NFPA Journal - Winter 2024 - 20

Research by Birgitte Messerschmidt
THE GLOBAL
VIEW ON FIRE
RESEARCH
Safe Transition
THE MOVE TOWARD AN INCREASINGLY GREEN BUILT ENVIRONMENT COMES
WITH A HOST OF FIRE SAFETY CONSIDERATIONS
I
magine buildings that
use less energy due to
increased insulation and
that produce most of
their own energy through
photovoltaic (PV) panels installed on the
roof. Buildings where the carbon footprint
is reduced by using natural building
materials. Buildings with green roofs that
can control water runoff during extreme
rain events, and that include battery
energy storage systems to help maintain
the necessary power supply. Buildings
with parking garages equipped with
charging technology for electric vehicles.
These buildings exist, and they were
the topic of a roundtable discussion,
" Buildings as Energy Efficient Green
Power Plants, " which recently took place
in New York during Climate Week NYC.
As the only fire safety person in the
group, it soon became clear to me that
fire safety, when applied to the ambitious
goals of creating a greener built environment,
wasn't on everyone's mind. Some of the participants
seemed surprised when I pointed out the fire safety challenges
of these new technologies and building techniques, but it was
encouraging to see how they acknowledged that this is a challenge
that needs to be solved. It was also clear to me that it will
be up to the fire safety community to solve it.
Some of these technologies are no more dangerous than what
As the only fire
safety person in the
group, it soon became
clear to me that fire
safety wasn't on
everyone's mind.
green buildings. To make modern buildings
fire safe, practitioners are asking for
guidance that can fill the knowledge gap.
The global research community has been
busy answering the safety questions raised
by the use of new technologies and materials.
There are plenty of research reports
and peer-reviewed articles on topics such
as fire performance of tall wood buildings,
flame spread on roofs with PV panels,
combustible exterior wall systems, and lithium-ion
batteries. But many practitioners
do not have the capacity to keep up with
the latest research-they need practical
guidance, too. A great example is the
" Fire Safety Guideline for Building Applied
Photovoltaic Systems on Flat Roofs, "
published in May by ZAG, a construction
research group in Slovenia. It shows that
the probability of PV fires on roofs relates
to installation quality and management,
while the consequence of the fires relates
to the panel geometry and roof combustibility.
The ZAG guidelines provide a risk
matrix showing combinations of roof systems and PV panel installations
that can be considered safe, and combinations that need
more fire tests to support decision making-an understandable
and implementable solution derived from complicated research.
With buildings accounting for around 30 percent of final
emissions globally, it is essential to
energy demand and CO2
we've had in our buildings for decades. Modern buildings are
already crisscrossed by pipes carrying combustible gases; oil
tanks inhabit basements, and cars filled with gasoline inhabit
parking garages. Over time, incidents involving these hazards
have illustrated the risks associated with these technologies,
and we have found ways of mitigating them through the development
of codes and standards. The challenge with the new
green technologies is that existing codes and standards have
not yet caught up to the risks. NFPA 855, Standard for the
Installation of Stationary Energy Storage Systems, is a great
starting point, but it only covers one aspect of the push toward
20 | NFPA JOURNAL * WINTER 2024
reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions to
achieve global climate and energy security goals. This green
transition will change our built environment significantly over
the next decade, impacting new buildings as well as existing
buildings. The global research community is working hard to
find solutions to the fire safety challenges that come with this
profound change. The findings will make their way into the
codes and standards over time, but in the meantime, we need
more practical guidance based on the latest research to ensure
that the green transition is also a safe transition.
BIRGITTE MESSERSCHMIDT is the director of Applied Research at NFPA.
MICHAEL HOEWELER
NFPA Journal - Winter 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NFPA Journal - Winter 2024
