Fire Modeling: How Forensic Examples Apply and Inform the Building Design Process

Fire Modeling: How Forensic Examples Apply and Inform the Building Design Process

Presented by Christopher Wood, PE of FireLink, LLC

This presentation will examine the fire modeling process with real-life, tangible problems. Developing model inputs is frequently one of the most important and difficult challenges faced by fire modelers. As such, it is also a critical area for fire model review by the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ), third-party peer reviewers, as well as internal reviewers, and project management/supervisors. Frequently, the overall outcome is substantially determined by this phase of the project. A similar problem exists with regard to developing acceptable performance criteria against which to compare the fire model results. These issues will be addressed by looking at data development for a specific fire model analyzing an actual incident, but with wider implications to design approaches. This discussion will be tied in with the SFPE’s Guide to Substantiating a Fire Model for a Given Application. Fire modelers, reviewers, and AHJ’s will benefit by observing the process of fire model scenario development, implementation, and results analysis using this method..

Christopher B. Wood is a co-founder and the managing member of FireLink, LLC. He has a BS from Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in Management Engineering with an Electrical Engineering concentration.  Wood also holds an MS in Fire Protection Engineering (FPE) from WPI and a Juris Doctorate from Suffolk University Law School. His work focuses on failure analysis and forensic engineering of primarily fire and explosion events. Wood also performs safety and design analysis, including Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD), and a variety of teaching activities.  Wood is currently an Adjunct Teaching Professor at WPI in the FPE department where he teaches failure analysis and forensic techniques. Wood is also a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator (CFEI). He is both a licensed Professional Engineer and a licensed attorney, although his practice focuses on engineering. Wood has also published and presented on a number of topics including conferences and handbooks.He is also the Secretary for the NFPA Technical Committee on Fires and Explosions responsible for NFPA 921 The Guide for Fire and Explosions Investigations.