Q. What attracted you to fire engineering as a career – did you have a youthful fascination with fire or was there some teacher or connection that fed your interest?
The short answer is no. My career as a fire engineer began at BRANZ 30 years ago and it was unplanned. Read on!
Q. What was your study and work history leading up to BRANZ?
I graduated with a building science and architecture degree from Victoria University just after the share market crashed – yes, that ages me! The downturn that followed meant I couldn’t find any architectural work, so I took off to England for 2 years hoping for better things. It wasn’t much different there. I got a couple of interviews, but to be honest, I was a bit disillusioned with architecture by that point. I ended up working a few other jobs, including night cleaning at McDonald’s!
When I returned to Wellington, I ended up back in my old student job in the parts department at Continental Cars. I’d always been fascinated with cars – and it proved a useful move. One of our clients was prominent architect Roger Walker, who invited me to work with him for one day per week. That led to a full-time compliance job with Tse Group Architects looking after building warrants of fitness, and although I was made redundant 18 months later, I had some very useful experience in my résumé.
Times were still tough and I must have applied for 60 or more jobs before – out of the blue – I got an interview with BRANZ in 1995.
Q. How did your career at BRANZ develop?
I was employed in the fire research team. One of my first jobs was to set fire to buildings in the paddock outside and record data to drive a new BRANZ fire model. I loved it.
Once I was into the role, I was asked if I’d be interested in retraining as a fire engineer. It was a hard yes! However, as my existing qualification was in architecture, I needed to complete some prerequisites, including physics and chemistry, before studying fire engineering at Canterbury. I’d always been a B or C student, just getting by, but studying to support my career at BRANZ gave me immense focus. I started getting top results and questioning why I’d lost marks rather than how to gain them!
A new fire manager arrived at BRANZ – John Clampett – who managed to fast-track me onto an Australian fire engineering course without prerequisites. I block-studied in Melbourne and it was very rewarding. It also exposed me to Australian building codes and standards, which would prove very helpful as my career progressed. We routinely test and prepare fire assessments for Australian clients.
Q. You’ve now had a long career in fire engineering. What are some of the significant changes you have seen in that time?
Probably the biggest changes relate to densification – in two respects. We’re seeing a lot more structures being built a metre from the
boundary and a lot more multi-level and multi-unit dwellings built using lightweight construction materials. We’re seeing a number of our long-time clients innovating and testing new solutions as these trends have emerged.
Q. Has your expertise contributed to changes in fire standards and, if so, in what ways?
Well, if you open the New Zealand Building Code docs, there’s reference to one of my research papers. It discusses the development of a test method for fire spread on external claddings. It’s very gratifying – and humbling.
Q. BRANZ has built an impressive new fire lab. What are its capabilities and what stands out about it?
The new lab is a world-class facility for standardised testing and non-standard research and exploratory work.
On the commercial testing side, we now have vastly better facilities to serve multiple clients at the same time and maintain absolute
confidentiality. We – or our clients – can build multiple test specimens on site at the same time. Some specimens might need to be set aside for curing, and we have the space for that. We can test to exact standards or go beyond. By testing larger specimens, we can, by assessment, determine the fire performance of specimens that are larger still. We can also carry out more exacting loadbearing tests, including beam tests, than we could before.
Our three new cube furnaces mean specimens don’t have to sit flat or be only 800 mm deep. We can go up to 3 m deep because we have the volume in the furnace for that. We also have hydrocarbon capabilities that extend the scope of the testing we can do. Our regular furnace tests follow a temperature curve based on cellulosic materials like wood and paper. Hydrocarbon fire tests are much more severe than regular tests and can damage furnaces unless they’re specifically designed for it. That’s what we’ve now got.
Another major advantage is that our façade rigs are inside, so we can safely test no matter what the weather is doing. We were also able to increase their height at the last minute to match a change to the testing standard, so they are future proofed.
Q. You were recently honoured with an industry award. What was this and what was it given for?
I was blown away to receive an award last year from the Fire Protection Association of New Zealand for outstanding engineering achievement. It recognised my contributions to research and testing that have helped improve understanding of fire hazards and their mitigations. It also acknowledged my part in steering the BRANZ fire lab project.
Q. Is that your proudest career moment?
It was very humbling to be recognised by the industry in this way. I guess you do your job and enjoy it without really thinking about what it might mean to others.
I’m also very proud of my involvement with standards over the years. I sit on several committees working to refine and improve fire standards that, ultimately, help to keep people and property safe.
Q. Outside of work, what are your passions?
I enjoy getting active – particularly mountain biking and skiing. A lifestyle block keeps me busy too. I also enjoy photography – especially capturing events, nature and historic buildings. And occasionally I get to satisfy my passion for cars by testing and reviewing models – from the small and humble to the outrageously expensive – for an online motoring publication.