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PODCAST

Fire Science Show

Wojciech Wegrzynski

Fire Science Show is connecting fire researchers and practitioners with a society of fire engineers, firefighters, architects, designers and all others, who are genuinely interested in creating a fire-safe future. Through interviews with a diverse group of experts, we present the history of our field as well as the most novel advancements. We hope the Fire Science Show becomes your weekly source of fire science knowledge and entertainment. Produced in partnership with the Diamond Sponsor of the show

science physics

All Episodes

42:55

192 - Fire Fundamentals pt. 14 - Jet fan systems for...

Fire Science Show ·

2025/03/12

Jet-fan systems effectively control smoke in car parks by creating directed airflows that transport smoke from one point to another, similar to how longitudinal ventilation works in tunnels. These systems offer cost-effectiveness and simplicity by eliminating ductwork while providing powerful smoke management capabilities when properly designed and understood. • Jet Fans create momentum transfer through air entrainment rather than directly moving smoke • Two distinct operational modes exist:...

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58:17

191 - Committee participation with Birgitte...

Fire Science Show ·

2025/03/05

This episode explores the invaluable contributions of community participation in fire safety technical committees. Joining committees is not just about sharing expertise; it’s a journey that transforms careers and fosters growth. Our guests, Birgitte Messerschmidt and Kees Both, reveal how their experiences in various committees, including the NFPA, ISO, ASTM and CEN, have shaped their professional paths. As we dive deeper into the intricacies of committee politics, our guests candidly...

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51:40

190 - Car park fires review with Zahir

Fire Science Show ·

2025/02/26

With the emergence of electric vehicles, fire safety and dynamics have entered a new domain, raising crucial questions about existing protocols, design fires and data gaps. Today, our Wojciech Wegrzyński welcomes Zahir, Associate Prof. at University Putra Malaysia, to discuss the findings from their latest papers, compare methodologies, and highlight the differences between traditional combustion engines and electric vehicles. The conversation covers various topics, from the nuances of...

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42:20

189 - Simple things that work

Fire Science Show ·

2025/02/19

This episode emphasises the value of focusing on simple things in fire safety engineering, something we somehow miss when we go too deep into the technical details of our projects. I've looked at eight different aspects of fire safety - inspired by the CPR requirements, and I've added resiliency, redundancy and suppression to them. By promoting straightforward guidelines like evaluating material combustibility, ensuring effective egress routes, and engaging with rescue services, architects an...

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57:06

188 - Fire Fundamentals pt. 13 - Porous solid fuels

Fire Science Show ·

2025/02/11

In this episode of Fire Fundamentals, together with Dr Sara McAllister, we dwell on how stuff burns... And it is far from an easy question. While the general theme of the episodes is porous fuels, we discuss them from different angles, highlighting the similarities and differences between foamed and permeable materials. In this episode, we cover: role of permeability, entrainment and forced flows through porous fuel beds;differences in physical properties between porous materials and their bu...

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54:32

187 - Smouldering of preserved timber with Wenxuan Wu

Fire Science Show ·

2025/02/05

Can a tiny amount of bio-protective coating completely change the fire behaviour of mass timber logs? If you asked me that some time ago, I would say it would probably be neutral. Can a 0.5 x 0.5 m free-standing log of timber smoulder through without any external exposure to fire? If you asked me that some time ago, I would say no, and base that on observations of dozens of logs like this. Yet, in Australia they’ve burned. And the hypothesis was that it has something to do with the preservati...

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61:58

186 - Egressibility: a paradigm shift in evacuation...

Fire Science Show ·

2025/01/29

If we truly want to account for the population at a disadvantage in evacuation, there is only this much we can do with the current approach... Pre-evacuation time distributions, walking speeds, and so on only tell us a part of the story - the story of your average person within an average population, with an average walking speed and average response. While these models are undoubtedly useful in engineering, there is perhaps a better way.My friend and guest Enrico Ronchi is trying to find thi...

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65:09

185 - Recap on wildfire science

Fire Science Show ·

2025/01/22

In the aftermath of the LA Pacific Palisades Fire, I've decided that instead of inviting one expert to discuss the event, I will give a voice back to those who already participated in the Fire Science Show and explained this fire (months and years before it happened).In this episode, we recap Wildland-Urban Interface fires, with a focus on the "urban" part. We cover conditions in which such fires may happen and factors that contribute. We discuss the role of community preparedness and pathway...

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60:52

184 - Cost-benefit analysis in structural fire safety...

Fire Science Show ·

2025/01/15

This episode delves into the financial aspects of fire safety in building design, highlighting the balance between cost and effectiveness. My guests - prof. Thomas Gernay and Chenzi Ma from Johns Hopkins University share insights from their NIST-sponsored research project on cost-benefit analysis and loss estimation for structural fire safety. In the discussion, we explore the differences between prescriptive and performance-based approaches, discussing insights from a comprehensive analysis ...

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60:25

183 - Innovation and fire safety with Vincent Brannigan

Fire Science Show ·

2025/01/08

History repeats itself. A new thing is invented. We learn about it, understand it, and apply measures to capture its behaviour and regulate it. And then another new thing is invented. The measures we used start failing us, and the cycle repeats all over again.It is not a story of fire safety; it is a story of humanity. Similar cycles can be observed in all aspects of technology. One could call them Innovation Blind Spots after Prof. Rein; in science, you could call them paradigm shifts after ...

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45:04

182 - Bias in fire research

Fire Science Show ·

2024/12/18

Fire is a highly contextualized problem; therefore, there is no such thing as an unbiased or "objective" fire experiment. It is a thing that many researchers would understand but is very rarely pointed out. Where it is not a problem for fire science (more like a 'feature'), it may become one when the results of scientific experiments are directly applied to real-world engineering cases.In this episode, I cover biases in research, from general ones to highly specific fire safety engineering bi...

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57:20

181 - Regulatory regimes with Vincent Brannigan

Fire Science Show ·

2024/12/11

I just drove 500 km to have a conversation with Professor Vincent Brannigan from the University of Maryland, a very unique expert who combines law with fire engineering. In this discussion, we go into the complexities of building codes and fire safety, comparing traditional design methods (prescriptive) with performance-based designs (and all the stuff in between them). Through anecdotes and historical fire incidents, we highlight the impact of these systems on societal safety, economic devel...

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48:20

180 - Fire Fundamentals pt. 12 - Pressurization systems

Fire Science Show ·

2024/12/04

In this episode of fire science fundamentals, we cover the pressurisation systems. These are smoke control solutions used to prevent smoke from accessing protected spaces, by creating an overpressure in those spaces. Although the idea is very simple, its execution is far from that. Pressurization systems need to work in two distinct states – when all doors to the protected space are closed (over pressurization state), and when some openings are open (flow-path state). In this episode, we...

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57:48

179 - Assurance in fire safety with Abhishek Chhabra

Fire Science Show ·

2024/11/27

Discover the hidden backbone of fire safety with assurance industry expert Abhishek Chhabra as we unravel the essential frameworks that keep our buildings safe and sound. We explore the vital role of standards, accreditations, and testing mechanisms in fostering trust and compliance within the construction industry. It is not easy to talk about, but I assure you (pun intended) that Abhishek can talk about it in an engaging and fun way.Gain a deeper understanding of the current landscape of fi...

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51:25

178 - Origin stories of fire prevention and...

Fire Science Show ·

2024/11/20

Happy 200th birthday, Scottish Fire and Rescue Services!!! I'm a bit late to the party. Still, I've done my best to celebrate your anniversary in the best way I can - by giving homage to the amazing fire safety engineering and firefighting that came out of Edinburgh and your founder, James Braidwood. In this episode, we tap into the secrets of early fire safety measures and discover the fascinating history of firefighting with our guest, Michał Stachowicz, a dedicated Scottish firefighter. We...

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57:36

177 - Physics-Based Modelling of Fire Spread with...

Fire Science Show ·

2024/11/13

Wildfire modelling is quite complicated when you wish to integrate different fuel packages with different properties in 'real' environmental conditions while managing the transition to/from smouldering. We have a model for each, but how do we make them work in unison without relying too much on their users' skills? This is a subject for a good research grant... a very big one. And this is something 'we' just got!A fire scientist from King's College London, Dr Francesco Restuccia, has just sec...

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60:45

176 - The Myth of Panic with Daniel Nilsson

Fire Science Show ·

2024/11/06

You are not supposed to use the word 'panic' in the context of human behaviour in fires, yet this episode contains 196 instances of it. Why? because we try to get to the bottom of the thing! Can panic be both a myth and a reality? Join us as we challenge the age-old narratives of panic in emergencies with our distinguished guest, Professor Daniel Nilsson, from the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. We unravel the misconceptions surrounding human behaviour during fires, spo...

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48:14

175 - Changes in the UK fire regulations with Dame...

Fire Science Show ·

2024/10/30

The Grenfell Tower tragedy has triggered a Public Inquiry (which just published their final report), and concurrently - a review of the UK Building Regulations and Fire Safety. The latter task was given to Dame Judith Hackitt, a former Head of the Health and Safety Executive and a chemical engineer. In this interview Dame Judith Hackitt lends her voice to a pressing dialogue on fire safety reform following the Grenfell Tower tragedy. She uncovers the systemic flaws that allowed such a disaste...

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55:44

174 - My predictions for AI in fire

Fire Science Show ·

2024/10/23

AI is changing the world. But can artificial intelligence truly revolutionize fire safety engineering? In this episode I took out my crystal ball, and tried to find answers in what aspects of fire engineering we could truly see a revolutionary impact of AI, and where it is more a disturbing gadget with no real application... Overall, working in the space for many years, and having talked with many luminaries of the use of AI, I would say my expectations are toned down a lot. I am still e...

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41:58

173 - Pathway to scalable fire CFD

Fire Science Show ·

2024/10/16

CFD is the most talked-over subject in the Fire Science Show. There are two reasons for that: one, it is interesting and relevant for so many of the Audience, and two, it's something I do for a living. There is also another reason: there are a lot of ideas and concepts of how CFD could be used "better", yet I struggle to see them make an impact in the world of practical engineering. I would love to see the CFD being used in fire as it is in aerospace or Formula1 industries, yet, there ar...

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280 results

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