Leveraging Fire Testing Labs

Testing to ensure functionality and quality, or to identify areas for improvement, is relevant for anyone developing or selling products. But perhaps it is especially important when it comes to life-saving products?

Dafo has a long history of conducting tests together with RISE, which operates one of the world’s largest fire technology facilities, with two major fire halls in Sweden and Norway. Ahead of launching a new kitchen fire suppression system, Dafo chose to perform extinguishing tests with RISE in the fire hall in Trondheim.

Now, the parties have decided to deepen their collaboration further, says Josefin Holmström.

“We decided to transfer the review of our ISO certifications—environmental management system 14001 and quality management system 9001—as well as installer and personnel certifications according to the Swedish Fire Protection Association’s standards, to RISE. It’s always valuable to get a fresh perspective on your work, and we wanted new input.”

You’re also adding a holistic perspective through life cycle analysis—why?

“The reason we’re working with RISE on life cycle analyses is partly because it was a natural continuation of our expanded collaboration, and partly because regulations are moving in that direction. We will need to show emissions data for our products in the future, even if it’s not mandatory today,” says Josefin Holmström, and continues:

“Sustainability can still feel a bit vague and hard to grasp. That’s why I strongly believe in supporting it with a scientific perspective and making data-driven decisions. We see a need to highlight more sustainable alternatives, and customers need to see concretely how much more sustainable it is to choose a new product or solution over another.”

Mattias Hopkins, Service Manager for Safety and Fire at RISE, describes the benefits of combining testing and certification in one place:

“We’ve become a one-stop shop for Dafo, and we can take on that role because we cover the entire chain—from product development, testing, and product certification to training and other competence-building initiatives within RISE. The collaboration on life cycle analyses, for example, started when I connected a colleague internally who is a researcher in LCA and circular economy,” says Mattias Hopkins.

Josefin Holmström places high value on the broadened partnership:

“RISE works with established models, and there’s professionalism in that. We’ve done LCA analyses on our own before, but with the support of an external party like RISE, it carries more weight. Certifications have value in themselves, as proof that Dafo is doing the right things. In addition, it’s valuable to access specialist expertise—especially for a company operating in a strictly regulated industry with the ambition to save lives and property,” she concludes.

“Almost no one has done this before, but daring to think about wood in a hospital environment opens up completely new possibilities,” says Magnus Falk, project manager at RISE.

Wood offers much more than just sustainability and aesthetic value; it can also change how we build and experience healthcare environments. Through prefabrication, wooden elements can be manufactured elsewhere, quickly assembled on site, and reused, saving both time and resources.

"The low weight of wood makes it possible to build on or expand buildings without extensive foundation work, while improving the working environment thanks to shorter construction times and simpler installations. Imagine wood in entrances, reception areas, or healthcare wards, perhaps combined with concrete or steel. The possibilities are endless," says Kirsi Jarnerö, researcher and project manager at RISE.

Fire is a key aspect

Fire safety is, of course, one of the most discussed issues in timber construction. Fire safety is particularly important in hospitals, as they house activities that include the care of inpatients and functions that are critical to society.

The project shows that current knowledge makes it possible to build safely, even in hospital environments. Beams and columns can be dimensioned to withstand fire, and prefabricated modules can incorporate proven fire solutions. The challenge lies more in “mental regulations” and recommendations regarding non-combustible materials than in the technology itself.

“Many people believe that wood is automatically a risk. But today we have good methods for both calculating and limiting the impact of fire. It's a matter of using the right type of construction, the right dimensions, and smart solutions,” says Alar Just, fire researcher at RISE.

Where wood works, and where it doesn't

Operating rooms, with their sensitive equipment and extremely high vibration requirements, still require hybrid solutions using steel and concrete. But what about intensive care rooms and regular wards? Here, wood can stand on its own – with column-beam frames, stud frames, or cross-laminated timber.

“We see enormous potential in patient rooms and prefabricated modules. It is possible to build quickly, efficiently, and sustainably, while meeting all functional requirements,” says Cristiana Caira, Centrum för vårdens arkitektur (CVA) at Chalmers University of Technology.

One step at a time

“The key conclusions of the project are that the knowledge is there. And that wooden building systems can save both costs and the climate. It’s about breaking old habits. We have to realize that we can’t continue doing what we’ve always done,” says Tomas Alsmarker at Svenskt Trä.

Kirsi Jarnerö concludes:

“We just need to take one step at a time. Don't think of everything in terms of wood, but rather the possibilities of wood in combination with other materials. It's perfect for complex and cramped hospital environments.”

About the project

Health in Wood is a Vinnova-funded project that started in May 2023 and ran for 26 months. The project was coordinated by RISE. Other project participants: CVA – Centrum för vårdens arkitektur, Region Västerbotten Fastighet, Södra, Moelven Modulbyggnad, Moelven Töreboda, Masonite Beams, AFRY, Sitowise Sverige, CF Möller Arkitekter, White Arkitekter, ByggDialog, Svenskt Trä and AcouWood.

>> Read more about the project and download the final report

RISE expertise in timber construction

RISE offers advanced research and technical expertise across the entire chain of modern timber construction, from material selection and design to moisture safety, fire, acoustics, and life cycle analysis. Through interdisciplinary collaboration and advanced testing environments, we support the development of sustainable, efficient, and innovative timber construction solutions for the society of the future. 

>> Read more about our expertise in timber construction and feel free to contact us
 

Throughout history, devastating ship fires have been a key issue for the maritime transport industry, but the electric vehicle boom has brought new perspectives to the problem. The issue is shrouded in considerable public interest and myth. Martin Carlsson, a naval architect and project manager at Stena Teknik, challenges the perception that electric vehicles are particularly flammable.

"Imagine if we only had electric cars and someone suggested we should run them on an incredibly flammable liquid instead. We would have to pour it into a tank that anyone could open and look into. If the car caught fire, the liquid would spill onto the tyres. There would have been an uproar. Now, the situation is reversed and it's just a matter of us being used to one thing and not the other," says Martin Carlsson, and continues:

"At LASH FIRE, we did a great job of presenting the facts as a counterbalance to the 'YouTube expertise' that leads the general public to believe electric car fires are common. While electric cars do have a different risk profile, the fire risk is not greater in quantitative terms. However, the uncertainty and fear surrounding electric car fires do pose a risk, as they cause people to hesitate to take action."

Existing sprinkler systems are effective if they are activated in time.

In recent years, several ship fires have received considerable media attention. One such incident involved the MV Fremantle Highway, which caught fire off the coast of the Netherlands. In this instance, the fire was blamed on an electric vehicle, resulting in the death of one crew member.

The ship was equipped with a foam extinguishing system, which is one of the three standard solutions available today. The other two are sprinklers and carbon dioxide. But how effective are these systems at dealing with fires in electric vehicles?

"We addressed that question in LASH FIRE. Through testing, we found that sprinkler systems are just as effective at controlling fires in electric vehicles as they are in vehicles that run on fossil fuels. This is just one of the many insights to come out of the extensive European LASH FIRE project, which resulted in thousands of pages of reports and numerous follow-up projects", says Dr Franz Evegren, Director of Total Defence at RISE.

One of the follow-up projects examines the risks associated with refrigerated transport in depth. Around a third of all ship fires are linked to this type of vehicle. Fires can occur in the diesel generators used for cooling or when the truck is connected to the ship's electricity supply. RISE is continuing its research into the LASH FIRE concept of using a monitoring system with sensors.

"Another area we are pursuing is how to manually extinguish fires in electric vehicles. We have concluded that manual intervention is required in certain phases of the post-extinguishing work, but as soon as a fire has been verified, the fixed system should be activated," says Franz Evegren.

That change in thinking has not really taken hold globally. There is still some resistance to activating the fixed fire extinguishing system, as this can result in damage to other cargo and make the apparatus larger.

Providing the crew with new equipment and knowledge

Anna Karlsson, Fire Engineer and Researcher at RISE, explains that research is also being conducted in the field of detection.

"We have taken on the almost impossible task of figuring out how to detect a thermal runaway in a battery before it catches fire. If we could get early warnings through signatures such as heat, smoke, sound or radiation in a certain spectrum, we might also be able to take preventive action. If we come up with a solution, it would have a major impact on the entire industry", says Anna Karlsson.

Stena's ships now have two mobile sprinkler units on board, which can be placed near vehicles that are considered to be at increased risk, to enable local water cooling. This may be because an error code has been received or because one of the signs of thermal runaway mentioned by Anna Karlsson has been observed.

"As a result of LASH FIRE and other projects that were running in parallel, we developed a new list of measures for fire safety on board. The list includes new equipment, updated procedures and training that addresses new risks associated with electric and hydrogen vehicles. The equipment includes fire blankets for cars and new fire suits for our crew. The new suits provide better protection against the gases that can be emitted from a lithium-ion battery in thermal runaway", explains Martin Carlsson.

It is important that regulations change in line with the vehicle fleet

Martin Carlsson welcomes the rule changes that LASH FIRE and other projects on the same theme have led to.

"Those of us who were involved in LASH FIRE naturally believe that it is extremely important for regulations to change when the vehicles we load onto our ships do so. It is important to get everyone in the industry on board by setting a common minimum standard in order to eliminate the greatest risks," he says, adding:

"Stena is quite far ahead in terms of maturity, I would say. As we now tackle the next layer of risks, this involves, for example, dealing with other types of battery-powered vehicles, such as scooters, lorries and buses. We are also following ongoing activities at RISE concerning fire risks associated with ageing batteries, investigating the risk of gas explosions in connection with thermal runaway and testing gas sensors."

Burnt-down houses, a smouldering landscape, and black, toxic smoke. Typical characteristics of devastating forest fire. Doesn't it feel like we're seeing it more and more often?

'There aren’t actually more fires, but they are more costly. In terms of global fire frequency and area burned, they are not greater now than 25 years ago. However, the number of fire disasters is increasing. These are fires that either kill many people or have very serious consequences for the country's gross domestic product’, says Johan Sjöström, a RISE researcher specialising in forest fires and their fuels, ignition, behaviour, and societal impact.

The increase in fire severity can largely be attributed to climate change. As the Earth's temperature rises, so does the risk of fire. Relative humidity decreases, sucking the moisture out of dead surface material.

‘Accompanying climate change is an increased amount of fuel. This originates from several different factors. In France and Spain, where we have seen major fire disasters in recent years, the affected areas have historically been heavily cultivated landscapes used for small-scale agriculture or grazing', says Johan Sjöström, continuing:

However, small-scale farms are no longer economically viable and are therefore abandoned. In their place, the land is instead transitioned to forest plantations, often comprising highly flammable trees such as pine, or residential areas, where shade from evergreen trees close to houses are common. Many small farms are also simply left as they are, shifting over time to grass- and shrublands as vegetations grows.

Deciduous trees are an inexpensive way to reduce fire risk

To address this problem, climate change must be mitigated and land use follow more resilient and smarter strategies. The number of natural fire barriers provided by open landscapes needs to increase.

Taking France and Spain as examples again, the number of preventive, controlled fires in strategic locations should be increased. During the winter months, areas can be burned to limit the availability of highly flammable fuel during the next hot summer,' explains Johan Sjöström.

Although controlled burning is used to create firebreaks in southern Europe, Sweden relies on other methods to reduce fire risk.

The cheapest and most effective method is to leave a certain proportion of birch trees standing during the thinning process. Pine forests with some inclusion of spruce are the most fire-prone in our landscapes. But even a small amount of birch can significantly reduce their fire risk. 'If every tenth tree in the coniferous forest is a birch, the fire risk decreases by a third,' says Johan Sjöström.

The great thing is that forest owners don't need to work to achieve this effect. Birch trees are typically established via wind-borne seeds, so you just need to work a little less with the chain saw.

RISE maps and analyses forest and grass fires

Another way to reduce the risk of forest fires is to create barriers of deciduous trees along roads by allowing birch trees to grow in ditches. This enables the emergency services to stop fires from spreading to more flammable coniferous trees from the road.

RISE has extensive knowledge of forest and grass fires. Johan Sjöström and his research colleague, Frida Vermina Plathner, assist various authorities in producing documentation such as reports that map trends and patterns relating to forest and grass fires in Sweden.

We can also produce risk maps and vulnerability analyses for specific areas, such as a municipality. Currently, municipalities primarily allocate resources to their emergency services to enhance firefighting capabilities, which is understandable. However, Johan Sjöström notes that there is much to be gained from preventively limiting the flammability of the ground.

Who will pay for changes to land use in order to adapt to climate change?

‘We already have quite strict legislation in place. Following storms, landowners must clear fallen trees to minimise the risk of spruce bark beetle infestation. After felling, the land must be reforested. To increase the proportion of deciduous trees, we could introduce a rule on tree species composition, as already stipulated in FSC environmental certification,” argues Johan Sjöström.

Economic instruments can also be used to reduce the risk of fire. The authorities currently provide support for the restoration of wetlands. Similar support could be used for the aforementioned deciduous tree barriers.

'It is, of course, impossible to say how big the fire would have been without preventive measures, but we do know that adapting land use to climate change is both cheap and effective,' says Johan Sjöström.

– Certifications are not just a mark of quality – they are a competitive advantage. Companies that can demonstrate compliance with independent standards are stronger both in the market and in dialogue with customers and authorities, says Tomas Holm.

Certifications enhance a company’s market position by providing independent quality assurance to customers, insurance providers, and public procurement bodies. This boosts competitiveness, facilitates business, and reduces risks associated with security shortcomings.

This development aligns with RISE’s mission to support critical societal functions, total defense, and Sweden’s preparedness – contributing to a safer Sweden.