British Columbia Chapter of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers

Brian Meacham (Current President of the SFPE) will address the chapter on the newest initiatives of the Society.  Vancouver has been selected as the host city of the 2021 SFPE International Conference.  Brian will be able to provide some further insights in what benefits this meeting will bring to our local chapter.

Most Fire Protection Engineers are familiar with the Gas Safety Division as well as elevating devices division of Technical Safety BC.

Many of the fire and explosion risks set out in the BC Fire Code and other referenced standards- industrial ovens using flammable atmospheres, special atmosphere furnaces, industrial dryers and other potentially explosive operations- fall under the jurisdiction of Technical Safety BC.

While WorkSafeBC’s (WSBC) activities relate primarily to safety in the workplace, this requires, to a substantial degree, an assessment of facilities in relation to relevant Statutes, Regulations and (some) adopted standards.

It is often assumed that fire risk in cold storage is less hazardous then in heated storage situations. While ambient temperature in cold storage is a factor in both ease of ignition and fire growth, fire losses in cold storage can be significant due to a host of factors including highly combustible insulation, lack of effective fire protection systems and other factors such as delayed notification of a fire and delayed fire service access.

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.