There is an increasing demand for robotics in dangerous and extreme conditions to limit human exposure and risk. An area in which robots are being considered as a support tool is in firefighting operations to reduce the number of firefighter injuries and deaths. One such application is to increase firefighting performance through localized fire suppression. This research focused on developing an autonomous suppression system for use on a mobile robotic platform. This included a real-time close proximity fire suppression approach, appropriate feature selection and probabilistic classification of water leaks and sprays, real-time trajectory estimation, and a feedback controller for error correction in longer-range firefighting. The close proximity suppression algorithm uses IR fire detection IR stereo processing to localize a fire. Feedback of the fire size and fire target was used to manipulate the nozzle for effective placement of the suppressant onto the fire and experimentally validated with tests in high and low visibility environments. To improve performance of autonomous suppression and for inspection tasks, identification of water sprays and leaks is a critical component. Bayesian classification was used to identify the features associated with water leaks and sprays in thermal images. Appropriate first and second order features were selected by using a multi-objective genetic algorithm optimization. Four textural features were selected as a method of discriminating water sprays and leaks from other non-water, high motion objects. Water classification was implemented into a real-time suppression system as a method of determining the yaw and pitch angle of a water nozzle. Estimation of the angle orientation provided an error estimate between the current path and desired nozzle orientation. A proportional-integral (PI) controller was used to correct for forced errors in fire targeting and performance and response was shown through indoor and outdoor suppression tests with wood-crib fires. The autonomous suppression algorithm was demonstrated through fire testing to be at least three times faster compared with suppression by an operator using tele-operation. / Ph. D.

High expansion foam (Hi-Ex) is a firefighting technology that has been widely used for fire suppression in underground locations. Hi-ex foam can be applied remotely through boreholes from the surface reducing firefighter exposure to fires. Despite the experimental studies that have been carried out there are still some uncertainties about foam behavior in underground locations. For this reason, the main objective of this thesis was to estimate Hi-Ex foam flow behavior in different underground configurations using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. An experimental apparatus was built to study the foam rheology in order to determine the rheological model parameters to simulate foam as a continuous Non-Newtonian fluid. Furthermore, numerical and experimental results of Hi-Ex foam flowing in a pipe were compared with the objective of validating numerical results. Results of this study show that Hi-Ex foam with an expansion ratio between 1:250 and 1:1280 behaves as a shear thinning fluid represented by the power law model. Numerical simulations results were between 0.06% and 14% of experimental results for Reynolds numbers between 200 and 1700. Finally, numerical simulations of Hi-Ex foam in different mine entry slopes were carried out and compared with qualitative results of prior field work. This work generates some of the necessary numerical parameters for the simulation of Hi-Ex foam flow in mines. Furthermore, results of this work and the methodology used can allow for improved predictions of foam flow in in underground mine fires, while improving safety for mine workers / Master of Science

This study har aimed to examine why there are still so few women working full time as firefighters in the Swedish municipal firefighting services, even though there has been a political goal for about twenty years to increase gender equality in firefighting. The study uses a structured focused comparison of two groups of municipal firefighting organizations to compare them against each other in order to understand why they differentiate, and identify factors that has made some organizations more successful than others. The study uses Lundquist’s (1987) simplified actor model’s three factors, understand-can-will, to explain the failed implementation. The study concludes that the simplified actor model can be used to explain differences in implementation and to identify factors that have led to successful implementation, and that the most important one seems to be the understanding of the problem. However, they seem to enable each other in a way that makes it impossible to say that they could create successful implementation if one was lost.

Unmanned aerial systems (UASs) have a great potential to enhanced situational awareness in public safety operations. Many UASs operating in the same airspace can cause mid-air collisions. NASA and the FAA are developing a UAS traffic management (UTM) system, which could be used in public safety operations to manage the UAS airspace. UTM relies on an existing communication backhaul, however natural disasters may disrupt existing communications infrastructure or occur in areas where no backhaul exists. This thesis outlines a robust communications alternative that interfaces a fleet of UASs with a UTM service supplier (USS) over a mesh network. Additionally, this thesis outlines an algorithm for vehicle-to-vehicle discovery and communication over the mesh network.

Les mousses extinctrices sont utilisées sur les feux de catégorie B (solvants inflammables). L’efficacité des mousses actuelles contenant des agents moussants fluorés est apportée par la formation d’un film aqueux à la surface du carburant enflammé. Les entreprises recherchent et développent de nouveaux agents moussants sans fluor car ce type de tensioactif est nocif pour l’environnement et la santé. Des mousses très stables sont nécessaires pour qu'une couche épaisse de mousse résiste aux températures élevées et au démoussage par le solvant et évite ainsi la ré-inflammation.Dans ce travail, l’amélioration de la stabilité de la mousse a été réalisée en utilisant des épaississants dans une solution moussante avec des tensioactifs non fluorés. Des polysaccharides tels que la gomme xanthane ont été utilisés et ses interactions avec des tensioactifs ont été étudiés. Les complexes formés par ces interactions ont été utilisés dans le but d’améliorer la stabilité de la mousse et sa résistance aux flammes. Ceci engendre des mousses de plus faible moussabilité mais de plus grande stabilité. Des tests à échelle réduite ont été réalisés selon la norme EN1568 et ont montré l’efficacité de l’addition de gomme xanthane. Ces formulations innovantes associant des polysaccharides et des agents moussants sont de bonnes alternatives aux formules contenant des tensioactifs fluorés. Le mécanisme d’action des hydrotropes améliorant la moussabilité a aussi été étudié / Firefighting foams are used on class B fires (flammable solvents). The efficiency of currently used foams containing fluorinated foaming agents is ensured by the formation of an aqueous thin film on top of the burning solvent. The formation of such film requires the use of fluorinated surfactants that specifically adsorb at the water-air interface. Companies currently develop fluorine-free products for firefighting foams because this kind of surfactants is harmful for the environment and health. Very stable foams are necessary to the formation of a thick layer of foam that resists high temperatures and defoaming by the solvent, preventing fire re-ignition.In this work, improved foam stability was achieved by using thickeners in the foaming fluid together with the non-fluorinated surfactants. Polysaccharides such as xanthan gum were used and their interactions with surfactants were investigated. Complex species formed by such interactions were used in order to improve foam stability and resistance against flames. This causes a lower foamability but higher stability of foams. Small scale fires extinguishing experiments performed following the standard EN1568 showed the efficiency of xanthan gum addition. These innovative formulations combining polysaccharides and foaming agents are suitable alternatives to those containing fluorinated surfactants. The action mechanism of hydrotropes improving foamability has also been studied

Understanding the wide range of outcomes achieved by firms trying to implement TQM and similar process improvement initiatives presents a challenge to management science and organization theory: a few firms reap sustained benefits from their programs, but most efforts fail and are abandoned. A defining feature of such techniques is the reliance on the front-line workforce to do the work of improvement, thus creating the possibility of agency problems; different incentives facing managers and workers. Specifically, successfully improving productivity can lead to lay-offs. The literature provides two opposing theories of how agency interacts with the ability of quality-oriented improvement techniques to dramaticlly increase productivity. The 'Drive Out Fear' school argues that firms must commit to job security, while the 'Drive In Fear' school emphasizes the positive role that insecurity plays in motivating change. In this study a contract theoretic model is developed to analyze the role of agency in process improvement. The main insight of the study is that there are two types of job security, internal and external, that have opposite impacts on the firm's abilty to implement improvement initiatives. The distinction is useful in explaining the results of different case studies and can reconcile the two change theories. / National Science Foundation, grant SBR-9422228, the Ford Motor Company and the Harley-Davidson Motor Company. MIT Sloan School of Management, Center for Innovation in Product Development

The diploma thesis focuses on the issue of fires of small photovoltaic power plants located on the roofs of buildings. When a photovoltaic power plant is being fired, the photovoltaic system is a very dangerous part of the power generation technology. In this part of the power plant, it is very problematic that the switching off of the electric dc current and the fire-fighters can cause electric shock. In the research part there is description and photodocumentation of the visited photovoltaic power plants, where the tour was carried out with an emphasis on the possible fire of the object. An important part of this chapter is the case studies of PPS fires and electric shocks. In addition, an overview of several fire interventions already carried out on the photovoltaic power plant located on the roof of the building. Finally, the author identified weaknesses for effective and safe intervention and processed the firefighting documentation for the PPSs visited. The discussion contains an indication of the identified shortcomings in the methodological sheets of the Combat Order of Fire Protection Units. The author outlines the possible risks for intervening firefighters at the PPSs visited and compares the elimination of these risks in the processing of firefighting documentation. Also mentions photovoltaic power plants in floodplains and points to potential hazards when flooding the PPS. Finally, a proposal is made to modify the Combat Order of Fire Protection Units and measures to ensure greater security of firefighters during fires of photovoltaic power plants.

Detta arbete söker att svara på vilka risker som måste beaktas vid bekämpningen av en brand i litium-jonbatterier ombord på fartyg. Antalet elbilar med denna typ av batterier ökar i popularitet och transporteras ofta via fartyg. För att få svar på vilka risker som då uppstår och hur de ska beaktas, har en serie semistrukturerade intervjuer genomförts med räddningstjänsten i olika län, samt forskare som har kunskap inom ämnet. Arbetet har visat på att det finns flera olika risker som kan uppkomma med ett litium-jonbatteri, brand och termisk rusning är några av riskerna som kan uppkomma. Vid dessa händelser släpps ett flertal farliga gaser ut där den mest kända är vätefluorid. Andra risker som uppkommer varierar mellan den höga värmen av 1150°C från branden, till det faktum att en sådan brand inte kan kvävas då den förser sig själv med syre vilket gör att den kan fortsätta brinna. Det finns inga tydliga regelverk eller riktlinjer för hur dessa bränder ska bekämpas på bästa sätt och detta kräver ytterligare forskning för att tydliggöra hur brand i litium-jonbatterier skall hanteras. / This study is searching for the answer of what hazards must be considered when fighting fires in lithium-ion batteries on board ships. The number of electric vehicles with this type of battery are increasing in popularity and are often transported through the shipping industry. To highlight the hazards and how to handle them, a couple of semi-structured interviews were conducted with firefighters and researchers with knowledge in the subject. The study has looked at the risks that arise when a lithium-ion battery has a thermal runaway, during which several dangerous gases are emitted where the most known is hydrogen fluoride. Other hazards that arise vary from high heat at points as high as 1150° C, to the fact that such fire cannot be suffocated as it is selfsufficient in oxygen. There are no clear regulations or guidelines on how to fight this kind of fire and further research is required to clarify how to handle these types of fires.

This master’s thesis examines the relationship between emergency management planning and comprehensive land use planning. The incorporation of emergency management practices into the comprehensive planning process allows for a better understanding of the impact of development, zoning, building code, and economic development on the mitigation of hazards that face the community. Academic curricula may provide a brief introduction of the relationship between hazard mitigation and land use; however, a more detailed exploration of how emergency management planning and regional or urban planning are interrelated is needed. The impact of weather-related events, natural disasters, or other human-caused shock or disruption can dramatically impact the physical, social, and psychological structures of a community. This research provides regional planners with the history of emergency management planning in the United States. It examines how cross-sharing of information and process between both planning disciplines can contribute to more robust community development and disaster plans. A case study illustrates the impact of urban development on natural hazard mitigation and the subsequent risks to public safety, which resulted from the planning decisions. Place identity, place dependence, and public participation concerning hazard mitigation and disaster management are explored to provide planners and emergency managers with a context of the psychological influences which may impact a community member’s decisions when faced with significant disruption of place. Best practices that guide the integration of regional planning and emergency management planning are provided to increase the understanding of both planning processes to increase the capacity of a community to absorb and rebound from a natural disaster or sudden shock.

The thesis deals with the reconstruction of L410UVP-E20 for firefighting needs. There is also an activity of aerial fire fighting services in the Czech Republic. The thesis also addresses the use of modifications for patrol work and for transporting the wounded.