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August 21, 2025
The abstracts address evolving fire risks in residential mid-rise buildings, cold storage facilities, aircraft hangars, and battery electric bus garages.
Raleigh, NC (August 21, 2025) – Summit Fire Consulting is proud to announce that four abstracts authored by engineers from our Raleigh, North Carolina, office have been selected for presentation at the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) 2025 Annual Conference, occurring this October in Vancouver. These presentations reflect the team's dedication to advancing innovative, performance-based solutions in fire protection engineering across a wide range of building types and risk profiles.
Submitted by Rachel Kirk, PE
With housing affordability and code modernization at the forefront of industry discussion, this study investigates the safety performance of single-exit stair designs in six-story residential buildings. Using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) modeling, three design scenarios are compared: a historical unsprinklered two-stair layout, a modern sprinklered two-stair configuration, and a proposed single-stair design. The study evaluates Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) and tenability across scenarios, providing critical data to inform policy shifts in multi-family housing design codes.
Submitted by David Stacy, PE
Cold storage facilities present unique challenges for traditional smoke venting systems due to ice buildup and reverse airflow dynamics. This research presents a performance-based alternative using Mobile Ventilation Units (MVUs) and controlled roof vent exhaust, managed via a Firefighter’s Smoke Control Station (FSCS). Through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) modeling in FDS, the strategy is validated under extreme conditions and shown to enhance smoke removal while maintaining thermal efficiency—providing a practical solution for refrigerated warehousing environments.
Submitted by David Stacy, PE
As the fire protection industry transitions away from aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) due to concerns over per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), this study evaluates whether drainage trench systems and water-based suppression can provide adequate protection for aircraft hangars. Through full-scale fuel trench fire testing and FDS modeling, the study investigates heat flux, fire spread, sprinkler performance, and structural exposure, offering insight into effective foam-free fire protection strategies for aviation facilities.
Submitted by Pierce Lushinsky, PE
The rapid adoption of Battery Electric Buses (BEBs) in public transit fleets introduces new fire risks that existing facilities were not designed to handle. This performance-based study utilizes FDS for fire modeling and Pathfinder for egress analysis to assess lithium-ion battery hazards, ignition shielding, and structural exposure. Mitigation strategies—such as increased vehicle separation, enhanced sprinkler systems, draft curtains, and early detection technologies—are evaluated to help transit agencies protect life and property in the evolving landscape of BEB infrastructure.
Summit Fire Consulting congratulates our Raleigh team for their outstanding contributions to fire protection research. These four abstracts showcase our commitment to delivering data-driven, forward-looking engineering solutions and supporting code development across the built environment. We look forward to engaging with peers and industry leaders at SFPE 2025.
