Welcome to the Web page for the British Columbia Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers. This webpage is for members of the chapter and for those interested in fire protection engineering in British Columbia.
The question of what is an acceptable supply for fire protection? depends on the specific criteria for acceptance. In building code terms, this has long been controversial. At one time, virtually all water supply assessments were carried out by insurance groups of one kind or another. In terms of water supply infrastructure, Insurance Service offices in the USA and Fire Underwriters’ Survey (FUS) in Canada laid out criteria for acceptance and grading of water supplies in municipalities and their ability to fight fire through organization and logistical response.
Learn how to maximize public safety. Be prepared when your organization needs a Mass Notification System.
Responsibility for Mass Notification Systems (MNS) requires understanding of the origin and purpose of MNS, regulations, system complexities, the installation process, and system operation.
The education of fire protection engineers in British Columbia, in Canada and internationally is an increasing challenge.
In BC the Masters programme in fire protection engineering at UBC had a major impact internationally but closed in 1997 due to lack of mainstream funding.
The UBC symposium programme managed to deliver leading edge courses including Fire Science and Fire Investigation that contributed to the emergence of leading companies in forensic analysis of fires.
The development of new fire products often aligns with existing test standards. When this occurs it is relatively easy- with the right advice- to qualify the product and obtain a listing on successful completion of the testing process. While it should be relatively easy to align products for successful testing this is often not the case and even routine testing can be unsuccessful due to a variety of factors including temperature on the day of the test.
