Introduction. Epoxy materials are widely used in aircraft manufacturing, astronautics, electrical engineering, and construction, where high fire safety requirements are imposed. One promising approach to reducing their flammability is the use of mineral fillers, particularly zeolites, which promote the formation of a coke layer and the adsorption of volatile decomposition products.

Goals and Objectives. The aim of the work was to study the influence of volcanic and activated zeolites with different phase composition and porosity on the flammability of epoxy materials based on ED-20 resin cured with polyethylene polyamine, as well as to evaluate the synergistic effect of the combined use of zeolites with ammonium polyphosphate (APP).

Methods. The composites were prepared with 15 parts by weight of zeolite and 30 parts by weight of APP per 100 parts by weight of resin. Flammability was assessed according to UL 94, using two 30-second flame exposures on vertical specimens. The duration of spontaneous combustion, mass loss of the specimens, and self-­extinguishing rate were determined.

Results and discussion. Activated zeolite (with a total pore volume of 0.18 cm3/g) proved to be an effective filler for reducing the spontaneous combustion time of epoxy materials. After the second fire exposure, this parameter decreased by more than 3 times compared to the unfilled polymer, mass loss decreased by 55–62 %, and the self-extinguishing rate increased by approximately 2.5 times. Volcanic zeolite (with a pore volume of 0.07 cm3/g) only slightly (by 15–25 %) reduces mass loss without a noticeable effect on the spontaneous combustion time and self-extinguishing rate of the epoxy polymers filled with it. The combined introduction of zeolites with ammonium polyphosphate significantly enhanced the fire-retardant effect: mass loss decreased, and the self-extinguishing rate increased. The composition with activated zeolite corresponded to flammability class V-1, and when used in combination with APP, it corresponded to class V-0.

Conclusions. Activated zeolite, thanks to its high porosity, effectively adsorbs volatile products and promotes the formation of a protective coke layer. Its combination with ammonium polyphosphate produces a synergistic effect, significantly reducing the spontaneous combustion time of epoxy materials. The obtained results allow us to recommend activated zeolite as a promising, affordable filler for creating epoxy composites with reduced flammability.

Introduction. Explosions and fires involving organic compound dusts continue to be a pressing issue in the field of industrial safety. The aim of this study is to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the fire and explosion hazard properties and thermal decomposition of 3,3’,5,5’-tetramethylbenzidine, its dihydrochloride and 2-diethyl­aminoethyl chloride hydrochloride, with a view to incorporating the findings into the scientific and technical documentation of manufacturing enterprises and subsequently reducing the number of incidents involving explosions and fires at production facilities.

Methods. The fire and explosion hazard properties were investigated in accordance with GOST 12.1.044–2018; specimens with a particle size of less than 100 μm were used to prepare dust–air mixtures. The thermal behaviour of the compounds was studied using thermogravimetric analysis and differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Kinetic parameters were determined in accordance with GOST R 57951–2017, and the decomposition mechanism was investigated using infrared spectroscopy.

Thermal analysis. The general thermal behaviour of the compounds was established, and the temperatures corresponding to the onset of intensive thermal decomposition were determined.

Fire and explosion hazard parameters. For all the investigated compounds, the ignition and autoignition temperatures and the lower flammability limit were experimentally determined, while the heats of combustion were calculated.

Kinetic parameters of the initial stage of thermal decomposition. The activation energies of the initial stage of thermal degradation were calculated using the Ozawa – Flynn – Wall method, and the thermal stability of the investigated compounds was evaluated.

Mechanism of the initial stage of thermal decomposition. It was established that the decomposition of the primary amine bond is characteristic of tetramethylbenzidine (TMB), whereas for TMB dihydrochloride (TMB-d) and 2-diethylaminoethyl chloride hydrochloride (DAH) the most probable process is elimination of the hydrogen chloride moiety.

Results. The thermochemical and fire and explosion hazard characteristics of the investigated compounds were determined, including the temperatures of the onset of intensive thermal decomposition, ignition, and autoignition, and the activation energies of the initial stage of thermal degradation were calculated. Based on the results of thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy, mechanisms for the initial stage of thermal decomposition of the investigated compounds were proposed.

Conclusions. All the substances studied belong to the class of flammable compounds, their dust-air mixtures are flammable and explosive and exhibit a relatively high thermal stability. Of the three compounds studied, 2-diethylaminoethyl chloride hydrochloride is the most flammable, with a flash point of 185 °C.

Introduction. The fire hazard of building and finishing materials is largely determined by the toxicity of their combustion products, which remains one of the leading causes of fire fatalities in buildings. The current regulatory and methodological framework of the Russian Federation, based on the provisions of GOST 12.1.044–2018, is increasingly lagging behind international approaches that rely on instrumental FED/FEC indices and FTIR analysis of fire effluents. The inconsistency between domestic and foreign test methods reduces the reliability of predicting fire hazards and the calculated egress time.

Objective of the study. A comparative analysis of modern testing methods for the fire hazard properties of building and finishing materials in terms of their reproducibility, predictive capability, and applicability in engineering practice.

Methods. The study employs methods of systematization, comparative, and retrospective analysis of domestic and international regulatory documents, dissertations, and specialized scientific publications covering the period of 1982–2026.

Results. It has been established that existing testing and control methods form a multi-level system, including thermal analysis, reaction-to-fire (flammability and ignitability) testing, toxicity assessment of fire effluents, FTIR spectroscopy, multi-scale testing, numerical modelling, and multi-criteria approaches. For the first time, a classification matrix for selecting test methods across various classes of building materials and fire safety engineering tasks has been developed. A scaling factor for transitioning from bench-scale to large-scale testing for the Fractional Effective Dose (FED) index has been scientifically substantiated, with its value determined as 2.4 ± 0.8. Using bench-scale test data without accounting for this scaling factor leads to an overestimation of the calculated Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) by 2–2.5 times. The necessity of transitioning from biological assays (LC50) to instrumental FED/FEC indices based on the FTIR analysis of fire effluents has been argued.

Conclusions. The highest predictive value is provided not by an isolated rapid screening method, but by their targeted combination, varied depending on the class of the polymeric material. Directions for updating the regulatory and methodological framework of the Russian Federation have been formulated regarding the harmonization of GOST 12.1.044–2018 provisions with international standards ISO 19702:2024, ISO 19703:2018, and the CFPA-E Guideline No. 19:2023.

Introduction. Modern natural, technological and complex emergencies are increasingly becoming transboundary and require the participation of numerous national, international and non-governmental organizations. Under these conditions, the effectiveness of humanitarian response depends not only on the resources mobilized, but also on the quality of management, information exchange, coordination among participants, and decision support.

Aims and Purposes. The purpose of the study is to conduct a systemic analysis of international humanitarian response as a distributed organizational system and to substantiate an author’s model for improving the management of such operations. To achieve this purpose, the study examines existing international response mechanisms, identifies key management problems, defines major management frameworks and proposes criteria for assessing their effectiveness.

Methods. The research uses systems analysis, comparative analysis of international response mechanisms, structural and functional analysis, generalization of documents of the UN, OCHA, UNDAC, INSARAG, IFRC, UNDRR, the European Union and ASEAN, as well as logical modeling of information, coordination, resource and logistics links.

Results and Discussion. International humanitarian response is presented as a multi-level organizational system including global, regional, national and operational levels of management. The functions of OCHA, UNDAC, INSARAG, OSOCC, Virtual OSOCC, the UN cluster approach, IFRC and regional mechanisms are systematized. The main limitations of international operations are identified: information uncertainty, coordination complexity, logistical constraints, administrative and legal barriers, data incompatibility and fragmented digital tools. An author’s structural model is proposed, including information, coordination, resource, logistics and analytical-technological management frameworks.

Conclusions. It is shown that improving the effectiveness of international humanitarian response requires the coordinated development of all management frameworks, standardization of information exchange, implementation of geographic information technologies, remote sensing and decision support systems. The practical significance of the results lies in their possible use for developing information exchange regulations, training programs for EMERCOM of Russia specialists and management technologies for international humanitarian operations.

Introduction. Fires at fuel and energy complex (FEC) facilities are not only emergency events but also complex management situations characterized by long active suppression phases, a high resource load and the need to coordinate many responding units. The formal criteria of a large fire (damage, area, formal categorization) do not always reflect the tactical complexity of the response, which complicates retrospective analysis and personnel training. The problem of constructing a reproducible complexity measure whose feature weights are not assigned by experts remains insufficiently developed.

Goals and objectives. The aim of the work is to build a retrospective phase-oriented complexity index of fire response at FEC facilities, in which the weights of features and blocks are determined statistically, without expert assignment of coefficients. The objectives include forming the block structure of the index (temporal, resource, tactical, contextual and organizational blocks), the statistical computation of within-block and between-block weights, evaluating their robustness to the choice of correlation measure, and cross-block and proxy validation of the resulting complexity scale.

Methods. A sample of 194 completed fires was used, together with robust normalization of numerical features clipped at the Q0.05 and Q0.95 quantiles, two-level weighting by the CRITIC method, cross-block validation, repeated out-of-fold cross-validation, the Mann – Whitney test, Cliff’s delta, the Benjamini – Hochberg (FDR) correction and Fisher’s exact test with the Haldane – Anscombe correction. The source data were taken from the federal “Fires” database for 1999–2021; confidence intervals were estimated by bootstrap resampling, and a Pareto front over active-suppression time, the number of fire vehicles and the number of nozzles was built for comparison with an alternative multi-criteria approach.

Results and discussion. A reproducible index combining the temporal, resource, tactical, contextual and organizational blocks was obtained. Cross-block validation showed that the index without the temporal block retains its association with protracted scenarios (area under the ROC curve, AUC 0.772; the full index reaches 0.914), while high complexity levels are robustly associated with special fire equipment, monitor nozzles and a more complex organizational structure (the involvement of several types of fire protection). The between-block weights proved robust to the choice of correlation measure (Pearson and Spearman), and the comparison with the Pareto front showed that the index does not replace the multi-criteria formulation but provides an ordered complexity scale for all records in the sample.

Conclusion. The proposed index provides a statistically reproducible basis for the retrospective analysis of response complexity, the selection of complex fire scenarios and subsequent external validation of construct validity. Eliminating expert-assigned weights makes it possible to use the index in a digital twin of fire and rescue response, in the training of incident commanders, and in improving response processes.

Introduction. The conducted research combined the engineering calculation of the magnitude of the incident heat flow to the facade of the building and modelling of heat transfer processes with a software package. Comparing the results of various methods with acceptable values makes it possible to evaluate both the accuracy of engineering methods and the adequacy of the mathematical model.

Aim and objectives. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the reliability of calculating the heat flux from the flame and to confirm the safety of the exterior structures of the neighboring building in the presence of a protective shield. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to solve the following tasks:

• to carry out an engineering calculation of the magnitude of the incident heat flow and a thermal calculation to estimate the temperature of the glazing;
• to carry out a series of calculations using the software package to computer-simulate the heat flux from a fire involving petroleum products at a petrol station to the external structures of an adjacent building, using the finite element method and the discrete ordinates (DO) model in ANSYS Fluent.

Methods. To solve the problems, the use of an integrated approach is justified: using engineering, thermal engineering calculations and mathematical modelling of radiation, convective heat transfer.

Conclusions. Engineering calculations and finite element modelling of heat transfer processes using a software package made it possible to obtain a detailed picture of the distribution of radiant energy under specified conditions.

Introduction. An integral part of modern society is human waste, which accumulates in large quantities in special landfills. Fires at landfills release significant amounts of hazardous chemicals into the atmosphere, posing a threat not only to the environment but also to the firefighters fighting them.

Goals and objectives. The objective is to ensure fire safety at solid municipal waste (MSW) landfills and assess potential fire risks. Tasks include conducting a statistical analysis of fire conditions and their consequences, assessing fire risks, determining the adequacy of existing fire safety requirements, and identifying promising fire extinguishing methods.

Materials and methods. This paper analyzes trends related to the accumulation of municipal solid waste. It examines the engineering design of municipal solid waste landfills and their fire and environmental hazards. The results of a statistical analysis of fires at municipal solid waste landfills are presented. The dynamics and main causes of fires are determined. International fire statistics for these sites are used for comparison.

Results. Based on an analysis of fire safety requirements for municipal waste landfills, a lack of certain fire safety criteria was identified. Statistical patterns in the distribution of fire numbers, actual fire area, and response times were determined based on the standardized fire area. Fire risks were calculated. Existing fire suppression equipment and methods for organizing water supply for fires at municipal waste landfills were examined. The most promising areas for developing fire suppression equipment were proposed.

Conclusions. Currently, there are a number of legislative, technical, and socioeconomic issues affecting the effective management of municipal solid waste. Further development of a system for the separate collection, recycling, disposal, and burial of municipal solid waste, as well as the development and implementation of specialized fire prevention measures, will not only reduce risks to the environment and human health but also lower the costs associated with fire response at municipal solid waste landfills.

Introduction. The paper addresses the task of verifying the accuracy of quantitative parametric values derived from transforming qualitative characteristics of organizational risks (OR) using a hierarchical information model (IM) in practice. An approach is proposed to represent the integrated security system (ISS) as an organizational management system, where OR are considered, causal factors influencing the likelihood of dangerous events such as accidents and fires. A conditional information measure — the “conditional bit” — is suggested to reflect the contribution of a specific risk to a realized dangerous event.

The object of the study is the ISS of explosive and fire-hazardous enterprises, presented as an organizational management system.

The subject of the study includes models and factors for quantifying OR, confirming the reliability of modeling results obtained using a hierarchical IM.

The article aims to develop a rank-based model for assessing OR, validating the practical applicability of a hierarchical IM.

The scientific novelty lies in proposing an approach to quantify OR in explosive and fire-hazardous enterprises using a normalized conditional information measure, enabling the distribution of contributions from multiple organizational causes within a single dangerous event and the formation of a ranked risk list to support decision-making.

Methods. Methods the rank order centroid (ROC) method is validated for transforming ordinal ranks of causal factors into fixed weights. Its advantage over alternative methods for estimating OR lies in its complete determinism and guaranteed monotonicity.

Conclusions. The possibility of calibrating qualitative OR characteristics using a five-digit template matrix is demonstrated, applicable to various industry-specific safety management contexts. There is potential to develop a software product calculating performance indicators for safety personnel (IS, FS, OS) and PSU personnel, ensuring the efficient functioning of the ISS and enabling adjustments to management processes to prevent OR from manifesting as hazardous events (accidents and fires).