Fire Science Show
Episodes
134 - Fire Fundamentals pt 5 - The Evacuation Equation with David Purser
03 Jan 2024
Contributed by Lukas
It's time to learn about "the evacuation equation" from one of its creators. This week I interview prof. David Purser about the element...
QA6 - Reflecting on 2023 and Igniting the Future
27 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
As we close the curtains on 2023, take a walk with me through the unforgettable milestones that have shaped the Fire Science Show. This isn't jus...
133: Managing EV Fires at Sea with Elena Funk and Magnus Arvidson
19 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome aboard a journey through the challenges of managing electric vehicle fires at sea with Elena Funk of DBI and Magnus Arvidson from RISE. In thi...
132 - Dis-abling buildings - fire safety features from wheelchair user perspective with Mary Button
12 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This is an important episode. Our guest for today, UK fire engineer Mary Button, who uses a wheelchair herself, shares some of her own stories and fee...
131 - Experiments that changed fire science pt. 8 - Modelling Cardington Fire Tests with Asif Usmani
06 Dec 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this part 8 of Experiments that changed fire science series we revisit Cardington (previously covered in part 2 - https://www.firescienceshow.com/0...
130 - Mass timber fire dynamics with Dr. Carmen Górska
29 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Carmen Górska from OFR Consultants, the recent IAFSS Phillip Thomas Award recipient for the best paper at the pre...
129 - Backdraught and Underventilated Fires with Dr. Ricky Carvel
24 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, we go into the practical consequences of having an underventilated fire - that is the possibility of backdraught or other sim...
128 - Fire Safety Engineering with Dr. Ricky Carvel
21 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dear friends of the Fire Science Show, and listeners of the Smart Passive Income Podcast - today is some sort of a special broadcast. As I have just b...
127 Introducing the Book of Fire: An Online Resource Hub for Fire Engineers
15 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Dear friends, I am building something new for you. Something that should be very useful, something that I wish I had when I started my journey as a fr...
126 - Where is the challenge with tunnel smoke control? with Wojciech
08 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I'm known for my rant about critical velocity concept in tunnel ventilation systems, and I tried to really control myself and not go into podcast...
125 - Enhancing Fire Safety Through Data: EU FireStat Project with Martina Manes and Mohamad El Houssami
01 Nov 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Today we go deep into how statistical data about fires is gathered, processed, and used around the world, and what are the ideas on how to improve thi...
124 - Advancements in Fire Safety of Facades with Eleni Asimakopoulou
26 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In today's episode, I have invited dr Eleni Asimakopoulou from the University of Central Lancashire to discuss her extensive expertise on fire be...
123 - Futureproofing fire safety systems with Jaime Cadena Gomez
18 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Balancing the cost and the potential to change a system in the future is a difficult act. Discover a new perspective on this aspect of fire safety sys...
122 - Compartment Fire Behaviour Training with Shan Raffel, CFBT Roy and Szymon Kokot
11 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
When I heard that two legends of firefighting training Shan Raffel and CFBT Roy will be visiting my friend Szymon Kokot, I packed my stuff and went ...
121 - Revolutionizing Civil Engineering Through AI with MZ Nasser
03 Oct 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Have you ever wondered how the understanding of AI can revolutionize the field of civil engineering? Today I am discovering this together with our own...
120 - How we have designed a fire safe green wall
27 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What happens when fire meets a green facade? Tune in as we journey through the unexpected world of green facades and their interaction with fire. For ...
119 - Different scales needed to model fires with Lukas Arnold
20 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If someone ever tells you they have modelled fire spread for a commercial project, with 20 cm grids and using generic materials from (old) FDS databas...
118 - Different batteries different challanges with Francesco Restuccia
13 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode dr. Francesco Restuccia from Kings College London takes me on a journey through different types of batteries, and what fire challeng...
117 - Global wildfire emergency and the key role of FSEs with Albert Simeoni
06 Sep 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the midst of horrible wildfire season around the globe, I have reached out to Prof. Albert Simeoni from Worcester Polytechnic Institute for some ha...
116 - Fire Fundamentals pt. 4 - Natural and Powered Smoke Vents with Wojciech
30 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is time for some engineering fundamentals in the show. This time in the fire fundamentals series we delve into the details of natural and powered s...
115 - Update on the (near) future of fire engineers toolbox with Bryan Klein
23 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
in Episode 39 I had the pleasure to interview Bryan Klein from Thunderhead Engineering on some views and predictions for the near future of fire model...
114 - Ventilation and fire flow paths with Craig Weinschenk
15 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Most fire engineers would be aware of how openings like doors and windows, the stack effect, and even wind can significantly alter fire outcomes. But ...
113 - Exploring Maritime Fire Safety with Bogdan Racięga
08 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
My knowledge about fire safety at sea was pretty limited, at best. I was planning this episode for a long time, and then the disastrous fire happened ...
112 - Fire Safety for Energy Storage Systems with Ali Ashrafi and Paweł Woelke
02 Aug 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Energy storage systems are vital systems in fuel transition and as a part of technology responding to the challenges of climate change. Not only for t...
111 - Experiments that will change fire science pt. 7 - CodeRed with Panos Kotsovinos
26 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this week's series covering experimental fire science, we venture into a recently finished Code Red project by ARUP, led by my today's gu...
110 - NIST Fire Calorimetry Database with Matt Bundy
19 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wonder how scientists measure the intensity of a fire? Join us on this episode as we invite Dr. Matt Bundy from NIST. We discuss the intricacies ...
109 - Forensic Fire Science with Richard Roby
12 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this episode, we uncover the intricate process of fire investigations with renowned combustion scientist and fire investigator, Dr. Richard J. Roby...
QA5 - Brainstorming fire safe Mars habitats with Ruben van Coile, Jaime Cadena Gomez and Szymek Matkowski
05 Jul 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This time we try out something new! Instead of interviewing experts on subjects of their expertise, this time I took world-class risk specialists for ...
107 - Visualization in fires with Matt Hoehler
28 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you ever wondered how to capture fires in photographs and videos so it is a real science, not just pretty pictures, this episode is for you. With d...
106 - Chemistry of smoke - Nitrogen, retardants and cancirogens with David Purser
21 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
And so we have reached the fourth and final episode featuring Professor David Purser, a leading expert in fire toxicity. In this episode, we explore...
105 - How much smoke is made in fires and how we measure that? with David Purser
14 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In this show, we have already ventured into the fascinating world of toxicity in fires, and I have promised you more. So today, I fulfil my word and i...
104 - Experiments that will change fire science pt. 6 - MaCFP with Arnaud Trouve
07 Jun 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What makes an experiment truly groundbreaking, and how can researchers plan and execute such experiments in fire science? Join us as we chat with Prof...
103 - The Science and Art of Scale Modeling with James Quintiere
31 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Ever wondered how scale modelling can provide invaluable insights into fire science? Join us for an enlightening conversation with Professor James Qui...
102 - Fire Safe Design Competent Architect with Michael Woodrow
24 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
We all agree competencies are key to fire safety. We have discussed this. We have argued about this. We have come up with decent sets of core competen...
101 - The Society of Fire Protection Engineers with Chris Jeleniewicz
17 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
What is the Society of Fire Protection Engineers? I just got a really good answer from the Interim CEO Chris Jeleniwicz. It is our profession. It is u...
100 - Fire Fundamentals pt. 3 - Smoke plumes (and other flow phenomena) with Wojciech
10 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week we cover the fundamentals of smoke flow (proliferation!), entrainment and smoke plumes. All the basics that impact the spread of the smoke i...
099 - Electric vehicle fires in tunnels with Peter Sturm
03 May 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Do you have any idea how bad the tunnel fire will be if there is an EV involved?That is a question I hear a lot, way more often than I would like. And...
QA4 - Wojciech in Smart Firefighting podcast episode 151 - fire science, innovation and built environment
26 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This week in place of a normal episode I would like to share an interview I gave to my friend Kevin Sofen in his podcast. In this episode I am intervi...
098 - Digital innovation in built environment with Michael Strömgren
19 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Innovation is a big world. A digital innovation sounds even bigger. But it is in fact our reality - we live in a world of constant change and "im...
097 - Smoke toxicity (Part 2) Asphyxiants and irritants with David Purser
12 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
This episode is the 2nd part of interview with Professor David Purser, this year recipient of IAFSS'14 Emmons Plenary Lecture. If you have not se...
096 - Smoke toxicity (Part 1) Why fires used to be less toxic in 1950's? with David Purser
05 Apr 2023
Contributed by Lukas
I have to start with a word of warning, I am extremally hyped about this and upcoming episodes. I think for the first time I have recorded a podcast e...
095 - An AI supported Fire Safety Engineer with Michael Kinsey
29 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It is the newest Internet craze. In my opinion, maybe even be the most disruptive tech since bitcoin or the Internet itself. And suddenly, we got a lo...
094 - Experiments that changed fire science pt. 5 - Compartment fires at NBS with James Quintiere
21 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In the fifth episode of mini-series 'Experiments that changed fire science' we cover the compartment fire experimental campaigns carried at ...
093 - The story of the golden era for the US fire science with James Quintiere
14 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It's finally here, the episode many of you were waiting for! Discussing the history of US fire movement with prof. James Quintiere from the Unive...
092 - European Commission view on Performance Based FSE with Adamantia Athanasopoulou
07 Mar 2023
Contributed by Lukas
It seems we will not have EU Fire Code for at least a few more decades... Why is that? Because the people in power found out that it is not the most e...
091 - Fire fundamentals pt 2 - Ignition with Rory Hadden
28 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Fire Fundamentals pt. 2 with Rory Hadden. This episode is focused on the concept of ignition and its role in fire safety - as an event lead...
QA3 - Some Polish experiences with a year of war in Ukraine (interviewed by Arnold Dix)
24 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
1 year. This is insane the war is still going on and people are still hurt. This war in Ukraine significantly affected everyone in here, and in this ...
090 - Objective driven suppression system for Swedish tunnels with Ulf Lundström
22 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
If you want to design a suppression system for a certain application, you have a lot of technical solutions to choose from and most likely a handful o...
089 - Designing law by disasters (or not?) with Birgitte Messerschmidt
15 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
There is no universal answer to the question of how law and testing regimes should be set up. Sometimes, we build up our law after a huge tragedy, mak...
088 - Modeling fires of natural fuels with Eric Mueller
08 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Modelling ignition and fire of a tree branch with some leaves can't be that much different from modelling burning timber, right? Well, that is th...
087 - Structural FSE inspired by earthquake engineering with Negar Elhami Khorasani
01 Feb 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Performance-based engineering or the use of probabilistic methods in building design are not inventions of Fire Safety Engineering. But we sometimes t...
086 - Experiments that changed fire science pt. 4 - Runnehamar tunnel with Haukur Ingason and Anders Lönnermark
25 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Would you rather do 20 published experiments and take your impact factors, or make one that truly changed the world of fire science? Or maybe a differ...
085 - E-mobility and energy storage hazards with Adam Barowy
18 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Three months ago I saw a video of some sort of an electric scooter going off in someone's residential building. That person had absolutely no cha...
QA#2 - Turning podcast professional and the outcomes of the listener experience survey
16 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Questions & Answers session 02 covering the recent sponsorship opening in the podcast and how the podcast is turning from a hobby proje...
084 - Industry lead research with Steve Gwynne and Mike Spearpoint
11 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
In my first episode, I mentioned that I'm doing this podcast to preserve some amazing conversations and share them with a larger audience, as som...
083 - Fire fundamentals pt 1 - Combustion and flame with Rory Hadden
04 Jan 2023
Contributed by Lukas
Let's start another mini-series! This time 'fire fundamentals' where we are going to learn some basics from the world's best. It i...
082 - Experiments that changed fire science pt. 3 - WTC Investigation with Kevin McGrattan
28 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Fire science is often accelerated by tragedies. The same goes for the tools we are using and the methods we know. In the early 2000's we already ...
081 - The origins of FDS with Kevin McGrattan
21 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Has it ever crossed your mind how would our discipline look like, if we did not have Fire Dynamics Simulator? Maybe you had an opportunity to discuss ...
080 - Adaptive Fire Testing: A new foundation stone for fire safety (ERC StG Grant) with Ruben van Coile
14 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today is a great day to celebrate with Prof Ruben van Coile of Ghent University, who is most likely the first representative of Fire Safety Engineerin...
079 - Timber columns failure in the decay phase with Thomas Gernay and Jochen Zehfuss
07 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When the flaming combustion stops and the raging inferno disappears, the environment is still far away from a stable, stationary state. The heat emitt...
QA#1 - November 2022
05 Dec 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to Questions & Answers session 01 covering the topics brought up in November 2022.In this session you can find answers to the following qu...
078 - Experiments that Changed Fire Science pt. 2 - BRE Cardington with Tom Lennon
30 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
If Dalmarnock was the reality check for fire modelling, we could call the work carried by BRE at Cardington the birthplace of Structural Fire Engineer...
077 - Informal settlements - we need solutions not gadgets, Richard Walls
23 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Delivery of fire safety to one billion inhabitants of informal settlements cannot be done through a single solution. No magical extinguishing ball nor...
076 - Experiments that changed fire science pt. 1 - Dalmarnock Fire Tests Round Robin study with Guillermo Rein and Wolfram Jahn
16 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Welcome to a mini-series of episodes on experiments that changed fire science. In the first episode, we cover the a prioiri and posteriori modelling t...
075 - Spacecraft fire safety with David Urban
09 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Dear Terrestial Fire Engineers, let me take you on a journey that will make you experience fire engineering like nothing on our planet. Because in fac...
074 - Engineering not magic, intumescent coatings with Andrea Lucherini
02 Nov 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Intumescent coatings are not magic. They are a product of amazing engineering, a theatre of thermophysical properties that create an insulative layer ...
073 - Smoke control in shopping malls - uncommon aspects that make or break the system
26 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Long before I started the podcast, my bread and butter was to find clever ways to remove smoke from shopping malls. Actually, I like to believe I was ...
072 - Extracting the secret of IMFSE from Bart Merci and Eulalia Planas
19 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Many creators will not agree, but in some cases, copying is the highest form of admiration. And there are things in Fire Safety Engineering that are m...
071 - Risk as a tool for thinking with Ruben van Coile
12 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
When thinking about 'risk' do you view it as a tool? I usually thought about it as a concept or maybe as a measure of 'how safe my buil...
070 - Fire resistance is whatever you want it to be with Piotr Turkowski
05 Oct 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Today we talk fire resistance, but unlike you have ever heard. Join me and Dr Piotr Turkowski - two fire laboratory professionals in an honest discuss...
069 - Challenging fires at the wildland-urban interface (WUI) with Michael Gollner
28 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Why so many researchers are spending their time tackling fire issues at the Wildland Urban Interface (WUI)? What is so challenging about this? We alwa...
068 - Human walking speed and factors that influence it with John Gales
21 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
What factors influence the walking speed of an occupant? Is it just their physiology and crowd density? It seems it is more complicated than that (as ...
067 - Next-gen smoke control experimental facility and a digital twin with Grzegorz Krajewski
14 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We've felt a bit awkward about how FSE handles smoke control in corridors. If you look closely into common practices, they rarely do include impr...
066 - Fire Safe Use of Wood in Buildings with Andy Buchanan
07 Sep 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I wonder if we will be ever able to say: we know exactly how to build fire-safe buildings with mass timber. However that day may never come, each da...
065 - Understanding mesh sensitivity and model uncertainties with Jason Floyd
31 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Will a higher resolution mesh make my CFD more accurate? That is a harmless question, and most of us would tend toward 'I guess yeah'. But l...
064 - Heat stress in fires - from inside and outside with Denise Smith and Gavin Horn
24 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This amount of heat flux for this amount of time, routine conditions, check, done. This is how I used to do my engineering and tenability assessment r...
063 - Why do we need a handbook of fire and the environment with Brian Meacham and Margaret McNamee
17 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Do we need another fire handbook? If so, what handbook would that be? I guess a question like this must have gone through Brian Meachams' mind wh...
062 - BIM (not only for fire) with Peter Thompson and Rino Lovreglio
10 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It does not matter if you hate or love BIM, does not matter if you use it daily or have no idea what it is... Building Information Modelling will be a...
061 - Glazing in fire with Yu Wang
02 Aug 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The relation between ventilation conditions and fire severity is quite a fundamental one. You don't even have to be a fire safety engineer to rea...
060 - How PV panels change the fire behaviour of roofs with Jens Kristensen
27 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
[March 2023 update] The Thesis PDF is finally available! Check it here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/369141515_Fire_risk_associated_with_p...
059 - Residential fire safety with Dan Madrzykowski and Charlie Fleischmann
20 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How much the fire scene at households has changed over the last 30 years? Why modern furniture burns worse than one made with wood, cotton and other n...
058 - Animal pyrocognition - a path to undestand our beginnings with fire with Ivo Jacobs
13 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Have you wondered how fire science started? But I mean the real real start... not 1666 one, nor the one when we've started to build furnaces... T...
057 - Structural fire engineering with Thomas Gernay
06 Jul 2022
Contributed by Lukas
The subject of structural fire engineering was long overdue in the podcast schedule. But once I finally got it on my agenda, I made sure to interview ...
056 - Performance Based Fire Protection Engineer with David Stacy
29 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How does being a volunteer firefighter improve your abilities to do Performance-Based Design (PBD) and how your knowledge in PBD may translate to fire...
055 - The future is exciting with Arnold Dix (part 2)
22 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
I once said the future looks stupid... but after this discussion with Arnold Dix, I know - future is exciting. And for Fire Safety Engineers and other...
054 - The sustainability talk, tunnels and fire safety with Arnold Dix (part 1)
15 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
A few episodes ago I called for better communication in fire safety. And in this episode, tunnel fire safety legend Prof. Arnold Dix is answering that...
053 - The number one skill to thrive as an FSE I've learnt in 1 year of podcasting
08 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It has been one year since I started this show. I've promised you that we will learn Fire Safety Engineering together, and today comes a great ti...
404 - Host not found, throat infections suck.
01 Jun 2022
Contributed by Lukas
With this lifestyle, this was inevitable... due to a busy week I had to move the schedule a bit and was pretty sure I will get away with it by recordi...
052 - More realism in evacuation modelling with Anne Templeton
25 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
You have seen these lovely evacuation simulations, the ones with a bunch of agents moving together or clumping at an exit. Ones that we use to determi...
051 - Fire Science in eyes of a firefighter with Szymon Kokot
18 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
In this show, we often discuss how fire science can help firefighters. Today we drop the UNO reverse card and figure out what firefighters actually ne...
050 - Wind, fire and a surprise
11 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Episode 50! Time to celebrate, and for this one we have a surprise. A mysterious host takes over the show to interview a wind and fire modelling celeb...
049 - What burns inside a battery with Francesco Restuccia
04 May 2022
Contributed by Lukas
So we all know batteries burn... but do we know what exactly does burn? What is inside this tiny metal cylinder that scares so many of us? We try to u...
048 - Car parks, design fires and the broad world of fire science with Mike Spearpoint
27 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Did you know first car parks were built for electric vehicles? Or what clever techniques can be used to model the spread of fire between vehicles? Or ...
047 - Effective pressurization of compartments with Grzegorz Sypek
20 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Pressurization is a common strategy for protecting spaces against the infiltration of smoke. However, the solution has a kind-of bad press as "no...
046 - Fire Code Tech crossover with Gus Gagliardi
12 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
This week we do something funny - a crossover episode with the host of the Fire Code Tech podcast - Gus Gagliardi. We end up discussing the paths of f...
045 - Foundations of fire safety with Ruben van Coile and Danny Hopkin
06 Apr 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How does one decide when a building is fire safe? That is a real hell of a question to answer! Is it when no harm can occur? But such a condition can ...
044 - Improving fire safety of battery systems with Ofodike Ezekoye
30 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
Since Episode 6, the fire safety of battery systems was not very much visible in the show - a good time to change that! And we do this with a true l...
043 - Some neglected areas in fire science with Vyto Babrauskas
23 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
It is always a pleasure to interview a true legend of fire safety. And when the topic of the interview is their thoughts on neglected areas of our dis...
042 - Unsafe environment of post fire scenes with Gavin Horn
16 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
We all understand the dangers of smoke inhalation in fires. But what about the site of the fire a few days after it was put out? It looks clean, maybe...
041 - Sprinkler and safety systems reliability with Arnstein Fedoy
09 Mar 2022
Contributed by Lukas
How reliable are sprinkler systems? Is it 100%? Is it 95%? Maybe it is 88%... actually, whatever the number is, do we truly understand what does it re...