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Under future climates, wildfire will exacerbate threats to water security. Our research demonstrates that burning of surface vegetation can invigorate hillslope hydrological response with marked increases in sediment and nutrient delivery to river networks and reservoirs. Negative water quality effects include high turbidity, toxic algal blooms and fish kills with implications for water supply at critical times in the water year. Through quantifying post-fire runoff and nutrient yield processes, the research has informed (i) catchment management decisions, policies and water resource risk assessment in Australia and (ii) water industry resource protection plans in the UK.
The Steady State Tube Furnace (ISO/FDIS 19700) allows fire toxicity to be quantified in real fire conditions. This has led to the introduction of "acidity classification" for cables in the European Construction Products Directive/Regulation (2008/2013) (as a surrogate for fire toxicity) to promote the use of safer, low smoke, zero halogen (LSZH) alternatives to PVC cables. Additionally, architects and building specifiers can use our data to avoid the most toxic foam insulation materials in low energy buildings. The biggest impact of our work, the global reduction in loss of life in fire is probably the most difficult to quantify, as too many other factors influence the fire statistics.
Wildfire was barely recognised as a significant hazard in the UK prior to University of Manchester (UoM) research, that significantly changed stakeholders' and national policy-makers' awareness. This work on mapping and forecasting moorland wildfire risk has informed the Cabinet Office, and has demonstrated clear impact on fire preparedness planning in the Peak District National Park (where it is estimated that a large fire is potentially avoided each year). Following an ESRC-NERC seminar series (FIRES), the England and Wales Wildfire Forum (EWWF) was established, with EWWF persuading Government to further amend national policy on wildfire. This impact is ongoing, with DEFRA including wildfire in its `National Adaptation Programme', and the Cabinet Office recently including wildfire within the `National Risk Assessment' framework.
Our research provided the evidence to persuade companies to develop fire retardant formulations based on naturally occurring mixtures of hydromagnesite and huntite (HMH) that were more effective, cheaper, and greener than the market leader, aluminium hydroxide (ATH). Before the research started, in 2005, annual global sales of HMH as a fire retardant were less than [TEXT REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION] 000 tonnes. By 2012, sales had already doubled to [TEXT REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION] 000 tonnes (£[TEXT REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION] M) and continue to grow. LKAB minerals supply over 90% of the global market in HMH, and as a result of UCLan's fire retardant research, expect HMH to replace at least 25% of fine grade ATH within 5 years (increasing HMH sales to £[TEXT REMOVED FOR PUBLICATION] M). Not only is HMH a more effective fire retardant, it does not have the environmental problems associated with ATH.
Enhanced public safety and transformation of structural design for fire has resulted from improved building design through ERPE researchers' development of new and unique design methodologies, frameworks and tools for analysing fire spread. Fire safety engineering research within ERPE has created an improved scientific understanding of the effect of fire on structures and materials. Structural and fire safety engineers across UK, EU, USA, Canada as well as those who are members of international fire safety bodies have subsequently implemented significant advances for the design of safer, more economical, sustainable, and architecturally innovative buildings.
ERPE research has thus assisted the design and construction of increasingly optimised, sustainable, and economical buildings globally with significant changes in building design and regulation, particularly during 2009-2013.
The use of fire retardants is a requirement to reduce fire severity and deaths but is also controversial due to environmental (leaching) and health consequences of commonly used halogenated fire retardants. A novel methodology has been developed and validated in the Fire Safety Engineering Research and Technology centre (FireSERT), Built Environment Research Institute, for the prediction of large-scale burning behaviour of fire retarded polymers by combining small-scale (mg size) experiments with computer simulations of fire growth and toxicity. The research has been instrumental for companies in redesigning their products (fire doors and intumescent coatings) and is informing the development of EU regulations regarding the use and replacement of halogenated fire retardants. The research output has been published in leading journals, cited widely internationally and referenced by key organisations.
Geography at Exeter has a well-established reputation for research on the effects of soil erosion and land management on soil quality, diffuse pollution, and on water quality in UK river systems. Since 2008, this research has been used to inform DEFRA policy, in relation to soils, water, and the DEFRA code of good agricultural practice. Dissemination of effective approaches to land management, most especially through the Catchment Sensitive Farming Initiative has resulted in clearly demonstrable changes in farming practice by landowners in several priority river catchments within the UK, demonstrating a positive change in behaviour and improved management of environmental risk. In addition, research on agricultural erosion has been used in the development of new agricultural policy practices in Canada.
Between 1996 and 2011, Swansea staff published a series of papers into effects of logging practices, land-use change and recent climatic change on rainforest erosion, hydrology and ecology in Sabah (Malaysian Borneo). This research has led to improved logging practices and land management policy and enhanced the spatial extent, design and security of rainforest conservation in the region — for example, in 2012-13, the Sabah Government more than doubled the area of legally protected rainforest to form an east-west (E-W) contiguous 5000 km2 rainforest area in eastern Sabah. This zone will be more robust in its responses to climatic change and less prone to wildfires than if the forest had been fragmented. This is of global conservational significance because the zone contains the largest remaining area of primary lowland rainforest (and orang-utan habitat) in SE Asia. The impact of our research was achieved through direct, long- term links between Swansea staff and local forest management and governmental bodies.
This case study concerns research in the fields of fire prevention and community safety. A novel causal factor model of accidental dwelling fire risk was developed and incorporated into a geographical information system for fire prevention management, which has been used by Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MF&RS) to support delivery of fire prevention activities within the region since 2010.
In addition, a novel customer segmentation approach was developed to provide an enhanced understanding of at-risk social groups in terms of combined fire risk, health risk, social care risk, and crime risk. This formed the basis for further analysis of causal factors within the same geographical area, enabling the deployment of yet more accurate targeting of fire prevention resources.
The impact of the research has been the adoption of the approach as a form of best practice to improve targeting of fire prevention activities, which is a contributing factor to the observed reduction in fire incidence. This was associated with a reduction in accidental dwelling fires by approximately 12% (163 incidents) observed across Merseyside between 2009/10 and 2012/13.
Research at the University of Manchester on the risk and cost of wildfire has altered government policy, changed firefighting practice and help conserve a National Park. Aylen's advice to the Resilience & Emergencies Division of the Department for Communities & Local Government in 2012 ahead of a submission to the Cabinet Office helped build the case for inclusion of wildfire in the Government's National Risk Assessment. His confidential briefings drew extensively on his published research on the novel topic of forecasting and costing wildfire incidents in the UK and his unpublished work on the costs of the Swinley wildfire in 2011.