Ebook: Handbook of Tunnel Fire Safety

It is several years since the first edition of The Handbook of Tunnel
Fire Safety appeared in 2005, which followed a series of very serious
fires in tunnels. Since then, much has taken place. Firstly, there has
been research under the aegis of various programmes, such as
UPTUN and SAFE-T. Secondly, there have been more very serious
fires in both road and rail tunnels. The fact that such fires continue
to take place means that there is no room for complacency. Tunnel
construction worldwide has continued at a fast pace in recent years,
in both urban (e.g. the Shanghai metro) and non-urban (e.g. the
Gotthard Base Tunnel) settings. Rapid changes, both in the
technology and methods directly associated with tunnels and in
society in general, mean that research and learning from the
experience of others becomes ever more important. In addition,
every tunnel is unique, and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution.
Alongside this there is a concern within society about tunnel safety
and fire safety in particular. This Handbook is for all those
involved, from fire brigade personnel, who are at the sharp end
when a tunnel fire occurs, to tunnel designers, operators and
regulators, as well as researchers. It is intended that a central theme
runs through the book: the need to see fire risk as a product of the
working of a system. Therefore, considerations regarding emergency
planning and design against fire need to be brought in at the
beginning of the design stage; the philosophy of regarding fire safety
measures as a ‘bolt-on’ after a design has largely been completed is
now totally unacceptable, especially given the ever longer and more
complex tunnels being built or planned.
Within this context, it is hoped that this text will provide a bridge
between tunnel fire research and those who need to know the basic
results, techniques and current thinking in relation to tunnel fire
safety. It is also a vehicle for the transmission of experience gained
from real-world tunnels. The Handbook covers a wide spectrum,
and the chapters are written by international experts in various
fields. Much remains to be done, however. For example, while we
know more than we did about human behaviour during tunnel fire
incidents, there is still a long way to go. In addition, the
prevention of fires in tunnels, as opposed to trying to provide
protection once a fire has broken out, requires much more
consideration. The issue of which fire protection measures to
adopt has come to the fore in recent years, and this is reflected in
these pages. A key question is ‘What is most appropriate?’ rather
than, necessarily, ‘What is the newest?’. Furthermore, the general
move towards performance-based decision-making implies the use
of models, and this is problematic, as it relates to the question of
what is ‘acceptable risk’ in relation to tunnel fires. Much
consideration and debate needs to take place in this area, including
all those involved and affected. This Handbook is intended to
represent the broad sweep of knowledge available at the present
time, and it is hoped that it will become a valuable resource for all
those concerned with tunnel fire safety.
Alan Beard
Richard Carvel