New methodology to evaluate critical fire life safety and emergency preparedness in vehicular road tunnels, A

Abstract

Vehicular tunnel fires do not happen often. A tunnel represents a unique and challenging environment in which to both plan for an event and to combat a fire, should one occur. When a tunnel fire does occur, the results can be catastrophic in terms of loss of life, loss of property, and destruction of the tunnel infrastructure. History provides several examples such as Mont Blanc that incorporated various elements of Fire Life Safety (FLS) and Emergency Preparation and Management (EPM) into the design, infrastructure, and operations, and yet still experienced major fires at the cost of many lives. Know when a tunnel fire will occur is impossible. Identifying and evaluating the factors that my either positively or negatively affect the ability of a tunnel to avoid, prevent, respond, or mitigate the consequences is possible. The author creates a unique process to evaluate the FLS-EPM of vehicular tunnels in general, and uses the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels as a focal case. It is a fit-for-purpose, universally adaptable method to examine elements of infrastructure, equipment, training, and policies where each plays an important part in the overall effectiveness of the FLS-EPM system during an emergency event. It enables people involved in tunnel design, operations, management, and emergency response the ability to identify areas that are adequate, marginal, or inadequate. The process involves creating a systematic approach to identifying components, grading them against a discrete rubric and against Leading Industry Practices, and estimating how they might affect the outcome of up to six fire and emergency events. The researcher validated the process by applying it against a variety of tunnel fire cases as well as against an operational tunnel and a tunnel project. The research identifies numerous benefits and identifies industry Best Practices for vehicular road tunnels. The process is shown to enable communication between various stakeholders in the tunneling community, and to improve the overall understanding of the benefits of FLS-EPM along with the consequences of being unprepared.