The 9th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology

The 9th Asia-Oceania Symposium on Fire Science and Technology (AOSFST) was held in Hefei, China from October 17 to 20. This symposium is a premier fire safety science meeting in the Asia-Oceania region and has been organized since 1992.  This was the first time it was held on the China Mainland during the past 20 years.

The 9th AOSFST aimed to present and discuss the latest research results and related technology trends in Fire Science and Technology. The attendees of the symposium showed their latest research by presentations of papers in their field. The symposium also invited 14 lectures from the world’s top fire science researchers. The plenary speech was given by Dr. John L. de Ris from FM Global, USA. In addition to the technical sessions, several social activities provided opportunities for participants to meet with other colleagues and friends from around the world. The four-day symposium was a great platform to share new ideas and recent research findings in fire science and technology.

Fig 1: Opening Ceremony of the 9th AOSFST / SKLFS

Fig 2: Plenary speech by John L. de Ris from FM Global, USA/ SKLFS

During this symposium a Lifetime Contribution Award was instituted by the Asia-Oceania Association for Fire Science and Technology (AOAFST), to recognize the persons who have made outstanding contributions to the development of Fire Science and Technology. Prof. Toshisuke Hirano, first chairman of AOAFST during 1992-1995, and Prof. Weicheng Fan, chairman of AOAFST during 1995-2000, were awarded the first lifetime contribution awards of the AOAFST during this symposium.

Participants from both China and abroad were impressed by the fabulous organization of the conference. “This is probably one the best conferences that I have attended,” said Prof. Bogdan Dlugogorski, chairman of the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS). Many experts expressed their willingness to cooperate or expand their collaboration with the State Key Laboratory of Fire Science (SKLFS).

  Fig 3: Lifetime Contribution Award of AOAFST given to Prof. Weicheng Fan / SKLFS

Organized by AOAFST and hosted by SKLFS at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC), this symposium gathered over 200 scholars and postgraduates from about 20 countries and regions. The authors of the nearly 130 papers accepted for publication in the symposium proceedings covered nearly 28 countries and regions. Topics of the Symposium included fire physics and chemistry; fire and smoke modeling; human-fire interactions; fire statistics and risk assessment; fire safety design and code; structure response to fire; fire properties and testing methods of materials; suppression, detection, and smoke management; urban, WUI, and forest fires. Some special topics including fire investigation, fire reconstruction, fire service needs, transportation fires, and industrial fires were also covered.

The Symposium, held every 2-3 years, is a premier fire safety science meeting in the Asia-Oceania region and has been organized since 1992. The two most recent symposiums were successfully held in Hong Kong and Australia in 2007 and 2010, respectively. The conference was organized by the Asia-Oceania Association for Fire Science and Technology (AOAFST) which is under the International Association for Fire Safety Science (IAFSS).

 You can view recorded videos of  invited talks from the 9th AOSFST at http://aosfst.csp.escience.cn/dct/page/65581. Please note these are best viewed with Microsoft Internet Explorer.