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Fire safety engineers make sure that buildings are designed to keep people, property and the environment safe from the dangers of fire.
You could work: evenings / weekends; occasionally
There will be
1.8% more Fire safety engineer jobs in 2029.
In your local area
As a fire engineer, you could:
You may need to wear safety clothing and use safety equipment.
You could work in an office or on a construction site.
Your working environment may be outdoors some of the time.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a foundation degree or degree in fire engineering.
You can also do an engineering degree, for example civil or structural engineering. You can then take a postgraduate course in fire safety engineering or fire engineering science.
Some courses offer a work placement. This will give you relevant work experience and can help you to make useful industry contacts.
Your university careers service will be able to advise you about this.
You'll usually need:
You can take a higher national certificate (HNC) or higher national diploma (HND) in an engineering subject at college. This might help you find work as a trainee fire engineer.
You'll then do further training on the job to specialise in fire safety.
You can apply to do a Fire Safety Inspector Level 4 Higher Apprenticeship or a Fire Safety Engineer Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
These can take between 2 and 5 years to complete and combine workplace training with study.
You'll usually need:
If you're already working in a fire safety or firefighting role, you may be able to take professional qualifications offered by The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), such as:
You'll need to:
Many fire safety engineers work in the construction industry for engineering consultancies and house building companies.
There may also be opportunities in the insurance industry, or in local authorities, to work in risk assessment or fire investigation.
You can join The Institution of Fire Engineers for professional development and networking opportunities.
You can learn more about a career as a fire engineer from The Institution of Fire Engineers.
With experience you could become a:senior fire engineer; fire safety instructor; self-employed consultant
You could also specialise in working on particular types of buildings, for example commercial, residential or retail.
With continued training, you could apply for professional registration as an engineering technician, or incorporated or chartered engineer. This is a way to demonstrate your skills and expertise in the industry.