• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.20 no.1 s.61
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• pp.98-103
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• 2006

This paper analyzed deaths caused by fires using the Annual Report on the Cause of Death Statistics (based on vital registration) published by the Korea National Statistical Office. The number of fire deaths and the fire death rates of all deaths have started to decrease since the height in 1993. The younger groups have increasingly more fire deaths than the older groups. While children groups(age 10 and under) have decreased in their deaths caused by fires, the older groups (65 and over) tend to increase. Males are more likely to have a risk than females in all age groups. Fire death rates per 100,000 populations by age group suggest very high rates in the older groups. Although there are few changes in death rates caused by fires of all deaths, young children (age 4 and under) and older adults (age 75 and over) have a higher risk than any other age groups.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2006.04a
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• pp.29-40
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• 2006

Everybody may be vulnerable to fires depending on the time, place, and circumstances. Fire statistics show that the occurrence of fire death depends not only on the severity of a fire itself, but also largely on the conditions of occupants such as physical functions, the environment around occupants, and the type of facility where are fire occurs. The review of fire safety from the viewpoint of vulnerable populations does not simply mean additional special attention and care only to high risk groups, but instead it means significant review of fire safety design and systems for all people from a more universal standpoint. Therefore, in order to examine the strategies of a fire death-reduction program, safety measures suitable for the relevant high-risk groups considering the type of vulnerable person, the type of fire, and the type of building in residential occupancies. Solutions will require strenuous multilateral effort and flexibility.

• Fire Science and Engineering
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.40-48
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• 2012

Fire patterns have been used to determine the origin and cause of fires in every setting imaginable. However, it is very difficult to identify fire patterns and causes from the fire-damaged remains of a devastated structure. If someone was killed by the fire, it is possible to identify fire patterns by analyzing the Hb-CO concentration in charred bodies of deceased as well as the pace of the fire. For example, a low level of Hb-CO concentration in the charred bodies indicate a rapid fire with accelerants and the death was caused by severe heat and thick toxic fumes. However, a high level of Hb-CO concentration in the charred bodies demonstrates that the fire was slow and/or there was a flameless form of combustion. Thus, it is possible to identify fire patterns through analyzing the level of Hb-CO concentration on the dead from the fire. In this study, the Hb-CO concentration in the charred bodies was from 3 % at the case of gas burning oneself to death to 93 % at the death caused by smoldering fire.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2012

This paper tried to verify whether the fixed fire fighting system (FFFS) that is installed in road tunnel improves evacuation performance or not. Verification was performed according to the Disaster Prevention Facilities Installation and Management Guide at Road Tunnel. Twenty seven different fire scenarios were set up for the verification and the cases that FFFS was installed were compared with the cases that FFFS was not installed. The result of the comparison showed that the average equivalent death was reduced in 26 cases out of 27 cases when water spray extinguishing system was installed. It was confirmed that the risk when was not installed was unacceptable in Hong Kong and the Netherlands. On the other hand, it was confirmed that the risk was reduced to as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) when was installed. The cumulative frequency of average death in case with FFFS was compared against the frequency of death without FFFS: death of one or more is about 50 times less; 10 or more is about 100 times less; and the death of more than 100 is four times less. It was verified that FFFS makes improved conditions to escape from the fires in road tunnel.

• Journal of the Korean Wood Science and Technology
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.30-35
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• 2008

Degradation of mechanical properties of fire-killed Korean red pine has been investigated after death in 5 years period. Impact bending absorbed energy was the most sensitive property by elapsed time after forest fire. It is an indication of incipient decay of the wood and can be useful indicator to monitor any change of mechanical property of fire-killed tree after death. Degradation of mechanical properties was more pronounced in sapwood than heartwood. Impact bending absorbed energy was more reduced than any other properties in both sapwood and heartwood, while compressive strength was least impacted by elapsed time after forest fire. It is recommended that the fire-killed Korean red pine can be harvested in one year after the fire for industrial uses by considering decay and consequent changes of mechanical properties.

• Journal of Navigation and Port Research
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.423-427
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• 2010

Land fire receives additional extinguishing methods easily by professional extinguisher. But because of isolation and independence from land when sailing on the sea, ships are difficult to get special help from land. Generally, the death ratio by suffocation is higher than the death rate by flame and to reduce suffocation death ratio, fast evacuation is required. This paper aims to improve survival ratio at ship fires by soot density reduction. This study examines soot density and visibility using FDS. And also examines evacuation time by Pathfinder. The FDS(Fire Dynamic Simulator) is a 3 zone model(Field Model) analysis tool and the patherfinder is a useful analysis tool for evacuation. This research examined about evacuation time using the current regulations of the ship's corridor width and exit width first. And then studied evacuation time again when ship's structure was changed according to the method that is proposed in this paper. And finally compared the results each other.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.36-43
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• 2020

Gas system fire extinguishing equipment is a very economically useful facility, but if it is not used for a long period of time after installing the equipment, there is possibility of rupture due to corrosion of containers and operation errors of equipment systems, and this is very dangerous. However, it is impossible to experiment to check whether the equipment is operating normally. If gas is temporarily released into the enclosed space due to rupture and malfunction, it can cause serious human damage due to gas suffocation. In this study, based on the suffocation death accident of gas system fire extinguishing facility, the inflow path of released gas and the possibility of death and time to death were estimated using a 3D scan and FLACS.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.43-53
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• 2008

This study is carried out for the fire safety of the factory building, the fire risk reduction measure in compliance with an example approached in fire risk reduction systematically, contribute to reduce the fire risk. The analytical fire risk process of discovering, identifying, estimating and evaluating risk and control measure as risk reduction measures are core concept, applies loss prevention with loss control techniques. The painting process in the workplace where the fire hazard and death accident accompanies coexists. Loss prevention problem of creation prevention of dangerous atmosphere at workplace is health and human services problem of normal circumstances, must be inspected with problem of combustible gases at the time of fire explosion. Static electricity measure accomplished the risk control process thoroughly as the fire risk reduction process model with the ignition sources measure which is presented. Fire risk from within organizing will be able to classify with each field by detailedly but risk treatment process will be able to apply basically all the same concept. Consequently about risk management example from before, this study is proposed risk management techniques that standardized rightly in the actual condition of organization with one plan, with discovery of fire risk, the feedback process in compliance with a fire risk reduction and the review which control the result is joint responsibility of engineer, technical expert and manager as part of safety management to practice with the fact must be supervised.

• Proceedings of the Korea Institute of Fire Science and Engineering Conference
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• 2011.11a
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• pp.373-377
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• 2011

Fire patterns have been used to determine the origin and cause of fires in every setting imaginable. However, it is very difficult to identify fire patterns from the fire-damaged remains of a devastated structure. If someone was killed by the fire, it is possible to identify fire patterns by analyzing the concentration of carbon monoxide-hemoglobin in the body of deceased as well as the pace of the fire. For example, a low level of carbon monoxide-hemoglobin in the body of the dead indicates a rapid fire with accelerants and the death was caused by severe heat and thick toxic fumes. However, a high level of carbon monoxide-hemoglobin in the body of the dead demonstrates that the fire was slow and/or there was a flameless form of combustion. Thus, this study identifies fire patterns through analyzing the level of carbon monoxide-hemoglobin concentration on the dead from the fire.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.95-100
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• 2022

In general, fire accidents in tunnels are sufficiently preventable, but the damage is very large. Therefore, the number of highway traffic accidents is high in spring when spring fatigue occurs and the traffic volume for maple travel increases. In particular, when analyzing the cause of death of people killed in fire accidents in tunnels, it is analyzed that most of them are suffocated by smoke. Therefore, in this study, it can be said that it is meaningful to make a social contribution to reduce the number of traffic accident deaths by establishing an efficient fire suppression system for fire accidents in tunnels.