Link, E.
, Nazare, S.
, Jackson, K.
, Fox, L.
and Maranghides, A.
(2024),
Preliminary Field Burns of RV Trailers with External Ignitions, Technical Note (NIST TN), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.TN.2292, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=957893
(Accessed July 17, 2024)
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Preliminary Field Burns of RV Trailers with External Ignitions
Published
Author(s)
, Shonali Nazare, Karen Jackson, ,
Abstract
Two recreational vehicle (RV) travel trailers were burned outdoors at the Austin Fire Department training campus in Austin, TX. The goal of these preliminary experiments was to observe and document the burning behavior of fully furnished RV trailers and to assess the feasibility of future instrumented burns in the National Fire Research Laboratory. Burning parcel-level combustibles can produce significant thermal exposures to surrounding combustibles, often leading to fire spread beyond the object of origin. In wildland-urban interface (WUI) fires, this scenario often perpetuates fire spread leading to destruction further into a community. For these field burns, the RV trailers were ignited from the exterior, representing a WUI fire scenario where a parcel-level combustible ignites and becomes an exposure source, producing an enhanced fire spread pathway to other nearby combustibles or primary structures. The RV trailers were 6.7 m (22 ft) long and were equipped with basic factory-installed furnishings. Videos of the burns were recorded from multiple angles to document visual observations of fire behavior and flame lengths. The primary burning period of each trailer ranged from 13 min to 17 min. Maximum flame lengths were approximately 10 m (30 ft). Observations from the field burns present some concerns about the size of the fire for potential indoor laboratory study. The burns were conducted in collaboration with the Austin Fire Department, U.S. Fire Administration, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.Citation
Technical Note (NIST TN) - 2292
Report Number
2292
NIST Pub Series
Pub Type
NIST Pubs
Download Paper
Keywords
disaster resilience, fire, hazard mitigation, recreational vehicle, travel trailer, vehicle fire, wildland-urban interface, WUI
Citation
Issues
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Created July 10, 2024