Fire Safety Science Digital Archive

Fire is still a comparatively young science and over the past years the main aim of the Fire Research Station has been to establish a basic theory of fire behaviour: the work on 'Ignition and Growth' and 'Fires in Compartments' are examples of what has been achieved in this direction. The task for the future is to apply the basic theory to the practical problems of fire protection related to the sophisticated planning, constructional techniques, services and contents of our present day buildings. The achievement of this aim will require considerable effort in experimental research. However, the limitations of laboratory experiments are such that it will be necessary to reinforce this work by observation of the behaviour of actual fires in buildings and effects of fires upon buildings. Only in this way can the value of existing and proposed building regulations and means of escape requirements be properly assessed and rationalised. In April 1970 the Fire Research Station set up a Fire Survey Group and commenced a pilot exercise in surveying actual fires to investigate the possibilities of obtaining the required information. This report gives an account of the organisation of the group, the nature of the information obtained from the pilot exercise and analyses some of the first results.