The Fire Research Section of the Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council of Canada, is the only group in Canada engaged in the study of all aspects of building fires. Its objective is to develop means of reducing life and property losses caused by fire. This objective is achieved by:   building up basic knowledge on firerelated characteristics of materials and products, on fire processes, and on techniques for firesafety design, developing fire protective measures, and increasing the effectiveness of existing measures, responding to the immediate research needs of regulatory officials, building materials manufacturers, building designers, and the fire services, and participating in the development of building codes and fire test standards. A significant portion of the Section's work is carried out at the National Fire Laboratory located near Almonte, Ontario. The facility is designed for studies of largescale fires, smoke control measures in high buildings and firefighting equipment and techniques. It is available on a contract basis to the private sector government agencies, and educational institutions for the investigation of fire phenomena and the development of products, systems, and test procedures.