A fundamental knowledge of hydraulics is indispensable to the fire protection engineer. It facilitates an understanding of municipal water supplies as well as private water supplies- such as gravity tanks, fire pumps etc.- leading to a projection of available flow and pressure at certain points in the distribution system.

 This seminar will discuss the fire-related national building and fire code changes related to a new construction type called Encapsulated Mass Timber Construction (EMTC) to be used for wood buildings up to twelve storeys. As well, it will provide an overview of ongoing fire research at the National Research Council of Canada into various performance aspects of mass timber construction and tall wood buildings.

The BC Chapter of the SFPE is seeking willing participants to represent the Chapter by contributing to a case study in support of the SFPE 2022 Performance-Based Design Virtual Conference to be held on March 23-25, 2022.

The case study presents an opportunity for people to develop and outline a fire-engineered approach/solution to address the significant components/challenges of building that will be presented at the conference. The design solutions are not constrained by a given regulatory framework thus innovation is encouraged and essential.

Engagement is targeted at:

Fire Research Group and the University of Canterbury have recently completed a research project funded by the SFPE Foundation. The research project conducted an international survey of fire model usage amongst fire safety practitioners and used the results from the survey to make recommendations to SFPE and the Foundation on a future workplan to help support and improve the usage of fire models.

The presentation will be comprised of two parts:

Over the years there has been many advances in firestopping technology; however in some instances there is still lack of available firestop systems; and in other instances firestop systems are misused or installed incorrectly.  In addition, there are cases where Code requirements with respect to firestopping is not clear, where professionals have to make judgement call with respect to the level of protection required or suitability of the system proposed.

In this presentation Khash Vorell of GHL will cover the following:

The ‘Camp’ Fire ignited on November 8, 2018 in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in Butte County, California. The first 24 hours were characterized by a fast-moving fire with initial spread driven by high winds up to 22 m/s (50 mi/h) and long-range spotting up to 6.3 km (3.9 mi) into the community. The fire quickly impacted the communities of Concow, Paradise, and Magalia. The Camp Fire became the most destructive and deadly fire in California history, with over 18 000 destroyed structures, 700 damaged structures, and 85 fatalities.

A simple change proposed to the National Building Code of Canada led to a review of fundamental concepts meant to ensure fire protection and life safety.  The task group on smoke tightness of closures found the Code was subject to wide ranging interpretations because the intents were unclear.

The reliability of water supplies, electrical,  gas and other infrastructure in event of an earthquake is critical to the prevention of post-earthquake fires.

Vancouver has a secondary salt water supply system covering priority areas of Vancouver for contingency purposes in the event that the primary potable/fire supply is damaged by a seismic event.

The California Building Code requires secondary water supply systems in high buildings; however, there is no provision in Canadian codes- even for seismically active zones.

Even though “Smoke Control” is not a defined term in the Fire Code, smoke control features are commonly present in high-rise buildings. Per the requirement of the BC Fire Code, if you have smoke control measures in your building, you are obligated to have these tested to ensure satisfactory operations.