Understanding the properties of smoke and fire can help save lives

Smoke is to blame for most fire-related deaths. Smoke not only asphyxiates its victims, it obscures visibility and makes it harder for people to find emergency exits. Where a fire starts in a building can affect how quickly it spreads and whether people will be able to get out safely. By learning how smoke and fire function, you can help to reduce loss of life should a fire occur.

Whether you are sitting down with the fire protection engineer or reviewing an egress route on a building plan, understanding of the properties of smoke and fire will help you be a better safety professional. John Klote, Ph.D., an authority on fire protection, teaches two upcoming International Code Council Speakers League Program seminars. The classes are a great opportunity to learn more about smoke control and fire modeling.

Dr. Klote will cover the basics of smoke control systems in the seminar Introduction to Smoke Control, Sept. 7 in Indianapolis. He will look at the concepts and assumptions that are used for smoke control, as well as appropriate applications. Discussion includes: design fires and heat release, building leakage, system analysis, axisymmetric plumes, balcony spill plumes, window plumes, equipment and acceptance testing.

In Introduction to Fire Modeling, Sept. 8, also in Indianapolis, Dr. Klote will explore the unique qualities and capabilities of three types of fire models: network, zone fire computational fluid dynamic (CFD) models. These models are applied to a wide variety of fire protection applications including smoke control, smoke and fire detection and fire reconstruction.

For information on locations, times, continuing education credits, registration and fees, click here, call 1-800-214-4321, ext. 353, or e-mail .

Dr. Klote conducted extensive fire protection research during 19 years at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. For the past six years, he has led a consulting company that provides practical solutions to fire protection problems, including pressurized stairwells, pressurized elevators, zone smoke control, atrium smoke management and elevator use during fires. Clients are fire protection engineers, mechanical engineers and code officials. He has authored four books, written chapters for four different handbooks, and published more than 80 papers and articles on smoke management and other aspects of fire protection. Dr. Klote is an ASHRAE Fellow and an SFPE Fellow. He holds master's and doctorate degrees from George Washington University.

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, develops the codes used to construct residential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states that adopt codes choose the International Codes developed by the International Code Council.