August 18, 2003—A new guide to fire safety engineering has been published by the Building Research Establishment (BRE), with the aim of providing simple guidance to this complex topic. Commissioned by Government, the guide is aimed at meeting the needs of those designing, constructing or managing buildings, who are not experts in fire safety engineering but encounter it in the course of their work.
Fire safety engineering can involve physics (heat transfer, movement of smoke, and so on), chemistry (behavior of materials), civil, electrical and mechanical engineering, psychology (behavior of people), as well as procedures used by fire fighters and issues relating to management of large complex buildings.
The guide provides basic descriptions for a number of key topics encountered in fire safety engineering and highlights aspects that should be considered by designers, enforcers and other responsible persons.
“Fire Safety Engineering: A Reference Guide” is available for 27 from the BRE Bookshop.
