![[University of Waterloo]](/goldbar.gif)
| Yesterday |
Tuesday, August 26, 2003
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Editor: Chris Redmond credmond@uwaterloo.ca |
![[Under a giant tent]](/images/2003/0701fire.gif)
Firefighters in dress uniform were part of the celebrations as the training centre, including UW's fire research structure, was officially opened on June 20 |
The Waterloo Region Emergency Services Training and Research Complex in Wilmot Township was created by the Region of Waterloo in partnership with UW and area municipalities. It is located on about 40 acres surrounded by rural lands and the regional landfill site on Erb Street.
This large-scale training facility will serve all area municipal fire departments and other emergency service providers. There is an administration building that provides formal classroom training as well as preparation for field exercises.
The fire-training structure includes several multi-storey structures with internal facilities to allow for fire suppression training, interior search and rescue, confined space, aerial training and high angle rescue.
A training track will be used to train fire, police and Emergency Medical Services drivers in vehicle handling and high-speed exercises. Throughout the site, props have been built to simulate emergency situations such as flashover fire, hydro vault rescue and vehicle extrication.
The complex also includes the UW facility -- a large multi-faceted structure that provides an opportunity to combine emergency services training with research into fire and how it spreads.
Waterloo Region's investment in the complex is $7 million, plus the cost of the land. The facility will be managed by the region at an operating cost of $300,000 annually. The City of Kitchener has invested $2 million in the project, and the City of Waterloo contributed $1 million. As well, the City of Cambridge has provided in-kind use of their burn tower facility and the Township of Woolwich provided $25,000.
The Canada Foundation for Innovation and the Ontario Innovation Trust have invested $2.1 million each in UW's Live Fire Research Facility.
"Our innovative new lab facilities allow firefighters and researchers to combine forces in investigating and modelling fire behaviour, fire detection and suppression systems and fire-fighting strategies by recreating the conditions encountered in various fire scenarios," said mechanical engineering professor Beth Weckman.
"Results facilitate advancements in fundamental fire research at small and large scales, with direct application to fire service and fire-safety issues, performance-based building codes and occupational health in the fire service."
WRESTRC "is an excellent example of the type of project that will have a profound impact on many aspects of the lives of, not only the citizens of the Kitchener and Waterloo Region, but also on the lives of all Canadians," says David Strangway, president of the Canada Foundation for Innovation.
Al Strong and Beth Weckman, from the department of mechanical engineering, in partnership with fire services across Canada, have conducted fire training and research exercises for more than 10 years. For the new facility, they have teamed with Dave Johnson from mechanical engineering and Mike Sharratt, Rich Hughson and Stuart McGill from applied health sciences to continue and expand these research efforts.
The original partnership has led to significant technology transfer to the fire service profession and has highlighted the need for facilities in which controlled, realistic, large-scale, live-fire research can be conducted.
Building on longstanding collaborations, the Regional Municipality of Waterloo and area municipal fire departments, together with UW, initiated the development of a combined fire training and research complex.
A key element of the complex is the UW Live Fire Research Facility. It houses a fully equipped large-scale structural fire research building with capability for generation and control of ambient wind and ventilation conditions; instrumentation for scenario monitoring, control and data acquisition; small-and medium-scale fire research and analysis equipment; and laboratory facilities to study the physiological impacts of firefighting.
The new facility allows firefighters and researchers to combine forces in investigating and modeling fire behaviour, fire detection and suppression systems and fire fighting strategies by repeatedly recreating environmental conditions encountered in various fire scenarios.
Results facilitate advancements in fundamental fire research on a small and large scale, with direct application to fire service and fire-safety issues, performance-based building codes and occupational health in the fire service.
"Earlier this year," he explains, "Graphics sent a questionnaire to all of our customers asking whether or not they would be interested in receiving their Graphics invoices electronically. Presently, Graphics sends a paper copy of an invoice for every Graphics Print Requisition that we process. The majority of responses were in favour of our proposal."
So that's what will happen, starting September 1, under the new name of "myGraphics". A letter sent to Graphics customers this month tells more:
On a monthly basis, Graphics customers will receive an email notification that a monthly statement is ready to pickup on myGraphics, a new website that we have designed just for our customers. A link will be provided which will take them directly to the site.Rodrigues notes that "Not only will we save paper and other material resources by discontinuing the printed invoice, we will also eliminate the time spent printing and folding the invoices, plus the time spent sorting and delivering them by Central Stores mail services.myGraphics is a personalized website that gives access to the tools and information our customers need. One can look up billing information, update their account information, submit a requisition on-line, track an order, and more. It is completely secure, using the same kind of encryption used for on-line banking.
"Our intention with this change in service is to eliminate unnecessary waste of both labour and materials. We still expect to deliver the information to our customers in a timely manner that is both easy to access and accurate in every detail."
After logging in, a user can view an invoice as a web page or a PDF, or have a PDF of the invoice e-mailed.
CAR