BFRL: CIB W14 - Publications

CIB W14 Home Meetings Publications Work Programs Members

W14: NISTIR 5878

Fire Safety Engineering in the Pursuit of Performance-based Codes: Collected Papers
Richard W. Bukowski, P.E.
CIB Report: CIB W14/96/5 (USA)
October 1996

United States Department of Commerce
Technology Administration
National Institute of Standards and Technology

NISTIR 5878
Fire Safety Engineering in the Pursuit of Performance-based Codes: Collected Papers
Richard W. Bukowski, P.E.
NIST Building and Fire Research Laboratory
Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001 USA
CIB Report: CIB W14/96/5 (USA)

October 1996

U.S. Department of Commerce
Michael Kantor, Secretary
Technology Administration
Mary L. Good, Under Secretary for Technology
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Arati Prabhakar, Director
Preface
The Building and Fire Research Laboratory (BFRL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has been engaged in the development of advanced, scientifically-based tools for fire safety engineering for several decades, dating at least to their support of the first computer fire models⁽¹⁾ from Emmons at Harvard University in the 1980's. In 1989 the thoughts of many turned to the development of performance-based fire and building codes enabled by the availability of engineering tools like HAZARD I⁽²⁾ which operated on the personal computers becoming common in engineering offices. Several publications followed on the use of fire hazard and fire risk assessment to quantify the performance of materials and products in the context of their end use⁽³⁾^,⁽⁴⁾^,⁽⁵⁾^,⁽⁶⁾.
BFRL's effort to facilitate a transition to performance-based codes began in earnest with the publication of an overview paper by Bukowski and Babrauskas in 1994 [paper 1]. Based in part on a review of international efforts in this arena presented at Interflam '93 and a philosophical work co-authored with Takeyoshi Tanaka of Japan's Building Research Institute, this overview paper suggested guidelines for the development of performance-based codes which could achieve international consensus.
In 1995 the International Council for Building Research Studies and Documentation, Working Commission 14: Fire (CIB W14 ) approved a work plan developed by the newly-appointed convener Matti Kokkala of VTT in Finland. This plan included a Sub-Group 1 chaired by Bukowski of NIST on Engineering Evaluation of Building Fire Safety. The objectives of this activity included the identification of appropriate techniques for assessing the ability of buildings to achieve a specified level of fire safety performance and to provide guidance on appropriate performance criteria.
Under this charge, efforts to establish performance-based codes in a number of countries were reviewed in detail. This revealed that, while prototype codes were beginning to be used in Japan, New Zealand, and England/Wales, all lacked important details which would be needed to provide a complete performance system -- a fact attributed to the monumental scope of such a transition from prescriptive code systems which had been evolving for centuries. Recognizing that these shortcomings must be identified and addressed before an international consensus on these methods could be achieved, NIST undertook the task of developing a series of papers which discussed the issues which needed to be addressed. The compilation presented herein is the set of papers written for this purpose.
To foster a better understanding of the performance approach and its similarity to the use of "equivalencies" under prescriptive codes, guidance was developed for regulatory officials as to what constitutes an appropriate engineering analysis and associated reporting [paper 2]. To generate interest among the architectural community a short article was prepared for one of their most popular journals [paper 3].
An updated review of international activities was presented at a meeting of the FORUM for International Cooperation on Fire Research comprising the leaders of the world's fire research organizations [paper 4].
All of the proposed methodologies embrace fire risk assessment as a goal, but default to fire hazard assessment given the lack of data needed for the former to be accomplished. Codes and standards organizations in the U.S. and elsewhere are struggling to understand their future relationships as performance codes become the norm. Thus two papers were written which deal with these topics [paper 5 and paper 6]. All of the proposed methodologies further lack detailed goals and objectives, rather including general statements which are open to broad interpretation. This led to [paper 7]. Once these critical issues were open for discussion, the implications for the development of a performance-based system in the U.S. were explored [paper 8]. Finally, some suggestions on the use of a combination of fire hazard and fire risk-based methods for the evaluation of building fire safety performance were formulated as a result of many of the preceding papers [paper 9].
It is hoped that the total impact of these works is to stimulate a dialogue among the parties developing performance code systems around the world and to allow solutions to these issues to be found. Only then can we hope to reach a consensus on the detailed workings of a performance code structure which might be standardized internationally. Thus, these collected papers should represent a proper starting point for deliberations of CIB W14 Sub-group 1.
References

1. Mitler, H.E. and Emmons, H.W., Documentation for CFC V, the fifth Harvard Fire Code, Nat. Bur. Stand. (U.S.), NBS GCR 81-344, 1981 187 p.
2. Bukowski, R. W., Peacock, R. D., Jones, W. W. and Forney, C. L., Vol. 1 Software Users' Guide for the HAZARD I Fire Hazard Assessment Method, Vol. 2 Technical Reference Guide for the HAZARD I Fire Hazard Assessment Method, Vol. 3 Example Cases for the HAZARD I Fire Hazard Assessment Method, NIST Handbook 146, 1989.
3. Bukowski, R. W., Fire Hazard Prediction; HAZARD I and its Role in Fire Codes and Standards, ASTM Standardization News, 18, No. 1, pp 40-43, 1990.
4. Peacock, R.D. and Bukowski, R. W., A Prototype Methodology for Fire Hazard Analysis, Fire Technology, 26, No. 1, 1990.
5. Bukowski, R. W., Stiefel, S. W., Clarke, F. B., III, and Hall, J. R., Jr., Predicting Product Fire Risk: A Review of Four Case Studies, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, Benjamin/Clarke Associates, Inc., Kensington, MD National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA, ASTM STP 1150; American Society for Testing and Materials. Fire Hazard and Fire Risk Assessment. Sponsored by ASTM Committee E-5 on Fire Standards. December 3, 1990, San Antonio, TX, ASTM, Philadelphia, PA, Hirschler, M. M., Editor, 136-160 pp, 1990.
6. Bukowski, R. W., Improving the Fire Performance of Building Contents, The Construction Specifier, 44, No 2, pp 42-46, 1991.

CIB home page