluate electric vehicle (EV) water suppression effectiveness in Northbrook, IL, FSRI researchers Richard Kesler and Chandler P. are examining how personal protective equipment (PPE) protects firefighters against hazardous exposures from EV and gas-powered vehicle fires as part of our Emerging Issues Related to PPE research project. During the first week, the research team tested PPE swatches at 10 and 15 feet away from gas-powered vehicles during freeburn tests. This week, PPE swatches are attached to the firefighters actively involved in the suppression of the EV fires, then the swatches will be analyzed for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) and metals. Data from both of these positions will enable us to compare products of combustion and PPE performance between various positions and between EV and gas-powered vehicle fires. Additional data collected through heat flux gauges, infrared cameras, temperature sensors, and gas and particulate sampling will further characterize the chemical and thermal hazards firefighters face. The results of these experiments will inform later stages of the project and have the potential to impact firefighter safety standards and influence PPE use, cleaning, and design. Stay tuned for updates as we work to keep firefighters safer in an evolving environment. Learn more about the project here: https://lnkd.in/dBj5HEJS #FireSafetyResearch #PPETesting #FirefighterHealth #FirefighterSafety

Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of Battery Safety ahead of the upcoming holiday shopping season. Lithium-ion batteries have many positives, but because they're storing more energy, there are also some risks. If they're misused, mistreated or damaged, they can enter thermal runaway and cause fires. 40% of Americans are not aware of the thermal runaway risk associated with lithium-ion batteries (UL Standards & Engagement, 2024). This awareness gap can lead to tragic outcomes if safe practices are not followed. Help close that gap with our latest resources now available on https://lnkd.in/efmgQCNZ. Comment below on how you and or your organization will spread the word this season. #LithiumIonBatteries #BatteryFireSafety #HolidayFireSafety Saadia Baloch Adam Barowy Dawn Landers Ey Daniel Madrzykowski Amanda Srsic, MPH Nicole Sanders-Abbott, CSM Jennifer Williams

FSRI continues to build upon former President Harry S. Truman's legacy as we make progress in the science of fire prevention and protection to limit what he referred to as "unnecessary destruction" by fire. This week, Steve Kerber, vice president and executive director of FSRI shared research updates and inspiration with attendees of the 18th Annual Truman Symposium in Key West, FL. As we get closer to the end of another year, we are grateful for our many partners who relentlessly seek ways to work together towards improving fire prevention, fire service resources, building codes, public education, and research, leading to significant improvements in fire safety standards around the world. #TrumanSymposium #FireServiceOneVoice

This holiday season, FSRI is releasing new educational resources to equip your organization with the tools to help your community Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of battery safety. Stay tuned for next week when we will release additional research-based information on best practices for safe handling and care of lithium-ion battery-powered devices. In the meantime, visit https://lnkd.in/eeu4pbkb to learn more. #BatteryFireSafety #FireSafetyResearch

Together with our Public Education Advisory Committee (PAC), we are shaping the future of fire safety messaging. We recently held our annual meeting to discuss the status and future of FSRI's public education efforts. The PAC, composed of fire and life safety experts, provided invaluable insights on ways to continue to support fire departments and local communities with the resources needed to help reduce fire hazards. We look forward to sharing updates on a new public education training course for firefighters coming in 2025. Find additional meeting details here: https://lnkd.in/edM2XNXH #FireSafetyResearch #FireSafetyEducation #PublicFireSafety Kathy Clay Sean DeCrane Bruce Johnson Andy King Nick Ledin Kymberly Pashkowsky Vickie Pritchett Becki Rowan White John Shafer Nicole Sanders-Abbott, CSM Jennifer Williams

Earlier this year, FSRI researchers completed experiments to understand electric vehicle (EV) fire behavior. Following initial data analysis and input from the project’s technical panel, the research team is in Northbrook, IL, this week to investigate the effectiveness of water suppression.?Findings from this phase will contribute to future tactical considerations and training resources to help enable the fire service to conduct safe and effective size-up and suppression strategies. Stay tuned for a recap of these experiments and visit https://lnkd.in/eNAYUssA to learn more about the first phase of experiments studying EV fire behavior. Adam Barowy #ElectricVehicles #EVfires #FireSuppression #FirefighterSafet

This holiday season, FSRI is releasing new educational resources to equip your organization with the tools to help your community Take C.H.A.R.G.E. of battery safety. Stay tuned for next week when we will release additional research-based information on best practices for safe handling and care of lithium-ion battery-powered devices. In the meantime, visit https://lnkd.in/eeu4pbkb to learn more. #BatteryFireSafety #FireSafetyResearch

Miami-Dade Fire Rescue (MDFR) Captain Bill Gustin recently examined a rescue conducted by his department at a fire inside a three-bedroom, two-bathroom, single-story house, similar in size and configuration to the ones used in our Search & Rescue experiments. Read the article to see how it relates to our tactical considerations concerning search, fire suppression, and occupant isolation and removal: https://lnkd.in/e4e6i2bk #SearchandRescue #FirefightingTactics Fire Engineering #FireSuppression

FSRI post-doctoral researcher PARHAM DEHGHANI and lead research engineer Matt DiDomizio are creating a software that can measure heat flux over planar surfaces using infrared thermography, which will aid researchers within thermal engineering disciplines.? Read their latest published peer-reviewed journal article “HFITS: An Analysis Tool for Calculating Heat Flux to Planar Surfaces using Infrared Thermography” to learn more: https://lnkd.in/gP9w-Rr5 HFITS is comprehensive in its functionalities, user-friendly interface, and wide-ranging applications- establishing it as an indispensable tool for researchers, engineers, and educators. This work is a key development in thermal analysis research as it allows for parallel development, as prior to this research, researchers analyzed heat flux cases individually. Their work is continuing to develop and will have additional features and cases in the future to expand its use in thermal engineering and fire safety research. #ThermalResearch #Software #ThermalEngineering #FireSafetyResearch