Industry Sectors

Transportation

Trains, planes, and motorcoaches, ships and tunnels; all have unique and specific challenges and regulations.

Trains - Regulated by DOT?? in the US

Planes - Regulated by the FAA in the US and also by manufacturers internal fire safety standards.

Motorcoaches - Regulated by NHTSA in the US.  Fires originating in the wheel well of inter-city motorcoaches are a hazard unique to this transportation mode.  Ignition is often the result of a siezed brake or bearing, which at highway speeds can turn the wheel hub red hot.  This in turn ignites the tire rubber.  But at highway speed, the fire is constrained by the wheel well, well ventilated, and unapparent to the driver or passengers.  The confinement of the wheel well allows the fire to grow and ignite adjacent tires, until the fire grows large enough to enter the passenger compartment.  At this point, the seats, carpeting, and overhead bins provide ample fuel for a rapidly growing compartment fire.

Ships - Regulated by the Coast Guard in the US and IMO worldwide.  Water water everywhere, but no escape.  Several incidents in the early 20th century demonstrated the hazard of shipboard fires, as the passengers have no real refuge other than lifeboats.  This lead to relatively stringent regulations of ship-board construction and finish materials as well as fire suppression and life safety systems.  In fact, IMO uses a smoke toxicity test that is very similar to the one used for commercial aircraft, as both modes from the inability or difficulty for passengers to escape.  A remaining challenge is that, like structure fires, it is very difficult for the AHD to regulate the contents installed after construction.  We have also observed that exterior accouterments such as cabin balcony have been involved in several recent cruise ship fires.  On the other hand, the regulation of ship construction material has presented a barrier to innovation particularly in the area of "light weight superstructure" where shipbuilders are interested in using composite materials like fiber reinforced polymers for the part of the ship above the hull and main deck.

Tunnels - Vehicle tunnels present two additional hazards to those otherwise experienced by the vehicles using them.  First by confining the fire close to the road/rail-way the tunnel structure actually enhances flame spread.  Any attempt to ventilate the resulting smoke can produce a wind tunel effect that further fans and spreads the fire. There is also a significant life safety component, as once pasengers have escaped the fire area, they are still exposed to smoke and heat until they can find a place of refuge; often in the dark and with heavy smoke.  The dynamics of fire and smoke in tunnels (and egress) is an area of significant interest to the research community.  Recent incidents include the Chunnel, the Mont Blanc Tunnel, and the Kaprun skier funicular.