March 2023 - Cascade SFPE Monthly Educational Session

CASCADE CHAPTER OF SOCIETY OF FIRE PROTECTION ENGINEERS

Speaker: Erica Fischer, PhD, PE

Research on Fire Safe Mass Timber Buildings

Summary: Mass timber is gaining popularity, particularly in the Pacific Northwest. With the emergence of this new construction material, many questions exist on the fire performance of structural components of mass timber buildings, particularly as they are unprotected. This presentation will summarize ongoing research at Oregon State University on the fire performance of timber concrete composite floors and lessons learned from previous compartment fire tests using mass timber construction for the compartment.

Speaker Bio: Erica Fischer, PhD, PE is an Assistant Professor of Civil and Construction Engineering at Oregon State University. Dr. Fischer’s research interests revolve around innovative approaches to improve the resilience and robustness of structural systems affected by natural and man-made hazards. Dr. Fischer performs research on a variety of different structural systems including steel, timber (CLT), composites (concrete-CLT and steel-concrete), and thin shells subjected to hazards such as earthquakes and fires. She has led a team of multi-disciplinary scientists in post-wildfire reconnaissance in response to the 2018 Camp Fire and 2021 Marshall Fires. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute, the Executive Committee of the Structural Stability Research Council, Co-Chair of the ASCE Fire Protection Committee, and a voting member of AISC Committee on Manuals, AISC Task Committee 5, and AISC Task Committee 8. Dr. Fischer has experience as a practicing structural engineer and holds a Professional Engineering license in the states of Washington, California, and Oregon.

Location: In person at Lake Oswego Fire Department 300 B Ave, Lake Oswego, OR 97034   &    virtually for those who register