Fire services

Research in fire service-related issues has evolved through a unique technology and research exchange with our local fire departments (City of Kitchener Fire Department, City of Waterloo Fire Department and Cambridge Fire Department), fire service partners across Ontario (Ontario Fire Marshal, Municipal Fire Prevention Officers, International Association of Arson Investigators® (IAAI®)) and in Alberta (City of Edmonton Emergency Services and Stony Plains Fire Department). Collaborative projects have included small-scale and field-scale experimentation, complimented by computer modeling of various fire scenarios. Training fires and fire training buildings have been instrumented to determine thermal fields within the fires and enclosures and to estimate heat flux from the fires to their surroundings. Joint training and research exercises using abandoned houses as the laboratory have allowed characterization of the thermal environment developed during house fires and flashover, study of natural vs. positive pressure forced ventilation of fires, investigation on the use of various suppression agents and methodologies, and targeted studies into safety of turn-out gear, fire radiation, residential sprinklers and natural gas explosions. Through real time display of data, these collaborative field exercises provide a hands-on, realistic educational experience for University of Waterloo students and fire service personnel.

To read about our past and current work please browse the site. Or follow the links to learn about some of our ongoing activities or workshops and seminars.