Research Reports

As a result of the research priorities outlined in the 2023 White Papers, the SFPE Foundation has funded (and is currently funding) several research projects that address those priorities. Research Reports from those projects are linked here.

• Fire Testing of Resilient & Sustainable Materials (2025): The proliferation of sustainable and resilient construction materials presents a critical fire safety challenge. This report provides technical guidance on the fire testing of these materials, establishing a framework that links material properties to fire dynamics. It presents a state-of-the-art review of key material categories (biomass-based, non-combustible, and synthetic) and critically assesses the strengths and shortcomings of existing standards for fire resistance, reaction-to-fire, façades, and photovoltaic (PV) systems. A central finding is that current fire tests are often inadequate for evaluating novel materials, as they can fail to measure key hazards like smoke, toxicity, and smoldering, and their results are difficult to apply to real-world designs. The report concludes that bridging this safety gap requires a multi-faceted approach, including the expansion of material property databases, the development of new test methods, and an increased reliance on performance-based design.
• Environmental and Health Impacts of Thermal Runaway Events in Outdoor Lithium-Ion Battery Energy Storage System Installations (2025): This research presents a methodology to assess the health and environmental impacts from thermal runaway events in outdoor, large-scale, Li-ion BESS units. Through application of the methodology, a relationship between exposure limit distance and wind speed, ambient temperature, event duration, cell chemistry, and toxic gas species can be established. This study did not consider other health factors, such as thermal exposure. The methodology involves a literature review to aggregate data, plume dispersion modeling, and a risk analysis of the model results.
• The Interface Between Digital Buildings and Fire Service Operations (2026): This study explores how different types of information can support fire service operations during fire incidents through the concept of Smart Firefighting. Semi-structured interviews with 47 incident commanders across three countries have been applied to examine how different types of information (preplanned, real-time, and predictive) affect decision-making. The findings strongly indicate that real-time and well-presented static data enable quicker, more targeted fire service responses. Early access to such information, especially at dispatch, is seen as critical. A gap is identified between advanced predictive tools and the practical needs of incident commanders. The study highlights the importance of translating complex data into clear, actionable information for the fire service.