Citation

Löffel S, Walls R. Int. J. Disaster Risk Reduct. 2020; 45: e101451.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101451

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Informal settlements (also referred to as slums, shantytowns or squatter camps) are expanding at a rapid rate with more than a billion people currently residing in informal settlements worldwide. The dwellings within these communities are often constructed from readily available materials, making them susceptible to large conflagrations. Within the South African context, there is significant political pressure on governmental agencies to develop and implement interventions to suppress informal settlement fires. However, many proposed solutions lack a sound scientific validation. This paper proposes a full-scale fire testing methodology for benchmarking various suppression systems against each other, using a representative informal settlement dwelling. The aim of the methodology is to assist decision-making when assessing which interventions will be most suitable in post-flashover informal settlement fires. The testing methodology can be carried out without the need for sophisticated equipment, making it readily available to fire brigades and municipalities. In this work a total of nine experiments were conducted which included: brigade-based, community based as well as non-water-based interventions. It was observed that the water-based interventions typically outperformed the remaining interventions, since they suppressed the fire while simultaneously providing a cooling effect, thereby lowering the temperature within the dwelling below the auto-ignition temperature of the fuel, thus preventing re-ignition from occurring. A model is proposed for comparing the efficacy of products based upon the analytical hierarchy process. The results from these types of tests could be adopted as a decision-making tool by the respective authorities thereby potentially preventing costly investments in products that are not suitable for the cause.

Language: en

Keywords

Active fire protection; Fire dynamics; Full-scale experiments; Informal settlement fires