Society of Fire Protection Engineers, International
Bethesda, Maryland, USA

about fire protection engineering

Fire protection engineering is the application of science and engineering principles to protect people and their environment from destructive fire and includes: (1) analysis of fire hazards; (2) mitigation of fire damage by proper design, construction, arrangement and use of buildings, materials, structures, industrial processes and transportation systems; (3) design, installation and maintenance of fire detection, fire suppression and communication systems; and (4) post-fire investigation and analysis.

The fire protection engineer (FPE), by education, training and experience: (1) is familiar with the nature and characteristics of fire and the associated products of combustion; (2) understands how fires originate and spread within and outside of buildings/structures; (3) understands how fires can be detected, controlled and extinguished, and (4) is able to anticipate the behavior of materials, structures, machines, apparatus and processes as related to the protection of life and property from fire.

about the society of fire protection engineers

Founded in 1950 as a section of the National Fire Protection Association, SFPE became an independent organization in 1971 for the purpose of advancing the art and science of fire protection engineering and its allied fields, maintaining high ethical standards among its members and fostering fire protection engineering education. Its headquarters are in Bethesda, Maryland.

There are six grades of membership: Fellow, Honorary, Member, Associate, Affiliate and Student Member. Qualifications for each grade are stated on the membership application form, which is available from the Society or from this chapter's Membership committee chairman. The Society can be contacted by e-mail at sfpehqtrs@sfpe.org, or you can visit its web site at http://www.sfpe.org.