Please introduce yourself.
I’m Frances Radford. I live in London, but I grew up in County Durham.
Please tell us about your job as a Fire Engineer.
I work as a Senior Fire Engineer in a small fire engineering consultancy. My main job is to help the people that design buildings (architects, services engineers, contractors etc.) to ensure the buildings are safe in the event of a fire. I work on a lot of unusual buildings, where standard guidance does not apply, and I use engineering methods to demonstrate that alternative solutions can work.
Why did you decide to become a fire engineer?
I loved physics and maths at school, but much preferred the practical applications to the theory. Both my grandfathers were engineers, so I was encouraged to look into the subject, and I liked what I found! I ended up studying Civil Engineering at the University of Edinburgh. The lecturers that taught us were doing world-class research in fire and they were so inspiring that I chose to change my degree to Structural and Fire Safety Engineering. By the end of the course, I knew that I wanted to work as a Fire Engineer.
How did you get into engineering and get to where you are today?
My education at Edinburgh was a big part of preparing me for my career, but since I left university, I have always had very supportive bosses that have encouraged me and helped me to overcome any obstacles.
What is your favourite thing about engineering?
I love the element of problem-solving and the teamwork that is required in my day to day job. Often, we face problems that need the skills of multiple types of engineers to solve, and I enjoy bringing my specific knowledge and contributing to the creative solutions we come up with.
What do you hope the future of engineering looks like?
I hope more people get into engineering and realise that it is a very broad area that can cover all sorts of jobs. I think the value of the problem-solving skills that engineers have will become more important as we face the environmental challenges of the future.
Is there anything you do personally to help promote women in engineering?
There are plenty of great volunteering opportunities available to help encourage women in engineering, especially around International Women in Engineering Day.I am a committee member of SheCanEngineer, an initiative set up by a group of engineering institutions to celebrate women in engineering and inspire young people to learn more about it. I have met lots of fun and interesting people through the committee and our events have reached a massive range of people. I really recommend attending events and volunteering where you can.
Do you have any advice for getting into engineering?
Find what interests you – engineering covers a huge range of careers and I believe there is something that will suit everyone.
What would you say to women who are considering a career in engineering?
Go for it! Engineering is such a diverse and exciting field, and I think that it’s a great place to be.