- Author
- Su, J. | Paterson, B.
- Title
- Canada: Setting a Town Alight. Smoke Detector Research
- Coporate
- National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario
- Journal
- Fire International, 1-3, January 14, 2003
- Report
- NRCC-46110
- Distribution
- FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT: National Research Council of Canada, Institute for Research in Construction, Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R6, Telephone (613) 993-2607, Fax: (613) 952-7673, Email: [email protected] [FULL DOCUMENT IN PDF]: http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/fulltext/nrcc46110/
- Keywords
- smoke detectors | fire research | smoke | flame research | fire alarm systems
- Abstract
- A recent project saw an entire Canadian town go up in flames and fire researchers were on hand to take full advantage of the smoke, flames and research opportunities, write Joseph Su and Bruce Paterson. Kemano, British Columbia was a company town built 50 years ago by Alcan Smelters and Chemicals Ltd to support its hydroelectric station. When the station became essentially automated, making the town obsolete, an idea was born. The deserted town was donated to British Columbia's fire services. In addition to becoming a proving ground for firefighting, abandoned houses filled with donated furniture and props made an ideal, full-scale experimental site. Working with the Underwriters' Laboratories of Canada, researchers in the Fire Risk Management Program of the National Research Council of Canada conducted a series of full-scale home smoke-alarm experiments to study the effects of detector type, number, orientation and location on detector response to various fires in residential settings.