Episodes
June 4, 2024
154 - Fire Fundamentals pt. 8 - Compartment Fire
Happy birthday, Fire Science Show! On the 3rd Anniversary of the podcast launch, I'm thrilled to deliver an episode on one of the most fascinating aspects of fire science - the compartment fire. Instead of going through the …
May 29, 2024
404 - Short technical break
I'm very sorry, but I could not finalize the episode to air this week in time, and in consequence, I have chosen to have a short technical break in the podcast. We will return next week with a (hopefully) really exciting epi…
May 22, 2024
153 - Fire Safety Engineer of the Future is a Great Communicator
A few weeks ago in Copenhagen, stepping onto the stage to open the SFPE Fire Safety Conference and Expo on Performance-Based Design, I took a bit of a gamble. I was invited to give an opening keynote, but instead of talking …
May 15, 2024
152 - Why we need good standards with Björn Sundström
In this episode, we dive into standardization efforts for fire safety. An entire universe of testing laboratories, committees, auditors, and certifiers work together to provide product end-user fire safety classification. So…
May 8, 2024
151 - Elevator evacuation with Axel Mossberg
The fire is detected in the building. Please evacuate. Do not use the elevator. I’ve heard this emergency message perhaps a thousand times. It is deeply engraved in my mind to the extent that the moment I hear the first beep…
May 1, 2024
150 - Wind Turbine Fires with Guillermo Rein
Wind turbine fires - are they an issue, or are they not? In this episode, I am joined by Prof. Guillermo Rein of the Imperial College London, who raised this issue 10 years ago at the IAFSS conference, and I believe we still…
April 24, 2024
149 - CROSS UK with Neil Gibbins and Peter Wilkinson
CROSS UK is Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures in UK. CROSS is a confidential reporting system which allows professionals working in the built environment to report on fire and structural safety issues. These are t…
April 17, 2024
148 - Building Integrated Photovoltaics with Reidar Stølen
In this episode of the Fire Science Show we go in depth on the Building Integrated Photo-Voltaic systems (BIPV). It is a topic relevant to many fire engineers, and one on which it is very difficult to find a lot of informati…
April 10, 2024
147 - Wildfire Industrial Interface and risk assessment with Eulàlia Planas
In this episode, we explore wildfire's impact on industrial fire safety with Professor Eulàlia Planas from Universitat Politécnica de Catalunya. Eulalia defines the term Wildland Industrial Interface (WII), a realm where th…
April 2, 2024
146 - Take care of your mental health with Ann Jeffers
Depression and anxiety are on the rise in both academia and engineering consultancies. Everyone is constantly stressed and pushed to their limits. The system is built this way... And imagine that on top of the inadequate men…
March 27, 2024
145 - Fire Safety Engineering in South Africa and Beyond with Richard Walls
In this episode, we discuss the stark realities of fire safety engineering in South Africa (and beyond) as we sit down with Professor Richard Walls from Stellenbosch University. Our journey through the recent history of deva…
March 19, 2024
144 - Design fire generator with Greg Baker
Imagine if we had a tool that we could use to design a design fire. Instead of simply assuming fire growth characteristics by slapping the alpha-t2 function, use a tool that could tell us which items in a compartment burn an…
March 13, 2024
143 - Fire Fundamentals pt 7 - CFD simulations of fires
In today's fire fundamentals episode, I have chosen a difficult job: explaining how CFD modelling works without the ability to put a single equation out there! It's much tougher than I thought! I hope I've done a decent job,…
March 6, 2024
142 - Uncertainty in fire measurements with David Morrisset
If the word 'uncertainty' sounds extremely boring to you, this episode will prove you wrong. I have invited David Morrisset from the University of Edinburgh to discuss his research on the subject. Whereas in fact David is es…
Feb. 28, 2024
141 - Smouldering in Mass Timber with Harry Mitchell
This week, I am meeting up with Imperial Hazelab's Harry Mitchell, who is finalizing his PhD thesis on mass timber fires and, quite uniquely - including the smouldering phenomena in those fires. As a part of Code Red experim…
Feb. 21, 2024
140 - Development and implementation of the SBI test with Rudolf van Mierlo
Tests in the world of reaction to fire are supposed to be representations of real fire scenarios, allowing us to grasp the characteristics of building products against them. While for the worst scenario (flashover fire) or t…
Feb. 13, 2024
139 - Wind and Fire Interactions for Safer Open Car Park Design
I've finished my first large research grant! I guess that makes me a 'real' scientist now. Came here today to share some most interesting aspects of this project with you. Not going to bore you all about the wind and fire in…
Jan. 30, 2024
138 - Getting ready for the Wildfires in Northern Europe with Nieves Fernandez-Anez
It is interesting to see changes in our profession that happen directly in front of our lives. Climate change and in consequence the changes in the wildfire patterns are one such obvious shift. In Poland, we do not ever have…
Jan. 23, 2024
137 - e-mobility fires with Adam Barowy
This episode of the Fire Science Show welcomes once again Adam Barowy from the Fire Safety Research Institute to shed light on the pressing issue of fire hazards in electric mobility devices. In this episode, we give a follo…
Jan. 17, 2024
136 - Fire Fundamentals pt 6 - The fire automation in a building
In this episode of Fire Fundamentals, we dive into the life-saving choreography of fire detection and building automation systems that must work together in case of a fire. We discuss the roles and challenges related to: fir…
Jan. 9, 2024
135 - Contemplating a design fire for car parks
In episode 48, my guest Mike Spearpoint said that in mid '90s, he participated in experiments on vehicle fires, as at that time, there were doubts if the design fires of that time (developed in the '80s) were representative …
Jan. 3, 2024
134 - Fire Fundamentals pt 5 - The Evacuation Equation with David Purser
It's time to learn about "the evacuation equation" from one of its creators. This week I interview prof. David Purser about the elements that go into the evacuation process that help us determine the fire safety of buildings…
Dec. 27, 2023
QA6 - Reflecting on 2023 and Igniting the Future
As we close the curtains on 2023, take a walk with me through the unforgettable milestones that have shaped the Fire Science Show. This isn't just a recap; it's a treasure trove of insights and a roadmap to the innovations j…
Dec. 19, 2023
133: Managing EV Fires at Sea with Elena Funk and Magnus Arvidson
Welcome aboard a journey through the challenges of managing electric vehicle fires at sea with Elena Funk of DBI and Magnus Arvidson from RISE. In this podcast episode, we discuss two large projects devoted to understanding …