Fire protection engineering

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Fire protection engineering (also known as fire engineering or fire safety engineering) is the application of science and engineering principles to protect people and their environments from the destructive effects of fire and smoke. The titles fire engineer and fire safety engineer tend to be preferred outside the United States, especially in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth countries influenced by the British fire service.

Some proponents of the title fire safety engineer complain that fire protection engineering suggests a concern only with the design of active fire protection systems, such as automatic fire sprinklers, fire detection, fire alarm systems, smoke management systems, gaseous fire suppression and other special hazard systems. The advocates of the title fire safety engineer suggest it more accurately indicates an interest in both preventive and protective measures. Those who prefer the title fire engineer suggest that it encompasses a broader range of professional activities associated with fire risk management, including the management of fire services. All three titles are widely recognised, and date their emergence to the early 20th century when the profession began to emerge as a distinct discipline in its own right, separate from civil, mechanical and chemical engineering.

1 History
2 Education
3 Professional registration
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] History

Fire protection engineering (FPE) can lay a claim to roots dating as far back as Ancient Rome, when the Emperor Nero ordered the city to be rebuilt after a catastrophic fire. Realistically, the profession emerged as a specialist occupation in response to new fire problems posed by the Industrial Revolution. Fire protection engineers of this era concerned themselves with devising methods to protect large factories, particularly spinning mills and other manufacturing properties. The need to organize the discipline, define practices and conduct research to support innovations became clear in response to catasrophic conflagrations and mass urban fires that swept many major cities during the latter half of the 19th century (see City or area fires).

Fire protection engineers typically identify risks and design safeguards that aid in fighting fires, such as alarm, sprinkler, and smoke management or control systems. Fire protection engineers assist architects in evaluating buildings' life safety requirements. FPEs are also employed as fire investigators, including such very large-scale cases as the analysis of the World Trade Center's collapse. NASA uses fire protection engineers in its space program to help improve safety.

[edit] Education

Fire protection engineers, like their counterparts in other engineering and scientific disciplines, undertake a formal course of education and continuing professional development to acquire and maintain their competence. This education typical includes foundation studies in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and technical writing. Professional engineering studies focus students on acquiring proficiency in material science, statics, dynamics, thermodynamics, fluid dynamics, heat transfer, engineering economics, ethics, Systems in engineering, reliability, and environmental psychology. Specialized studies in combustion, probabilistic risk assessment or risk management, the design of fire suppression systems, the application and interpretation of model building codes, and the measurement and simulation of fire phenomena complete most curricula.

In the United States, the University of Maryland (UMd) and Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) offer ABET-accredited bachelor of science degree programs in fire protection engineering, as well as graduate degrees. Other institutions, such as Oklahoma State University, the University of Kansas, Illinois Institute of Technology, and University of California, Berkeley, have offered courses in fire protection engineering or technology.

[edit] Professional registration

Suitably qualified and experienced fire protection engineers may qualify for registration as a professional engineer. The recognition of fire protection engineering as a separate discipline varies from state to state in the United States. Few countries outside the United States regulate the professional practice of fire protection engineering as a discipline, although they may restrict the use of the title engineer in association with its practice.