British Columbia Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers

Most fire deaths occur in residential buildings, specifically in single-family homes. The increased airtightness correlating to energy efficiency in these buildings could be changing the way fires develop, potentially impacting the safety of occupants and responding firefighters. This presentation will outline research currently underway at the University of Waterloo on fire and smoke spread relative to fuel volatility and ventilation.

Energize Your Professional Edge with 
SFPE Seminars This April

Revive your energy and interest in new skills after a hard winter. Renew your growing professional knowledge through the spring 2019 seminars from SFPE on a variety of practical topics, including Understanding Human Behavior in Fires and Performance-Based Design and the Codes, April 23-24 in Ottawa, Canada.

The assessment of industrial fire and associated risks for the purpose of underwriting insurance and mitigating fire risks has a history going back to the middle of the 1800s.

Ongoing research into fire risk, floods windstorm and other require considerations of reliability and resilience have to be taken into account.

The concept of fire resistance developed as result of historical fires such as the great fire of London in 1666. In the aftermath of the fire the use of non-combustible materials, fire walls, parapets and other means of controlling fire spread were introduced.

 The assessment of fire resistance in the last century or so has relied on the time temperature curve which varies relatively slightly between various international standards: such as CAN ULC S-101 in this country.

In terms of building regulations, the Province of BC relies on the National Building Code as the model document- using the Vancouver Building Bylaw as well as the BC Building Code outside of Vancouver.