Fire Science Show Wojciech Wegrzynski

In this episode, we explore wildfire's impact on industrial fire safety with Professor Eulàlia Planas from Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya. Eulalia defines the term  Wildland Industrial Interface (WII), a realm where the forces of nature clash with safety and process engineering.

In the episode, we highlight that it is not just the exposure to the fire itself but also to the secondary effects - ember storms, firebrand accumulation, strong winds or power shutdowns that may cause significant damage. Also, even if the wildfires do not cause fires directly, they may damage auxiliary systems, creating unacceptable vulnerabilities in the plant. Finally, we discuss what is the challenge of shutting the plant down and evacuating it.

In the episode, we will present the differences to traditional risk assessments when confronted with wildfire behaviour and investigate scenarios in which even the most robust chemical plants can succumb to the fire.

Further reading includes:
- Fires at the wildland-industrial interface. Is there an emerging problem?
- Asset Integrity in the Case of Wildfires at Wildland-Industrial Interfaces
- Vulnerability of industrial storage tanks to wildfire: A case study
-  Analysis of the impact of wildla
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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Depression and anxiety are on the rise in both academia and engineering consultancies. Everyone is constantly stressed and pushed to their limits. The system is built this way... And imagine that on top of the inadequate mental health related to the stressful environment, you also struggle with a mental illness. A health condition you did not choose, you may or may not be aware of, and may or may not be treating... Now, add trying to build a family and advance the most challenging part of the academic ladder. All of these are elements of the story of today's guest - Professor Ann Jeffers of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Ann is a colleague from our fire community and an expert in structural fire engineering. Well-published Author and co-editor of Fire Safety Journal, with plenty of scientific achievements. She is also living with bipolar disorder. She was diagnosed with the illnesses around the time she was trying to advance to tenure and chose to battle alone without disclosing it to the community or her University, as it could have impacted her career... What a tough choice to make.

Today, Ann is in a different place. She is well, and received support from both community and her uni. She chose to share her story through the book "Can you hear the music?".  (Available here and on Amazon). Today she is a mental health advocate, reaching out to others who may be in a difficult position, as she were. When I saw her talk at the IAFSS conference, I knew that I have to share this with my audience.
 
In this episode, we share Ann's story and general aspects of high-stakes environment in academia. We discuss the ripple effect of traumatic events and emphasize the importance of compassionate academic evaluations that consider the full spectrum of an individual's experience. From the balancing act of managing a career and mental well-being, to the significance of prioritizing sleep and setting boundaries, this dialogue is a guidepost for those striving for success without sacrificing their health. Ann's transformation into a mental health advocate marks a pivotal moment in her journey and serves as a beacon for others navigating similar paths. Join us as we bring light to these critical conversations, trying to make mental health a part of fire scientists' and engineers' priorities. 

Watch Ann's videos telling her story in greater detail:
Can you hear the music - book introductionAuthor event ----
The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In this episode, we discuss the stark realities of fire safety engineering in South Africa (and beyond) as we sit down with Professor Richard Walls from Stellenbosch University. Our journey through the recent history of devastating fires, from truck blasts to the fire that took down the SA Parliament building, lays bare the critical gaps in resources, awareness and education that have catastrophic consequences. 

Professor Walls's expertise guides us through the complexities of local building codes and the vital role of education in fostering fire safety competency in the country. We dissect the shortcomings of current regulations and the promising strides made with introducing a master's degree program in fire engineering. Together, we unravel the intricate web of performance-based design and the imperative for a raised consciousness about fire safety in the building industry – a clarion call for vigilance that echoes far beyond South African borders.

We also try to form a broader perspective, examining how catastrophic events shape the future of fire engineering and the transformative lessons they impart. We also cast an eye toward the advancements in solar energy technology and the associated challenges it brings. Through this episode, we aim to try to support a conversation on the indispensable role of fire safety engineering in protecting communities across the globe.

This episode follows the unique DEI session at the IAFSS Conference in 2023. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the organizing committee for putting up such a fantastic session!
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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

Imagine if we had a tool that we could use to design a design fire. Instead of simply assuming fire growth characteristics by slapping the alpha-t2 function, use a tool that could tell us which items in a compartment burn and what the characteristics of that fire are. I would say this dream is shared among many fire safety engineers - I think we can all agree that we could use such a tool.

Today's guest, Dr Greg Baker, has shared this dream and built a tool like this within his PhD at the University of Canterbury. The skeleton was a zone model, and the tool developed has played with it well.  Actually, feel free to try it out in here.

In the episode, we talk about how Greg built up this tool and how it decides on the growth, plateau and decay of the fire. We also discuss how such a tool may be critical in a probabilistic approach to fire safety engineering and general performance-based design. Who knows, perhaps in the near future, such an approach will also help us run our CFDs. 

If you enjoyed this, you perhaps would like to read more:
Benchmarking the Single Item Ignition Prediction Capability of B-RISK Using Furniture Calorimeter and Room-Size ExperimentsIgnition of secondary objects in a design fire simulationDeveloping probabilistic design fires for performance-based fire safety engineeringAnd a bonus:
Ranking the Level of Openness in Blind Compartment Fire Modelling Studies----
The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

In today's fire fundamentals episode, I have chosen a difficult job: explaining how CFD modelling works without the ability to put a single equation out there! It's much tougher than I thought! I hope I've done a decent job, though.

I am trying to fill out this niche of talking about CFD at an approachable level. I've noticed there is a ton of 'introductory' level resources about modeling. Still, they usually very quickly go into mathematical formulations instead of explaining in plain language what is the purpose of specific models or modelling approaches.

In this episode, you will learn about:
- what is Computational Fluid Dynamics modelling;
- what is the role of conservation laws of mass, energy and momentum;
- what is turbulence, and why it impact our calculation so much;
- what are the common families of turbulence models (RANS and LES), and how do they differ from each other;
- what are sensitivity studies, and how does one choose an appropriate mesh for their problem?

If I had one book to recommend, it would be this book by Bart Merci and Tarek Beji.

If I had one paper to recommend, it would be this paper by Kevin McGrattan (open access).

Fire Science Show is produced in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you for your ongoing support, that allows me to create content like this!
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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.

If the word 'uncertainty' sounds extremely boring to you, this episode will prove you wrong. I have invited David Morrisset from the University of Edinburgh to discuss his research on the subject. Whereas in fact David is establishing standard deviations, means and other statistical means of quantifying uncertainty in core fire measurements, the really impactful and important part of his research is on explaining WHY those uncertainties are there. Through physical explanation of processes happening in fire we may grasp a really good understanding why two HRR-time curves of the same object burned in the same lab, in the same way may be so vastly different.

These findings are fundamental for practical fire engineering. The establishment of design fires and their relation to the experiments is discussed in depth. We also talk about how we could establish better design fires for future engineering practice.

Some excellent further reading:
Repeat Fire Tests of Upholstered Furniture: Variability and Experimental Observations - the upholstered chair paperStatistical uncertainty in bench-scale flammability tests - the PMMA paper 


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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.