Let's start another mini-series! This time 'fire fundamentals' where we are going to learn some basics from the world's best. It is usually fascinating to do that! Not sure how you feel about it but I would kill for a chance to listen to the principles of fire science from Quintiere or Drysdale, even though I give these lectures on my own...

In this first episode, I've invited dr Rory Hadden - an emerging legend of fire from the University of Edinburgh, to discuss some basics of flame and combustion. We have covered the following topics:

• diffusion flame;
• flammability limits;
• role of heat transfer in solid and liquid phase fires;
• ignition sources and ignition energy;
• fire retardants;
• effects of scale in flammability;
• and the ways to measure the fire.

Quite a lot for a first lecture, and it is a little longer than the usual Fire Science Show episode, but I'm sure it is worth it. Let me know what you think about this mini-series and send me ideas for future episodes.

I also promised to link to three masterpieces you need to read as a fire engineer, these are:

• An Introduction to Fire Dynamics, Third Edition by Dougal Drysdale;
• Fundamentals of Fire Phenomena by James Quintiere;
• Enclosure fire dynamics (recently revised!) by Bjorn Karlsson and James Quintiere 

Learn more about the Fire Engineering Science MSc at the University of Edinburgh here.

Thank you to the SFPE for recognizing me with the 2025 SFPE Fire Safety Engineering Award! Huge thanks to YOU for being a part of this, and big thanks to the OFR for supporting me over the years.

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The Fire Science Show is produced by the Fire Science Media in collaboration with OFR Consultants. Thank you to the podcast sponsor for their continuous support towards our mission.