Guylène Proulx, received her Ph.D. in architectural planning/ environmental psychology from the Universite de Montreal in 1992. She became Manager of the Human Factors project within the Fire Research Program, at the Institute for Research in Construction, National Research Council Canada (NRC), and remained there for 18 years.

Her chosen specialty was scientific research on human behaviour in fire, including response to fire alarms, fire alarm audibility and signal recognition, effectiveness and impact of voice communication messages on evacuation. She fought hard and successfully against misconceptions about how people act at the start and during fire emergencies. Dr. Proulx warned colleagues and educators that more had to be done to protect the public from the dangers of smoke during fires. Public misconceptions about smoke, she argued, had often made fires at public places more tragic in terms of lives lost.

Her ideas and research work guided many changes to codes and standards internationally, affecting major improvements in fire safety around the world. She was an avid instructor, giving of her time to teach at various Colleges and Universities across Canada and abroad. Many of us will remember her for her selfless contributions to CFAA Annual Technical Seminars where she was a highly respected presenter.

Guylene received the 2007 Public Service Award of Excellence from the Government of Canada as well as numerous awards from NRC and from the Government of Canada for her efforts in sharing research findings and promoting fire safety. 

On December 30, 2009, Guylene was appointed Officer of the Order of Canada, the highest civilian honour of the country. The Order of Canada recognizes people who have demonstrated excellence, and exceptional dedication to community and service to the nation.

Sadly, the international fire protection community lost this outstanding member and dedicated researcher when Guylene passed away on December 1, 2009.