Sustainable Future And Burning Issues Episodes
Jan. 22, 2025
185 - Recap on wildfire science
In the aftermath of the LA Pacific Palisades Fire, I've decided that instead of inviting one expert to discuss the event, I will give a voice back to those who already participated in the Fire Science Show and explained this ...
Dec. 11, 2024
181 - Regulatory regimes with Vincent Brannigan
I just drove 500 km to have a conversation with Professor Vincent Brannigan from the University of Maryland, a very unique expert who combines law with fire engineering. In this discussion, we go into the complexities of buil...
Nov. 13, 2024
177 - Physics-Based Modelling of Fire Spread with Francesco Restuccia
Wildfire modelling is quite complicated when you wish to integrate different fuel packages with different properties in 'real' environmental conditions while managing the transition to/from smouldering. We have a model for ea...
Sept. 11, 2024
168 - Fires in Waste Industry with Ragni Fjellgaard Mikalsen
Fires in the waste industry are not discussed much unless one sees a giant smoke plume in the media, followed by advice to close your windows. In these (rare?) cases, we remind ourselves of the massive industry related to sto...
Aug. 28, 2024
166 - Bio-based insulation with Patrick Sudhoff
In the everchanging world every now and then we get a new driver, that dictates most of our choices. In the current built environment and building industry, carbon dioxide feels like such a driver. We don't like it, we want t...
June 12, 2024
155 - New Guideline for PV Fire Safety with Grunde Jomaas
Misconceptions in fire science are a strange thing. You present countless proof, publish research papers, and carry conversations, and yet… they live their own lives—spreading with no control and cluttering communication. One...
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 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 informatio...
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 devas...
Nov. 29, 2023
130 - Mass timber fire dynamics with Dr. Carmen Górska
In this episode, I am joined by Dr. Carmen Górska from OFR Consultants, the recent IAFSS Phillip Thomas Award recipient for the best paper at the previous IAFSS Symposium. In this interview, we touch on preconceived notions a...
Nov. 1, 2023
125 - Enhancing Fire Safety Through Data: EU FireStat Project with Martina Manes and Mohamad El Houssami
Today we go deep into how statistical data about fires is gathered, processed, and used around the world, and what are the ideas on how to improve this in the future. My guests represent the EU FireStat Project - Dr Mohamad E...
Oct. 26, 2023
124 - Advancements in Fire Safety of Facades with Eleni Asimakopoulou
In today's episode, I have invited dr Eleni Asimakopoulou from the University of Central Lancashire to discuss her extensive expertise on fire behaviour of facades. In the talk, we will go through Elenis' experiments on venti...
Sept. 6, 2023
117 - Global wildfire emergency and the key role of FSEs with Albert Simeoni
In the midst of horrible wildfire season around the globe, I have reached out to Prof. Albert Simeoni from Worcester Polytechnic Institute for some hands-on commentary on what is happening around, and why fires all over the g...
Aug. 2, 2023
112 - Fire Safety for Energy Storage Systems with Ali Ashrafi and Paweł Woelke
Energy storage systems are vital systems in fuel transition and as a part of technology responding to the challenges of climate change. Not only for their capability to store energy but also for exploring strategies like peak...
July 5, 2023
QA5 - Brainstorming fire safe Mars habitats with Ruben van Coile, Jaime Cadena Gomez and Szymek Matkowski
This time we try out something new! Instead of interviewing experts on subjects of their expertise, this time I took world-class risk specialists for a brainstorming session. And while sitting together, we discussed something...
April 26, 2023
QA4 - Wojciech in Smart Firefighting podcast episode 151 - fire science, innovation and built environment
This week in place of a normal episode I would like to share an interview I gave to my friend Kevin Sofen in his podcast. In this episode I am interviewed by Kevin on the science of fire, how I understand the built environmen...
April 19, 2023
098 - Digital innovation in built environment with Michael Strömgren
Innovation is a big world. A digital innovation sounds even bigger. But it is in fact our reality - we live in a world of constant change and "improvements". Many of those come to us in form of digital technologies, informati...
Feb. 15, 2023
089 - Designing law by disasters (or not?) with Birgitte Messerschmidt
There is no universal answer to the question of how law and testing regimes should be set up. Sometimes, we build up our law after a huge tragedy, making sure that the same cause will not be of harm in the future. Sometimes, ...
Nov. 23, 2022
077 - Informal settlements - we need solutions not gadgets, Richard Walls
Delivery of fire safety to one billion inhabitants of informal settlements cannot be done through a single solution. No magical extinguishing ball nor hyper-sensitive sensor can solve this issue. As it is not a single issue -...
Aug. 17, 2022
063 - Why do we need a handbook of fire and the environment with Brian Meacham and Margaret McNamee
Do we need another fire handbook? If so, what handbook would that be? I guess a question like this must have gone through Brian Meachams' mind when he got the idea for a handbook of fire and environment. And he got a brillian...
July 20, 2022
059 - Residential fire safety with Dan Madrzykowski and Charlie Fleischmann
How much the fire scene at households has changed over the last 30 years? Why modern furniture burns worse than one made with wood, cotton and other natural materials? And what does that mean to firefighting? What challenges ...
June 22, 2022
055 - The future is exciting with Arnold Dix (part 2)
I once said the future looks stupid... but after this discussion with Arnold Dix, I know - future is exciting. And for Fire Safety Engineers and others involved in fire protection - the future seems to be super exciting! In t...
June 15, 2022
054 - The sustainability talk, tunnels and fire safety with Arnold Dix (part 1)
A few episodes ago I called for better communication in fire safety. And in this episode, tunnel fire safety legend Prof. Arnold Dix is answering that, by teaching us the ways of the 'sustainability' talk - how to communicate...
March 2, 2022
040 - Resilient road tunnel infrastructure with Ingo Riess
This week I've invited a guest, that I was looking to talk to for a good while... Dr Ingo Riess from Riess Ingenieur-GmbH is someone I look up to in the field of tunnel fire safety, in which I am very active in the last few y...