The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's fire research develops, verifies and utilizes measurements and predictive methods to quantify the behavior of fire and means to reduce its impact.
- Fire reconstructions: NIST thoroughly investigates some of the country’s most unique and devastating wildland-urban interface (WUI) and building fires, such as the Charleston Sofa Super Store fire. By studying and reconstructing the behavior and timeline of these fires in detail, NIST makes recommendations, some of which have led to improved codes and standards related to fuel load, sprinklers, egress and other fire safety considerations.
- Materials flammability: From building materials on the WUI to furniture in the common home, NIST devises test methods and mitigation strategies for reducing the flammability of numerous materials. NIST’s research in this area has bolstered state and federal standards and, in the case of mattress flammability, had a measurable lifesaving impact.
- Fire modeling: NIST developed and continues to update advanced fire modeling software capable of digitally recreating complex fire and smoke behaviors. These free tools have played key roles in cracking forensic cases of residential and industrial fires and supporting studies on and the design of fire protection systems.
- Smoke detection: For decades, NIST has rigorously tested smoke alarms and detectors, like those used in many homes (and in space), to raise the bar for their performance. NIST’s work in this area laid the groundwork for several standards for the sensitivity and installation of these vital technologies.