To us mortals, Prometheus' gift is both a blessing and a curse. Fire provides warmth and light, but when it rages uncontrolled, it also causes devastating losses of life and property. Each year, fires destroy property valued at billions of dollars. Total expenses attributable to fires also include the huge costs of insurance, fire-protection systems, and lost wages.
Smoke detectors provide some warning of uncontrolled fires.
Md. Even the most advanced detection and suppression systems currently available aren't foolproof. Right now, no commercially available materials, except for metals, are sufficiently flame resistant, says Richard E. Lyon, a polymer scientist and manager of the fire research program at the FAA's William J. Hughes Technical Center at the Atlantic City International Airport in New Jersey. At the 1998 Annual Conference on Fire Research held at NIST in November, scientists presented their recent work on new fire-retardant materials, focusing on plastics. One promising candidate may be available to airplane manufacturers by the end of the year, says Lyon. Researchers are uncertain, however, whether cost and demand will drive such materials into construction and consumer goods.