Estimating water requirements for firefighting operations using FIERAsystem

A new computer model for estimating water requirements for firefighting purposes has been developed by the Fire Risk Management Program of the National Research Council of Canada. This work was done in partnership with the Canadian Department of National Defence, as part of the development of a computer model to evaluate fire protection systems in light industrial buildings (FIERAsystem). The new model considers the geometry of the building, possible fire scenarios that may occur in the building, fire detector locations and characteristics, the effect of automatic suppression systems on the fire, the locations of adjacent buildings and the response and effectiveness of the fire department. The program calculates the required flow rates of water at the time of fire department intervention for suppression of the fire and for exposure protection for each side of the building. These flow rates can then be compared to the total capacity of the fire engines available to determine if existing resources are sufficient. The program has been designed to be interactive, so that the user can immediately see the effects of various parameters on the required water flow rate. Descriptions of case studies are also included to demonstrate the use of this model.