The burning of a vegetation bed was investigated employing the cone calorimeter and the furniture calorimeter for testing on a small and a large scale. Heat release rate, smoke production rate, and species yields were measured at both scales and with two different setups at the full scale. The results show a clear influence of the scale on: the peak of heat release rate, the smoke extinction area, the soot yield, and the rate of smoke release. The species yields appear to depend not only on the burning scale but also on the experimental setup. This study clearly shows that even for litter with high packing ratio, the results obtained at bench scale cannot be extended directly to the full scale.

Abstract. Prescribed burning represents a serious threat to personnel fighting fires due to smoke inhalation. The aim of this study was to investigate exposure by foresters to smoke from prescribed burning, focusing on exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The methodology for smoke sampling was first evaluated. Potentially dangerous compounds were identified among the VOCs emitted by smoke fires at four prescribed burning plots located around Corsica. The measured mass concentrations for several toxic VOCs were generally higher than those measured in previous studies due to the experimental framework (short sampling distance between the foresters and the flame, low combustion, wet vegetation). In particular, benzene, phenol and furfural exceeded the legal short-term exposure limits published in Europe and/or the United States. Other VOCs such as toluene, ethybenzene or styrene remained below the exposure limits. In conclusion, clear and necessary recommendations were made for protection of personnel involved in fighting fires.

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