Science Learning Hub logo
TopicsConceptsCitizen scienceTeacher PLDGlossary
Sign in
topics

fire

Investigating fire – introduction

Article

Investigating fire – introduction

We often hear about destructive fires in the media. We know that fire is dangerous and can cause severe damage ...

Read more
Cover of 2020 Level 4 Connected article: Wildfire

Article

Wildfire

Using the huge 2019 Nelson wildfire as a starter, this Connected article explores wildfires, focussing on: what wildfires are their causes how they affect us how ...

Read more
Low-flammability garden saves home

Article

Low-flammability garden saves home

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) assessed the flammability of a variety of exotic and native ...

Read more
Invasive weeds and wildfires

Article

Invasive weeds and wildfires

Scientists Tim Curran (Lincoln University), Sarah Wyse (University of Auckland) and George Perry (University of Auckland) looked at the impacts of exotic plant species on fires. ...

Read more
Lisa Langer

Article

Lisa Langer

Position: Resilience to Wildfires Leader, Scion Field: Social wildfire research Lisa Langer is a social research scientist. One of her current areas of focus is social ...

Read more
Chemical fire retardants

Article

Chemical fire retardants

Chemical fire retardants help delay or prevent combustion, but there are potential health and environmental issues around the use and production of the chemicals, and the ...

Read more
Heat energy

Article

Heat energy

Most of us use the word ‘heat’ to mean something that feels warm, but science defines heat as the flow of energy from a warm object ...

Read more
Fire behaviour

Article

Fire behaviour

Fires behave differently. Some burn slowly and evenly; others are extremely hot, burning fiercely and quickly. Different fires have different coloured flames. Some fires start easily; ...

Read more
Burning coal in hot campfire flame.

Article

What is smoke?

What is smoke and why do some fires seem to have more smoke than others? Smoke is a collection of tiny solid, liquid and gas particles. ...

Read more
What is fire?

Article

What is fire?

Fire is the visible effect of the process of combustion – a special type of chemical reaction. It occurs between oxygen in the air and some ...

Read more
Alternative conceptions about fire

Article

Alternative conceptions about fire

These are some common misunderstandings about fire. They acknowledge that children have made reasonable sense of the ideas based on their experience and should be validated ...

Read more
Dr Mike Spearpoint

Article

Dr Mike Spearpoint

Position: Research Leader at Olsson Fire & Risk. Field: Fire engineering. When we first interviewed Mike he was Associate Professor, Department of Civil and Natural Resources ...

Read more
Grant Pearce

Article

Grant Pearce

Position: Wildfire Scientist, Fire and Emergency New Zealand. Formerly Extreme Fire Project Leader, Scion. Field: Fire research Grant was interested in science and the natural environment ...

Read more
Professor Charley Fleischmann

Article

Professor Charley Fleischmann

Position: Emeritus Professor, Department of Civil and Natural Resources Engineering, University of Canterbury. Principal research engineer, (FSRI). Field: Fire engineering, dynamics and research. Professor Charley Fleischmann’s ...

Read more
Stuart Anderson

Article

Stuart Anderson

Position: Currently Director of Fisheries Management, Ministry for Primary Industries. Previously Fire scientist, Scion. Field: Rural (vegetation) fire behaviour and management. Stuart began his career by ...

Read more
Fire and people

Article

Fire and people

Fire engineers and scientists work to reduce the risk of fire. They do this to save property and the environment, but most importantly, they do this ...

Read more
The fire danger sign and Bernie

Article

The fire danger sign and Bernie

Rural fire scientists study fire behaviour, and fire risk and use their findings to manage fire risk in the outdoors by developing tools that fire managers ...

Read more
Managing fire risk in the outdoors

Article

Managing fire risk in the outdoors

Scion scientists Grant Pearce and Stuart Anderson want to get a better understanding of fire behaviour. They use the knowledge to improve the models and tools ...

Read more
Fire behaviour in the outdoors

Article

Fire behaviour in the outdoors

Fires behave differently in different situations. Fire behaviour in the outdoors is quite different from the behaviour of fire inside a building or structure. The biggest ...

Read more
Mont Blanc Tunnel Memorial in Chamonix, France.

Article

A truck and a tunnel

A new way of studying and researching the effects of fire is to use models of fire on a computer. Sometimes, an actual fire is replicated ...

Read more
Slowing the burning

Article

Slowing the burning

In New Zealand, we have a number of house fires, fuelled by the things we have in our houses. Our furniture is flammable and often causes ...

Read more
Investigating fire – key terms

Article

Investigating fire – key terms

Learning to manage this chemical reaction What actually is fire? How does it start? How and why does it behave in different ways? How can we ...

Read more
Controlled fire in a small bedroom.

Article

Detecting fire

We need to be able to detect a fire so that we can stop it or get out in time. Often we are the detectors. We ...

Read more
Testing smoke alarm batteries

Article

Testing smoke alarm batteries

If had gone into Dr Mike Spearpoint’s office at the University of Canterbury and quietly stood still, you could have heard lots of beeping noises. If ...

Read more
  • ‹
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
  • 6
  • ›

See our newsletters here.

NewsEventsAboutContact usPrivacyCopyrightHelp

The Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao is funded through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment's Science in Society Initiative.

Science Learning Hub Pokapū Akoranga Pūtaiao © 2007-2026 The University of Waikato Te Whare Wānanga o Waikato