Fire Safety courses (Certificate in Fire Safety, MEng/MASc/PhD)
Core courses (mandatory for MEng with Graduate Diploma in Fire Safety)
ME 671 - Fire Dynamics
This course introduces the fundamentals of fire behaviour and practical issues in fire safety, fire control and hazard assessment. Theory and examples relating to fuels and flammability, flame spread, ignition, heat transfer and fluid dynamics in fires and fire plumes are examined. ME 671 Course Outline [PDF]
ME 672 - Advanced Enclosure Fires
This course introduces the student to all stages of compartment fire development, from early fire growth to the fully developed or post flashover fire. Related topics such as ignition, suppression and rapid fire growth phenomena are also covered. Students gain experience in the use of computer fire models during their coursework.ME 672 Course Outline [PDF]
ME 673 - Fire Modelling
This course introduces the background theory, strengths and limitations of algebraic, zone and field (CFD) models commonly employed for prediction of compartment fire development. Discussions focus on the decisions made during the modeling process and their impact on a ‘modelled’ result. A hands-on introduction to some common fire modelling software is provided.ME 673 Course Outline [PDF]
Optional courses (electives)
ME 770 - Special Topics in Heat and Fluid Flow
Fire Testing
This course introduces theoretical and hands-on aspects of fire testing. Principles of experimental design and instrumentation, and specific fire performance test methods for HRR, ignition, fire resistance and flammability are examined. Large-scale fire experiments and reconstructions are discussed to demonstrate the application of course principles to realistic field tests of fire behaviour. ME 770 Course Outline [PDF]
ME 720 - Special Topics in Solid Mechanics
Fire Resistance
This course introduces fire safety design strategies and methods commonly employed to analyse structures with respect to fire resistance. Methods for determining time-temperature relationships, equivalent fire severity and high temperature material properties are demonstrated. Students use hand calculations and computer models to assess the fire resistance of steel, concrete, composite & timber structures. ME 720 Course Outline [PDF]
ME 770 - Special Topics
Risk Analysis
This course provides broad treatment of principles, mathematics and case studies related to engineering decision-making, risk and hazard identification, scenario development and risk management. Concepts in probability and reliability, analysis and interpretation of risk data, hazard and consequence analysis, risk-based modeling and economics of fire protection are developed in the context of fire safety applications. ME 770 Course Outline [PDF]
ME 770 - Special Topics in Heat and Fluid Flow
Advanced Fire Safety Design
This project course allows the student to undertake a one (1) or two (2) term Fire Safety Design project in an area of interest to the student, their company and the University of Waterloo project supervisor. The topic will be decided by the student and their project supervisor(s) in consultation with the Coordinator for the Fire Safety program. The project will generally involve significant fire safety design, analysis, research, experimentation and/or modeling.
ME 765 - Human Behaviour in Fire
This course introduces notions of human behaviour in fires, including cognition perception, problem solving, decision-making and information processing. Concepts such as `Myth of panic’, commitment, affiliation, familiarity and role are reviewed and issues related to escape time introduced. Methods for post-fire time line reconstruction are outlined. Techniques and ethics around gathering data on human behaviour in fire are presented. In addition to case studies, class discussion and design examples, students gain experience in the limitations, uncertainty and use of computational models and hand calculations associated with evacuation analysis. ME 765 Course Outline [PDF]
Download the full Fire Safety Course listing below: