Bookings here are for in-person delegates, bookings for online delegates will be made available via email
We are delighted to announce this year’s 103rd AGM will take place as a
hybrid event on 30th July 2026 hosted in Stratford-Upon-Avon. Once again, IFE members have the opportunity to attend this event in-person or online.
Formal notice of the meeting will be sent to members in June 2026.
Programme
- 15:15-16:30 | IFE AGM (IFE members only)
- 16:30-17:30 | Rasbash Lecture
- 17:30-19:00 | Drinks reception
- Cost? | Free
Rasbash Lecture 2026
The Rasbash Lecture will also be held as part of this event and welcomes members and non-members. This event honours the legacy of Professor David Rasbash, a trailblazer in fire safety engineering. This esteemed event features the presentation of the Rasbash Award, given to an individual recognised for their outstanding contributions to fire safety engineering education, research and practice on a global scale.
About this year's Rasbash Lecture
This year's lecture is presented by Karen Boyce, Senior Lecturer in the School of Built Environment at the University of Ulster. Karen's presentation is titled:
Safe Evacuation for All - How Far Have We Come and How Far are We Prepared to Go?
Karen’s presentation will examine current design guidance and engineering approaches to means of escape, set against the realities of accessible building design and changing demographics.
Drawing on evidence from real-world incidents and research undertaken at Ulster University and beyond, the presentation explores our evolving understanding of the behavioural characteristics and evacuation dynamics within today’s increasingly diverse building populations—and the significant management challenges this presents.
The session will provide a candid and thought-provoking reflection on the appropriateness of the assumptions which underpin current design guidance, the choice of evacuation scenarios in an engineering design context, and the attainability of expectations regarding how evacuation will be managed.
Ultimately, the presentation will explore the adequacy of current means-of-escape provision, asking how far the profession has progressed - and how far it is willing to go - to provide an accessible means of escape that optimises safety for all.
About the Speaker
Karen is a Senior Lecturer in the School of the Built Environment at the University of Ulster, and a member of FireSERT research group. She has worked in the field of human behaviour in fire for over 25 years. In addition to her research at the University of Ulster, she is actively involved in teaching and examining at undergraduate and post-graduate level within the School of the Built Environment and involved in Phd supervision. Since 2001 she has been Course Director of the MSc Fire Safety Engineering course and has welcomed students from both home and abroad who have gone on to interesting and diverse careers in fire safety engineering. She is currently chair of the International Human Behaviour in Fire Symposium Committee.