IT IS an honour and privilege to serve the Institution of Fire Engineers as the first Canadian to hold the esteemed office of international president. I am fully aware of the expectations of our membership to ensure we continue to develop and prosper as fire engineering professionals to the benefit of society in the interest of fire life safety. This challenges each one of us daily as we continue to witness the loss of life from fire.
By way of introduction, I continue to serve currently as the fire chief of the Toronto Fire Services. Throughout my 37-year career, I have experienced many fire incidents which have impacted the community, and seen the devastation to families as a result of the needless loss of life, injuries and property loss.
Profound principles
The profound tenets and principles established by the Institution in 1918 are as relevant today as when they were written by our founding members:
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to promote the science and practice of fire engineering work, and to give an impulse to ideas likely to be useful to the members of the Institution and the community at large
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to enable members to meet and correspond, to facilitate the interchange of ideas respecting improvement in the various branches of the science, and the publication and communication of information on such subjects
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to perform all other things incidental or conducive to the attainment of the above objects
Today, 91 years on, the worldwide membership of the Institution is relentless in the pursuit of fire engineering, and continues to work in accordance with these three key articles. Our common goal is to ensure life safety from fire through the science of fire engineering. Simply put, this can be achieved by public education, community safety awareness, fire engineering design and operational response.
But there are many challenges in protecting our global communities. New technology and the development of various resins and compounds that have increased the fire load in our homes, offices and the built environment; the decreased time to flashover that places residents at risk; the impact of climate change – these are just some of issues we face.
Various forms of technology have proven effective for early detection of fire, including the use of smoke alarms and the installation of sprinklers in specific commercial and residential applications around the world. Regrettably, in some parts of the globe, there has not been significant advancement in fire safety engineering and public education.
Home fire safety
The cost of a smoke alarm in North America is as low as $7 dollars, yet there are many homes today that do not have working alarms installed. This raises the question of the value placed on a human life, when individuals and housing authorities do not invest a minimal amount of money to fit such protective devices. Furthermore, there are jurisdictions globally that do not mandate smoke detection as the first line of defence against fire in the home, even though residential fires account for about 85% of all fire deaths.
Clearly, our work on public education, building design and operational response must continue if we are to be successful in reducing deaths and property loss from fire. We must be assisted by various levels of government to ensure building regulations and fire safety codes are enacted to protect the public.
In the event of a fire in the home, the window of opportunity for a resident to escape is reduced by the combustible fire load and human behaviour. Therefore, legislation that includes mandatory installation of smoke alarms on every floor of a home is essential to moving forward with early warning and detection, while enhancing legislation to include residential sprinklers would also truly assist in reducing fire loss.
We must work with all stakeholders in the design and construction industry to enhance fire engineering practices, thereby enhancing life safety. Overcoming the cost of the inclusion of fire protection systems and life safety measures is key in the design of every building, both now and in the future.
In closing, I look forward to meeting members in the coming months at various events, and am confident that we will work together to advance the long-standing principles of the Institution.
William Stewart FIFireE, CFO, CMM, AdeC