Merl Forrer

Associate

Merl joined DFC in May 2019 bringing with him 19 years of operational and regulatory experience working in the Fire and Rescue Service (Station Manager for Greater Manchester). He has worked in various operational and technical roles including fire behaviour, incident command and fire safety.  Before joining DFC, he was the lead on external fire spread for the Greater Manchester High-Rise Task Force, enforcing the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Merl graduated from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) with a master’s degree in Fire Engineering and is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers. His research for both his bachelor’s and master’s dissertations focussed on the fire performance of externally thermally insulated cladding systems and the use of organic polymer foams and is internationally recognised for his research, experience and knowledge.

He represented the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) researching the fire performance of Aluminium Composite Panel systems for the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. He represented NFCC on Dame Judith Hackett’s review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. He is an active member of the Institution of Fire Engineers, conference speaker and works as a technical expert on a number of BSI committees developing national standards.

Qualifications: MEng (Hons), FIFireE, MSFPE

Experience: 20 years

Specialist Expertise: External Fire Spread, Fire Regulations, Fire Service Access, Fire Safety