Abstract: The wildland-urban interface (WUI) fire problem continues to confound countries across the globe. The WUI fire problem is not improving and globally harmonized test standards are required to help provide community resilience in the event of WUI fire disasters. During WUI fire disasters, it has long been known that firebrand showers are a significant culprit of home ignition, leading to destruction of entire communities. Yet, an international standard to generate firebrand showers safely in a laboratory setting has only been published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 2024. An overview of the firebrand problem will be presented, including the path to develop the ISO standard firebrand generator. The presentation will also delve into ongoing efforts amongst Japan, Botswana, and South Africa, to enable the resilient communities of tomorrow in light of the increasing WUI fire danger in these countries. The presentation will close with a perspective as to whether Chicago is prepared for a potential WUI fire disaster.
Biography: Professor Samuel L. Manzello is current visiting Professor at the Institute of Fluid Science (IFS), Tohoku University, Japan and also with Reax Engineering, Inc. His research is published in more than 100 journal articles, focused on heat and mass transfer, combustion, fluid dynamics, and public health. Professor Manzello has had research features in the journal Nature and the journal Science and received several awards including a NASA Graduate Student Researcher Fellowship (NASA-GSRP), a National Research Council Post-Doctoral Fellowship (NRC), a fellowship from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), a NIST Individual Bronze Medal, the 2015 Harry C. Biggelstone Award from NFPA, the 2016 Tibor Z. Harmathy Award from Springer Nature, the 2016 and 2020 Best Journal Paper Award from the Combustion Society of Japan, the 2024 Jack Bono Award from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Foundation, and the 2017 Samuel Wesley Stratton Award as an individual from NIST, NIST’s highest award for fundamental research. The firebrand generator he designed and invented, known as the Dragon, is an international standard by ISO TC92, Fire Safety. He obtained a PhD in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Illinois-Chicago in microgravity droplet combustion.
