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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:
The BC Injury Research and Prevention Unit is a leader in the production and transfer of injury prevention knowledge and the integration of evidence-based injury prevention practices in the daily lives of those at risk, those who care for them, and those with a mandate for public health and safety in British Columbia.
F508 – 4480 Oak St.
Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4
Email: bcinjury@bcchr.ca
