Due to a whole range of factors- not least of which is the mandating of water supplies for firefighting in the building code- there is much confusion about what water supply for firefighting actually should be- both in the context of the building code as well as in the context of the design of water supply infrastructure.

Compliance with CAN/ULC-S1001 is now required for projects designed to meet the 2015 NBC ; 2018 BCBC and 2019 VBBL.  Do your clients and building owners understand the formalized testing requirements to provide this deliverable for occupancy and have a procedure in place for periodic testing through the life cycle of the building?

How do you design a building with no Building Code? This was the question asked at the 13th International Conference on Performance Based Codes and Fire Safety Design Methods conference held in March 11 – 13 2020, Auckland, New Zealand.  The conference presented the various SFPE Chapters with a case study that the Chapters could research and present on based on a fundamentals approach addressing the intents of fire protection and life safety codes of Modern Commercial Buildings.

Interconnected floor spaces are incorporated into many commercial and institutional buildings worldwide, yet they pose a unique challenge to the primary objectives of the Building Code to mitigate fire spread and safeguard occupant egress. The hazards presented by interconnection of floors within a building is recognised by building codes across the world; however, the accepted approach to mitigate these hazards differs across jurisdictions.

Day-to-day monitoring and mitigation of the fire risk during construction is a responsibility of the owner, and typically carried out by the contractor.  However it is becoming more common for local authorities to require a Fire Protection Engineer or other professionals to assess the risk of fire exposure onto adjacent buildings, and propose additional methods for protection when a building under construction is not sufficiently separated from adjacent property. 

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.