Flame transfer through the external walls insulation of the building during a fire

Abstract

The article contains a description of the problems of the risk associated with flammable insulation of the building external walls. According to fire statistics, 80% of lives are taken because of the smoke presence. The smoke as a basic heat conveyor in a fire poses a major threat to people because of: inhalation of toxic substances which are integral part of it and attenuation of fire spaces and adjacent spaces. Both threats simultaneously cause problems with orientation to occupants and consequently render evacuation more difficult. Fire research on insulated elevations, conducted both in Poland and abroad have shown, that wall after insulating has not changed in a significant way its behavior during the fire and it has not constituted the additional risk to people.