50 years fire safety at NIST
Over 50 years, US fire deaths per capita have decreased -80% and serious injuries by -97%. The US Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act 1974 initiated fire research at NIST (US National Institute of Standards and Technology). 50 years on, NIST has published a list of key fire safety advances over this period, including cigarette resistant furnishings, methods for testing fire size and smoke toxicity, smoke alarm criteria, mattress flammability test method, actions on building construction safety in fire.
“A Legacy of Fire Safety: NIST Marks 50 Years of the Federal Fire Prevention and Control Act of 1974”, NIST Special Publication SP 1325, July 2024 https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.1325 Photo: NIST.