Education and qualifications:
MEng(Hons)
Structural and Fire Safety Engineering
Job title: Senior Fire Engineer
Employer: Arup
What inspired you to become an engineer?
I’ve always had a curious nature and been interested in how things work. My grandad was an Engineer in the papermills and was always full of stories. His enthusiasm for all things practical left a lasting impression on me, so when I was looking at options for higher education, engineering seemed the obvious choice.
Please describe your current role.
I have been with Arup for over seven years and am based in our Glasgow office. I work as part of a team of over 20 Fire Engineers in Scotland and North-East England, and over 100 Fire Engineers UK-wide. We have a varied workload that ranges from developing fire strategy designs for new buildings, fire risk assessments for complex buildings, fire safety inspections of existing and heritage buildings, acting as Expert Witnesses for construction disputes and much more.
As Arup is a multi-disciplinary firm, I also work regularly with colleagues in other disciplines such as façade engineering, mechanical and electrical, structures and rail infrastructure.
In what ways has IFE membership and registration benefitted your career?
IFE membership provides an opportunity to share knowledge with like-minded people across the industry. Fire Engineering is still a relatively young discipline, and our skills need to constantly evolve as the industry develops. It’s important to have a medium outside of your own organisation to contribute to the improvement in quality and competence of all Fire Engineers, in order to bring maximum benefit to society as a whole.
Can you describe a typical working day?
One of the things I love about Fire Engineering, and the range of projects I get involved with, is that no two days are the same. At any one time, I can be working actively on three or four projects, with several different Engineers across the UK. This requires good time and task management but means every day is a new challenge that pushes you to improve.
The role of a Fire Engineer has evolved over the last few years from being primarily desk-based design work to being involved in the whole project life cycle. This now means we often provide input at any part of the design, construction and operation stages. This requires more site-based construction monitoring, fire safety systems witness testing, existing building inspections, fire risk assessments and much more.
Are there any particular challenges or unusual aspects to your role?
I think to be a successful Fire Engineer, being a good communicator is just as important as being technically skilled. Presenting complex concepts in a simple and clear way, writing concise and accurate reports, and adjusting your communication style to your audience are skills we use every day. Fire safety science and engineering can be a complex and technical discipline, and it’s important that we can communicate this in a way that others can understand easily.
Is there a great professional achievement that you would like to tell us about?
I have spent much of the last few years working on various aspects of the redevelopment of Glasgow Queen Street Station. This was a huge project that required us to work with colleagues from several disciplines and posed some fascinating and unique challenges along the way. Seeing such a great project over the line has been hugely satisfying, particularly as I travel through the station to work every day.
What contributed to your decision to become professionally registered?
For fire safety consultants, our qualifications and experience are key to our reputation and credibility. Becoming professionally registered is a symbol of this and is an industry-recognised way of demonstrating competence, as assessed by our peers. Once I graduated and began work as a Fire Engineer, gaining my Chartership was a natural next step and provided a structured path to progress the early part of my career.
How does your employer benefit from your professional registration and membership?
Competent and experienced fire safety specialists are highly sought after across the buildings and construction sector, and never more so than the last few years. Being a member of the IFE and a Chartered Engineer demonstrates to current and future clients that you are a competent and experienced professional. As a consultant engineering firm, my organisation trades on the experience, knowledge and skills of its members, therefore Chartership and membership of an institution such as the IFE brings significant reputational and commercial benefits.
Is there any advice you would pass on to someone considering joining the IFE?
When applying for Chartership, it is necessary to demonstrate a variety of professional skills including specialist fire engineering knowledge, technical and commercial leadership, interpersonal skills and professional standards and ethics. These skills take time to develop so you should get familiar with them as soon as possible in your career and seek opportunities to work on them on a broad range of projects and roles.
When it comes to writing your application, find what works for you. Everyone’s circumstances are different and finding the time to focus on writing the best possible application is a big commitment. Whether it’s blocking out a single period to sit and focus on it, or chipping away gradually over time, it’s important to ensure the end result is as good as you can make it.
What are your future ambitions?
The Fire Engineering profession is evolving rapidly, and there are many opportunities to work on different types of projects in different roles. I therefore try to avoid making too many long-term targets. Having a young family also means that striking the right balance between my professional and family life will be a big priority. As long as I’m still learning and improving and using my skills to make the world a safer place, I’ll be happy.