Fire Risk Assessment Using the Building Fire Safety Engineering Method

Abstract

This paper describes a method of fire risk assessment known as the Building Fire Safety Engineering Method (BFSEM).The method has mainly been developed at Worcester Polytechnic Institute in the USA and is designed for use by persons with knowledge and experience of fire behavior and building construction. The main components of the method include evaluation of the probability of the fire self-terminating, probability of automatic suppression, and probability of manual suppression by a fire service. Factors affecting each of these components are discussed. The probabilities are combined to form an L-Curve describing the probability of limiting the fire to defined areas of the building. Comparison of L-Curves for different fire protection options forms the basis of the risk assessment.

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