February
14,
2006
MEMORANDUM
TO:
Public
Docket
EPA­
HQ­
OAR­
2004­
0008
FROM:
Bill
Charmley
Assessment
and
Standards
Division
Office
of
Transportation
and
Air
Quality
U.
S.
EPA
SUBJECT:
U.
S.
EPA
Meeting
with
representatives
from
the
National
Institute
of
Standards
and
Technology
regarding
Small
Gasoline
Engines
on
December
12,
2005
On
December
12,
2005,
EPA
representatives
Glenn
Passavant
and
Bill
Charmley
met
with
two
researchers
from
the
National
Institute
of
Standards
and
Technology
Building
and
Fire
Research
Laboratory,
the
Fire
Research
Division.
We
met
with
Dr.
William
Grosshandler,
Chief
of
the
Fire
Research
Laboratory,
and
Dr.
Matthew
Bundy,
Mechanical
Engineer.
The
meeting
took
place
at
the
Fire
Research
Division
facilities
on
the
NIST
campus
in
Gaithersburg,
Maryland.

The
purpose
of
this
meeting
was
for
EPA
to
describe
the
Agency
plans
and
existing
work
regarding
our
responsibility
to
perform
a
safety
study
regarding
the
potential
fire
and
burn
risks
associated
with
the
application
of
catalytic
converters
to
small
gasoline
engines,
such
as
those
used
in
lawn
and
garden
equipment.
We
provided
the
NIST
representatives
with
a
presentation
describing
the
nature
of
the
work
we
had
already
completed
regarding
safety
and
emissions
work
on
small
gasoline
engines,
as
well
as
a
list
of
the
potential
risk
scenarios
we
intended
to
investigate
as
part
of
our
Safety
Study.
(
This
presentation
is
the
same
one
that
was
used
at
the
October
2005
workshop.)
We
asked
the
NIST
representatives
for
any
input
they
may
have
regarding
the
scope
of
the
work
we
have
undertaken,
as
well
as
review
of
the
list
of
potential
risk
scenarios
we
planned
on
investigating.

Dr.
Grosshandler
and
Dr.
Bundy
provided
us
with
an
overview
of
the
type
of
fire
safety
research
their
group
does
within
NIST.
We
also
were
given
a
tour
of
a
number
of
their
laboratories
and
analytical
capabilities.
A
brief
discussion
was
held
regarding
the
capabilities
and
limitations
of
different
infrared
thermal
image
cameras
and
the
techniques
used
by
NIST
and
others
to
establish
the
combustion
temperatures
for
various
materials
under
radiant
heat
load.
Dr.
Grosshandler
also
mentioned
his
role
a
as
member
of
the
National
Association
of
State
Fire
Marshals
Science
Advisory
Board
and
the
role
his
staff
might
play
in
the
work
that
the
Swedish
National
Testing
and
Research
Institute
is
considering
on
small
engines
for
the
International
Consortium
for
Fire
Safety,
Health
and
the
Environment.
