A Comprehensive Review of Software and Tools for Fire and Safety Design and Calculations

This review paper presents a comprehensive analysis of the computational tools of modern fire protection engineering (FPE). The paper categorizes and examines the primary tools used for fire-related calculations, providing a critical evaluation of their theoretical underpinnings, applications, and limitations. The review comprises five principal domains: (1) Fire and Smoke Dynamics Modelling, including a comparative analysis of Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) field models such as the Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) and zone models like the Consolidated Fire and Smoke Transport (CFAST) model, along with their associated graphical user interfaces (PyroSim) and visualization tools (Smokeview); (2) Egress and Evacuation Modelling, focusing on agent-based simulation platforms like Pathfinder, buildingEXODUS, and STEPS that are used to assess human behaviour and movement during emergencies; (3) Hydraulic Calculation Software, covering specialized tools for fire suppression system design (HASS, AutoSPRINK) and general water network analysis programs (Pipe Flow Professional, EPANET); (4) Consequence and Risk Assessment Tools, which are essential for analyzing high-hazard industrial scenarios using software such as PHAST, FLACS, and ALOHA; and (5) Foundational and Ancillary Resources, including the indispensable SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering and the utility and inherent risks of custom spreadsheets.