My job as a fire safety consultant is to help clients (building owners, designers, developers, insurers and sometimes local authority building control authorities) achieve buildings that have the required level of safety for the occupants, the building and its contents. As a well qualified and experienced fire safety consultant, I can make smoke control and flame heat transfer calculations and assessments of structural protection on projects large and small. I am at the leading edge of fire safety engineering practice in London as my listing of projects illustrates. I contribute to the education of students and fire safety professionals in London through my extensive publications and seminars. Although much of my consultancy work has been in the London area, often I have to work on projects much further afield.
After 20 years research and leading-edge consultancy at the Fire Research Station, part of the UK's Building Research Establishment, and several years working as an independent fire safety consultant in London, I give advice to building developers, architects, engineers, insurers, building control officers, authorities, manufacturers, and building material producers on the following:
- Solution of design problems for buildings which do not satisfy prescriptive rules
- FSE studies and calculations including smoke control and radiation from buildings
- Arbitration on building approval applications under the building regulations
- Assisting Building Control organisations in approving all aspects (strategy, design, construction and commissioning) of complex FSE projects
- Conducting Risk Assessments under the Regulatory Reform Order and previously the Fire Precautions Regulations and related aspects of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
- Damage assessment (buildings and bridges) and recommendations on remedial measures
- Feasibility studies and development of safety strategies
- Recommendations for remedial passive fire protection work
- Assessment of performance when product is used outside its tested limits
- Audits on the work of designers and fire safety engineers
- Advice on product development
- Expert witness and surveys on passive fire precautions
- Expert advice on the use of sandwich panels in buildings
- Undertaking lectures, and technical writing of fire literature