Fire Protection Research Foundation report: "Measuring the Impact of Fire Extinguisher Agents on Cultural Resource Materials” (PDF, 1 MB)
Author: Hughes Associates, Inc.
Date of issue: February 2010
Foreword
Portable fire extinguishers and their associated fire extinguishing agents play an important role in reducing the impact of fire on cultural resource collections. A fire which can be extinguished with a portable extinguisher in its incipient stage will not grow to threaten adjacent materials. While conservators are well versed in the effects of moisture and water on collections, little data is available on the effects of other non-water based extinguishing agents. To fully evaluate the appropriateness of an extinguisher, its extinguishing effectiveness should be compared to the potential collateral damage to collection materials from the agent and its thermal decomposition products. Such contact with collection materials can occur by overspray during firefighting efforts or the direct spraying of collection materials in an act of vandalism.
This project is intended to quantify the impact of discharging portable fire extinguisher agents on cultural resource materials. The results can then be used by the NFPA Technical Committee on Cultural Resources (NFPA 909 and 914) to provide users with guidance on extinguisher selection. Phase I of the project included a comprehensive literature review and the development of prototype specifications and procedures to test the effects of extinguishers. In an anticipated Phase II, the test specifications would be validated and a final test specification produced. The results of Phase I are presented in this report.
The content, opinions and conclusions contained in this report are solely those of the authors.