Impact of Sprinklers on the Fire Hazard in Dormitories: Sleeping Room Experiments

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Impact of Sprinklers on the Fire Hazard in
DormitoriesSleeping Room Experiments

• Daniel Madrzykowski
• National Institute of Standards Technology
• madrzy_at_nist.gov

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Overview

• Fires in Dormitories
• Objectives
• Experimental Arrangement
• Dormitory Building
• Fuel Load
• Instrumentation
• Results
• Summary

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Fires in Dormitories

• On average 3,370 structure fires per year
• 5 civilian deaths
• 50 civilian injuries
• 27.8 million direct property damage
• 75 of fires involved cooking equipment
• 5 of fires starting in bedrooms
• This 5 of the fires resulted in 62 of the
  fatalities and 26 of the injuries
• Ref Flynn, J.D., Structure Fires in
  Dormitories, Fraternities, Sororities and
  Barracks, National Fire Protection Association,
  August 2009.

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Objectives

• Measure the level of fire hazard development in a
  real dorm building.
• Examine the impact of a closed door
• Examine the impact of automatic fire sprinklers
• Develop educational video
• College Fire Survival 101

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Experimental ArrangementUniversity of Arkansas
Built in the 1950s
Concrete Ceilings Concrete Slab Block
Walls Sponsor USFA
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Plan View of Dormitory
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Hallway

• 63 ft long
• 8.3 ft wide
• 7.8 ft high
• Smoke door at one end
• Smoke curtain at opposite end

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Dorm Rooms

• 11.3 ft wide
• 14.7 ft long
• 7.8 ft high
• Wood closet

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Fuel Load

• Carpet Padding
• Beds, Desks Chairs
• Computers
• Clothing
• Books Paper
• Essential Accessories

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Fuel Load

• Total load per room approx. 1350 lbs
• Loading 8.1lbs/sq.ft.
• Plastics and Wood

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Instrumentation

• Thermocouples
• Smoke Alarms
• Sprinklers
• Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide Carbon Monoxide meters
• Heat Flux
• Video

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Results
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TEST 1, DOOR CLOSED, NO SPRINKLER
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Test 1, Door Closed, No Sprinkler Dorm Room
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Test 1, Door Closed, No Sprinkler Corridor
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Test 1, Door Closed, No Sprinkler Dorm Room
Sampled 5 ft above the floor
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Test 1, Door Closed, No Sprinkler Corridor
Sampled 5 ft above the floor
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TEST 2, DOOR CLOSED, SPRINKLERED
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Test 2, Door Closed, Sprinklered Dorm Room
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Test 2, Door Closed, Sprinklered Corridor
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Test 2, Door Closed, Sprinklered Dorm Room
Sampled 5 ft above the floor
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Test 2, Door Closed, Sprinklered Corridor
Sampled 5 ft above the floor
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TEST 3, DOOR OPEN, SPRINKLERED
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Test 3, Door Open, Sprinklered Dorm Room
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Test 3, Door Open, Sprinklered Corridor
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Test 3, Door Open, Sprinklered Dorm Room
Sampled 5 ft above the floor
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Test 3, Door Open, Sprinklered Corridor Sampled
5 ft above the floor
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TEST 4, DOOR OPEN, NO SPRINKLER
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Test 4, Door Open, No Sprinkler Dorm Room
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Test 4, Door Open, No Sprinkler Corridor
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Test 4, Door Open, No Sprinkler Dorm Room
Sampled 5 ft above the floor
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Test 4, Door Open, No Sprinkler Corridor
Sampled 5 ft above the floor
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TEST 5, DOOR OPEN, NO SPRINKLER
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Test 5, Door Open, No Sprinkler Dorm Room
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Test 5, Door Open, No Sprinkler Corridor
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Test 5, Door Open, No Sprinkler Dorm Room
Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Test 5, Door Open, No Sprinkler Corridor
Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Comparisons

• Impact of Compartmentation (Door)
• Impact of Window Venting
• Impact of Sprinklers

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Impact of Compartmentation
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Compartmentation
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Compartmentation
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Compartmentation
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Window Venting
Dorm Room
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Impact of Window Venting
Corridor
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Impact of Window Venting
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Window Venting
Corridor Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Sprinklers
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Sprinklers
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Sprinklers
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Sprinklers
Dorm Room Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Impact of Sprinklers
Corridor Measured 5 ft above the floor
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Alarm and Sprinkler Activation Summary
Test No. Door Active Sprkr. Syst. Room Smoke Alarm Activation Time/Temp West Corridor Smoke Alarm Activation Time/Temp Center Corridor Smoke Alarm Activation Time/Temp East Corridor Smoke Alarm Activation Time/Temp Room Sprinkler Activation Time/Temp Corridor Sprinkler Activation Time/Temp
Test No. Door Active Sprkr. Syst. (s) / (º F) (s) / (º F) (s) / (º F) (s) / (º F) (s) / (º F) (s) / (º F)
1 Closed No 24 / 126 160 / 81 216 / 81 316 / 81 120 / 244 NA
2 Closed Yes 12 / 90 NA NA NA 105 / 246 NA
3 Open Yes 22 / 115 68 / 81 36 / 82 62 / 84 112 / 234 NA
4 Open No 14 / 113 60 / 88 32 / 84 62 / 90 76 / 277 128 / 210
5 Open No 26 / 88 62 / 86 80 / 88 98 / 88 110 / 180 224 / 257
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Tenability Summary
Test No. Door Active Sprk. Syst. Dorm Room Dorm Room Dorm Room Dorm Room Corridor Corridor Corridor Corridor
Test No. Door Active Sprk. Syst. Temp. O2 CO2 CO Temp. O2 CO2 CO
Test No. Door Active Sprk. Syst. gt 248 º F lt 10 gt 8 gt 1 gt 248 º F lt 10 gt 8 gt 1
1 Closed No 156 s 14 6 0 79 ºF 21 0 0
2 Closed Yes 183 ºF 20 1 0 81 ºF 21 0 0
3 Open Yes 154 ºF 20 1 0 81 ºF 21 0 0
4 Open No 128 s 310 s 318 s s 230 ºF 426 s s s
5 Open No 182 s 328 s 292 s S 214 ºF s s 444 s
Red Time to reach untenability criteria Blue -
Tenable throughout test, most significant value
shown.
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Summary

• Smoke alarms activated within 30 seconds of
  ignition
• The closed door on the room of origin limited the
  transfer of heat and smoke to the corridor
• In the experiments without sprinklers, the
  tenability criteria were exceeded
• In the sprinklered experiments, tenability was
  maintained in the room and the corridor

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More Information

• NIST IR 7120 Impact of Sprinklers on the Fire
  Hazard in Dormitories Day Room Fire Experiments
• Madrzykowski, D., Stroup, D.W., and Walton, W.D.,
  June 2004
• NIST TN 1658 Impact of Sprinklers on the Fire
  Hazard in Dormitories Sleeping Room Fire
  Experiments
• Madrzykowski, D., Walton, W.D., January 2010
• USFA Video College Fire Survival 101
• www.usfa.dhs.gov/citizens/college
• www.fire.nist.gov
• www.fire.gov
• madrzy_at_nist.gov