Download - Fire safety engineering: myth vs reality
MYTH REALITYvs
FIRE SAFETYENGINEERING
By Maisam MirbagheriManager – Fire Engineering, Norman Disney & Young, Melbourne
Fire safety engineering(FSE) frequently relies onthe use of black magicincluding smoke and mirrors
FSE is founded onsound, reliable androbust engineering
MYTH REALITY
FSE is a mature engineering discipline supported byadvanced computational tools and scienti�c research,
practiced by highly skilled professionals.
Limited use in otherparts of the world
FSE is commonly and widely used throughout the world
MYTH REALITY
FSE is used on most major building and infrastructure projects,enabling amazing buildings to be designed and constructed.
It is widely accepted and used throughout many parts of the worldincluding US, Canada, UK, New Zealand, UAE and parts of Asia.
Fire safety and �re services engineersare the same
Fire safety and �re services engineersare not the same
MYTH REALITY
Fire safety engineers provide a holistic �re safety strategy that sets the design parameters for various �re safety systems and guides
various building parameters across multiple disciplines.Fire services engineers are responsible for the
design of the �re protection systems.
FSE is required when all of the variations to the prescriptive building code requirements have been identi�ed
Fire safety engineersprovide most bene�twhen engaged at theearly phase of design
MYTH REALITY
Fire safety engineers can assist and provide advice in the early phases of design in order to develop cost e�ective, �exible and
code-compliant solutions.
FSE is yet anothercost to the project
FSE can save time,money and/or provideadded �exibility
MYTH REALITY
Performance based building codes permit alternative solutionsto be developed which can substantially reduce the cost and/or
increase design �exibility for the project when compared withfollowing a prescriptive approach.
No formal educationis available
Formal education is now widely available
MYTH REALITY
In Australia, Victoria University, University of Western Sydneyand University of Queensland provide postgraduate
courses in FSE. Formal education is also availablein many other parts of the world.
FSE is uniformly regulated across Australia
FSE is regulated di�erently in various jurisdictions across Australia
MYTH REALITY
Currently, FSE is not uniformly regulated across Australia with variousjurisdictions having varying degrees of regulation. Fire safety
engineers can advise you of the process for certi�cation.
The �re brigade is anapproving authority
The �re brigade is notan approving authority
MYTH REALITY
The �re brigade is an important stakeholder that is consulted as part of the �re engineering design process. However, the �re brigade is not an Authority Having Jurisdiction with the ultimate certi�cation
of the works being up to the �re engineer and project certi�er.
FSE cannot be integrated in other services
FSE is closely integrated into the design of other services
MYTH REALITY
Fire safety engineers work closely with other disciplines to developa cost e�ective and reliable building solution.
Tall buildings are riskier Tall buildings are safe when designed appropriately
MYTH REALITY
Compared with many lower rise buildings, tall buildings can besome of the most robust structures against �re when designed
by a professional and experienced �re safety engineer.
To bust more myths and see how FSE will bene�t you, talk to NDY’s �re safety engineeringexpert, Maisam Mirbagheri.
T 03 9862 6833 M 0433 213 992E [email protected]
www.ndy.com