Blog
Beyond The Codes: Throwaway Culture and the Construction Industry
Throwaway Culture is all around us, and the construction industry is no different. The hot talk these days is on sustainability, building green and passive
Sprinkler Activation App – Behind the Scenes
I was on LinkedIn a couple of months ago when I saw a post from Jabir Jamal, a fire safety engineer from Australia. He wrote
Classification of Industrial Occupancies – Looking Beyond Groups and Divisions
The National Building Code and Fire Code of Canada define industrial occupancies (Group F) as “… the occupancy or use of a building or part
Lessons from the Surfside Condominium Collapse
Please note: It is not the intent of this post to provide comment or opinion on the happenings of the Champlain Towers South failure. The
Does Your Building Require Sprinklers?
In my opinion, any new building construction, especially residential, should be sprinklered. The cost of incorporating sprinklers in new construction is relatively small, and sprinklers
Vacant Buildings and Fire Safety: Negotiating a Balance
Fire and life safety professionals are typically involved with helping building owners with a range of issues surrounding the occupancy of a building. It is
Beyond The Codes: Indigenous History Month
June is National Indigenous History Month, which is quite fitting it seems as Indigenous history has been surfacing in the last few months. What does
Hey Building Owners – Read This!
Who is responsible to ensure a building meets appropriate Building and Fire Code requirements? Most would answer, the building designer, or perhaps the contractor constructing
Building Code Application to Existing Buildings
I often get asked when working on existing buildings, “What upgrades will be required?” Unfortunately, this is often not a straightforward question to answer. My
Portable Fire Extinguisher Locations, NFC & NFPA 10
Have you ever seen a similar note on a drawing, “mechanical contractor to provide and install portable fire extinguishers as per NFPA 10”? While this
Historical Fires that Influenced Building and Fire Codes
A Living Document In Canada, the two main Codes that regulate fire and life safety within buildings are the National Building Code and National Fire
Mind the Gaps ~ Design of Hazardous Areas
You’re designing a building, or reviewing a design, and you find yourself in Subsection 3.3.6., “Design of Hazardous Areas”, of your Building Code. Now what?