SOUTHWEST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

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	Small-scale liquid pool fire characterization

Fire technology is one of the research and development services provided to industrial and government clients by Southwest Research Institute (SwRI).

Overview of SwRI

Headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, and founded in 1947, SwRI is one of the oldest and largest independent, nonprofit, applied research and development organizations in the United States. SwRI is governed by a board of directors, which is advised by approximately 100 trustees.

Eleven technical divisions at SwRI offer multidisciplinary, problem-solving services in a variety of areas in engineering and the physical sciences. Nearly 2,000 projects were active at the close of fiscal year 2008. These projects were funded almost equally between the government and commercial sectors. SwRI’s total revenue for the 2008 fiscal year was $563 million. During 2008, SwRI provided nearly $7 million to fund innovative research through internally sponsored research and development program.

Fire Technology Services

The Fire Technology Department is part of the Chemistry and Chemical Engineering Division at SwRI. The department was initially formed in 1949, but remained dormant until its first activities in 1952. We participated in many interesting programs, including the development of the fire extinguisher currently used by the NASA space program.

	Full-scale room flashover

One of the largest fire research organizations in the world, SwRI's Fire Technology Department is composed of four sections:

• Engineering and Research

• Fire Resistance (Large-Scale Testing)

• Material Flammability (Small-Scale Testing)

• Listing and Labeling

Fire Technology Accreditation

Now accredited by International Accreditation Service, Inc. (IAS), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), U.S. Coast Guard (USCG), and many other agencies to perform performance-based evaluations for fire safety, the scientists in the Fire Technology Department are continually at the forefront of the scientific community addressing fire hazard issues. Particularly notable is the department's active participation in ASTM, National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), and International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Committees.

For more information about fire technology services and capabilities at SwRI or how you can contract with SwRI, please call (210) 522-2311 or e-mail fire-info@swri.org.

| Fire Technology Department | Chemistry & Chemical Engineering Division | SwRI Home |

Southwest Research Institute^® (SwRI^®), headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, is a multidisciplinary, independent, nonprofit, applied engineering and physical sciences research and development organization with 12 technical divisions.

October 23, 2009