We aspire to attract and nurture the very best talent in the fire safety industry

I became involved with Fire Safety in 2009 when I was a volunteer fire fighter with Donegal Civil Defence, taking part in weekly training drills and responding to emergency calls as required. During the same time, I also studied at Letterkenny Institute of Technology where I obtained a BSc in Architectural Technology and a BSc (Hons) in Fire Safety Engineering. I moved to the UK in 2013 and through previous roles, I gained invaluable experience in fire performance of materials and fire testing of individual and complex systems. My academic qualifications and practical experiences gave me an excellent platform where I could combine my skills to ensure practical fire safety solutions. I communicate effectively with all key stakeholders, I am client focused and extremely driven and I will endeavor to ensure the desired outcome is achieved in all aspects of my work.

I began my career in fire safety in 1998 undertaking testing of passive and active fire products and went on to manage third-party certification schemes for the same products and sit on various British and European technical committees. As Fire Safety Inspector/Advisor to a Fire and Rescue Service, I gained an excellent understanding of legislation and enforcement as well as the potential issues of practical application of fire safety. My career progressed into fire risk assessment and then fire engineering where I gained a detailed understanding of both sectors which has been applied both in the UK and worldwide. I have developed Ashton Fire’s approach to façade assessments, compartmentation surveys and fire safety inspections during construction. The above roles, supplemented by completing a MSc in Fire and Explosion Engineering at the University of Leeds, have provided me with a comprehensive foundation of knowledge, which includes knowing when to step back and seek additional expert advice where necessary. Through clear and open communication with clients and colleagues, I strive provide quality and competent, yet pragmatic services with a continued drive for improvement.

I am a chartered engineer who has been involved in fire safety since 2013 as both a researcher and fire safety consultant. Alongside my full-time consulting work, I completed a PhD at the University of Manchester in 2021 on the topic of probabilistic assessment of fire safety design in residential buildings. My experience primarily lies in computational modelling, including fire and smoke modelling and evacuation analysis, which I apply as part of a performance-based design approach. I have worked on projects globally and have published several research papers and articles, covering topics such as evacuation behaviour, fire and smoke modelling, residential design, and the history and development of fire safety guidance. I am committed to staying at the forefront of technical developments in fire safety engineering and apply my knowledge to enhance design practices.