Several studies have established a connection between the firefighter occupation and the elevated chance of cancer and illnesses attributed to the harsh environment and exposure to airborne combustion products. This especially concerns airborne particles small enough to penetrate protective garments and human skin. These particles also often contain polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), which are known carcinogens. When developing new textiles for personal protective equipment (PPE), it is therefore important to document their particle and PAH penetration-blocking ability. Despite this, currently, no relevant, standardised and cost-efficient test method exists. This study introduces a novel method specifically designed for screening PPE textiles, filling critical gaps in available test methods, to facilitate future improved understanding of the protective ability of firefighter garments in preventing carcinogen exposure. In the proposed method, the PPE textiles are exposed to fire smoke from burning PVC plastic, polyurethane foam, and spruce wood in a standardised setup using the cone calorimeter. The smoke passes through an exposure tunnel with a PPE textile mounted on it while particle concentration, PAH content and temperatures are systematically measured on each side of the textile. The method shows promising results for the generation of “standardised” smoke and for documenting particle penetration through PPE textiles. Some remaining challenges related to repeatability and the costs involved are discussed.

Wildland–urban interface (WUI) fires are an increasing global challenge, and local knowledge is essential for efficient mitigation. In Norway, as for the rest of Northern Europe, wildfires are expected to increase in frequency and severity, which will also increase WUI vulnerabilities. This study analyzes all registered vegetation fires damaging buildings in Norway from January 2016 to April 2023 (74 fires damaging 102 structures), with a case-by-case review of 18 fires impacting two or more structures. We have identified that spring season fires and direct flame contact are the primary contributors to vegetation fires that damage buildings in Norway. We also provide insights from three wildfire exercises with prescribed burns and a post-fire evaluation, providing fire dynamics data on fires in low vegetation while identifying a need to focus on hazards related to juniper vegetation and unmanaged cultural landscapes. This new knowledge is vital for developing effective and targeted prevention measures for Norwegian communities in WUI areas.

WUI guideline for Norway

Norway is a long country where forests, grass, and heather cover vast areas. Approximately 38% of the country's land area consists of forests, and many structures are located near or surrounded by nature. In these wildland-urban-interface (WUI) areas, a wildfire could damage structures and infrastructure. Norway's tradition of constructing houses and cabins from timber adds an extra layer of vulnerability in WUI areas. As part of the EU-funded research and innovation project TREEADS, Norway's first WUI guideline has been developed to strengthen resilience against wildfires.

The guideline is targeted at citizens in WUI areas, and presents measures that may protect built areas from wildfires. The development of the guide is based on an extensive process, including a literature review of WUI guidelines from countries such as the USA, Canada, and Sweden. This review formed the foundation for a list of relevant topics and recommendations, which were further refined through in-person workshops with stakeholders, surveys, and expert consultations. To ensure relevance for Norwegian conditions, the recommendations were adapted to local building traditions and by using insights from past fire incidents, fieldwork, and laboratory experiments. This process resulted in six main recommendations and five supplementary recommendations).

Norge er et langstrakt land der skog, gress og lyngheier dekker store områder. Omtrent 38 % av landets areal består av skog, og mange bygninger ligger i nærheten av eller er omkranset av natur. I denne randsonen mellom natur og bebyggelse, kjent som Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI), vil en skogbrann eller annen naturbrann kunne gjøre skade på bygninger og infrastruktur. Det at Norge har en tradisjon for å bygge hus og hytter i trematerialer utgjør en ekstra sårbarhet i den norske randsonen.

I det EU-finansierte forsknings- og innovasjonsprosjektet TREEADS er Norges første randsoneveileder utviklet for å styrke motstandsdyktigheten mot naturbranner. Veilederen er rettet mot innbyggere i randsonen mellom natur og bebyggelse og gir konkrete tiltak for hvordan man kan beskytte bebyggelse mot naturbranner.

Utviklingen av veilederen bygger på en omfattende prosess som inkluderer en litteraturgjennomgang av WUI-anbefalinger fra land som USA, Canada og Sverige. Dette dannet grunnlaget for en liste over relevante temaer og anbefalinger, som videre ble utviklet gjennom fysiske arbeidsmøter med interessenter, spørreundersøkelser og ekspertkonsultasjoner. For å sikre relevans for norske forhold ble anbefalingene tilpasset nasjonale byggetradisjoner og erfaringer fra tidligere branner, feltarbeid og laboratorieeksperimenter. Prosessen resulterte i seks hovedanbefalinger og fem tilleggsanbefalinger.

The present research explores the influence of Bjørnis the Fire Bear on residential fire safety in Norway. Our survey, comprising 1275 participants, reveals that Bjørnis spurred the adoption of 5181 fire safety measures among the respondents, averaging 4.1 measures per household. The data suggests a positive association between exposure to Bjørnis and an increased number of safety measures implemented. These results highlight Bjørnis' efficiency in fostering awareness about fire safety, potentially serving as a model for introducing or sustaining similar mascots and initiatives on a global scale

The Scandinavian countries have in later years seen several severe wildfires and is expected to exhibit more severe fire danger. While direct flame spread has been an important topic in wildfire research, there is a need for development and to ensure that experimental methods are relevant for Scandinavian wildfire characteristics. To ensure relevant lab conditions for fire-resilient material development work, large lab-scale (2×4 meters) experiments were conducted on various fuels. Its fire behaviour (such as rate of spread, fireline intensity and flame length) was compared with ongoing wildfire field studies from ongoing field studies in boreal and hemiboreal Sweden. The lab fire experiments show good potential to mimic relevant natural wildfire conditions in the laboratory once a standard design fire exposure for fire resilient materials is developed.

I denne FRIC studien er den forebyggende effekten av Bjørnis for brannsikkerheten i norske husstander studert. Hovedkonklusjonen er at Bjørnis har ført til en tydelig og dokumenterbar forbedring av brannsikkerheten i norske hjem. Studien er utført som en del av prosjekt 4.3 Brannsikkerhetstiltak for boliger i FRIC, i samarbeid med Stiftelsen Brannbamsen Bjørnis. Det er også et webinar på norsk og engelsk som presenterer studien, opptak av webinaret vil bli publisert her: https://fric.no/publikasjoner.

| In this FRIC study, the effect of the fire mascot Bjørnis on the fire safety in Norwegian households is studied. The main conclusion is that Bjørnis has led to a clear and documentable improvement of the fire safety in Norwegian homes. This study is a part of project 4.3 Fire safety measures for dwellings in FRIC, in collaboration with the Bjørnis Foundation. There is also a webinar in Norwegian and English presenting the study, the webinar recording will be published at: https://fric.no/en/publications.

Photovoltaic modules have been shown to influence how a fire propagates across a flat roof, but the circumstances for which building attached photovoltaic (BAPV) modules promote fire propagation on a sloped roof is not studied in detail. Therefore, a series of small-medium- and large-scale experiments on a sloped roof with a BROOF(t2)-rated bituminous roof membrane on a wood chipboard substrate has been performed. Steel plates mimicking non-combustible photovoltaic (PV) modules were placed at different distances above the roof. Different sized wood cribs placed in the gap between the roof and the PV module were used as the ignition source. Similarly to findings for flat roofs, the experiments showed that the gap distance and the size of the ignition source are key factors for how far the fire propagates from the starting point. This supports that BAPV installations affect the fire dynamics on roofs. As such, the complete system of roof composition and PV installation needs to be considered as a whole to ensure adequate fire safety levels.