As an Assistant Professor in Sustainable Timber-Built Environment and Fire Safety, Dr. Felix Wiesner outlines the importance of having a holistic fire strategy for timber buildings.

What is the Fire Safety for Timber Buildings Micro-Certificate?

The Faculty of Forestry’s Fire Safety for Timber Buildings Micro-Certificate is a flexible 8-week online program that provides forest product professionals, architects, engineers, fire services personnel, authorities having jurisdiction, and insurance companies opportunities to further their professional credentials on fire safety issues regarding timber construction and to enable all stakeholders to understand the different constraints and opportunities that arise from fire safety of taller timber buildings.

Why choose the Fires Safety for Timber Buildings Micro-Certificate?

Mass-engineered timber is considered an important alternative to steel and concrete for the construction of mid-rise and tall buildings. Fire safety is one of the primary considerations for stakeholders in tall timber projects. Fire safety imposes both implicit and explicit requirements on timber construction. A broad understanding of the background of implicit fire safety regulations and possible alternative solutions will enable building and timber professionals to better communicate and understand the technical language and terminology relating to fire safety and ultimately to better implement fire protection requirements for future timber buildings.

What will you learn?

This 8-week flexible online program highlights skills and competencies relevant to fire safety of timber products in the built environment. The focus is on the needs and development of fire safety, the expression of fire safety in codified guidance and the link of that guidance to scientific concepts from fire safety research.

• Understand the need, origin and development of fire safety regulations and their explicit link to timber as an urban construction material
• Articulate the core principles of the fire safety strategy for residential and commercial buildings
• Distinguish different testing regimes and their role in fire safety of timber products in buildings and within the fire safety strategy
• Identify basic theoretical concepts of fire science and their application to fire test results for wood
• Utilize codified guidance to calculate the fire resistance of timber structural products and the limits of application of those calculations

Who should apply?

Applications are open to both public and private sector professionals who work contribute to the design of timber buildings or wood products for the built environment and have demonstrated an interest and need for professional training and development on fire safety engineering and fire protection engineering requirements to design, implement, or market their products for the timber-built environment.

This program is designed for professionals, practitioners, and those who want to learn more about the background and science driving fire safety for timber buildings and who want to contribute competently to the conversation on the role of fire safety in the fast-growing sustainable timber-built environment.

Employment Opportunities

• Building industry professionals (architects, structural engineers)
• Forest industry (timber product developments)
• Government (managers, planners, approvers)
• Insurance professionals

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