This report summarises the work accomplished in this one-year project in which the fire performance of wood-frame buildings was to be documented. A detailed analysis of Canadian and American fire loss statistics for residential occupancies was undertaken in order to assess the impact of the choice of building materials and the nature of fire-safety provisions in building codes on the overall fire safety in buildings. It was expected that the knowledge gained would enable the wood industry to argue more effectively during deliberations of codes and standards committees.
This study demonstrated that buildings constructed in compliance with current North American building code requirements are among the safest in the world. It was found that the fire loss record of wood-frame houses is about the same as that of large apartment buildings of non-combustible construction. It was shown that the ignition of upholstered furniture or mattresses by smokers’ materials is far and away the leading cause of residential fires involving deaths. Most of these deaths occur before the structure of the building becomes damaged by or involved in fire. Enacting more stringent building code requirements is unlikely to pay a large dividend in terms of life safety. In fact, the statistics suggest that significant improvements in fire safety in buildings would be more easily achieved by limiting the flammability of upholstered furniture and mattresses.