Motorcoach Fire Safety

In July 2012 the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21) Act was enacted, which instructed the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to research the most prevalent causes of motorcoach fires and methods to prevent them, both inside and on the exterior of the vehicles. Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) was contracted to develop test procedures and performance criteria to assess fire detection and suppression for engine compartment fires and fire detection in wheel wells. SwRI was also tasked to develop a bench scale test to evaluate the performance of exterior fire-hardening materials. The goal of this program was to develop and validate procedures and metrics to evaluate current and future detection, suppression, and exterior fire-hardening technologies that prevent or delay fire penetration into the passenger compartment of a motorcoach, in order to increase passenger evacuation time. Objective tests, methods, and metrics were developed for analyzing wheel well detection/warning systems, engine compartment detection and suppression/extinguishment systems, and flammability/fire-hardening of exterior materials between the wheel well and the passenger compartment. A literature review and characterization of the thermal environment of motorcoach fires and survey of engine compartments, firewalls, and wheel wells of motorcoaches currently in North American service began. These characterizations assisted in the development of test methods and identification of the metrics for analysis. Test fixtures were designed and fabricated to simulate a representative engine compartment and wheel well. Fire scenarios were developed, the current detection, suppression, and fire-hardening technologies were reviewed, and a sample set selected to validate the test procedures developed during this program. Based on the results, test methods and metrics were developed to evaluate wheel well warning systems, engine compartment detection and suppression systems, and fire-hardening systems.

• Record URL:
  • https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.dot.gov/files/812213-motorcoachfiresafetyreport.pdf.pdf
• Corporate Authors:

  Southwest Research Institute

  6220 Culebra Road
  San Antonio, TX  United States  78238

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Huczek, J P
  • Blais, M S
• Publication Date: 2015-11

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Edition: Final Report
• Features: Appendices; Figures; Photos; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 425p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Buses; Engine compartments; Evaluation and assessment; Fire detection systems; Fire prevention; Fire resistance; Fire resistant materials; Metrics (Quantitative assessment); Test procedures; Vehicle fires; Warning systems; Wheels
• Geographic Terms: North America
• Subject Areas: Passenger Transportation; Public Transportation; Safety and Human Factors; Vehicles and Equipment;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01677563
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT HS 812 213
• Contract Numbers: GS-23F-0006M/DTNH22-12-F00431
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Aug 8 2018 5:09PM