By: James Mawdsley, Engineer

In reviewing the past twelve months, it is important to reflect on how I came to be at DFC.

My journey into Fire Engineering commenced during the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower tragedy, when I joined a specialist fire safety team in Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, lead by fellow Fire Engineer Merlyn Forrer. Merlyn was both a friend and a role model in the Fire Service and inspired me to follow in his footsteps, literally.

With that said, my first exposure to a building not performing as intended during a fire situation was in a suburb of Manchester. We were mobilised as the sixth fire appliance to a fire in a block of flats. The fire had spread in such a way that it was in the internal cavities and was traveling around the timber framed building unseen.

I was tasked with entering a block of flats and breaking holes in through the plasterboard walls to extinguishing the fire in the walls. To my amazement, when I broke through the plasterboard, the fire was raging inside the walls. The fire really was in the walls!

This image has stayed with me, along with many more, collected during my fire service career, which influences the way I approach Fire Engineering.

It was a difficult decision to leave the Fire Service, especially spending 19 years developing a career, however it was the right decision to join the team here at DFC. The experience and knowledge attained during my Fire Service career has certainly helped me settle quickly into the team at DFC. I am also furthering my Fire Engineering knowledge by simultaneously studying for a MEng at The University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN).

Image: attendance at a timber framed building

Since joining the team, I have been overwhelmed by the support and learning environment, encouraged here at DFC, which has helped me grow as a Fire Engineer. In addition to the personal development, I feel I have also gained valuable commercial experience whilst working on several projects, something which I wasn’t exposed to in the Fire Service.

Images: testing high pressure laminate in the Cone Calorimeter at UCLAN’s Energy Innovation Centre

The main project highlights in the last twelve months have been the London Road Fire Station project in Manchester, which is a heritage building being converted into an office and hotel, with commercial units at ground floor. The fire station is steeped in history, and it is amazing to visit the site and relive stories that I have been told by retired fire officers that have either lived or been trained there. The project has raised several engineering challenges due to the age of construction and particular building features, however it is amazing to see the building being repurposed, therefore making my role on the project rewarding.

I have also loved working on recladding projects and completing PAS 9980 assessments. The images of Grenfell Tower and The Cube still haunt me as a fire professional, therefore it is always rewarding working on these types of buildings, with the knowledge that you have contributed towards making them safe from fire.

Aside from Fire Engineering, I have also really enjoyed helping the DFC team grow by being an active member of the recruitment team. I particularly enjoyed speaking with candidates at career fairs and during interviews, hearing about everyone’s personal journey into Fire Engineering, the discipline is certainly attracting some talented engineers.

DFC is very supportive of Continual Professional Development (CPD) and regularly organises a company-wide event at The University of Edinburgh. During last year’s event, we received valuable input into construction materials and their reaction to fire performance, which was underpinned by experiments in the laboratory. Over the years, DFC has established strong links with the Fire Team at the University, resulting in several new employees.

The last twelve months have been a steep learning curve, however it’s been really fun and rewarding! I already feel part of the team at DFC and really enjoy working with many professional and likeminded people.

Images from left to right: team seminar in York, and an experiment exercise during the CPD event in Edinburgh

Image: DFC Team dinner whilst at the Edinburgh event