Overview
ISO/TR 13571-2:2016 - "Life‑threatening components of fire - Part 2: Methodology and examples of tenability assessment" is a technical report that explains the practical application of ISO 13571 to evaluate the effects of fire effluents on people. The report sets out the method of application, selection of performance criteria, and evaluation of toxic and thermal impacts. It illustrates the methodology with worked examples covering real‑scale fire tests and Fire Safety Engineering case studies.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Purpose: Provide a structured approach to assess human tenability during fires, combining toxic and thermal exposure assessment with evacuation scenarios.
- Performance criteria: Uses Fractional Effective Dose (FED) for asphyxiating gases and Fractional Effective Concentration (FEC) for irritants. The report recommends treating individual susceptibility as log‑normally distributed (median = 1). A representative conservative criterion (e.g., 0.3 FED/FEC) is discussed as offering increased protection for sensitive individuals.
- Toxic impact models:
- Asphyxiants (CO, HCN, etc.) evaluated by accumulation (FED).
- Irritants (HCl, HF, NO₂, acrolein, formaldehyde, etc.) evaluated by instantaneous concentration (FEC).
- Notes limitations (e.g., limited incorporation of oxygen rarefaction in the asphyxiant model).
- Thermal impact models: Addresses radiant flux, gas temperature exposure, and dose‑based models for burns and hyperthermia (see clauses and annexes for model descriptions).
- Evaluation framework: Combines fire source characteristics, species production kinetics, gas movement, and evacuation behavior to define exposure scenarios and success/failure against selected criteria.
Practical applications and users
ISO/TR 13571-2:2016 is intended for:
- Fire safety engineers conducting performance‑based design and tenability assessments.
- Regulators and code officials defining acceptable performance criteria for occupant safety.
- Laboratories and researchers analyzing real‑scale fire tests and validating simulation tools.
- Design teams assessing evacuation strategies, fire detection/suppression impacts, and material/furnishing choices.
Practical uses include comparing tenability outcomes from real‑scale tests, applying tenability criteria in Fire Safety Engineering studies (aligned with ISO 23932), and informing design choices to mitigate toxic and thermal hazards during evacuation.
Related standards
- ISO 13571 (core models for toxic and thermal effects)
- ISO 23932 (Fire Safety Engineering - Application)
- ISO 13943 (Fire vocabulary and definitions)
- ISO 19706 (guidance on fire hazard assessment)
Annexes A–F provide concrete examples: full‑scale test applications (A, B), Fire Safety Engineering methodology and case studies (C, D, E), and experimental data guidance (F).
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