Fire Safety Engineering – the Graduates’ Perspective

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Fire Safety Engineering the Graduates
Perspective

• Chris Gildersleeve Arup Fire, Brisbane
• Andrew Coles - Arup Fire, San Francisco
• Bevan Jones Holmes Fire Safety, Sydney

20-21 November 2003 Gardens Point Campus QUT
Brisbane
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Introduction

• Fire safety engineering in building design has
  increased since 1997
• Globally fire safety engineering is gaining
  momentum
• Consultancies have responded well to the demand
• Graduate engineers now make up a significant
  proportion of the industry
• Fire graduates face different challenges to
  traditional engineering disciplines
• Survey of 34 young engineers from Australia, UK,
  New Zealand, USA, Hong Kong and Singapore

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Sample Group Locations
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What is your greatest motivating influence?

Working on challenging projects with a good group
of people

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How challenging do you find your role?

• I believe that fire engineering provides a
  challenging career when compared to other
  engineering disciplines, as young fire engineers
  are exposed to relatively complex issues early in
  their career

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How high is the level of responsibility on
projects given to you?

• As young fire engineers I believe the level
  of responsibility that we are given is much
  greater than that of our equals in other
  engineering professions.

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To what extent has your academic study equipped
you for the job?

• I believe the masters course in which I
  undertook was geared towards the practical side
  of fire engineering as a professional with most
  of the design tools and literature those that are
  used everyday in commercial fire engineering.

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What type of skills do you most wish you had
developed further during your academic training?

• Given that young fire engineers are exposed
  to the commercial arena at a relatively early
  stage in their career, development of good
  commercial skills as well as a strong business
  and management sense is essential.

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How would you describe your daily workload?

• Very stressful at times, but very rewarding. I
  love working as a fire protection engineer.

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How effective is the professional training and
development provided to you?

• As much as you might believe you know
  everything, listen to experienced engineers
  they have already made the mistake you are about
  to make.

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To what extent are you provided with a mentor to
provide professional guidance?

• There are not enough oldies to mentor in this
  industry

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What priority are you placing on gaining
professional qualification?

• Not considered critical at the moment by
  approval authorities.

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To what extent is the fire engineering profession
meeting client needs?

• In my experience performance based fire
  engineering is able to save clients a significant
  amount of money and also achieve their design
  vision.

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To what extent is the fire engineering profession
meeting community needs?

• I think that fire engineering is meeting
  community needs although they dont fully
  appreciate it, the airy offices that they work
  in, the atriums etc that have been made possible
  by fire engineering. I think that good
  architecture can enhance peoples standard of
  living.

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To what extent will the fire engineering
profession provide you with a fulfilling long
term career path?

• Fire Engineering is in its infancy and will
  only grow in scope and complexity especially as
  such more disciplines such as Security
  Engineering develop under its wing.

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Conclusions (Positive)

• Its new and exciting
• Technically challenging
• Politically challenging
• Plenty of responsibility
• Get to solve real problems
• Sense of achievement

• Wide range of projects
• Opportunities to travel
• Able to influence designs
• Doing innovative work
• Useful service to the community
• Bringing lateral thinking to the design process
•     

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Conclusions(negative)

• Work / life balance
• Insufficient structured training and development
• Too few mentors
• Clients not involving fire engineering early in
  projects
• Little recognition of fire engineering in the
  community
• Career paths undefined
•