The paper deals with the issues of improving the efficiency of forest fire extinguishing by means of aircrafts using various additives to water. On a specially created test facility there are carried out fire tests on standardized fire suppression with water discharge simulation from the aircraft. Solutions of thickeners, flame retardants, wetting agents and their combinations are investigated as well as the choice of effective additives is justified.

The article provides information about new developments in the field of prevention of fires caused by operated electrical installations. This problem is very important because statistical data on fires from electrical equipment show that in 2018 every third fire occurred for electrical reasons. The analysis shows that fire safety of buildings and structures mostly depends on the state of electrical networks. Three new directions in this area are being considered. The first is the use of a new type of electrical protection from sparking, which is being actively promoted in developed western countries. It has exclusively fire protection function unlike automatic switches and protective devices for switching off the differential current. The second one is the use of original solution, implemented by the gas analysis detection method, based on the control of overheating with help of the special thermo-activated gas-releasing sticker. The third effective direction is practical application of surveys for electrical installations of a thermal method of non-destructive testing, which is based on the use of infrared diagnostic devices.

The ways of improving the action tactics of fire and rescue units based on the use of information technologies are considered. It is necessary to improve fire-fighting activities but first of all, the process must be thoroughly investigated. The existing methods do not meet the real needs because their results are rather generalized and approximate. Digital technologies make it possible to study the activities of fire and rescue units more detailed and in real conditions, which in the long term should allow to develop new methods for improving labor efficiency.

There is considered the process of burning products during fire in rooms. Logical justifi cation of requirements of the clause 13.3.6 of SP 5.13130.2009 «Fire protection systems. Automatic fi re alarm and fi re extinguishing installations. Norms and design rules» is given. There is formulated the protection problem of spaces of small volume where it is impossible to follow the requirement of clause 13.3.6 of SP 5.13130.2009 regarding providing the minimum distance between fire detectors and surrounding objects for the physical reasons. Requirements to conditions of carrying out the fire tests to find optimum place for fire detectors in small protected volume are developed. The received data concerning reaction time of fire detectors depending on the place of their installation are analyzed. Optimum locations for fire detectors from the point of view of ensuring maximum efficiency of ignition detection are defined.