Fire protection engineers use science and technology to protect people, property and businesses from destructive fires. They analyze how buildings are used, how fires start, how fires grow, and how fire and smoke affects people, buildings and property. Fire protection engineers use the latest technologies to:
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Design systems that control fires, alert people to danger and provide means for escape;
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Evaluate buildings to pinpoint the risks of fires and the means to prevent them;
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Conduct fire safety research on consumer products and construction materials;
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Investigate fires to discover how fire spreads, why protective measures failed, and how those measures could have been designed more effectively.
They work with architects and other engineers, state and local building officials and local fire departments to build and maintain fire safe communities. They make recommendations for cost effective fire protection solutions to ensure that the structure, and the property and occupants contained within are adequately protected.
The Role of Fire Protection Engineering in Building Design
The Whole Building Design Guide is published by the United States Institute of Building Design Sciences. This guide outlines the critical role that fire protection engineers play in the design of safe buildings.