Collaborating with fire engineering
Why is it so important that firefighters have a solid grasp of fire engineering? Why should fire engineers consider how firefighters will tackle an incident? Why should everyone involved in fire safety have the same understanding?
Quite simply, without this cross-disciplinary approach, many fires cannot be fought safely or effectively.
Firefighters need to understand why fire ignites, how it behaves in different environments and how it reacts to certain materials. They must make critical, time-sensitive decisions at fire incidents, from choosing an entry route to determining how long it is safe to stay in a structure.
Equally, fire engineers play a vital role long before the incidents occur. When designing a new building or reviewing safety measures for an existent one, a fire engineer can add features that protect occupants, limit fire spread and, most crucially, provide fire fighters with valuable time should something go wrong.
A clear example of this is the effective use of fire doors. During building construction, a fire engineer may implement fire doors to support compartmentation. This will limit the spread of fire and smoke between rooms and floors. These decisions are always based on understanding fire behaviours and evacuation needs.
Now think about a scenario where a person is trapped on the second floor. A firefighter arriving at the scene with knowledge of how long a fire door can resist fire spread, can them make an informed decision on how to move forward. That understanding can save more than one life, as they will know how long they have to get the person down without endangering themselves.
This shared knowledge between firefighters and fire engineers is the real backbone of fire safety and what makes it possible to save lives. The IFE recognises the importance of making this knowledge accessible across the sector. One way this is being achieved is through the fortnightly Elevate series designed to support and further educate fire safety professionals. This covers a wide range of topics, drawing on expertise from across the sector with different speakers each week.
Its inclusive nature creates opportunities for all diverse levels of learning, guiding participants through key technical information as well as real life applications. Organisations can also integrate the programme into wider training strategies, strengthening internal development and ensuring that their employees are keeping up with best practice and emerging innovations.
In addition, IFE members can benefit from unlimited CPD access with our online CPD Hub, which is regularly updated with new webinar recordings and global learning resources. Perfect whatever job you happen to work in the fire sector.
By fostering a shared understanding between fire engineers, firefighters, and the wider community, we strengthen not only ourselves, but public fire safety too. The IFE and other professional bodies involved in fire safety, need to develop and encourage this learning and collaboration between everyone involved in fire safety.