A Theoretical Framework to Investigate Interdependency in the Assessment of Fire Resilience

Abstract

Communities and ecosystems may be particularly vulnerable to fire hazard. In addition, modern societies are connected with interdependent infrastructures, and the assessment of their resilience to fire may be extremely challenging. In this regard, fire resilience may be described as the ability to maintain the functionality of infrastructures to deliver services during and after hazard events. This paper considers several typologies of interdependency in order to propose several models that may quantify fire resilience. These models are based on the previous literature and the applications recently proposed for earthquakes. Fire resilience is herein calculated by considering a multi-dimensional formulation of the repair function that depends on time and the different components of the systems. The formulations that are described may be applied for preliminary studies aimed at pre- and post-fire assessments. Many stakeholders may take advantages of such formulations to consider the interconnections between the different infrastructures, their components, and subcomponents subjected to fire hazard.