I am currently looking at the subject of Christmas trees and means of controlling the level of risk in a retail store.
I am aware of two NIST reports, indirect links are available as follows:
http://homeproductsnmore.com/v/vspfiles/V4_Backup/christmas-tree-stands/christmas-tree-fire-safety-test-nist.htmhttp://www.bfrl.nist.gov/bfrlnews/monthly_highlights/march_2009.htmMy client is about to install a 6metre conifer tree in the galleried area of his store, this has been a traditional feature for many years. Mindful of the fire risk implications I have been asked to investigate and make appropriate recommendations to control the risk.
Having seen the NIST videos I had originally been minded to recommend to my client that he should provide ongoing irrigation of the tree throughout the period, and to treat it with a flame retardant chemical such as the Envirograf product detailed on the attached link.
http://www.envirograf.com/acrobat/retardants.pdfHowever, having studied the NIST reports attached I am moved to suggest that if the tree is irrigated by immersion in strict accordance with the detail contained in the first of the NIST links, the increased difficulty in igniting the tree and the consequent reduction in rate of growth, fire sustainability and rate of heat release this will reduce the risk to a tolerable level.
I will of course consider this further and also consider the geometry of the compartment and the increased volume of the fuel compared to the NIST report and consider additional controls such as ad hoc tests on samples taken from the tree during the run up to christmas in my specific fire risk assessment on this topic.
I would be very grateful to hear any observations.