UL FSRI Episodes

Here are the episodes featuring research performed at the UL Fire Safety Research Institute and by its employees
Aug. 16, 2023

114 - Ventilation and fire flow paths with Craig Weinschenk

Most fire engineers would be aware of how openings like doors and windows, the stack effect, and even wind can significantly alter fire outcomes. But there is a considerable difference between knowing that it does, and knowi…
Jan. 18, 2023

085 - E-mobility and energy storage hazards with Adam Barowy

Three months ago I saw a video of some sort of an electric scooter going off in someone's residential building. That person had absolutely no chance of controlling that fire. I guess they have escaped, but it must have been …
Aug. 31, 2022

065 - Understanding mesh sensitivity and model uncertainties with Jason Floyd

Will a higher resolution mesh make my CFD more accurate? That is a harmless question, and most of us would tend toward 'I guess yeah'. But let us try and unpack this. Into atoms! What does higher resolution mean? How exactly…
Aug. 24, 2022

064 - Heat stress in fires - from inside and outside with Denise Smith and Gavin Horn

This amount of heat flux for this amount of time, routine conditions, check, done. This is how I used to do my engineering and tenability assessment related to heat stress... up till today when prof Denisse Smith and prof Ga…
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…
March 16, 2022

042 - Unsafe environment of post fire scenes with Gavin Horn

We all understand the dangers of smoke inhalation in fires. But what about the site of the fire a few days after it was put out? It looks clean, maybe even lost the smell... Is it something to worry about, or you can rush st…
Feb. 2, 2022

036 - Researching fire with firefighters - UL FSRI: Steve Kerber and Craig Weinschenk

In this episode I was really happy to host two amazing researchers from UL FSRI - Dr Steve Kerber, the VP of Underwriter Laboratories and Director of UL Fire Safety Research Institute, and Dr Craig Weinschenk, research engin…