On the night between October 26 and 27 in 2007, a five storey building at Potatisåkern in Malmö, Sweden caught fire, probably due to an incorrectly installed stove near the buildings attic. The scope of the ensuing fire is rare in Sweden, and 122 tennants in 80 apartments lost their homes that night. To handle this fire 26 units from local fire departments were involved. In this report a networkan

In this report statistics concerning the reliability of sprinkler systems from seven countries has been analysed. The objective of this report has been to determine the reliability of sprinkler systems in Sweden and to present suggestions on measures to increase the reliability. The main conclusion that has been drawn is that the reliability of sprinkler systems in Sweden is 92 percent according t

The aim of this report is to illustrate that a well done pre-planning effectively helps fire fighting in nuclear power plants. Experiences from this study of fire in nuclear power plants can be used in forthcoming pre-planning.

This report focuses on CFD-calculations using parallel processors carried out with the software Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS). From a users point of view the advantages and disadvantages with parallel CFD-calculations were analyzed and evaluated. A simplified me-thod for quantitative evaluation was developed with guidance from ASTM E 1355 whereu-pon relative differences between serial reference sc

Evaluating evacuation experiments is a time consuming work. This report explores the possibilities of an automated time saving procedure with the help of ordinary computer programs and video cameras. Simplifying the procedure means that more types of tests can be made, i.e. walking paths of people turning corners. Trials were performed during two days with fire safety engineering students at the F

The fire department of Great Gothenburg is today in a big need of education and equipment to be prepared for the risks in the area where they are active. With the right attitude among the rescue workers, the right equipment in the rescue units and a well organized command, an effective organisation are created, which is a must when the discharge happens.

A literature study, where factors affecting the ability to perceive an exit sign, was done. The conclusions showed a great need of experiments and the contrast between the sign and surrounding luminance were chosen to be studied in different environments. Five experiment locations with different contrast ratios were used, two in a complex environment and the other three in a less complex environme

The purpose of this report is to investigate the collaboration and the cooperation between the Swedish municipal rescue services, the police and the emergency medical service, with the main focus on the rescue services. The result is based on a survey among the personnel working in three different geographical areas, Stockholm, Västra Götaland and Skåne. Where the result indicates it is needed, re

This report examines the function of the Swedish National Home Guard forces as a support for the civil society in extensive fire-rescuing services. Their function is examined by interviewing personnel from the fire-rescue service and the National Home Guard who took part in the work caused by two large scale accidents. The large scale accidents examined are a forest fire in Bodträskfors (northern

This report is a study on the effects pyrotechnically generated aerosols, PGA, has on electrical components and our health. Experiments were conducted in small and full scale at Lunds tekniska högskola and the Swedish rescue service’s school at Revinge. The experiments were conducted using only one type of PGA with exception for the full scale experiments in wich two types were used. The experimen

Recent events have shown that a fire in a boat storage facility may result in severe damages regarding health, economic values and the environment. The Swedish guidelines in this area are rather old and since the boating industry has evolved in the last decades an overhaul might be needed. This report has especially validated the recommended safety distances between groups of boats. Furthermore th

The environment in the engine compartment has been investigated in order to design a firedetection system. The report shows that such a system requiers extensive research due to the lack of conclusive data.

The object of this report is to investigate whether it´s suitable or not to use escalators in exits. To make this determination, it is necessary to examine walking speeds and pedestrian traffic. Practical experiments were executed at Knutpunkten, Helsingborg, were travellers were filmed while using the escalators. The experiments were designed to test a number of variables using pre-determined sce

This paper has been commissioned by the County administrative board of Skåne in order to provide them with a tool to support the evaluation of individual fire rescue services, according to the requirements of law 2003:778 1 chap 1 § concerning protection against accidents. Evaluation is understandably a key element in providing a functional service with perspective to enhance the abilities of the

This report evaluates an existing method for testing water mist systems - CEN/TS 14972:2008, Annex A:3. The evaluation is to be seen as an analysis of the uncertainties with respect to repeatability and reproducibility of the test. It is concluded that the test method does not meet the standards required to become an EN-standard in its present form. A new concept is presented and verified, both th

The focus of the report lays on if and how walking speed has been affected by the increasing obesity rates in Sweden. Comparisions between people of normal respectively obese weight has been made. This is a a study that questions whether the current walking speeds derived from the 1960’s and the 1970’s still can be used as reliable measures given that the composition of the population is not the s

This report is an aid in making decisions for the location of fire stations. Using multi criteria decision making the report presents a model for choosing the best available location for hosting a fire station. The model gives the decision makers the opportunity to choose from more criteria than the traditional response time. The model can be applied in any fire station locational decision regardl

The CFD-program Fire Dynamics Simulator 5, FDS5, can model flame spread. This report studies if flame spread modeling can be used for creating a design fire when using performance-based fire safety design of a building. From cone calorimeter data the computer program Gpyro was used to determine input parameters for FDS5 for five different wood materials. The input parameters were then evaluated in

Today’s dementia care has demonstrated a widespread use of locking devices in the escape routes of the care units. Most commonly code locks. The locking devices are used to prevent wanderers from wandering away from de dementia unit and risk hurting themselves, disappear or even die. On the contrary, the locks themselves may endanger a safe escape in the case of fire as well as it is may violate t

The purpose of this report is to investigate the preparedness to handle a radiological emergency in Sweden. Cooperation between public authorities and municipal rescue services is investigated with the main focus on the rescue services. The methodological approach is in the form of an inquiry to officials at public authorities responsible for handling of radiological accidents. The results from th