Categories
Bigger fire extinguishers are better for extinguishing large fires and are more effective than smaller ones, a team of scientists has concluded in a new study.
The findings were released on Thursday, a day after the World Health Organization (WHO) released its first-ever global assessment of the fire-fighting capabilities of fire extinguishing equipment.
Fire extinguishers and other types of firefighting equipment, such as hose-and-flame systems and sprinklers, are widely used around the world and have been the preferred means of preventing large-scale disasters, including large-magnitude fires.
But in many places, they are used to prevent the spread of small-scale fires that do not pose an immediate threat to human life or property, such like fires caused by small- and medium-size fires.
In a new report, researchers at the University of California at Berkeley found that the size of fire-suppression systems can make a difference in how quickly and safely extinguishing a fire can be achieved.
The study, which was conducted with the help of researchers from the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), looked at the effectiveness of fire suppression equipment, whether it was for fires caused or aggravated by large- and small-sized fires, as well as for the type of fire that was extinguished.
In their analysis, the researchers found that in areas where fire-resistant fire-extinguishing equipment is used to control large-size, relatively quick fires, larger systems are more efficient than smaller systems, at least for small-mixed fire types.
In other words, larger fire extinguishment systems are better than smaller fire-resisting fire-control systems.
Fire suppression systems can also be used to suppress small-size and medium sized fires.
In a study published in the journal Science last year, the authors examined the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of systems designed to contain fires that were aggravated by small, medium and large-sized, relatively fast fires.
The researchers found those systems could contain more small fires and smaller fires than the systems that were used to extinguish large fires.
Firefighting equipment has been an important element of international cooperation on combating fire-related disasters, but in recent years the costs of fire fighting equipment have been increasing.
In 2015, fire-safety organizations estimated that the cost of fire fighters’ equipment in the U,S., and worldwide was over $20 billion per year.
That cost is expected to increase by another $5 billion annually through 2040.
The latest findings from the Berkeley team, published in a scientific journal, are the latest to show that fire suppression systems, which are used for fires that pose a direct threat to the health of people and property, can be better and cost-effective than those that are used in a controlled manner to reduce the spread and prevent large- or small-group fire.
The Berkeley researchers’ study, conducted in collaboration with scientists at NIST, found that fire-retardant systems, such for example, that can keep the fire from spreading and reducing the size and duration of large fires can save lives and help prevent large fires from becoming more deadly.
They found that systems that can be used for controlling large fires are better at extinguishing small fires than systems that use hose- and flame-suppressing systems, for example.
In areas where a large fire can spread quickly, larger equipment, like fire-tolerant hose-type fire extinguisers, are more economical than smaller equipment, for instance.
The new study shows that the most effective fire-remedy equipment in a large-group, medium-sized or small fire is the hose-like fire extinguiser, while the most efficient fire-dispersing systems, like sprinkler systems, are used by smaller fires.
Both the large and small fire extinguishes can be installed as an extension of the existing equipment.
The smaller systems are designed to protect the occupants against small-to-moderate-size fire.
The researchers found systems that are both effective and cost effective can be implemented in a variety of settings, including residential and commercial areas, military bases, schools, government buildings, and stadiums.
