Targeted Residential Fire Risk Reduction A Summary of At-Risk Areas in the United Kingdom

Reducing fires and saving lives is a mandate for all Fire Services. Globally, many departments have implemented door-to-door campaigns to educate their citizens on fire reduction and safety (TriData, 2009). However, focusing on an entire community is expensive, time consuming, and overall, an inefficient use of limited resources. A 2007 TriData report on best practices … Read more

GREAT EXPECTATIONS? PERCEPTIONS OF CANNABIS REGULATION IN ABBOTSFORD, BRITISH COLUMBIA

On October 17th, 2018, Canada will become the first G7 country, and second country worldwide, to legalize recreational cannabis on the federal level. Given that few nations have taken this step, the impact on municipalities and communities is still unknown. The main objective of this report is to provide insight into the expectations around and unintended consequences of … Read more

Assessing the Safety of Smart Meter Installations in British Columbia: Analysis of Residential Structure Fires in BC between July 2010 and June 2018

In June 2011, BC Hydro commenced implementation of its Smart Metering Program, which involved converting every residential property in British Columbia (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. In total, BC Hydro … Read more

Determinants of Injury and Death in Canadian Police Officers

This research note examined the nature and causes of injuries and fatalities among Canadian police officers through an analysis of the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada injury and fatality time loss claims databases. The data for this research note derived from the Association of Workers’ Compensation Boards of Canada injury and fatality time … Read more

Construction Fire Mitigation by: Improving Fire Resistance of Wood Products

Buildings face the greatest risk from fires during the construction phase. In recent years, there have been several examples across Canada of major construction site fires, including those in Calgary, Alberta in March 2015, Kingston, Ontario in December 2013 and Richmond, British Columbia in 2011.  Many risks exist at construction sites, including: The proximity of … Read more

Improving In-building Radio Communications for First Responders

The Canadian government and the department of Innovation, Science and Economic Development (formerly known as Industry Canada) have adopted policy for Public Safety agencies and their use of wireless communication systems in the 700 MHz frequency band. New building construction is all about energy efficiency—keeping heat out in summer and holding on to it in … Read more

Examining the Relationship Between Firefighter Injuries and Fatalities in the Built Environment: A case for reducing the risk to firefighters through adequate firefighting experience, working smoke alarms and sprinkler coverage in buildings

The purpose of this study is to describe firefighter injuries and deaths in structure-related fires and to investigate the underlying connection between building properties, including fire safety measures, and their effects on the risk to firefighters responding to a fire event. For the first time, comprehensive fire-related data across Canada is available in the form … Read more

Illicit Drug Overdoses: Fire First Responders on the Front Line in Surrey and Vancouver, British Columbia

In February 2016, Surrey Fire Service and Vancouver Fire and Rescue Services implemented their naloxone administration protocol in response to unprecedented numbers of opioid-related overdose calls. Both departments initiated training protocols to facilitate the necessary licensing of firefighters to administer intermuscular injections. The report titled “A Response to Illicit Drug Overdoses: Naloxone Administration in Surrey … Read more

Using Statistical and Machine Learning Approaches to Investigate the Factors Affecting Fire Incidents

Fires can cause costly property damages and significant economic losses. They are also a major source of severe injury and loss of human life in our urban and rural communities. Historical data of fire incidents can reveal patterns of fire incidents. The national fire information database (NFID) contains historical data of fire incidents across the … Read more