Advisers to the Nation on Science, Engineering, and Medicine

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Academy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts is president of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engineers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. The National Academy of Engineering also sponsors engineering programs aimed at meeting national needs, encourages education and research, and recognizes the superior achievements of engineers. Dr. Wm. A. Wulf is president of the National Academy of Engineering.

The Institute of Medicine was established in 1970 by the National Academy of Sciences to secure the services of eminent members of appropriate professions in the examination of policy matters pertaining to the health of the public. The Institute acts under the responsibility given to the National Academy of Sciences by its congressional charter to be an adviser to the federal government and, upon its own initiative, to identify issues of medical care, research, and education. Dr. Harvey V. Fineberg is president of the Institute of Medicine.

The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Bruce M. Alberts and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chairman and vice chairman, respectively, of the National Research Council.

www.national-academies.org

This study was commissioned by the National Science Foundation (NSF) prior to the attack on the World Trade Center in New York on September 11, 2001. That attack led to the fire-induced collapse of three major commercial buildings and the loss of thousands of lives. The report was being finalized when the nightclub fire in West Warwick, Rhode Island, on February 20, 2003, claimed 99 more lives. Both of these events underscore this nation’s continuing vulnerability to major fires. It is this committee’s view that an incomplete understanding of the phenomenon of fire, the strategies and technologies to control it, and human behavior in chaotic, life-threatening situations contributes to unnecessary human and economic losses. Of course fire is not a new problem in the United States. In 1871 the City of Chicago burned to the ground, destroying the world market center for grain, livestock, and lumber. Over 17,000 buildings were destroyed and 90,000 people were left homeless. While unprecedented, the World Trade Center collapse is yet another exclamation mark in the history of fire devastation in the United States. It does, however, present a new dimension heretofore not fully considered in the design of buildings and civil infrastructure projects—the potential use of fire as a weapon.

Discussion of national fire research needs by distinguished panelists and committee members is also not new. In 1947 President Harry Truman established the President’s Commission on Fire Prevention, which featured a committee on fire research. In 1959 the National Research Council’s Committee on Fire Research found a dearth of basic research directed toward a fundamental understanding of the phenomena of ignition, fire growth, and fire spread. In 1973 the National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control recommended that federal funding of fire research be increased by $26 million per year ($113 million in today’s dollars). Unfortunately, such support for fire research was not forthcoming. In fact, since 1973, federal funding of university fire research has declined approximately 85 percent in real terms.

While the United States continues to have one of the worst fire loss records in the industrialized world, new engineering tools are emerging that offer great hope for higher levels of safety at less cost. Most particularly, new performance-based codes and fire safety design methods are now becoming available. These new approaches not only stand to offer more cost- effective investment of the fire safety dollar but also will permit more reliable prediction of building fire performance and identification of potential catastrophic failure scenarios. Additionally, they will enable the more widespread use of innovative building systems, devices, and methods.

The committee that prepared this report was charged with assessing the state of fire safety research and describing the potential role of the NSF in improving fire safety in the United States. This report highlights markers along a pathway to the future, discusses the nation’s fire research needs and the resources that will be required, and suggests a role for NSF and other key agencies and institutions. The committee urges national leaders in government and industry to aggressively support fire research needs, filling voids in the body of knowledge, sharpening engineering tools, and creating a database that will allow performance-based approaches to maximize their contribution to public safety in the United States.

David A. Lucht, Chair

Committee to Identify Innovative Research Needs to Foster Improved Fire Safety in the United States

This report has been reviewed in draft form by individuals chosen for their diverse perspectives and technical expertise, in accordance with procedures approved by the National Research Council’s (NRC's) Report Review Committee. The purpose of this independent review is to provide candid and critical comments that will assist the institution in making its published report as sound as possible and to ensure that the report meets institutional standards for objectivity, evidence, and responsiveness to the study charge. The review comments and draft manuscript remain confidential to protect the integrity of the deliberative process. We wish to thank the following individuals for their review of this report:

Benigno E. Aguirre, University of Delaware,

Howard Baum, National Institute of Standards and Technology,

Doug Dierdorf, Air Force Research Laboratory,

Brian Meacham, Arup,

Jake Pauls, Consultant,

B. Don Russell, Texas A&M University, and

Richard N. Wright, National Institute of Standards and Technology (retired).

Although the reviewers listed above have provided many constructive comments and suggestions, they were not asked to endorse the conclusions or recommendations, nor did they see the final draft of the report before its release. The review of this report was overseen by Frank H. Stillinger, Princeton University. Appointed by the National Research Council, he was responsible for making certain that an independent examination of this report was carried out in accordance with institutional procedures and that all review comments were carefully considered. Responsibility for the final content of this report rests entirely with the authoring committee and the institution.

ASCE

American Society of Civil Engineers

BRFL

Building and Fire Research Laboratory (NIST)

FEMA

Federal Emergency Management Agency

FPE

fire protection engineering

HPM

high-performance materials

JFSP

Joint Fire Science Program

NBS

National Bureau of Standards (now NIST)

NCFPC

National Commission on Fire Prevention and Control

NEHRP

National Earthquake Hazard Reduction Program

NFIRS

National Fire Incident Reporting System

NIST

National Institute of Standards and Technology

NRC

National Research Council

NSF

National Science Foundation

PBSD

performance-based seismic design

RANN

Research Applied to National Needs

SFPE

Society of Fire Protection Engineers

USFA

United States Fire Administration

USGS

United States Geological Survey