FIRE SAFETY | FFFS
FIRE TESTING FOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
A case study in undertaking comprehensive fire testing and performance evaluation of tunnel fire protection, such as Fixed Firefighting Systems (FFFS), is presented by Greg Wilson, Phil Friday and John Desrosier of The Reliable Automatic Sprinkler Co
Fixed Firefighting Systems (FFFS) are an important safety feature in many tunnel designs. These systems can significantly improve safety by reducing fire intensity, lowering temperatures, limiting fire spread, protecting infrastructure, giving occupants more time to evacuate and emergency responders a safer environment to operate. FFFS may be installed in tunnels based on regulatory
requirements (e.g., NFPA 502, PIARC, EU regulations, AS4825 - 2011) or a fire risk analysis that evaluates specific tunnel conditions (e.g., tunnel length, traffic volume, evacuation constraints, and materials transport). Large-scale testing of FFFS in tunnels is the most
effective way to ensure their performance in real fire scenarios. Full scale testing helps to assess and evaluate: ● Fire Suppression Performance – How quickly and effectively the system can control or extinguish fires;
● Heat Reduction & Temperature Control – Evaluate the system’s ability to lower the tunnel temperatures and prevent structural damage;
● Smoke Management & Visibility – Measure how the system affects smoke stratification and visibility for evacuation and firefighting efforts.
The Reliable® TNL280 Nozzle has recently undergone
a comprehensive series of large-scale fire tests, demonstrating its exceptional capabilities in managing and extinguishing fires in high-risk scenarios. This series included five distinct tests, each designed to evaluate the nozzle’s performance under different conditions and provide valuable data for various applications, particularly in vehicle tunnels. Simulated fire loads (wood pallets and fuel trays)
were used to recreate fire conditions during four of the five large-scale tests conducted. One unique feature of the Reliable test series is that fully-charged electric vehicles (EVs) were used during Test 5.
Above: Backlayering during Test 5 as the Fixed Firefighting Systems (FFFS) activated IMAGES COURTESY OF THE RELIABLE AUTOMATIC SPRINKLER CO. INC.
46 | Summer 2025
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