HELP Projects
Project 3: Consensus recommendations to minimize flame spread, smoke and toxic gases that impede safe and efficient rescues and other suppression activity in mass transit fires.
The Federal Transit Administration, transit authorities and the technical community are contemplating more effective fire safety standards for the interior materials used with mass transit vehicles. Questions have been raised about the relevancy of the existing mandatory and voluntary standards to real world incidents, and especially the full-scale fire performance of materials which comply with the existing requirements. This project will result in an independent assessment of the adequacy of the available test methods and standards used to assess flame spread, smoke generation and toxicity, and produce recommendations on approaches that achieve adequate levels of safety for responders and the public.
Task Group
To be appointed in 4thQ06.
2006 Results
Presentations on the issue at the HELP’s summer 2006 meeting by Dr. Pravinray Gandhi of Underwriters Laboratories; Robert Tuccillo, associate administrator of the Federal Transit Administration; and Victor Size, Fire and Life Safety Officer, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority.
2007 Deliverables
- Issuance of technical findings on the adequacy of existing test methods and criteria for ignition, flame spread and toxicological characteristics of fires in mass transit vehicles by 3rdQ07
- Recommendation of a package of test methods and criteria most likely to minimize the impacts of mass transit fires. Submission of these recommendations for consideration as a HELP consensus position by 4thQ07
Funding source: Federal Transit Administration
