The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published the Authoritative Statement from the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel, alongside a policy paper setting out next steps for reform of the fire engineering profession. This responds to the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 recommendation for an authoritative statement defining the knowledge and skills expected of a competent fire engineer, as part of wider proposals to regulate the profession.

The Government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening public safety by supporting a highly skilled, sustainable profession with clear standards of competence and accountability. The accompanying policy paper outlines how these recommendations and the Panel’s advice will be implemented.

Current state of affairs

The Grenfell Tower fire exposed serious and systemic failures within the building safety system, including significant weaknesses in professional competence, ethical practice and oversight. The Inquiry highlighted how unclear responsibilities, inconsistent standards and inadequate assurance mechanisms allowed unsafe practices to persist, resulting in catastrophic loss of life and wider societal harm.

Within this context, the Inquiry identified fire engineering as a high-risk profession requiring reform. It found a lack of a coherent educational foundation and no clear or consistent requirements for entry to the profession. While some educational routes and professional registration pathways exist, accredited programmes, structured learning and workforce capacity remain limited and uneven. This has led to wide variation in competence, with insufficient emphasis on ethical practice and life safety.

Professional practice is also fragmented. Fire engineering is often poorly understood or undervalued within multidisciplinary teams, leading to marginalisation of specialist input and inconsistent application of engineering principles.

Establishing fire engineering as a regulated profession must therefore deliver clear safety outcomes: consistently safe buildings, a competent and ethical workforce, sustainable education pathways, and a profession that earns public trust. Central to this is the introduction of enforceable standards, a nationally recognised competency framework, accredited education routes and robust regulatory oversight.

Future regulation

The Fire Engineers Advisory Panel supports the Government’s intention to regulate both the title and function of fire engineers. Subject to consultation, regulation is expected to introduce a protected title with legal restrictions on its use, alongside statutory definition of activities reserved for registered and competent practitioners. Fire engineers would hold formal responsibility for the development and oversight of fire safety strategies, with duties set out in regulation. Competence will require strong technical knowledge, the ability to work across disciplines, and a clear understanding of the regulatory framework throughout the building lifecycle. Fire engineers must be able to demonstrate compliance and engage effectively with all relevant stakeholders.

Structured process

The Fire Engineers Advisory Panel considers that fire engineers should operate to consistent professional principles. Over the long term, competence should be developed through a structured process combining accredited education and supervised professional experience. Entry to the profession would typically be via a relevant accredited higher education programme, providing core scientific, engineering and fire engineering knowledge. University education should remain the primary route, although alternative pathways, such as accredited apprenticeships, may be appropriate where equivalent outcomes are achieved.

Clear transition routes must also be available for existing practitioners and professionals from other disciplines to demonstrate competence and enter the regulated profession.

The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) commented: “Having actively contributed to the development of the policy paper, the IFE welcomes this important publication which provides much needed clarity.”

The IFE continued: “As the global body for fire engineers, the IFE recognises the significance of this statement in shaping Best Practice and supporting the safety of communities. We will now consider the document and review its content in light of our responsibilities as a professional engineering institution.”

In conclusion, the IFE noted: “Our commitment remains to uphold the highest standards of competence and ethics within the fire engineering profession, thereby ensuring that guidance and policy continue to reflect the needs of society and the built environment.”

Read the Authoritative Statement and the policy paper focused on next steps for reform of the fire engineering profession

View the source.
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