The article presents the potential impact of flat drive and transport belts on people’s safety during a fire. The analysis distinguished belts made of classically used fabric–rubber composite materials reinforced with cord and currently used multilayer polymer composites. Moreover, the products’ multilayers during the thermal decomposition and combustion can be a source of emissions for unpredictable and toxic substances with different concentrations and compositions. In the evaluation of the compared belts, a testing methodology was used to determine the toxicometric indicators (W_LC50SM) on the basis of which it was possible to determine the toxicity of thermal decomposition and combustion products in agreement with the standards in force in several countries of the EU and Russia. The analysis was carried out on the basis of the registration of emissions of chemical compounds during the thermal decomposition and combustion of polymer materials at three different temperatures. Moreover, the degradation kinetics of the polymeric belts by using the thermogravimetric (TGA) technique was evaluated. Test results have shown that products of thermal decomposition resulting from the neoprene (NE22), leder leder (LL2), thermoplastic connection (TC), and extra high top cower (XH) belts can be characterized as moderately toxic or toxic. Their toxicity significantly increases with the increasing temperature of thermal decomposition or combustion, especially above 450 °C. The results showed that the belts made of several layers of polyamide can be considered the least toxic in fire conditions. The TGA results showed that NBR/PA/PA/NBR belt made with two layers of polyamide and the acrylonitrile–butadiene rubber has the highest thermal stability in comparison to other belts.

In the construction industry, a variety wooden products have been used for thousands of years, according to demand, accessibility/availability, and customers’ requirements. Wood is a preferred material due to its large range of properties, depending on the type of wood. It is an easily available and economically competitive material, and it is also extremely strong in relation to its weight. Therefore, it is used in the production of construction materials, building parts, and finishing components, as well as for furniture and decorative elements. Each of these products is commonly additionally chemically treated in order to improve its performance parameters. However, impregnated wooden products such as furniture and fence boards are often misused, including for house heating, waste incineration, bonfires, etc. For this reason, among the products of combustion, there is a whole range of different chemical compounds, frequently carcinogenic, and dangerous for health and the environment, for example, heavy metals. Knowledge in this field is important for professions, such as: firefighter, lifeguard, people dealing with environmental management, and units responsible for waste landfills. On the other hand, important recipients of this information are ordinary residents who, due to a lack of knowledge, use such materials as e.g., heating material.

During rescue operations, one of the important parameters determining the effectiveness of the implementation of tactical mechanical ventilation is the selection of the appropriate size of the outlet opening. The objective of this article is to determine the effect of the size of the discharge opening area (0.24–1.2 m²) and other factors on the obtained flow parameters (flow velocity, volumetric flow rate and static pressure value) generated by the two tested positive pressure ventilators. The volumetric flow rate was determined by measuring the flow velocity at appropriately selected measurement points. Two ventilator units were tested (one was the conventional type, while two were turbo). During the tests, the fans generated a flow of 4624.17 m³/h to 14,020.92 m³/h (the first—conventional type) and 4884.66 m³/h to 15,656.33 m³/h (the second—turbo type). The analysis carried out in the article can be used as a guideline for designers of buildings, with particular emphasis on cases in which the staircase is not directly adjacent to the façade wall (an escape route built into the axis of the building).

The air–fuel ratio is a crucial parameter in internal combustion engines that affects optimal engine performance, emissions, fuel efficiency, engine durability, power, and efficiency. Positive pressure ventilators (PPVs) create specific operating conditions for drive units, characterized by a reduced ambient pressure compared to standard atmospheric pressure, which is used to control carburetor-based fuel supply systems. The impact of these conditions was investigated for four commonly used PPVs (with internal combustion engines) in fire services across the European Union (EU), using a lambda (λ), carbon dioxide (CO₂), carbon monoxide (CO), and hydrogen carbon (HC) analyser for exhaust gases. All four ventilators were found to operate with lean and very lean mixtures, with their lambda coefficients ranging from 1.6 to 2.2. The conducted tests of the CO₂, CO, and HC concentrations in the exhaust gases of all four fans show dependencies consistent with theoretical analyses of the impact of the fuel–air mixture on emissions. It can be observed that as the amount of burned air decreases, the values of CO and HC decrease, while the concentration of CO₂ increases with the increase in engine load. Such an operation can accelerate engine wear, increase the emission of harmful exhaust gases, and reduce the effective performance of the device. This condition is attributed to an inadequate design process, where drive units are typically designed to operate within atmospheric pressure conditions, as is common for these engines. However, when operating with a PPV, the fan’s rotor induces significant air movement, leading to a reduction in ambient pressure on the intake side where the engine is located, thereby disrupting its proper operation.

Positioning the positive pressure ventilator in front of the door opening affects the effectiveness of the rescue operation carried out during a fire. An important factor determining the effectiveness of the positive pressure ventilator is also the layout of the rooms within the gas exchange path and the obstacles present there. The purpose of this article is to assess the feasibility of using analyses such as large eddy simulation (LES) to verify the efficiency of mobile fans under simulation conditions, without the need for time-consuming experimentation (also for complex room volumes of buildings). The article presents a comparative analysis to assess the degree of convergence of flow parameters obtained during an experiment (in a multi-story building) and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. For volumetric flow rate, convergence was achieved at levels ranging from 0.4% (for 5 m) to 11.5% (1 m), and for pressure values, the differences achieved ranged from 0.6% (5 m) to 30.1% (4 m). This paper demonstrates that the LES model can be used to perform CFD simulations in the area of assessing the performance of a positive pressure ventilator. The article also describes a test methodology for determining the flow parameters of an air stream, which can be used to perform numerical simulations.

Mobile overpressure fans are popular tools used in rescue and extinguishing operations carried out by Fire Protection Units. They are used for exhaust and venting buildings from harmful products of thermal decomposition occurs due to fire. Health and human life may depend on the proper operations of this type of equipment. The aim of the article is to compare the results of real research with numerical analysis. The Scientific and Research Centrum for Fire Protection – National Research Institute test infrastructure was used for research. These test conditions were correlated during CFD (Computional Fluid Dynamics) analysis. The parameters resulting from the operation of the mobile overpressure fan are as follow: the shape of the stream and the distribution of the air flow velocity profile for the distances: 1.5 and 3.0. To perform tests, the representative ventilator was used – being a part of Fire Protection Units equipment. The obtained result provided information on discrepancies in the results of real and simulation studies, indicating further development directions of the research methodology of numerical studies, enabling future support for real studies. The error of the CFD model in relation to the actual tests for measuring the velocity of the flowing air is 0.18 to 18%.