Improving fire safety through collaboration
As British Columbia’s cities expand and its population continues to grow, the province has seen a rise in fire-related injuries and deaths.
The BCIRPU has formed a number of key partnerships over the years to carry out fire safety research and public education. Many of these opportunities have been through a longstanding relationship with Len Garis, now retired City of Surrey Fire Chief and currently an Advisor for the Canadian Centre for Justice and Community Safety Statistics and Director of Research at the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council (NIFSC). Garis is also an Associate Scientist Emeritus at the BCIRPU.
Garis’ background as a Fire Chief has provided the BCIRPU with valuable insights into the gaps in fire safety and injury prevention knowledge, common causes of fire-related harms, misconceptions about fires, and prevention efforts. Together, Garis and the BCIRPU have worked to understand the characteristics of fires and related injuries in order to better understand and target their root causes. This collaboration has also explored fire prevention and fighting standards across Canada and internationally, as well as the occupational health impacts on fire service personnel.
Garis says collaborating with the BCIRPU is easy and data-driven. “The BCIRPU has a multifaceted, evidence-based approach to its experienced research, as well as a broad team which allows it to help communities—and practitioners within these communities—to make everyone safer,” he said.
“Every problem has a solution, and it’s the approach that counts," Garis continued. "The BCIRPU uses an epidemiological and statistic-driven perspective to prevent fire-related injuries and deaths.”
One project was recognized as a 2022 Editors’ Choice Article in the journal Fire Technology and earned Garis an invitation to speak on the topic in Japan. The study evaluates how different building materials can affect potential fire risk and severity. Contrary to popular belief, there is no significant difference between the incidence and severity of fires in wood-based buildings compared to those that are concrete. Instead, the occurrence and severity of fire was closely related to physical safety systems installed, such as smoke alarms and sprinklers.
"Every problem has a solution, and it's the approach that counts." —Len Garis
In 2022, Garis introduced BCIRPU Investigator Dr. Ian Pike to Brian Godlonton and his team at the Office of the BC Fire Commissioner. This resulted in the current FireSafe project. Thanks to Garis’ support, the BCIRPU and its strategic partner, Preventable, were granted $1.6 million to work towards two objectives: to launch a fire safety public education campaign, and to increase the number of homes in BC that have working smoke alarms.
The BCIRPU has also partnered with the National Indigenous Fire Safety Council, which employs an Indigenous-developed framework designed to support Indigenous communities. Through this collaboration, BCIRPU staff have collaborated on program evaluation to align with fire safety research for prioritization of new and existing programs, and created a toolkit for community fire safety programming.
Dr. Pike is grateful for Garis’ contributions and leadership in the field of fire safety.
“Quietly, thoughtfully, and with determination, Chief Garis has been the generator, connector, and collaborator on many projects for the increased safety and well-being of BC residents,” said Dr. Pike. “He was first to lead the implementation and promotion of our findings within the fire service, and has supported us in the furthering of fire safety and prevention in BC.”
Visit our Fire/Burn Safety page to read more about our work in fire-related injury prevention.
A list of the BCIRPU’s projects in collaboration with Len Garis is below:
- University of Fraser Valley publications
- Fire severity outcome comparison of apartment buildings constructed from combustible and non-combustible materials (2022)
- The influence of electrical fires in residential homes: Geospatial analysis pointing to vulnerable locations and equipment failures (2019)
- Anti-idling technology on fire service vehicles: An evaluation of the benefits (2018)
- Examining the relationship between firefighter injuries and fatalities in the built environment: A case for reducing the risk to firefighters through adequate firefighting experience, working smoke alarms and sprinkler coverage in buildings (2018)
- The epidemiology of residential fires among children and youth in Canada (2018)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning: Hospitalizations and deaths in Canada (2017)
- Occupational exposure to asbestos among civic workers: A risk assessment of low-dose exposure (2017)
- Injury among firefighters
- Cancer in Female Firefighters study
- National Indigenous Fire Safety Council publications
- Other publications and reports
- Firefighter occupational injuries and fatalities: Analysis of accepted claims, 2007–2021 (2024)
- Data-driven evidence for reducing residential fire in vulnerable communities through the lens of a Sendai framework: A rapid review (2024)
- Community fire risk reduction: Longitudinal assessment for HomeSafe Fire Prevention Program in Canada (2023)
- Interventions for preventing residential fires in vulnerable neighbourhoods and Indigenous communities: A systematic review of the literature (2022)
- Risk of non-medical drug overdose following prescription of opioids post-injury: A retrospective cohort study (2022)
- distress when a child was in pain and when a family was grieving; and
- sadness in the event they were not able to save a child in their care.
- concern for the injured child and the child’s family;
Particularly traumatic events, such as those involving vivid sights and sounds (e.g., families holding each other and having extreme reactions), stuck with the practitioners, having long-lasting impressions on them and causing them to re-live these events in the years following their exposure.
Even after their shift was over, practitioners said that they changed how they approached parenting and how they perceived safety during play as a result of witnessing these traumatic events. They reported having more knowledge of the causes and consequences of severe injuries, such as those that require hospitalization or emergency care. For example, practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, such as by forbidding their child to play near busy streets. They also were more likely to tell their child about safe play environments and equipment, and put this equipment on their child before play, such as explaining the benefits of using helmets while riding bikes.
Practitioners were more likely to enforce boundaries around where their children could play, and use safety equipment, such as bike helmets.
Practitioners also described being concerned about their children’s play near open windows, around large bodies of water unsupervised, and in environments where firearms were present. They also expressed worry about their children’s play on trampolines and on motorized vehicles, such as ATVs. Findings related to trampoline play safety concerns were published in the journal Injury Prevention.
Observing family grief due to child injury or death affected the mental well-being of health care practitioners, drawing attention to the need for mental health supports for those involved in caring for severely injured and dying patients.
"Raise more resilient children through play...watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away." —Dr. Michelle Bauer
Building resilience through play
How can parents help their children build resilience? By letting them play!
The experiences that practitioners witnessed encouraged them to support their children in building resilience through play; specifically, by supporting children in learning to cope with failure, overcome fear, build self-confidence, develop distress tolerance, and regulate negative emotions. Findings related to building resilience through play were published in the journal Child: Care, Health, and Development.
Parents fostered resilience in their kids by:
- helping their kids get back on bikes after they fell off and wanted to try again;
- sitting on their hands so they did not instinctively reach for their children when their children fell down; and
- encouraging participation in challenging and thrilling activities in forests and water while safety equipment was used.
"There are a few ways that parents can raise more resilient children through play that are supported by literature and our study findings," said Dr. Bauer. "One: watch and see how your child handles challenging tasks without intervening right away."
"Two: Ask your child how they want you to help—let them tell you what makes them feel safe and happy during play. Let them lead. And three: make play both safe and exciting by encouraging risk-taking, teaching them how to avoid hazards, and using safety equipment.”
This research was supported through Drs. Bauer’s and Gilley’s receipt of a clinical and translational research seed grant from the BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (BCCHR), Dr. Bauer’s BCCHR postdoctoral fellowship award, and additional training provided to Dr. Bauer through her participation in the Programs and Institutions Looking to Launch Academic Researchers (PILLAR) program through ENRICH, a national organization training perinatal and child health researchers.
Learn more about the study through two infographic posters:
Graphics and posters by Milica Radosavljevic
