r Research, Development, PREVENTIONANDCONTROL and Technology Turner-Fairbank Highway Research Center OFHGHWAYTUNNELF RES 6300 Georgetown Pike McLean, Vlrgrla 22101 Report No. ?! FHWAIRD-831032 U.S.Department of Transportation Final Report MAY 1984 FederalHighway Administration FOREWORD This report presents methods of preventing, responding to, and controlling fires in existing and future highway tunnels. Means of evaluation of and reducing the risk for such fires and reducing damage, injuries, and fatalities are presented. The findings and recommendations of the report are based on evaluations of: (1) experimental tunnel fire tests; (2) significant highway tunnel fires; (3) observations of highway tunnels; (4) interviews with major highway tunnel operators; and (5) accident risks of unrestricted transit of hazardous materials. Effects of traffic, tunnel design, and operations on such risks are discussed. A ventilation system with a fire/emergency operating mode is recommended. / /’/~ ‘“ [“// ‘ /; [{/ ~1. p-. /J<w!ci’- ~ ~ ‘-” Richard E. Hay, D, ector Office of Engine f ing and Highway Operations Research and Development NOTICE This document is disseminated under the sponsorship of the Department of Transportation in the interest of information exchange. The United States Government assumes no liability for its contents or use thereof. The contents of this report reflect the views of the contractor, who is responsible for the facts and the accuracy of the data presented herein. The contents do not necessarily reflect the official policy of the Department of Transportation. This report does not constitute a standard, specification, or regulation. w ,-. -< . , ~.*!*T %% f ~ U. S. DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ● 5,, i ,4)*O%,E~@tie FEDERAL HIGHWAY ADMINISTRATION SUBJECT FHWA BULLETIN FHWA/RD-83/032, “pREV~NT10N A-NDCONTROL OF HIGHWAY TUNNEL FIRES” September 5, 1984 ,, Distributed with this Bulletin is the subject report which discusses and presents recommendations to reduce risk, damage, and fatalities ,fromfires in existing and future highway tunnels. These recommendations have received concurrence by expert reviewers. The history of highway tunnel fires was examined for design and operating features affecting ignition, spread, detection, response, control, resulting damage.,and survivability aspects. Investigation also included tunnel operator interviews and evaluation of literature. Accident occurrence probability history for heavy duty vehicles on open highways and related fire frequency for trucks carrying hazardous materials on these roads were examined. Based on such records and the conditions for a reference highway tunnel . (straight, flat, 1 mile long, 33 feet wide, and 16 feet high) a risk analysis for unrestricted transit of hazardous materials was performed. This was applied to 35 of the highway tunnels examined in this study. Qualitative assessments of the effects of traffic, tunnel design (length, horizontal and vertical align- ments, and width) and operations (lighting and ventilation) on this risk were made. Comprehensive design and operating recom- mendations for prevention, detection, alarm, notification, control, extinguishment, suppression, and survival are developed. Observations of selected .highway tunnels in Italy, Switzerland, and France (at Italian border) particularly in reference to the ‘ past occurrence of fires are presented in Appendix D. Aspects of highway design, traffic operations, lighting, ventilation, and fire detection, and control for these highway tunnels are given. Inquiries about the research may be made to the Construction, Maintenance and Environmental Design Division, HNR-30, or to the Bridge Division, HNG-32, Federal Highway Administration, Washington, D.C. 20590. Requests for additional copies of the report, for official use, will be honored while the limited supply lasts. Additional copies for the public are available for a fee from the National Technical Information Service (NTIS), U.S. Department of Commerce, 5285 Port Royal Road, Springfield, Virginia 22161. Sufficient copies of the report are being distributed to OPI: DISTRIBUTION:Headquarters HNR-30 Special: Regions HNG-32 Division HMC-23 / . .- . ,.. .- . FHWA BULLETIN September 5, 1984 ““‘>*S ~ provide a minimum of two copies to each regional office and two copies to each division office with one of these to the State highway agency for States concerned about highway tunnels. David K. Phillips P ~ Rex C. Leathers Associate Administrator for Associate Administrator for Research, Development, and Engineering and Operations Technology . (!? . flJ4p9Ma shall ; s Associate A inistrator for Safety, Traffic Eng neering, and Motor Carriers 2 I — Technical ReportDocumentationPaae. 1. Report No. 2. Government Accession No. 3. Recipient’s Catalog No. I FHWA/RD-83/032 I I PREVENTIONAND CONTROLOF HIGHWAYTUNNELFIRES May 1984 6. Performing Organization Code 43-0897154 8. Performing Organization Report No. 7. Author(s) PhilipE. Egilsrud,P.E. ● 8206 9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (T RAIS) Sverdrup& ParcelandAssociates,Inc. FCP35B4502 801NorthEleventh 11. Contract or Grant No. DT-FH-61-82-C-OO053 St. LOUiS, ~ 63101 Is.Type of Report and Period Covered 1 12. spO”sO,i”gAge”CYN@me~”dAddress September1983- U.S.Departmentof Transportation I October1983- FinalReport Federal-HighwayAdministration Wahsington,D.C. 20590 14. Sponsoring Agency Coda CME/0104 15. Supplementary Notes FHWAContractOfficersTechnicalRepresentative RolfJensen& Associates HowardA. Jongedyk(HNR-30) Deerfield,IL 60015 16. Abstract Thisstudyinvestigatesstepsthatcanbe takento reducetherisk,damage,and fatalitiesfromfiresin existingand futurehighwaytunnelsand theeffectof unrestrictedtransitof hazardousmaterialsthroughthem. The historyof highwaytunnelfiresis examinedto discoverthedesignandoperatingfeatures bearingon ignition,spread,detection,alarmtransmission,response,control, resultingdamage,and survivabilityaspects.Majordomestichighwaytunneloperator are interviewedconcerningtunnelfiresand theirresponsestabulatedand compared. Theproceduresand resultsof severaltunnelfiretestsare examinedand their recommendationsevaluatedin lightof historicalevidenceand operatingexperience concerningtunnelfires. A riskanalysisforunrestrictedtransitof hazardous materialsthrougha referencetunnelis,performedand appliedto 35 tunnels includedin thestudy. Qualitativeassessn!entsof theeffectsof traffic, tunneldesign,and operationson thisriskaremade. Comprehensivedesign and operatingrecomndationsforprevention,detection,alarm,notification, control,extinguishmzmt,suppression,and survivalare developed.A venti- lationsystemwitha,fire/emergencyoperatingmodedesignedto providemotor- iststrappedin a tunnelfirewithoptimalescapepotentialis describedand its inclusionin futurevehiculartunnelsrecommended. 7. Key Words 18, Distribution Statement HighwayTunnels,RiskAssessment Thisdocumentis availableto thepublic HighwayTunnelFires fromtheNationalTechnicalInformation HighwayTunnelFirePrevention Service,Springfield,VA 22161 HighwayTunnelVentilation I 20. Security Classif. (of this page) 21. No. of Pages 22. Price Unclassified Unclassified 136 FormDOTF 1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed poge authorized I ---- E %% ----- EEE --?? ii TABLE OF CONTENTS Eli?& E9m Introduction 1 Tunnel Fire Survey 3 Fire Summaries 3 Wallace 3 Caldecott 4 Baltimore Harbor 6 Helland 6 Squirrel Hill 8 Blue Mountain 9 Chesapeake Bay 9 Nihonzaka 10 Moorfleet 11 Discussion 12 Findings of Other Studies 14 Synopsis of Existing Systems 22 Risk Analysis 28 Summary 28 Reference Tunnel 28 Fire Frequency Prediction 29 Fire/Smoke Spread Potential 32 Fire/Smoke Spread Potential Reduction 34 Fire Intensity 35 Fire Duration 41 Fire Scenarios 42 Explosion Potential 44 Evaluation: Prevention 46 Sources of Ignition 46 Sources of Fuel 47 Sources of Oxygen 48 Restrictions on Hazardous Materials 48 Controls on Drivers’ Actions 49 Enforcement of Regulations 50 Designing with Safe Configurations 51 iii I Table of Contents (continued) E.?2is Page Evaluation: Detection/Alarm/Notification 52 Detection 52 Alarm 54 Notification 54 Evaluation: Response 56 Fire/Emergency Plan 56 Fire Department Liaison 57 Tunnel Personnel and Vehicles 57 Evaluation: Control/Extinguishment/Suppression 59 Fire Extinguishers 59 Stand Pipes 60 Sprinklers 62 Water Supply 64 Drainage 64 Evaluation: Survival 65 Communication 65 Ventilation 68 Lighting 72 Escape 72 Estimated Fatalities with Unrestricted Hazardous Materials 73 Future Testing 75 Conclusions 76 Recommendations 77 Appendix A, Tunnels in Study 80 Appendix B, Interview Tape Log 84 Appendix C, Notes from Tunnel Fire Study Interviews 86 Appendix D, Observations of European Tunnels 105 Bibliography 127 Views of Fire Damage in Highway Tunnels 130 iv LIST OF TABLES Table Title PcJ 1 Probability of Fatalities Unrestricted Hazardous Materials in Reference Tunnel 74 2 Probability of Fatalities Unrestricted Hazardous Materials in All Study Tunnels 74 LIST OF FIGURES Title P’cJ 1 Tumel Temp. vs. Distance (without extraction) 33 2 Dist. of Flame along Ceiling vs. Fire Intensity 33 3 Smoke Velocity vs. Fire Intensity 35 4 Tunnel Temp. vs. Distance (127 cfm/ft extraction) 35 5 Liquid Spill Area vs. Spill Quantity 38 6 Fuel Burning Rate vs. Liquid Spill Area 38 7 Fire Intensity vs. Fuel Burning Rate 39 8 Fire Intensity vs. Spill Quantity and Area 39 9 Flow Rate vs. Sch. 40 Pipe Size 40 10 Fire Intensity vs. Fuel Leakage Rate 40 11 View of Damage - May 13, 1949, Holland Tunnel Fire 130 12 View of Damage - April 7, 1982,