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# Landmark High-Rise Fire Study: Description of Experiments

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Forty-eight field experiments were conducted in a 13-story building in a systematic study of various deployments of mobile resources and firefighting personnel and their effect on firefighter and civilian safety and the protection of high-rise property. The experiments were designed in consultation with a panel of fire service and technical experts, along with representatives of the 13 participating fire and rescue departments from Maryland and Virginia.

The experiments evaluated crew sizes of three to six members on responding engines (engaged in fighting the fire) and trucks (engaged in search and rescue). They also compared means of ascent—stairs vs. elevator—and two alarm levels: low (three engines, three trucks, two battalion chiefs and two ambulances) and high (four engines, four trucks, two battalion chiefs and three ambulances).

Testing involved 16 scenarios, each a unique combination of crew size, alarm level and type of ascent.

Each scenario involved a fire on the 10th floor, which had an open floor plan configuration of 100 feet by 30 meters by 91 meters (300 feet). The primary fuel load is open-wall cubicle material with typical desk and drawers, computers, printers and office chairs. The scenarios included two victims (always in the same location)—one located on the fire floor and one located on the floor above.

No actual fires occurred during the tests. Instead, fire and smoke simulators (a non-toxic suspension consisting primarily of propylene glycol) were used to create realistic visibility conditions on the 10th and 11th floors. Besides simulating heavy fire and smoke conditions on the fire floor and heavy smoke on the floor above the fire, the displays and generators responded to fire suppression efforts. When a specific task was completed, the equipment ramped down accordingly. Use of the simulators allowed the researchers to create identical conditions for each experiment.

Engine crews could not use water in the rented high-rise building. The researchers worked with participating department training academies to develop a substitute that would weigh and perform as closely as possible to a 2 1⁄2-inch water-filled hose line. Sand was substituted for water in the experiments.

Observers and electronic switches for recording the completion of tasks, along with sensors and other tracking instruments, were strategically placed to record data and to ensure its validity.

**Research Collaborators**National Institute of Standards and TechnologyInternational Association of Fire ChiefsInternational Association of FirefightersWorcester Polytechnic InstituteCommission on Fire Accreditation InternationalUrban Institute

**Funding**Federal Emergency Management Agency, Department of Homeland Security, Assistance to Firefighters Grant Program

**Participating Fire and Rescue Departments**Arlington County Fire DepartmentAlexandria Fire DepartmentFairfax County Fire and RescuePrince William County Fire and RescueDistrict of Columbia Fire DepartmentMontgomery County Fire and RescueHoward County Department of Fire and Rescue ServicesFairfax City Fire and RescuePrince George's County Fire/EMS DepartmentLoudoun County Fire and Rescue DepartmentMetropolitan Washington Airport AuthorityManassas City Fire and RescueStafford County Fire and Rescue

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**Attachments (all PDFs):**

Time to Complete Fire Floor SearchFirefighter Exposure at the Start of Fire SuppressionToxic Exposure for Occupants on Fire FloorOverall Time to Task Completion Crew Size / Ascent ModeOverall Time to Task Completion Crew Size / Alarm Size

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