Journal of the Society of Disaster Information ISSN:1976-2208(Print) 2671-5287(Online) 한국재난정보학회논문집

Purpose: This study aimed to identify weaknesses in the fire detection stage and to provide foundational evidence for the rational selection of fire detectors by comparatively evaluating detection time performance for early fire detection in highly confined small compartments with a volume of less than 0.36m3, where fire incidents may occur. Method: Based on the laboratory specifications for the Class-3 fire suppression model commonly used in real small-compartment fire tests, experiments were conducted to evaluate early detection performance in small-space fire scenarios using three types of fire detectors. A total of six trials were performed, and the test space was ventilated after each trial to prevent any carryover effects on subsequent experiments. Result: The flame detector exhibited the highest early detection performance, followed by the heat detector, while the smoke detector showed the lowest performance among the three. Conclusion: This study investigated early fire detection in small enclosed spaces, and the experimental results demonstrated that flame detectors exhibited the fastest detection performance. However, given their limited application in real-world small-space environments, the findings underscore the necessity of considering detector selection and installation strategies tailored to the specific conditions of small enclosed spaces.