FPE researchers apply their physical understanding of fire behavior to predict, prevent and mitigate losses from devastating wildfires. These studies include experimental, numerical and theoretical studies of fire spread, ignition and emissions. Laboratory facilities include a wind tunnel and tilt table for flame spread studies, a calorimeter for fire emissions studies, a specially-built apparatus for the study of ignition of materials by embers (firebrands), and supercomputing infrastructure for fire modeling. Current projects include detailed studies of embers which ignite structures in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), data assimilation to improve forecasting of fire spread, experimental and numerical modeling to understand fire spread, and studies of wildland fire emissions to safeguard fire firefighters.
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