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padding and upholstery. From my unscientific tests, I can say that the seat covers (both had Fire Block labels) did not contribute to fire growth. It would seem that if the cover does its job and the foam doesn’t get ignited, then greater fire propagation will not occur. Now, other lobbying efforts have sought to


adopt different flammability standards. Te one that seems to be popping up the most is the American Society for Testing and Mate- rials (ASTM) International Standard E1537 — Standard Test Method for Fire Testing of Upholstered Furniture. Here are a few differences in the ASTM stan-


dard. For the purposes of testing, a complete seat assembly must be inside a test room or school bus. Te seat fails the ASTM E1537 test if: (1) the seat assembly exhibits a weight loss of three pounds or greater during the first 10 minutes of the test or (2) the seat assembly exhibits a heat release rate of 80 kilowatts or greater. From my previous studies in fire behavior


chemistry, I know that burning paper generates a heat release rate of around 100 KW; wood is about 130 KW and gasoline is 1,887 KW. I only mention this to show the 80 KW threshold in the ASTM standard is not a very high number. If we see a fire in the passenger area of the bus, it would most likely originate from material in a student’s backpack or an incendiary device, and the seats need to withstand their heat release rate. “Some of the other flammability tests being


performed don’t mimic the conditions found in school buses,” said Rick Smith, OEM marketing and sales manager for SynTec Seating Solutions. For example, direct flame impingement on


a seat from a torch in a big open room is not a direct comparison to conditions likely to be found on a school bus.


Te last part of my research into the flammability testing of school bus seats was to reach out to the manufacturers. Smith confirmed that SynTec follows the FMVSS 302 standard for flammability testing. Tony Everett, vice president of HSM Trans-


portation Solutions, stated that the C.E. White brand of school bus seats also meet all state, local and FMVSS 302 standards for burn resistance requirements. Te company also conducts its own tests and relies on independent tests to vali- date fire block materials it receives from suppliers (i.e., flammability and Boston Burn Bag tests). Everett said HSM uses vinyls that contain fire- block materials that meet or exceed standards. “HSM is using additional fire-block materi- als in its next generation of seats that will also feature less combustible materials on the seat,” Everett added. Meanwhile, SafeGuard school bus seats are also tested for flammability in accordance with the requirements of FMVSS 302 and the School Bus Seat Upholstery Fire Block Test docu- mented on pages 304-310 of the National School Transportation Specifications and Procedures, said Charles Vits, market development manager for the bus division of IMMI’s SafeGuard line. Vits further explained that SafeGuard


“performs the testing of its seats at the IMMI CAPE facilities, which has the test burn chamber specified in the procedure.” Te CAPE Test Center has performed this test for other seat and seat-cover manufacturers in addition to SafeGuard.


ENGINE COMPARTMENT SUPPRESSION In May, STN contributor Art Gissendan-


er spoke with Frank Giordano, director of transportation for Clark County (Nev.) Schools, about fire suppression systems in his fleet.


æ


Nevada’s Engine Compartment Standard


Nevada SB382, Section 2, Subsection 2 — Plastic components contained in the engine compartment of a new school bus, which is purchased by a school district on and after July 1, 2016, to transport pupils must meet the Under- writiers Laboratories Inc. Standard 94, “Standard for Safety of Flammability of Plastic Materials for Parts in Devices and Appliances testing.” Nevada SB382, Section 2, Subsection 3 — In lieu of meeting the requirements set forth in subsection 2 above, a new school bus may be purchased by a school district on or after July 1, 2016, to transport pupils if it meets the fol- lowing requirements: (a) the school bus has an au- tomatic system for fire ex- tinguishment in the engine compartment that includes a mechanism for activation by the driver, (b) any noz- zles for fire suppression are located, without limitation, under the school bus, in the electrical panel or under the dashboard, but are not located in the passenger compartment, and (c) the system for fire suppression includes a lamp or buzzer to alert the driver when the system is activated.


Hasenmeier and an assistant conducted a fire test using two school bus seat covers, one Kevlar and one Prevail. They crumpled pieces of paper, lit them on fire and placed the paper on both the seat covers and exposed seat foam. The school bus seat vinyl only suffered scorch marks, but the seat foam ignited and the fire spread.


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