Fire Departments Still Undecided On Role of Fire Protection Engineers
features
Asst. to the Fire Chief
Does your fire department need a fire protection engineer? This question is being heard more frequently, and at least a dozen North American fire departments are currently employing engineering graduates.
There is still a great deal of uncertainty about the role of a fire protection engineer (FPE) in public fire protection and about how such a person should fit into the traditional structure of a fire department. While engineers are an integral part of fire departments in many other parts of the world, including countries where an engineering degree is a basic requirement for fire chiefs, the FPE is still considered a novelty in most North American fire departments. However, as fire departments are increasingly involved in technical facets of fire protection, the fire protection engineer’s role in fire departments is becoming more visible.
Departments with fire protection engineers on staff have created a number of different job descriptions and have placed engineers in a variety of positions within the organizational structure. Almost all the engineers currently working for fire departments are in civilian staff positions outside the regular rank structure, although a few started their careers as fire fighters and are working their way through the traditional ranks. Most of the cities employing FPEs have only one; a few have two.
Types of functions
Fire departments in North America are currently using fire protection engineers in two distinct areas. The more common one involves several of the functions routinely assigned to the fire prevention bureau. The other involves a broader application of engineering to research, planning, operations analysis, special studies and development projects, as well as supporting other sections of the department with inhouse consultant, services. These research and planning specialists are usually on the fire chief’s administrative staff.
Fire departments are engaged in activities which normally include a significant engineering component. As the levels of sophistication of fire protection systems (involving detection, alarm, extinguishment, ventilation, communications), fire apparatus and equipment, fire codes, building codes, research studies and planning techniques all increase, fire chiefs often find themselves dealing with complex issues that require special support.
The addition of fire protection engineering capability allows the fire department to deal with technical information and to make use of engineering techniques to solve problems. The ability to communicate with other engineering-related professions on an equal basis and to make use of advancing technology can make significant impacts on many of the problems which fire chiefs face on a daily basis. The fire department represents the public in requiring and regulating fire protection systems and should have the best qualified individuals to fulfill that responsibility.
Complex interpretations
It is no secret that many developers have been able to get their own way by bombarding fire prevention personnel with details of systems which the fire department was unable to analyze. At the same time, many builders have incurred unnecessary expense due to uncoordinated or redundant requirements specified by well-intentioned but illinformed fire officials. The role of the fire protection engineer in these cases is to professionally represent the fire department’s regulatory authority and to make interpretations and judgments based on engineering principles. The FPE provides the skills needed to interpret complex code requirements and to compare the adequacy of alternative approaches. These skills are particularly important where codes provide for trade-offs or equivalent means of protection.
Since fire departments are increasingly involved in retrospective code requirements designed to upgrade the fire protection of existing buildings, the need for engineering capability on staff is highlighted. A fire protection engineer should be involved in defining the level of protection which is to be required and interpreting costs and benefits of different levels. This approach, with documentation, should be a very positive factor in presenting the case for code changes to the city council or regulatory body. The same is true whenever fire code amendments or new code requirements are proposed.
Fire vs. building department
In many cases, the building department or a similar agency is responsible for code requirements on new construction. The question has arisen in some cities whether a fire protection engineer should be employed by the building department or the fire department. There is no question that the building official has a similar need for the services of a fire protection engineer, but most cities have decided to place this expertise within the fire department. This approach maintains the primary concern for fire protection within one department where it can be coordinated with all other efforts of the fire department.
There should be a very strong and direct avenue of communication between the building official and the fire protection engineer. Designers of new buildings should be able to deal directly with the FPE on interpretations of fire protection requirements.
Some fire departments have had difficulty integrating the role of a fire protection engineer with the traditional rank structure of the fire prevention bureau. As a result, the FPE may be considered an outsider and assigned to a limited and specifically defined function area, such as checking plans for fire protection systems or dealing only with major construction projects. This is based on the perception that a fire protection engineer is imported to fill a specific void in the capabilities of the regular fire prevention staff and may create feeling of resentment among uniformed personnel.
Most fire departments will derive much more benefit if engineering is recognized as a component in all aspects of the fire prevention bureau’s activities and an FPE’s position is structured and defined as an integral part of the operation.
The second major area of activity for fire protection engineers in fire departments is usually defined as research and planning. Approximately half of the FPEs currently employed by fire departments are engaged in analytical or planning projects centered in the administrative area of the department. The position is normally structured as a civilian staff assignment reporting directly to the fire chief. This approach can provide the entire fire department with access to general engineering skills and techniques in addition to the services of a specialist in fire protection principles and practices.
The individuals employed in these positions have been engaged in a variety of projects and functional responsibilities including fire station location planning, resource deployment studies, development of data systems, development of apparatus and equipment specifications, fire protection master planning and similar subjects.
Large fire departments are engaged in an almost endless series of activities which would benefit from the skills of an engineer. An individual or group structured to provide a continuing technical review of fire department operations and systems and to develop alternative plans and strategies can provide a valuable perspective for management.
In most cases, the areas of involvement of the FPE have grown rapidly as other staff members have begun to recognize the number of different functions which could benefit from the engineer’s approach and skills. As these capabilities have been recognized, the flow of requests for internal consultations and assistance have become a significant workload factor on top of the major activity areas and projects originally associated with the position. This is leading to the establishment of research and planning sections within some departments where additional specialized skills and capabilities are concentrated to serve the entire organization. An FPE can provide a nucleus for a centralized staff with additional specialists in computer systems, data analysis, urban planning, technical writing and public service management in addition to basic and fire protection engineering disciplines.
Fireground operations
The involvement of the FPE in fireground operations is not normally considered in defining a staff position. There may be, however, considerable use for the skills and experience of a fire protection engineer at the scene of actual incidents. In Phoenix, the fire protection engineer’s position includes considerable responsibility for both the safety program and the hazardous materials response team. The FPE routinely responds to multiple-alarm fires and assumes responsibility for monitoring the structural safety of involved buildings and the overall safety of operations. The fireground commander has the FPE available for consultation on building systems, fire protection equipment, fire behavior, water supply and any other technical problems which arise during the course of operations. These responsibilities are integrated into the fireground command system.
Responding with the hazardous materials response team, the FPE’s most important role is to revaluate all of the available information and project the potential consequences of alternative courses of action. Hazardous materials incidents tend to present the command officers with either a total lack of information or a mass of technical data which must be evaluated quickly to determine the best action plan. The FPE assists in the interpretation of this data and in predicting outcomes of different strategies. This role also involves regular participation in the training program for the team and in the acquisition of specialized equipment.
Civilian status makes it much easier to hire an individual from outside the department into a staff position. While the number of civilian positions of many types within fire departments is growing, this status can present a problem in bring a fire protection engineer into the fire service. Civilians are frequently considered outsiders in the fire service and may experience considerable difficulty in being accepted as legitimate members of the fire department. Some may consider an educated outsider as a threat, while others may think of the FPE as “temporary help” using the position as a stepping stone to future success in the private sector. There is not a major tendency to think of the FPE as a career fire service person.
The leading edge
The FPE entering a fire department is often in the position of breaking into a long-established, line-oriented and traditionally structured organization. This requires a mature individual with an appreciation of realistic organizational dynamics, in addition to engineering skills. The FPE will generally be found on the leading edge of change—an often dangerous and uncomfortable position.
This structure can be a disincentive to the engineering graduate considering a career in the fire service. These individuals are generally well-educated, capable, and consider themselves to be upwardly mobile. This type of individual is not likely to be attracted to a position which does not offer the opportunity to compete for promotion to the top levels of management in a department. A number of individuals with strong fire service backgrounds have left the fire service after receiving fire protection engineering degrees because of this dilemma. Several of these individuals are extremely active in volunteer fire departments while pursuing employment in the private sector.
The number of fire protection engineering graduates available on the job market is actually limited and the demand from the private sector is high. Only two schools, the University of Maryland and the Illinois Institute of Technology are producing graduates with a recognized bachelor’s degree in fire protection engineering, while Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Masschusetts has a master’s degree program which is designed to convert graduates in other engineering disciplines into fire protection engineers. A number of other schools, such as Oklahoma State University, have four-year degree programs with a special emphasis on fire protection subjects. The demand for these graduates from the private sector has made recruiting very competitive, and fire departments are generally unable to compete with the salaries and fringe benefits offered by major corporations. On the other hand, many of the graduates have fire service backgrounds and some would prefer to work with fire departments.
OJT for some
Most of the engineers current employed by fire departments actually received their degrees in other engineering disciplines, such as civil, mechanical, industrial or aerospace. A number were hired with no specialized fire protection education or experience and began by applying basic engineering principles and practices to the problems encountered by fire departments. Over a period of time, they have learned the specifics of fire protection engineering on the job. The application of an engineer’s basic problem-solving skills is frequently as valuable to a fire department as the specialized expertise of a fire protection engineering graduate; the combination of basic and specialized skills can be a great asset.
The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) is the professional organization dedicated to advancing the application of engineering principles in all facets of fire protection. The Society recently revised its outlook toward the fire service to facilitate an increased level of communications with public fire protection organizations and individual fire departments. Many of the individual chapters of SFPE have longstanding relationships with area fire departments and facilitate discussion and joint participation in programs and seminars. An increasing emphasis will be placed on exploring the role of the fire protection engineer in the fire service and providing information and assistance to fire departments expressing an interest in this area. The fire service committee of the SFPE can provide information to fire departments considering the creation of a fire protection engineer position.
