Some of the Design Fire Consultants (DFC) team and Summer Placements had the opportunity to attend a dynamic Continuing Professional Development (CPD) event hosted by the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) at the Georgy Makhviladze Fire Laboratory in the Engineering Innovation Centre in Preston.

James Mawdsley, one of our Senior Fire Engineers, arranged the event to support the development of our newer Engineers, providing them with valuable first-hand experience of fire behaviour and safety protocols, deepening their understanding and skills. Not all who attended had been exposed to the science of fire behaviour before.

The collaboration with UCLan highlights DFC’s dedication to enhancing both academic theory and practical training, ensuring our team is exceptionally well-prepared to tackle the challenges of fire safety engineering.

James commented;

“As an ex-firefighter, I have been lucky enough to have observed fire behaviour, first hand, in a number of different environments and scenarios. These previous experiences have helped in my transition to becoming a fire engineer.”

The event consisted of a number of fire experiments, which included the fire box, cone calorimeter, single flame source test, bang box, desktop flashover (gas explosions) and trench effect demonstration.

Led by James Mawdsley and Merlyn Forrer, DFC has fostered a productive relationship with UCLan, strengthening a productive relationship between industry and academia. Both James and Merlyn actively contribute to this initiative as representatives of DFC on the UCLan Industry Advisory Group. This group, comprising various fire consultancy professionals, aims to ensure that the educational framework aligns with real-world applications, ultimately enhancing the training and preparedness of future fire engineers.

James stated;

“It is essential that industry and academia become more aligned and that we work together to make the world a safer place from fire. The event has been a huge success and showcases the amazing facilities that UCLan has on offer.”

Our Graduate Fire Engineers, Apprentice and Summer Placements shared their reflections of the experience:

“It was fascinating to learn about the science behind fire testing for materials and how various factors influence fire spread…The most exciting experiment was observing a gas explosion, demonstrating what might happen if there was a gas leak in residential buildings.” (Nabila Rahman, Graduate Fire Engineer, London office)

“I enjoyed the backdraft and gas explosion experiments…the power and heat from such a small box was eye opening to real-life, large-scale explosions.” (Sophie Ewen, Summer Placement, Leeds office).

“I have had opportunity to see some of the experiments before but, the trench fire test and gas explosion was quite new…the level of energy released during a gas explosion and the rapid spread of fire on an inclined trench was eye–opening.” (Nandakishore Murali, Graduate Fire Engineer, Manchester office).

“I have previously learnt about flammability limits in the classroom at University, however, today I got to see this first-hand, seeing examples of lean and rich fuel mixtures…the shockwave of a gas explosion gave me real perspective.” (Malachi Fearnhead, Apprentice Fire Engineer, Manchester office).

Our team is really looking forward to DFC’s upcoming annual three-day company-wide CPD event at the University of Edinburgh in early September. It’s always an exciting opportunity for professional growth and hands-on learning, and we’re keen to gain fresh insights and skills that will help our engineers thrive in the ever-evolving field of fire safety.

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