Guylene Prolux Appointed to the Order of Canada

Her Excellency the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Governor General of Canada, announced the appointment of Guylene Proulx to the Order of Canada. The Order of Canada is the highest civilian award in Canada. To find out more go to http://www.gg.ca/document.aspx?id=13469.

Guylène Proulx, who passed away on December 1, 2009 received her Ph.D. in architectural planning/environmental psychology from the Université de Montréal in 1992, following which she joined the Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada (NRC) to conduct research in human factors related to fire. For that research, she received international acclaim from all of the diverse interests in the fire safety community.

Her research included investigations in: human response to fire alarms, fire alarm audibility and signal recognition, effectiveness and impact of voice communication messages on evacuation, typical actions taken after fire alert, evacuation movement, timing of escape, time to start evacuating, social interaction during emergency, performance of fire warning systems and photoluminescent marking, evacuation strategies for various occupancies and peoples with disabilities.

The conduct of her research involved numerous evacuation drills and case studies including post-event investigations. After the 1993 underground garage bombing at the World Trade Centre in New York, Guylène was invited to be part of the investigating team. That incident resulted in the development and implementation of photoluminescent exit path markings, a new evacuation strategy and systematic fire drills for emergency preparedness in the WTC towers. These are believed to have saved many lives in the September 11, 2001 attacks. She was invited, as an expert, to join the NIST WTC Investigation to lead the research on occupant response and evacuation. She was also called upon to investigate the Cook County Administration Building fire, which occurred in 2003, in Chicago. That investigation of human behaviour and evacuation during the fire resulted in recommendations to improve fire safety and evacuation for high-rise buildings, many of which were implemented immediately. Guylène’s further research on photoluminescent marking through large scale evacuation drills provided valuable data and guidance for the evaluation and installation of photoluminescent exit stairway markings in buildings, which are currently being used around the world.

Guylène was a great communicator of fire protection engineering and fire safety science and an ambassador for the entire profession by raising public awareness of fire safety issues. She gave more than 300 presentations on hundreds of topics. She was an effective teacher; serving as an Adjunct Research Professor at Carleton University and an Adjunct Associate Professor of Fire Protection Engineering at the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. She also helped develop and teach the SFPE Short Course on Human Behavior in Fire Emergencies.

Dr. Proulx was the recipient of numerous significant awards from NRC and the Government of Canada for efforts in sharing research findings and promoting fire safety, including the 2007 Public Service Award of Excellence from the Government of Canada. She was a role model to her fellow colleagues at NRC. Less than a week before her death, she was informed by the Office of the Governor General that she had been named an Officer of the Order of Canada, the most prestigious award given to Canadian civilians in recognition of “a lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to community and service to the nation”.

Guylène was passionate about giving back to her profession. She was a member of SFPE’s Board of Directors and of the Education and Scientific Foundation Board of Governors. She was a Past President and Board member of SFPE’s National Capital Region Chapter. As well, she was a key member of SFPE’s Task Group on Human Behavior in Fire. She served on the IAFSS Management Committee, and was a technical editor for the NFPA Fire Protection Handbook. She was also a member of the ASME A17 Task Group on Use of Elevators for Occupant Egress, a member of the Human Factors and Ergonomic Society and served on the Editorial Board of Fire Technology.

Guylène Proulx was considered by all who knew her to be one of the pre-eminent researchers and communicators in the field of human behaviour in emergencies. Her enduring legacy, as stated by her international colleagues at the time of her death, is the body of her work. In addition, all will miss her warm and friendly personality, her joie de vivre, her positive attitude, her insight and her charm. She was an inspiration and a role model to all of us in the profession. She will indeed be missed.