By: Andy Caba, Graduate Engineer

I just completed my first year at DFC after joining as a graduate in September 2024. Although I wasn’t a complete stranger to the company, having completed a summer placement a year before, this was the year that really showed me what it feels like to work as a fire engineer and what life at DFC is like.

The past twelve months have been a period of fast-paced professional development, but also an adjustment to find the right work-life balance. It is hard to put into one blog post how much I’ve learned over this period, from technical knowledge on high-rise buildings to fire-engineered solutions incorporating water-mist systems, and skills in communicating with clients, architects, and other stakeholders. It is safe to say that no day at work is the same.

I’ve been involved in multiple projects, from early-stage feasibility studies to improvements on existing buildings. It’s hard to pick a favourite, as there are many highlights. Certainly, one of them was writing retrospective fire strategies for a residential development in Leeds, as it involved understanding an existing building, communicating with management, conducting site inspections, and providing new recommendations. I also had an opportunity to revisit two projects that I worked on during my placement. One of them was located in Scotland, which required me to read and understand different regulatory guidance from what is used in England and that’s something not everyone is familiar with.

DFC has five offices now and travel between them is definitely encouraged. It is great because it opens opportunities for work and projects that you wouldn’t otherwise be involved in, simply through casual catch-ups with colleagues in those offices (or at least grabbing lunch from a new place to break the routine). That flexibility of not always working at your base is a brilliant thing to have, as sometimes life gets in the way, and at DFC it is met with understanding. It’s just one of many reflections on how the environment at the company is supportive of employees, so we can thrive in ways that work for us.

The first year training is fairly intense, but in a good way. Graduates take part in several soft skills training sessions, which prove to be really useful in day-to-day work and are not something I learnt during studying. These are supported by technical CPD sessions led by experienced DFC engineers, who share practical insights that bring theory to life and help us build a strong foundation for our careers. The year’s technical development is always crowned by DFC’s Annual CPD trip to the University of Edinburgh, a two-day programme filled with engaging lectures on all things fire engineering and emerging research. As an Edinburgh graduate, this part feels nostalgic, but it’s a welcome chance to be a student again.

Cheers to another great year!