Co-led by professors Dr. Beth Weckman and Dr. Vinny Gupta, the University of Waterloo Fire Research Facility (UWFRF) is dedicated to fire research and education on safety. The team has been examining how wildfires are evolving and identifying new measures that need to be taken to combat these fires and protect communities.
On average, approximately 8,000 wildfires burn in Canada each year, and this number is set to increase as areas become more densely populated and fire behaviour changes. Firefighting models have remained largely unchanged since the 1970s; however, factors linked to climate change have altered how fires burn, meaning new solutions to firefighting must be implemented to decrease the amount of devastation.
Researchers at UWFRF are future-focused and are developing new sensing technologies to enhance public safety, including evacuation planning and strategies for protecting structures.
Learn more in Wildfires are changing and so must our response on Waterloo News.
Plus, watch the video below for a quick rundown of how fires are evolving and the research at UWFRF.