Toward safer chemical plants via optimal fire protection and firefighting

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Chemical industry is one of the main industries in Canada, contributing billions to the country's GDP. Chemical and process plants, as the main infrastructure of the chemical industry, are attributed with large quantities of flammable and explosive chemicals which could result in catastrophic fires and explosions. The ever-growing interface between the chemical industrial areas and residential communities (e.g., Chemical Valley, Sarnia, Ontario) can make the consequences of such fires and explosions even more catastrophic by impacting the nearby communities. Fire safety in chemical plants is aimed at "preventing" the occurrence of fires and "mitigating" the consequences should fires occur. Fire prevention is usually accomplished via elimination and control of ignition sources, safe storage of flammable chemicals, etc. Fire mitigation, on the other hand, relies on fire protection systems (e.g., sprinklers), firefighting and evacuation. Not all fires can be prevented. Thus, fire protection measures play a crucial role in reducing the risk of potential fires. Due to the limited resources, however, effective fire protection of chemical plants demands for decision support methodologies to enable cost-effective integration of fire protection systems, firefighting strategies, and evacuation plans while considering the resources and the risks. The developed methodologies should be dynamic and flexible enough to catch up with the spatial and temporal evolution of fire scenarios under varying operational and environmental conditions. The present research is part of a holistic research program with the aim of promoting safety in the chemical industry. The research will include the development of methodologies for modeling and assessing the risk of major fire scenarios. Further, decision support methodologies will be developed for optimal allocation and management of fire protection systems as well as effective firefighting and evacuation during major fire events. The research will consider not only the accidental fire scenarios but also the ones triggered by natural disasters (e.g., wildfire) and malicious events (e.g., terrorist attacks). A particular attention will be devoted to chemical industrial areas where neighbor chemical plants can invest in coordinated and collaborative plans (e.g., joint firefighting) to optimally share their collective resources in the event of single and multiple fires. The outcomes of the research are expected to increase our knowledge of fire risk assessment and management in the chemical plants and help safety managers, emergency response planners, and fire services to cope more effectively with major fires. The developed methodologies, if integrated in the design and development of chemical plants, are expected to result in more inherently fire-protected plants, enhancing the safety of personnel, firefighters, and the public.