[Federal Register Volume 59, Number 90 (Wednesday, May 11, 1994)]
[Unknown Section]
[Page 0]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 94-11396]


[[Page Unknown]]

[Federal Register: May 11, 1994]


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DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE
 

National Institute of Standards and Technology

[Docket No: 931111-3311]

Continuation of Fire Research Grants Program

AGENCY: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), 
Commerce.

ACTION: Notice announcing NIST continuation of fire research grants 
program.

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SUMMARY: The purpose of this notice is to inform potential applicants 
that the Fire Research Program, National Institute of Standards and 
Technology, is continuing its Fire Research Grants Program. Previous 
notices of this research grant program were published in the Federal 
Register on November 19, 1984 (49 FR 45636), May 6, 1986 (51 FR 16730), 
June 5, 1987 (52 FR 21342), June 6, 1988 (53 FR 20675), May 31, 1989 
(54 FR 23243), July 23, 1990 (FR 90-17041), February 20, 1991 (46 FR 
13250), May 7, 1991 (FR 91-10717), April 22, 1992 (FR 57-14695), and 
March 17, 1993 (FR 58-14379) (Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance 
No. 11.609 ``Measurement and Engineering Research and Standards.'').

DATES: There is no closing date for receipt of applications. 
Applications will be accepted at any time.

ADDRESSES: Applicants must submit an original and two copies of the 
application. The following standard forms must be used in applying for 
assistance under this program: Standard Form 424, Application for 
Federal Assistance (Rev. 4-88); Standard Form 424A, Budget 
Information--Non-Construction Programs (Rev. 4-88); and Standard Form 
424B (4-88), Assurances--Non-Construction Programs (Rev. 4-88). 
Building an Fire Research Laboratory, Attention: Sonya Cherry, Building 
226, Room B206, National Institute of Standards and Technology, 
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20899-0001.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:Technical questions concerning the NIST 
Building and Fire Research Laboratory may be directed to the above 
address or call Sonya Cherry at (301) 975-6854.
    Administrative questions concerning the NIST Fires Research Grants 
Program may be directed to the Grants Office at (301) 975-6329. Written 
inquiries should be forwarded to the following address: Grants Office, 
Acquisition and Assistance Division, Building 301/Rm. B129, National 
Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: As authorized by Section 16 of the Act of 
March 3, 1901, as amended (15 U.S.C. 278f), the NIST Building and Fire 
Research Laboratory conducts directly and through grants and 
cooperative agreement, a basic and applied fire research program. 
Academic institutions, non-Federal agencies, independent and industrial 
laboratories are considered eligible for this program. This program has 
been in existence for several years at approximately $1.5 million per 
fiscal year. No increase in funds has taken place. The Fire Research 
Program is limited to innovative ideas which are generated by the 
proposal writer on what research to carry out and how to carry it out. 
Grants awarded under the Fire Research program will generally provide 
financial assistance to the recipient without substantial NIST 
involvement in the projects. Cooperative agreements awarded for Fire 
Research projects will generally involve a close working relationship 
between a group of NIST experts and the recipient. No matching funds 
are required. Proposals will be considered for research projects from 
one to three years. All grant proposals submitted must be in accordance 
with the programs and objectives listed below.

Program Objectives

    a. Fire Protection Applications: Researcges, develops and 
demonstrates the application to building fire problems of fire 
protection analytical (computerized) tools and methods of assessing the 
ignition and burning rate of contents of buildings. This includes: 
developing a performance based fire code and methods of assessing fire 
risk; developing methods of evaluating and predicting the performance 
of and interactions between building fire safety design features; 
developing an understanding of the burning rate of furniture and other 
building contents; developing a data base that provides the necessary 
input to users of the analytical tools; and operating the Fire Research 
Information Services which supports the entire laboratory staff and the 
fire community and has an on-line bibliographic data base.
    b. Fire Modeling: Performs research on and develops analytical 
models for the quantitative prediction of the consequences of fires and 
the means to assess the accuracy of those models. This includes: 
Creating advanced, usable models for the calculation of the effluent 
from building fires; modeling the spread of fire over furniture and 
building elements such as walls; developing field and zone modeling 
techniques to predict the movement of fire effluent in buildings and 
the effectiveness of fire sensors; and developing a protocol for 
determining the accuracy of both the algorithms used in the fire models 
as well as the comprehensive models themselves.
    c. Large Fire Research: Performs research on and develops 
techniques to measure, predict the behavior of, and mitigate large fire 
events. This includes: understanding the mechanisms of large fires that 
control the gas phase combustion, burning rate, thermal and chemical 
emissions, transport processes; developing techniques for computer 
simulation; developing field measurement techniques to assess the near 
and far field impact of large fires and their plumes; performing 
research on the use of combustion for environmental cleanup; predicting 
the performance and environmental impact of fire protection measures 
and fire fighting systems and techniques; developing and operating the 
Fire Research Program large scale experiment facility.
    d. Smoke Dynamics Research: Produces scientifically sound 
principles, metrology, data, and predictive methods for the formation/
evolution of smoke components in flames for use in understanding and 
predicting general fire phenomena. This includes: Research on the 
effects of within-flame and post-flame fluid mechanics on the formation 
and emission of smoke, including particulates, aerosols, and combustion 
gases; understanding the mechanistic pathway for soot from chemical 
inception to post-flame agglomerates; developing calculation methods 
for the prediction of the yields of CO (and eventually other toxicant) 
as a function of fuel type, availability of air, and fire scale.
    e. Materials Fire Research: Performs research to understand 
fundamentally the mechanisms that control the ignition, flame spread, 
and burning rate of materials and the chemical and physical 
characteristics that affect these aspects of flammability; develops 
methods of measuring and predicting the response of a material to a 
fire. This includes: characterizing the burning rates of charring and 
non-charring polymers and composites; delineating and modeling the 
enthalpy and mass transfer mechanisms of materials combustion; and 
developing computational molecular dynamics and other mechanistic 
approaches to understand the relationships between polymer structure 
and flammability.
    f. Fire Sensing and Extinguishment: Develops understanding, 
metrology, and predictive methods to enable high-performance fire 
sensing and extinguishment systems; devises new approaches to 
minimizing the impact of unwanted fires and the suppression process. 
This includes: research for the identification and in-situ measurements 
of the symptoms of pending and nascent fires or explosions, and the 
consequences of suppression; devising or adapting monitors for these 
variables and creating the intelligence for timely interpretation of 
the data; determining mechanisms for deflagration and detonation 
suppression by advanced agents and principles for their optimal use; 
modeling the extinguishment process; and developing performance 
measures for the effectiveness of suppression system design.

Proposal Review Process

    All proposals are assigned to the appropriate group leader of the 
eight programs listed above for review, including external peer review, 
and recommendations on funding. Both technical value of the proposal 
and the relationship of the work proposed to the needs of the specific 
program are taken into consideration in the group leader's 
recommendation to the Deputy Director. Applicants should allow up to 60 
days processing time. Proposals are evaluated for technical merit by at 
least three professionals from NIST, the Building and Fire Research 
Laboratory, or technical experts from other interested government 
agencies and in the case of new proposals, experts from the fire 
research community at large.

Evaluation Criteria

a. Rationality.................................................     0-20
b. Qualification of Technical Personnel........................     0-20
c. Resources Availability......................................     0-20
d. Technical Merit of contribution.............................     0-40
                                                                        

Selection Procedures

    The results of these evaluations are transmitted to the group 
leader of the appropriate research unit in the Building and Fire 
Research Laboratory who prepares an analysis of comments and makes a 
recommendation. The recommendation is forwarded to the Deputy Director 
of the Building and Fire Research Laboratory who will also consider 
compatibility with programmatic goals and financial feasibility before 
making the final decision.

Paperwork Reduction Act

    The SF-424, SF424A and SF424B mentioned in this notice is subject 
to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act and has been 
approved by OMB under Control No. 0348-00343, 0348-0044 and 0348-0040.

Additonal Requirements

    Applicants that incur any costs prior to an award being made do so 
solely at their own risk of not being reimbursed by the Government. 
Applicants are also hereby notified that notwithstanding any verbal 
assurance that they may have received, there is no obligation on the 
part of DoC to cover pre-award costs. Unsatisfactory performance under 
prior Federal awards may result in an application not being considered 
for funding.
    Applications under this program are not subject to Executive Order 
12372, ``Intergovernmental Review of Federal Programs.''
    Applicants are reminded that a false statement on an application is 
grounds for denial or termination of funds and grounds for possible 
punishment by fire or imprisonment as provided in 18 U.S.C. 1001.
    No award of Federal funds shall be made to an applicant who has an 
outstanding delinquent Federal debt until either:
    1. The delinquent account is paid in full,
    2. A negotiated repayment schedule is established and at least one 
payment is received, or
    3. Other arrangements satisfactory to DoC are made;
    Primary Applicant Certification. All primary applicants must submit 
a completed Form CD-511, ``Certification Regarding Dabarment, 
Suspension and Other Responsibility Matters; Drug-Free Workplace 
Requirement and Lobbying.'' Applicants are also hereby notified on the 
following:
    1. Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension. Prospective 
participants (as defined at 15 CFR part 26, Section 105) are subject to 
15 CFR part 26, ``Nonprocurement Debarment and Suspension'' and the 
related section of the certification form prescribed above applies;
    2. Drug-Free Workplace. Grantees (as defined at 15 CFR Part 26, 
Section 605) are subject to 15 CFR part 26, Subpart F, ``Governmentwide 
Requirements for Drug-Free Workplace (Grants)'' and the related section 
of the certification form prescribed above applies;
    3. Anti-Lobbying. Persons (as defined at 15 CFR part 28, section 
105) are subject to the lobbying provisions of 31 U.S.C. 1352, 
``Limitation on use of appropriated funds to influence certain Federal 
contracting and financial transactions,'' and the lobbying section of 
the certification form prescribed above applies to applications/bids 
for grants, cooperative agreements, and contracts for more the 
$100,000, and loans and loan guarantees for more the $150,000, or the 
single family maximum mortgage limit for affected programs, whichever 
is greater; and
    4. Anti-Lobbying Disclosure. Any applicant that has paid or will 
pay for lobbying using any funds must submit an SF-LLL, Disclosure of 
Lobbying Activities,'' as required under 15 CFR part 28, appendix B .
    Lower Tier Certification. Recipients must require applicants/
bidders for subgrants, contracts, subcontracts, or other lower tier 
covered transactions at any tier under the award to submit, if 
applicable, a completed Form CD-512, ``Certifications Regarding 
Debarment, Suspension, Ineligibility and Voluntary Exclusion-Lower Tier 
Covered Transactions and Lobbying'' and disclosure form, SF-LLL, 
``Disclosure of Lobbying Activities.'' Form CD-512 is intended for the 
use of recipients and should not be transmitted to DOC. SF-LLL 
submitted by any tier recipient or subrecipient should be submitted to 
DOC in accordance with the instructions contained in the award 
document.
    All for-profit and nonprofit applicants will be subject to a name 
check review process. Name checks are intended to reveal if any key 
individuals associated with the applicant have been convicted of or are 
presently facing, criminal charges such as fraud, theft, perjury, or 
other matters which significantly reflect on the applicant's management 
honesty or financial integrity.
    If an application is accepted for funding, DOC has no obligation to 
provide any additional future funding in connection with that award. 
Renewal of an award, increased funding, or extending the period of 
performance is at the total discretion of NIST.
    Recipients and subrecipients are subject to all Federal laws and 
Federal and DOC policies, regulations, and procedures applicable to 
Federal financial assistance awards.

    Dated: May 5, 1994.
Samuel Kramer,
Associate Director.
[FR Doc. 94-11396 Filed 5-10-94; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 3510-13-M