ABSTRACT
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Handbook 146, HAZARD I—Fire Hazard Assessment Method, represents the culmination of a long-term program aimed at placing the prediction of fire outcomes on an objective and scientific basis. In the 1970s, NIST supported Harvard University to develop numerical models that could predict the temperature in a room containing a fire. These early models were difficult to use and interpret; required large, mainframe computers that were available only in academic institutions; and were plagued with long execution times, often interrupted by software crashes. The first version of the HAZARD I software and documentation was released in 1989. The software was clearly focused on material and product manufacturers as a tool to assess the fire hazards of their products and a means to justify higher costs associated with better performing products. Several factors soon began to change perceptions of the potential of HAZARD I.
