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NIST and Fire Safety |
| NIST is known throughout the land for managing the nation's premier fire research laboratory, the place almost everyone turns to for fire-related measurements and data and frequently for fire management guidance. | The Building
and Fire Research Laboratory at the National
Institute of Standards and Technology is the nation's premier fire
research facility. A great many of the industry standards for the performance
of products in fires are based on measurements and studies carried out
by BFRL researchers. Building standards and codes officials around the
country likewise have long relied on NIST's fire expertise to ensure
that private and public structures are safe.
Scientists in BFRL's fire research division study and measure the flammability, burning rates, heat production, and other important aspects of the way materials ignite and burn. These researchers also investigate everything from the fundamental science of fire to the performance of fire barriers to fire detection technology, next generation fire extinguishing materials, the chemistry of fire suppression, and, among other things, the movement of smoke in different types of structures. |
