Home insulation a fire danger?

Press, 11 June 1979, Page 6

Home insulation a fire danger?

PA British researt has shown that s dramatic increase The research, quoted at a Manukau Citv Council meeting last week, produced evidence that insulation could multiply the speed of the. building many times. tion material were cited bv a British researcher who is con-j sidered a reputable authority; Zealand' Building Research Association. His findings were quoted bv the senior building inspector for Manukau (Mr T. E. Webb) who said that insulation prevented the escape of heat from a fire. The danger was even great- i er if the insulating material itself was combustible. : "In a fire in an uninsulated home, persons may have five to 10 minutes to get out.” he| said. "In an insulated build-; ing, that time is reduced to I 30 or 40 seconds.” .Mr Webb said later that: he was referring to evidence compiled by a Mr E. G. Butcher, a representative of; an English fire-safety con-; sultancy firm. His report on home insulation was presented at an international fire-safety conference in London and was later nublished in an abridged

ch into the safety o some materials use in the danger from version in the magazine, thei: "Consulting Engineer.” ' Mr Butcher’s evidence li showed that a relatively]; ! small fire on the floor of a ’room would cause a plaster-’ board ceiling to reach a tern-; perature of 600 deg. Celsius , in 15 minutes. If the same : ceiling had a thermal conductivity similar to that of foamed plastic insulation, however, it would take only ■ five seconds to reach that temperature. If the ceiling was com-: bustible, as fibre insulating. board or foamed plastic] would be. the ceiling would; ignite in two seconds or less.; Mr Butcher produced a !similar exampie dealing with; the reflection of heat from aj insulated ceiling back to com-! bustible furniture on the; , floor. ; “Again, only the effect duel |to thermal insulation is con-] sidered and again the result; i is marked. Indeed, it is] frightening.” he said. Mr Butcher said thermal | properties of building materials were vitally impor-; tant in determining the rate! of growth of a fire—the time taken for a small fire to develop into a big fire. This growth period is of! extreme importance,” he 1

Auckland if home insulation ed could cause a n house fires. i said. “It could mean the difference between occupants] 'of a building escaping from! a fire or being trapped." ] Mr Butcher said he be-| lieved methods could be devised so that insulation! could be installed with a minimal increase in fire hazard but more experimental work and theoretical analysis were urgently needed. The head of the fire research division of the Building Research Association (Mr ;D. Bastings) said yesterday ]that Mr Butccher was known to him as a responsible researcher whose findings were worthy of serious attention. ’ "I would be surprised if I the danger is as serious as Mr Butcher suggests, however, although 1 respect his ■ opinion,” Mr Bastings said. The product’ research (Officer of Winstone Wallboards, Ltd (Mr K. J. Gould|ing) said the dangers described by Mr Butcher and ’Mr Webb were real and required closer attention. He quoted a British building research establishment bulletin, produced as a ] critique of Mr Butcher’s | work which largely confirmed his findings.