International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering to Start in 2010

The Universities of Edinburgh (UK), Ghent (Belgium) and Lund (Sweden) submitted a winning proposal for an Erasmus Mundus Master Course in Fire Safety Engineering. The initiative is carried by Prof. Bart Merci (Ghent University, coordinator), Prof. Jose Torero (University of Edinburgh) and Profs. Robert Jonsson (Lund University).

The curriculum concerns a two-year program. The first semester, covering basic topics in fire safety engineering, is taught in Ghent and Edinburgh. All students spend the second semester in Lund, with emphasis on enclosure fire dynamics risk analysis and human behaviour. The third semester is again taught in Ghent (for ‘general FSE’) and Edinburgh (with focus on structural engineering in the context of FSE). The fourth semester is devoted to the master’s thesis, hosted by one or more of the three institutes.

The program will start in September, 2010. For more information, click here.

High School Teachers Applaud the Chemistry of Fire

An article about the Chemistry of Fire Program can be found in Fire Engineering Magazine. To see this article go to: http://www.fireengineering.com/display_article/366900/25/ONART/none/HLTHS/High-School-Teachers-Applaud-the-Chemistry-of-Fire?dcmp=rss.

SFPE Member Starts Scholarship Program at Purdue University

SFPE member Roger Bassett has started a scholarship for engineering students interested in fire protection engineering. The scholarship is named the Roger and Carol Bassett Scholarship for Fire Protection Engineering.

“The scholarship program started in the School of Mechanical Engineering and will expand to the other basic engineering schools as the funds grow,” said Roger Bassett. “Our goal is the have at least four or five scholarships available.”

The scholarship is for juniors or seniors. A student must show some interest in the fire protection field to be considered for the scholarship. The amount will vary at this time due to the annual income on the funded scholarship.

If you are interested in applying for this scholarship contact E. Daniel Hirleman, Professor and William E. and Florence E. Perry Head of Mechanical Engineering at Purdue University. For more information about the Purdue School of Mechanical Engineering go to https://engineering.purdue.edu/ME.

SFPE Central Savannah River Area Chapter Receives Citizenship Award

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) Central Savannah River Area (CSRA) Chapter received the Citizenship Award at the South Carolina State Firefighter's Association Convention in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina on July 18, 2009.

The Chapter received this award for installing residential fire sprinkler systems in four Habitat for Humanity Homes located in Beaufort, South Carolina.

In his letter of congratulations Lt. Daniel Byrne of the Beaufort Fire Department said, “Not only do I want you all to be recognized, this is a chance to tell our story and spread the word about the need for residential fire sprinklers.”

Pictured from left to right are CSRA Chapter members Thomas Allison, Steve Jenkins, Stan Maciaszek, Gene Roe, Bernie Till, Lt. Daniel Byrne (Beaufort Fire Dept.), and Bill Farmer. Also receiving this award but not in picture was John Travis, Mark LeGrand, Kent Gilbreath, and Steve Miller.

Fire Chief Magazine Talks About Demand for Fire Protection Engineers

An article on career opportunities for fire protection engineers can be found in Fire Chief Magazine. To see this article go to http://firechief.com/leadership/ar/fire-protection-engineers-shortage-20090609/.

SFPE Participates in ABET Commission Meeting

Members from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) participated in the ABET commission meetings that were held on July 16-18, 2009 in Arlington, Virginia. John McCormick who represents SFPE on the ABET Board of Directors and SFPE Vice-President Jim Milke attended this event.

"ABET is the accreditation organization dedicated to assuring quality in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology education. This year SFPE became a member of ABET," said SFPE Engineering Program Manager Chris Jelenewicz. "This development is a vital step in SFPE’s commitment to making certain that fire protection programs meet the educational standards set by the profession and that constituents have a standard by which to assess each program’s quality."

The ABET commissions implement accreditation procedures and decisions. ABET has four accreditation commissions, the Applied Science Accreditation Commission (ASAC), Computing Accreditation Commission (CAC), Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC), and Technology Accreditation Commission (TAC).

The University of Maryland Department of Fire Protection Engineering is accredited by the EAC and the Oklahoma State University Fire Protection and Safety Engineering Technology Program is accredited by the TAC.

The 2009 International Symposium on Firesafety Management and Evacuation Program for Health Care Facilities to be Held in Taipei

The 2009 International Symposium on Firesafety Management and Evacuation Program for Health Care Facilities will be held from 26 to 27 November 2009 in Taipei. This event is organized by Commissioner Hsiung, Prof. Chien, and the SFPE Taiwan Chapter. The theme of the Symposium will be 1) Fire Safety and Evacuation and 2) Emergency Response and Rescue.

The program committee is looking for an expert in the field of fire protection for health care facilities to make a presentation on Disaster Risk Evaluation for Hospitals.

If you are interested in making this presentation or would like to attend this event, please contact:

Emma Liu
Secretary of SFPE Taiwan Chapter
Tel: +886-2-8780-1710
Add: 2F.-7, No. 410, Sec. 5, Jhongsiao E. Rd., Sinyi District, Taipei City 11061, Taiwan
E-mail: emma0316@gmail.com

To find out more information about this symposium go to: http://sfpetaiwan.org.tw.

Meet the Newest SFPE Professional Members

The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) would like to congratulate the following members who were upgraded to Professional Member Grade by action of the SFPE Qualifications Board on June 25, 2009:

• Carl Anderson
• David Bhuta
• Babanna Biradar
• Albert Borum
• Ethan Brand
• Neal Butterworth
• Thomas Larry Frank
• David R. Hague
• Tay Chong Hak
• Michael Hippe
• Gavin Horn
• Diana E. Hugue
• Fred KW Lau
• Kenneth E. Lauziere
• Daniel J. Michalak
• Kent Newcomb
• Ron Nielsen
• Susan Omberg
• Alfonso J. Panizo
• Vitali Prylepski
• Kui Qiao
• Paul Rick
• Gary N. Sharp
• Giorgio Silva
• Paul R. Tate
• Sarah Thompson
• Peter Wilkinson
• Ernest D. Yonkers

SFPE Professional Members have their education and work experience evaluated by their peers. Moreover, Professional Members have the honor to nominate colleagues and friends to the grade of Fellow.

To learn more about becoming a Professional Member at SFPE go to: http://www.sfpe.org/Membership/Levels.aspx.

10 July 2009 is the Deadline to Submit Abstracts for the SFPE 8th International Conference on Performance-Based Codes and Fire Safety Design Methods

July 10, 2009 is the deadline to submit abstracts for the Society of Fire Protection Enngineers (SFPE) 8th International Conference on Performance-Based Codes and Fire Safety Design Methods. The conference will be held on June 16-18, 2010 at Lund University in Sweden. For more information go to: http://www.sfpe.org/Home/Education/8thInternationalConferenceonPerformanceBasedCodesandFireSafetyDesignMethods.aspx

Society of Fire Protection Engineers Exhibits at American School Counselor Association Conference

On June 28-30, 2009 the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) staffed an exhibit booth at the 2009 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) Conference. The conference was held at the Dallas Convention Center.

ASCA is the organization that expands the image and influence of professional school counselors through advocacy, leadership, collaboration and systemic change. ASCA empowers professional school counselors with the knowledge, skills, linkages, and resources to promote student success in the school, the home, the community, and the world.

"This event gave us the opportunity to talk face-to-face with guidance counselors and tell them that fire protection engineering is a rewarding and exciting career,“ said SFPE Engineering Program Manager Chris Jelenewicz. “After stopping by the SFPE booth, many of the guidance counselors said they would encourage their students to become fire protection engineers.”

The conference brought together about 2,000 school counselors looking for information from organizations that can help them do their jobs better. At the exhibit booth SFPE gave out copies of the Guide to Careers in Fire Protection Engineering, the Chemistry of Fire DVD and information about the schools that offer fire protection engineering programs.