Please introduce yourself.
I am a fire safety engineer, Director and co-founder of Trigon Fire Safety Ltd (Trigon). I achieved registration as a Chartered Engineer through the Institution of Fire Engineers in 2013.
Tell us about your career to date.
Since gaining a first-class Master’s Mechanical Engineering degree from the University of Edinburgh I have worked as a consultant fire safety engineer.
After University, I joined Tenos Fire Engineering Consultants, where I enjoyed 15 years of working on a diverse range of projects and sectors. I developed my fire safety consultancy expertise as well as gaining valuable experience in fire safety management, fire risk assessments. As an Associate Director I assisted with the development of the business.
Having co-founded Trigon in 2019, I have continued my journey as a consultant fire safety engineer whilst we have developed a team of brilliant engineers and business support colleagues.
I have worked on a wide array of buildings in the built environment, including leading teams to develop fire safety strategies for airports, high-rise buildings, historic buildings, shopping centres, universities and a number of international sports stadia.
I am registered as a Life Safety Assessor on the Institution of Fire Engineer’s Fire Risk Assessor Register and as a fire safety expert I have assisted clients by providing opinion on complex legal cases.
Please describe your role within your current workplace.
As a Director and founder of Trigon, I have responsibility for the running and success of the business as well as the development and wellbeing of the company, our fire safety engineers and the wider team. As finance director, I am responsible for maintaining the financial health and growth of Trigon whilst balancing the needs of clients and ensuring we can continually support the teams’ professional development and Trigons philanthropic aspirations.
Despite the commitment of the management of the business, I am very much an active fire safety engineer and am heavily involved in the exciting projects at Trigon. I manage multiple projects, teams and thoroughly enjoy in-depth technical discussions with our outstanding team at Trigon.
Can you describe a typical working day?
No day is the same! A working day is likely to include a number of internal and external project meetings, the preparation and reviewing of fee proposals, technical notes etc. At Trigon we pride ourselves on being responsive to our clients, so ensuring phone calls and emails are picked up or replied to promptly is a priority. Whilst ensuring responses are technically accurate but clear to understand for different stakeholders takes time and care. In an industry where technical competency is rightly being challenged, as a team, we commit a great deal of time to undertake individual professional development.What do you find most enjoyable about your job?
We work on such a wide range of interesting sectors and projects. We are also incredibly fortunate to work with clients who are a pleasure to work with, who understand the significance of our advice and value our input, technical advice and service.
It is always enjoyable to know that our work benefits society by ensuring safer buildings where we work, live and enjoy. It is also incredibly rewarding to see our engineers and placement students grow as proficient engineers and knowledgeable consultants. Is there a great professional achievement that you would like to tell us about?
I am immensely proud of everything Trigon has achieved to date, especially your engagement with wider society. We have supported numerous charities as well as assisting students through university, through a scholarship to fully fund a student through an engineering degree at Imperial University.
What inspired you to become an engineer?
I have always enjoyed problem-solving and have consistently wanted to understand how things work. With an aptitude for maths and science this led me to enrol in a Mechanical Engineering Degree at the University of Edinburgh. I love the diverse opportunities fire safety engineering provides and I have always enjoyed working in the built environment with an aim to make a positive impact. How do you benefit from being a registrant with the IFE?
In an industry where competence is paramount, it is incredibly beneficial to have the recognition of being a Chartered Engineer and this goes a good way to demonstrating competence. This is recognised at Trigon, where it is a requirement that all deliverables are reviewed by a Chartered Engineer through the IFE.
As a registered Life Safety Assessor on the IFE’s Fire Risk Assessor Register, this demonstrates I have the relevant training, skills, knowledge and experience to carry out fire risk assessments.
Are you involved with the IFE in any other capacity?
With an interest in advanced fire safety engineering approaches, like computational fluid dynamics, I really enjoyed contributing to the Fire Modelling Special Interest Group. For a number of years I have assisted the IFE with reviewing Professional Review Report of prospective CEng applicants, as well as carrying out interviews with candidates.
Would you recommend joining the IFE to others?
Yes! Becoming a member of the IFE not only demonstrates your commitment to the industry but will provide you with the route to gain recognition of your professional competence in fire engineering.