The study of fire safety often includes several interconnected factors. To understand how these core concepts relate, we use a helpful diagram called the fire safety triangle, which encompasses information across fire fundamentals, action, mitigation, and safety sciences.

Fundamental Fire Triangle

The chemical and thermodynamic elements that create fires and keep them burning.

Action Triangle

Preparation that can reduce the vulnerability of your space against fire.

Mitigation Triangle

The behaviors you can take to prevent, detect, and suppress fires.

Safety Science Triangle

The core components of progress in the ongoing pursuit of fire safety

Safety Science Triangle

Mitigation Triangle

Action Triangle

Fundamental Triangle

Fundamental Fire Triangle

The Fundamental Fire Triangle focuses on the three elements of the fire triangle: heat, fuel, and oxygen.

Heat: the energy that ignites and sustains the fire, generated by various sources.

Heat can be generated by a variety of sources, including open flames, electrical sparks, friction, and chemical reactions. Without heat, a fire cannot start or sustain itself.

Fuel: the material that burns and provides energy for the fire.

Fuel can be any combustible material, such as wood, paper, gasoline, oil, or natural gas. The amount and type of fuel present will determine the intensity and duration of the fire.

Oxygen: the gas that supports combustion, reacting with fuel.

The level of oxygen available will affect the rate at which the fire burns. If the oxygen supply is limited, the fire will smolder and eventually go out.

For more information about the fundamental fire triangle, here’s an informational video!

For further questions contact: Wilbert.Fletcher@ul.org

Action Triangle

Action focuses on three key aspects: prevention, detection, and suppression.

Prevention: Reducing the occurrence and spread of fire.

Prevention involves the methods deployed to help reduce the unintentional ignition, spontaneous combustion, or spread of fire such as:

  • Education and Outreach
  • Fire-Resistant Construction

Detection: Identifying the presence of fires.

Fire detection is important in determining the presence of a real fire (as opposed to a false/nuisance alarm from nuisance/cooking smoke) and helping reduce the risks of injury, death, and property loss.

  • Smoke Detectors
  • Fire Alarm Systems

Suppression: Extinguishing or controlling fires and preventing their spread.

  • Fire Extinguishers
  • Fire Hoses
  • Fire Suppression Systems

For further questions contact: Wilbert.Fletcher@ul.org

Mitigation Triangle

Mitigation involves three key aspects: vulnerability management, vulnerability mitigation, and environmental adaption.

Vulnerability Management

Implementing laws, codes, regulations, education, and standards, as well as raising public awareness to address vulnerabilities.

Vulnerability Mitigation

Prevention, detection, communication, occupancy, protection, containment, and suppression measures to mitigate vulnerabilities.

Environmental Adaptation

Adapting safety measures for different environments, such as indoors, outdoors, hazardous areas, commercial settings, industrial sites, residential areas, and wildlands

For further questions contact: Wilbert.Fletcher@ul.org

Safety Science Triangle

Safety is the most complex concept in the triangle. Achieving safety includes data, design and stakeholder engagement.

Data: Collecting and analyzing data around fire safety is crucial to identifying areas for improvement, prioritizing safety initiatives, and developing targeted interventions to prevent incidents and reduce risks.

ULSE data is collected from various sources, including incident reports, regulatory agencies, industry associations, and academic research. Once collected, safety data is analyzed to identify patterns, trends, and correlations that can provide insights into safety performance and potential hazards.

Design: ULSE safety design is driven by expertise in many disciplines, including fire, electrical, electrification, human health & environment, and mechanical. One aspect of design is the development of safety standards impacting safety management systems and safety regulations. The other aspect is preventing harm by improving the design of products so that they are less likely to combust.

Stakeholder Engagement: Stakeholder engagement is a critical component of safety science because it allows us to tailor our knowledge into the final contexts of protecting people.

ULSE Stakeholder engagement in safety science requires a strategic and systematic approach that involves identifying and prioritizing stakeholders, establishing communication channels, and developing a plan for engagement. We have a commitment to transparency, accountability, and continuous improvement.

Engaging with stakeholders is a step-by-step process:

  • Consultation: seeking input and feedback from stakeholders on specific safety issues.
  • Collaboration: working with stakeholders to develop and implement safety standard development.
  • Communication: providing information to stakeholders on safety performance and outcomes, as well as soliciting feedback and suggestions.
  • Education: providing training and education to stakeholders on safety topics and best practices.

For further questions contact: Wilbert.Fletcher@ul.org