15 U.S.C. § 278f : US Code - Section 278F: Fire Research Center

Search 15 U.S.C. § 278f : US Code - Section 278F: Fire Research Center

(a) Establishment; programs of research; functions of Secretary;
dissemination of information
There is hereby established within the Department of Commerce a
Fire Research Center which shall have the mission of performing and
supporting research on all aspects of fire with the aim of
providing scientific and technical knowledge applicable to the
prevention and control of fires. The content and priorities of the
research program shall be determined in consultation with the
Administrator of the United States Fire Administration. In
implementing this section, the Secretary is authorized to conduct,
directly or through contracts or grants, a fire research program,
including -
(1) basic and applied fire research for the purpose of arriving
at an understanding of the fundamental processes underlying all
aspects of fire. Such research shall include scientific
investigations of -
(A) the physics and chemistry of combustion processes;
(B) the dynamics of flame ignition, flame spread, and flame
extinguishment;
(C) the composition of combustion products developed by
various sources and under various environmental conditions;
(D) the early stages of fires in buildings and other
structures, structural subsystems and structural components in
all other types of fires, including, but not limited to, forest
fires, brush fires, fires underground, oil blowout fires, and
waterborne fires, with the aim of improving early detection
capability;
(E) the behavior of fires involving all types of buildings
and other structures and their contents (including mobile homes
and highrise buildings, construction materials, floor and wall
coverings, coatings, furnishings, and other combustible
materials), and all other types of fires, including forest
fires, brush fires, fires underground, oil blowout fires, and
waterborne fires;
(F) the unique fire hazards arising from the transportation
and use, in industrial and professional practices, of
combustible gases, fluids, and materials;
(G) design concepts for providing increased fire safety
consistent with habitability, comfort, and human impact in
buildings and other structures;
(H) such other aspects of the fire process as may be deemed
useful in pursuing the objectives of the fire research program;
and
(I) methods, procedures, and equipment for arson prevention,
detection, and investigation;
(2) research into the biological, physiological, and
psychological factors affecting human victims of fire, and the
performance of individual members of fire services, including -
(A) the biological and physiological effects of toxic
substances encountered in fires;
(B) the trauma, cardiac conditions, and other hazards
resulting from exposure to fire;
(C) the development of simple and reliable tests for
determining the cause of death from fires;
(D) improved methods of providing first aid to victims of
fires;
(E) psychological and motivational characteristics of persons
who engage in arson, and the prediction and cure of such
behavior;
(F) the conditions of stress encountered by firefighters, the
effects of such stress, and the alleviation and reduction of
such conditions; and
(G) such other biological, psychological, and physiological
effects of fire as have significance for purposes of control or
prevention of fires; and
(3) operation tests, demonstration projects, and fire
investigations in support of the activities set forth in this
section.
The Secretary shall insure that the results and advances arising
from the work of the research program are disseminated broadly. He
shall encourage the incorporation, to the extent applicable and
practicable, of such results and advances in building codes, fire
codes, and other relevant codes, test methods, fire service
operations and training, and standards. The Secretary is authorized
to encourage and assist in the development and adoption of uniform
codes, test methods, and standards aimed at reducing fire losses
and costs of fire protection.
(b) Authorization of appropriations
For purposes of this section, there are authorized to be
appropriated an amount not to exceed $5,650,000 for the fiscal year
ending September 30, 1980, which amount includes -
(1) $525,000 for programs which are recommended in the report
submitted to the Congress by the Administrator of the United
States Fire Administration pursuant to section 2220(b)(1) (!1) of
this title; and
(2) $119,000 for adjustments required by law in salaries, pay,
retirement, and employee benefits.