美国消防局（USFA）和国家标准技术研究所（NIST）have completed a report,Impact of a Residential Sprinkler on the Heat Release Rate of a Christmas Tree Fire, which demonstrates the value of residential sprinklers on the heat release rate of a dry Christmas tree fire. As a part of this effort, videos are also available of the project’s experiments comparing a dry Christmas tree fire in rooms with and without a sprinkler and the ignition of a dry tree versus a properly maintained tree.
“All Americans must be protected against death, injury, and property loss resulting from fire–especially over the holidays,” said U.S. Fire Administrator Greg Cade. “Residential Sprinklers can not only contain, but in most cases, put out a fire even before the local firefighters arrive. Residential Sprinklers are able to prevent some of the tragic consequences of the more than 400,000 residential structures fires that occur annually in the United States.”
This report and accompanying videos demonstrate that even under conditions of extreme fire growth, a single sprinkler was able to prevent flashover, control the tree fire, and limit the spread of fire to other objects. In addition, properly maintaining a cut tree is important to retaining high moisture content in the needles of the tree, which will limit accidental ignition and prevent rapid flame spread. A tree which has dry needles can readily ignite with a flaming source and generate heat release rates that are capable of causing flashover in residential scale rooms.
NIST消防工程师Dan Madrzykowski说：“该项目的实验表明，少量水会对火灾产生重大影响。”“在维持树木的实验中，树中包含的水分提供了对点火的抗性。在一棵干树的实验中，每分钟流动9加仑的住宅洒水器控制着火。“
As fire marshals, fire chiefs, and other fire service officials across the nation are working to promote and advance residential fire sprinklers, the report and videos could be extremely useful tools in demonstrating the advantages of home fire sprinkler systems.
Previously the USFA and NIST illustrated, on video, the dramatic affects of fire when it ignites a dry Scotch Pine tree. This video has been shown on television stations, Internet sites, and in training classes across the nation and around the world for the past several years. As a result of the video’s popularity and success in communicating such an important fire prevention message, multiple requests were made by fire service officials and fire prevention educators to develop this report and videos of the project’s experiments that would document the impact of a residential fire sprinkler system on a similar tree fire.
To review the report and videos of the experiments, please visit:http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/fireservice/research/dsn/dry_tree.shtm
