Fire engineering is the process of designing and installing features that protect people and property from fire. Fire engineers typically work with architects and contractors to ensure building fire safety, although their work also extends to transport and manufacturing.
This guide focuses on fire engineering in construction and how fire engineers can design, install and maintain building features that provide passive fire protection.
Key Takeaways
- Fire engineering is a specialised field of engineering dedicated to protecting people and property from fire.
- The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and Building Regulations 2010 require all non-domestic premises to have adequate fire precautions, which often rely on fire engineering.
- Competence, not qualifications, is the key requirement in fire engineering, although degrees and certifications can demonstrate expertise.
What is Fire Engineering?
Fire engineering is a specialised field that applies scientific and engineering principles to fire safety. It goes beyond common-sense precautions and examines how fires start, spread and can be put out.
Fire engineers use their skills to design systems that reduce fire risks. This work can include everything from selecting fire-resistant materials to planning escape routes and installing fire detection systems.
The overall aim is to minimise the potential for a fire to harm people or property.
Key Elements of Fire Engineering
Fire engineering covers three main areas: fire prevention, fire protection and fire suppression.
- Fire Prevention: This involves designing strategies to prevent fires from ever starting. For example, using materials that don’t catch fire easily or making sure electrical systems are safe.
- Fire Protection: These are systems put in place to protect people and property if a fire does start. Examples include fire alarms, smoke detectors and sprinkler systems, which all help to warn people and control the fire.
- Fire Suppression: This is about using equipment and methods to put out a fire. Typical examples are fire extinguishers or more advanced systems that release water or foam automatically when a fire is detected.
By combining these elements, fire engineering helps to reduce the risk and impact of fires, making buildings much safer.
How is Fire Engineering Different to Fire Safety?
Fire safety describes the steps taken to reduce fire risks. While fire safety should be overseen by competent professionals, most people are familiar with fire prevention and what to do should a fire break out.
In fact, employees need to know about fire risks, how to handle them and how to evacuate in an emergency – knowledge that can be collectively referred to as “fire safety”.
Fire engineering is more advanced. It uses science and engineering to understand how fires behave to stop or control them.
For example, basic fire safety involves planning escape routes and keeping them clear. Fire engineering considers how a building can be designed to contain flames and smoke and give people enough time to evacuate safely.
Essentially, fire engineering is more thorough and detailed. It’s carried out by experts who create the guidelines and solutions that other fire safety professionals build on.
Why is Fire Engineering Vital?
Fire engineering is essential because it helps keep buildings and the people inside them safe.
It’s also necessary for compliance with legislation, most notably the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Building Regulations 2010.
Fire Safety Order
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (also known as the FSO) applies to all non-domestic properties in England and Wales. It sets out what the “responsible person” (the individual in control of a building) must do to ensure fire safety on their premises.
The primary duty is to conduct a fire risk assessment and put in place “general fire precautions.”
These precautions include measures to:
- Prevent fires from starting
- Prevent fires from spreading
- Ensure safe evacuation at all times
- Detect fires and alert people
- Fight fires
Several of these precautions depend on fire engineering. For example, fire doors must be designed and installed to prevent the spread of flames throughout a building and protect escape routes.
Building Regulations 2010
The Building Regulations 2010 set minimum safety standards for construction and building work.
Part B of the Building Regulations covers fire safety. It includes standards for:
- Warning and escape
- Internal fire spread
- External fire spread
- Access for fire services
Ensuring that buildings are designed and constructed with features that help prevent the spread of fire and allow safe escape routes is the bread and butter of fire engineering.
Examples of Fire Engineering
Fire engineering can be seen in many different aspects of building design and safety. Here are some examples:
- Fire Stopping: Fire engineers design and install barriers to prevent the spread of fire and smoke through gaps in walls, floors and ceilings. This helps contain a fire to one area, giving people more time to evacuate and reducing overall damage.
- Fire Doors: Fire engineers specify and position fire doors in buildings to slow the spread of fire and smoke. These doors are designed to stay closed during a fire, acting as a barrier and protecting escape routes.
- Fire-Resistant Materials: In construction, fire engineers choose materials that slow down the spread of fire. This gives people more time to evacuate and reduces the damage to the building.
- Evacuation Modelling: Fire engineers create evacuation plans that consider how people move through a building during an emergency. This helps ensure everyone can exit safely, even in complex structures.
These examples show how fire engineering uses science and expertise to protect people and property from fire.
Are Fire Engineers Responsible for Fire Safety?
Fire engineers play an essential role in fire safety, but ensuring a property is sufficiently protected from fire is up to the responsible person – the individual in control of the building.
Under the FSO, the responsible person holds final accountability for fire safety on their premises. It’s their duty to assess fire risks and select, install and maintain appropriate fire safety features.
But it’s unrealistic to expect a business owner or landlord to have the expertise needed to manage fire safety solo, especially for larger or complex buildings. So, the responsible person can delegate duties to other competent third parties. They can choose to hire specialists or companies offering fire engineering services to help with more complex tasks, such as:
- Installing additional fire-stopping features
- Installing and repairing fire doors
- Developing an advanced evacuation plan for a large or high-risk facility
In these situations, accountability still stays with the responsible person. They must ensure that all contractors are competent and fire safety measures are properly implemented and maintained.
Do Fire Engineers Need a Qualification?
While most fire engineers hold a degree in fire engineering or a similar subject, no single qualification is needed.
What is needed is competence – the right combination of experience, knowledge, skills and training. So, it’s possible to move into fire engineering from a related field or develop the necessary expertise over time.
Although qualifications or certifications aren’t legally required, they can be solid indicators of competence. Membership in the Institution of Fire Engineers is also a clear sign of competency in the field.
Fire Safety Training
If you want to understand how to install and maintain fire safety precautions in non-domestic premises, we offer a range of online Fire Safety Courses. These courses provide the knowledge needed to inspect and install fire safety features, including fire doors and fire stopping measures.
And with flexible online learning, you can study and earn industry-recognised certificates at your own pace. Invest in training today to develop your competency and ensure you’re equipped to meet fire safety standards.
About the author(s)
Jonathan Goby
