External Operations Experience Update: Fire Safety and Green Buildings

1. External Operations Experience Update: Fire Safety and Green Buildings Department of Energy Operating Experience Work Group May 13, 2014 Larry Stirling, Office of Analysis (AU-23)

2. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • US Green Building Council standard for green building: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) • Buildings are rated on: • Sustainable site • Water efficiency • Energy efficiency • Atmospheric emissions

3. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Materials and resource use • Indoor environmental quality • Innovation and design • Buildings can qualify for one of four certifications: • Certified • Silver • Gold • Platinum

4. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Fire codes and building codes, such as LEED, have not been developed in a synchronized manner. • The focus of green building… has been on reducing the impact on the environment (Wieczorek 2011) • Until recently fire safety considerations have not been recognized (Tidwell and Murphy 2010)

5. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • However, this is changing: “There is a need to ensure integration between regulations that promote sustainable construction and those that promote the safety of building occupants and firefighters.” (Nichols and Stevenson, IGCC 2010) • The green movement has the potential to impact the safety of a firefighter’s work environment at a fire scene (Tidwell)

6. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Fire Safety Community Developed a Hazard Assessment Tool: identifies attributes of green buildings that should be considered from a fire and safety standpoint (Tidwell and Murphy) • Not exhaustive, but helps provide perspective to address risks associated with green building • Site Selection and Use • Building orientation • Landscaping

7. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Permeable FD access roads • Traffic calming devices • Urban Village • Building Envelope and Design Attributes • Awnings • Insulation • High performance glazing • Lightweight construction • Open design concept

8. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Skylights and solar tubes • Vegetative Roof Systems • Vestibules • Water Conservation • Building Systems and Alternate Power Sources • Battery Storage systems • High Volume low Speed Fans • HVAC systems

9. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Hydrogen Fuel Cell Power Systems • Nuclear Generated Power • Photovoltaic Solar Power Systems • Wind Turbine Power Systems • Environmental Impact Reductions • Increasing fire safety of green buildings reduces risk to firefighters, increases public safety, and reduces the potential impact on the environment when a fire occurs

10. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Reduced water usage with automatic fire sprinklers • Reduced release of toxin into the air, water and ground water

11. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Fires are contributing a significant volume of greenhouse gasses, carbon particulate matter and other pollutants into the atmosphere • Manual fire suppression efforts use millions of gallons of treated water annually, which is polluted with fire by-products and runs into watershed

12. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Conclusions: Just because a building is green doesn’t’ mean it is safe when a fire occurs • Green buildings can have significant environmental impacts in fire situations. • A collaborative design process with emergency responders will result in safer and more sustainable buildings.

13. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • References: • Bridging the Gap: Fire Safety and Green Building, A Fire and Building Safety Guide to Green Construction, Jim Tidwell and Jack J. Murphy, August, 2010 • Fire Safety Challenges of Green Buildings, Brian Meacham, et.al., Worcester Polytechnic Institute and The Fire Protection Research Foundation, November 2012

14. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Fire Safety: An Integral Part of Sustainability, Christopher J. Wieczorks, Ph.D., Fire Protection Engineering, 2011 • Taking on Fire Safety and Sustainability: A new Green Building Code Debuts, Dave Nichols and Kraig Stevenson, International Green Construction Code, 2010

15. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • BRANZ Study Report 269[2012] Building Sustainability and Fire-Safety Design Interactions: Scoping Study, A.P. Robbins • Impact of fire on the environment and building sustainability, BD 2709, Department of Communities and Local Government (Great Britain) December 2010

16. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • Research Technical Report: The Influence of Risk Factors on Sustainable Development, Louis A. Gritzo, et.al., FM Global Research Division, March 2009 • Fire Safety in Green Buildings, Sean Joyce, et.al., B.S. thesis, Worcester Polytechnic Institute, December 19, 2008

17. Fire Safety and Green Buildings • How Fire Safety Can Improve Sustainability, Natasha Sabin, edc Magazine, February 27, 2013 • Next Generation Building Codes Take on Safety and Sustainability, Kraig Stevenson and David Nichols, Firehouse Magazine, April 14, 2010 • Examining Fire Safety Concerns Raised by Green Building, Homeland Security News Wire, March 11, 2014 • Fire Safety and Sustainability – the Perfect Combination? BRE News, David Charters, no date

18. Contact Information: Larry Stirling Office of Analysis (AU-23) 202-586-2417 john.stirling@hq.doe.gov