Fire

In June of 2011, BC Hydro commenced implementation of its Smart Metering Program, which involved converting every residential property in BC from legacy metering to wireless technology smart meters. This Smart Metering Program involves replacing existing electrical meters that are now becoming obsolete, with a comprehensive wireless smart metering system. As of August 2013 an … Read more

This paper introduces a risk-based, data-driven framework for redesigning fire safety inspections. This framework incorporates information about previous inspections performance, the responsible person in charge of the property, the property use, and the structure type. This alternative method for scheduling fire safety inspections takes into account the likelihood of compliance, thus enabling fire services to … Read more

In 2010, the BC Ambulance Service and Surrey Fire Service collaborated on a project to look at efficiencies for emergency services response to Motor Vehicle crashes. This report describes the results of an analysis of data provided by Surrey Fire Service on a pilot project examining the utility of an assessment tool to identify the … Read more

More than 16 million shipping containers are being used to transport goods around the world, and millions of these containers become surplus every year and are repurposed as buildings or structures.  

This report examines British Columbia (BC) building fires as a function of the general construction type. The fires that are examined were reported to the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) between October 20 2008 and October 19 2013. The data included in this analysis was provided by 339 reporting agencies across the province, … Read more

  This report is designed to contribute to the mission of the Canadian Safety and Security Program (CSSP) to enhance Canada’s emergency resilience infrastructure. The CSSP created the Centre for Security Science in 2006 to help coordinate Canada’s efforts to build and reinforce our public safety and security infrastructure. The Centre for Security Science has … Read more

This report examines the fires that occurred in basements of British Columbia (BC) single-detached residential properties, reported to the BC Office of the Fire Commissioner (OFC) between October 20 2008 and October19 2013. The data included in this analysis was provided by 296 reporting agencies across the province, sampled from first nations band areas, non-municipal … Read more

There is increasing attention being paid to better understanding and consequently decreasing the incidence of on-the-job injuries and deaths within the fire service across North America. Traditional orientations toward training are being challenged as firefighter safety is increasingly being associated with enhanced situational awareness.  

This document examines the feasibility of creating a National Fire Information Database for Canada. In pursuing this, we examined what data are currently collected and the structure of organizations responsible for maintaining national databases in other countries. Because of the allocation of jurisdictional responsibilities relating to the services provided by fire departments in Canada, creating, … Read more

The Surrey Fire Service introduced an Attendance Management Program (AMP) in 2003 to reduce employee absenteeism. The program outlines a procedure for managing unsatisfactory staff attendance, using a series of progressive steps that include letters, counseling and positive reinforcement. The first of its kind in the province, the program was a response to a gradual … Read more