Professional Membership

A Professional Member is a graduate of an engineering curriculum of accepted standing and shall have completed not less than four years of practice indicative of growth in engineering competency and achievement, three of which shall have been in responsible charge of fire protection engineering work. A post graduate degree may serve in lieu of one year of engineering competency and achievement. If not a graduate of an engineering curriculum of accepted standing, a Professional Member shall have completed not less than the minimum number of years of practice indicative of growth in engineering competency and achievement and the minimum number of years in responsible charge of fire protection engineering work as prescribed in the SFPE Standing Rules.

Professional Members are authorized and encouraged to use the special SFPE Professional Member logo on their business cards, which can be downloaded here (member login required).

Becoming a Professional Member

This is the professional practice grade of membership. Once you are a member of SFPE, individuals can apply to upgrade to Professional Member grade. The Qualifications Board reviews applications for upgrading on a quarterly basis.

Upgrade Checklist:

  • Current SFPE membership
  • A copy of your diploma, college transcripts or other evidence of graduation
  • A copy of any certifications or registrations (e.g. P.E, Chartered Engineer, NIST; Note: please do not include certificates of course attendance.)
  • The Ethical Certification Completed (See upgrade form below)
  • Your sponsor reference form(s). ONE (1) if completed by a professional member of SFPE OR THREE (3) professional references familiar with your work if you do not have access to a SFPE professional member. 
  • A resume/CV of your professional experience which describes the number of months in and the nature of your professional responsibilities in your work experience. Please highlight your fire protection engineering experience.  Be specific as to the projects and your responsible charge involvement.
  • Describe project areas where you have been in responsible charge including time period.  Note: this must cover the minimum experience outlined in the Qualifications Board Table.

NOTE:  Please do not include personally identifiable information such as your social security number on any of the documentation that you provide. Additionally, please ensure that any documents such as transcripts are not password protected or locked. Locked documents can result in a delayed review by the Qualifications Subcommittee.

Forms Required for Upgrading:

Professional Member upgrade applications are reviewed quarterly each year. 2024 applications are due on March 1st, May 28th, August 29th and November 28th. 

Please submit completed sponsor and upgrade forms to Ben Fogel at bfogel@sfpe.org.