Institution of Fire Engineers

The Institution of Fire Engineers is a worldwide body that provides research, training, conferences and professional qualifications for firefighters and civilians who work in fields related to fire fighting, the science of fire fighting and prevention, and related technology.^[1]

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Known simply as the IFE, its headqurters is at Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire in the UK. It is based in the same complex as the Fire Service College which runs national training courses for senior fire officers. The IFE is licensed by the Engineering Council UK, fire professionals including firefighters and fire officers choose to join the IFE to gain qualifications by examination or research. The IFE sets technical and academic standards across the world allowing fire fighters and civilians who work in the fire engineering and science field to gain equal qualifications. The IFE publishes a monthly magazine, the Fire Prevention & Fire Engineers Journal

Structure

Localised branches as they are known are set up by volunteer committees, who often run their own seminars, meetings and AGMs. The branches are often allied to local fire authorities, as much interest in the IFE comes from the uniformed fire fighting world. There is a heavy concentration of UK based branches, but the IFE extends to a diverse range of countries including Iceland, Malaysia and New Zealand and Hong Kong, and South Africa. The IFE has also penetrated the US with a branch based in New Jersey.^[2]

The IFE holds an international conference and exhibition every year which brings together its members from all over the world - membership of the IFE is voluntary for fire fighters, as it is for civilians, but both must demonstrate an interest in fire engineering to join a branch, and then ultimately to go on to take professional qualifications. These qualifications are by way of sitting annual examinations, traditionally March each year. All member countries provide exam' facilities to candidates. Applications close (for overseas branches) usually around October of each year.

The 2006 Fire conference and exhibition was held in Telford, Shropshire.^[3]

Wellington New Zealand will be the site of the 2007 annual conference in October.

Grades of membership

There are several routes to qualification within the IFE - in essence these consist of eight grades.^[4]

• Student Entry level, not a qualification in its own right.
• Graduate The first level of qualification - Graduate of the Institution of Fire Engineers, can be obtained by examination or research, and holders use the post-nominal GIFireE or the simplified GIFE.
• Member Confusingly, the 'member' qualification is higher than GIFireE and is not related to someone being a 'member' of a branch. Achieved by examination or research, holders use the post nominal MIFireE or MIFE.
• Fellow or FIFireE/FIFE can only be obtained by those who already hold the MIFE qualification and have made a substantial contribution to their field.

There are also grades for technician, associate, affiliate individual and organisation.

• List of IFE branches worldwide: [1]

References