This part of IEC 60695 specifies the glow-wire apparatus and common test procedure to simulate the effects of thermal stresses which may be produced by heat sources such as glowing elements or overloaded resistors, for short periods, in order to assess the fire hazard by a simulation technique. The test procedure described in this standard is a common test procedure intended for the small-scale tests in which a standardized electrically heated wire is used as a source of ignition. It is a common part of the test procedures applied to end products and to solid electrical insulating materials or other solid combustible materials. A detailed description of each particular test procedure is given in the respective standards IEC 60695-2-11, IEC 60695-2-12 and IEC 60695-2-13. This basic safety publication is intended for use by technical committees in the preparation of standards in accordance with the principles laid down in IEC Guide 104 and ISO/IEC Guide 51. One of the responsibilities of a technical committee is, wherever applicable, to make use of basic safety publications in the preparation of its publications. The requirements, test methods or test conditions of this basic safety publication will not apply unless specifically referred to or included in the relevant publications.