The IFE's approach to transparency, fairness and accountability

The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) is aware of significant interest surrounding a high-profile matter involving a sanctioned member. We are fully committed to transparency, accountability, and are bound by our duty to handle all cases with strict confidentiality. This ensures respect for those directly involved and those who may be impacted by investigations or any resulting sanctions.

Where a sanctioned member is subject to subsequent complaints these are investigated and sanctions can be modified in light of this. When a sanction is modified this will be reflected in the published details on our website. In circumstances where a disciplinary investigation overlaps with law enforcement and judicial processes, we are required to pause the disciplinary process until those proceedings are concluded. This approach ensures that legal processes are respected and that our investigations maintain their integrity.

The aforementioned case is unprecedented in its seriousness for the Institution and is the first case of its kind where a member has been issued a sanction of this nature. As such, we are actively developing and refining our processes to address the complexities it presents. Throughout this process, we remain committed to ensuring accuracy, rigour, and fairness.

It would be inappropriate and inconsistent with our commitment to confidentiality to provide ongoing updates or detailed accounts of investigations. We uphold the principle that all individuals are entitled to a fair process and that allegations must be substantiated before any conclusions are reached. Therefore, IFE only publish sanctions once investigations are concluded, and the outcomes are fully ratified and prepared for publication.

We encourage anyone wishing to confirm whether an individual is a current member of the IFE to check our Find an IFE Professional directory on our website. This resource holds up-to-date information reflecting the current status of those members who have opted to appear in the directory. For further informtion, please refer to the directory. 

Please note, the IFE does not engage on social media regarding individual cases. This policy ensures that we uphold confidentiality and maintain fairness in our disciplinary processes.

We thank the public for their understanding and patience as we fulfil our responsibility to uphold the highest standards of professionalism in the fire engineering community.