Posted By shaun mckeever
It is not a legal requirement to have somebody from a fire service background. However a person who has served as a fire officer in the fire safety department of a local fire authority should have the necessary skills and qualifications for a general fire safety advisor. Generally Membership of the Institution of Fire Safety Engineers or Membership of the Institution of Fire Protection Officers are often sought by other organisations wishing to employ a fire safety advisor. Other qualifications are a degree in fire safety engineering/management. Alternatively, as it is a specialist field, it may be more cost effective to employ the services of a fire safety consultancy.

Posted By Frank Neville Johnson
Lance

As a fire officer about to retire after 22 years service, predominantly with a fire safety reference, I think it prudent for me to register my interests since I will soon be looking for such a post.

That said, Fire Safety like Health & Safety covers a wide range and officers in the larger brigades specialise. The IFE membership exam may be gained through a choice of four modules (except science is a mandatory module). You should perhaps be aware some individuals might not include the necessary fire safety subjects in their qualification. Additionally the holder of the IFE membership certificate who is experienced exclusively in 'petroleum licensing' might not be suitable to give advice about new buildings requiring building regulation approval, fire certification and compliance with the FP(W)Regs.

To give you an example, I know the MoD require their civilian fire safety specialists to have the 'Specialist Fire Safety Course' qualification from the Fire Services College, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire. However due to the development of specialists, this too has is now split into modules each covering a different area i.e. building regulations, fixed installations, petroleum and fire safety etc. You may also need to look to see if the specialist subjects within that qualification are suitable for the post.

Of course there are fire engineering degree students and other postgraduates. However, I am aware of a national consulting company who offer fire safety risk assessments have changed emphasis and are now preferring experience over formal qualifications. As a result they currently 'favour' retired fire service officers with at least 20 years experience.

To be fair there are a variety of ways competency can be demonstrated. However, I would personally advice a quality candidate ought to have the IFE membership qualification gained through fire safety related examination modules. Also he/she should have a suitable specialist fire safety qualification gained through the Fire Services College, Moreton-in-Marsh and of course the NEBOSH diploma and corporate membership of IOSH. The latter might be asking too much from a fire safety specialist but many now have the NEBOSH certificate.

If you would like to discuss this further I am pleased to offer what help I can. You can contact me on email:

frank.n.johnson@ntlworld.com

Regards
Frank