Comparative analysis of extinguishing agents for structural firefighting

Pampena, Jason (2015) Comparative analysis of extinguishing agents for structural firefighting. Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.

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Abstract

Though fire losses have fallen dramatically over the past forty years, fire remains a cause of injury and death in the United States that is of public health significance. The US fire service has advanced in some respects in comparison with pre-modern firefighting, but continues to rely on water with near exclusivity for structural fire extinguishment. While water’s favorable thermal characteristics and ready availability offer good reasons supporting its use, alternative agents such as firefighting foam have been demonstrated to achieve faster and more complete fire suppression with equivalent agent application. A developing body of evidence also points to mechanisms by which alternative agents might inhibit hazardous gas products of combustion such as hydrogen cyanide. A substantial portion of fire injuries result from toxic exposures rather than heat, and reduction of such exposures could have far-reaching impact on fire survival rates. Two common alternative agents, aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) and compressed air foam systems (CAFS), have achieved a degree of awareness, and attendant performance evaluation, from the fire community. A myriad of other agents, some operating on principles materially different from those of more widely accepted agents, have received little attention, and their potential effectiveness for structural firefighting is largely untested. This literature review attempts to summarize the extant research on various available and proposed extinguishing agents to provide a framework for future assessment of operational, environmental, and life safety considerations of extinguishing agent selection.

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Details

Item Type:	Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper (Master Essay)
Status:	Unpublished
Creators/Authors:	Creators Email Pitt Username ORCID Pampena, Jason jap125@pitt.edu JAP125
Contributors:	Contribution Contributors Name Email Pitt Username ORCID Committee Chair Peterson, James jimmyp@pitt.edu JIMMYP UNSPECIFIED Committee Member Grabowski, Joseph joeg@pitt.edu JOEG UNSPECIFIED Committee Member Colella, Brian bcolella@flypittsburgh.com UNSPECIFIED UNSPECIFIED
Date:	11 December 2015
Date Type:	Publication
Access Restriction:	No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Publisher:	University of Pittsburgh
Institution:	University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs:	School of Public Health > Environmental and Occupational Health
Degree:	MPH - Master of Public Health
Thesis Type:	Master Essay
Refereed:	Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords:	firefighting, fire, extinguishing, agent, alternative, agent, foam, aqueous, film, forming, foam, AFFF, compressed, air, foam, system, CAFS, inorganic, salt, structural, firefighting, interior, firefighting
Date Deposited:	19 May 2016 21:13
Last Modified:	11 Nov 2023 11:57
URI:	http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/26436

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