Fire Engineering

Fire engineering is a field which explores the various possibilities of preventing fires. It can be defined as the art and science of designing buildings and facilities for life safety and property protection in the event of an unwanted fire. This includes the application of scientific and engineering principles, based on an understanding of the phenomena and effects of fire and of reaction and behaviour of people, property and the environment as well as the impact of fire protection systems including detection, alarm and sprinkler systems. Fire Engineering is becoming world's one of the noblest profession by virtue of its growing role in saving life and property.

Fire Engineering is a very dangerous profession which requires a strong sense of commitment to public service. The role of fire engineers span engineering design to operations and management. In India ,the major fire Engineering programme is the one conducted by National Fire Service College www.nfscnagpur.nic.in at Nagpur that offers a 3 1/2 years programme leading to Bachelors of Engineering. Fire engineers play a pivotal role in ensuring protection and taking the necessary precautions against fires. Fire Engineers main responsibility is reducing the consequences of fire if there is an incident. They are responsible for determining causes of fire and methods of fire prevention. They find new ways to maintain and improve the present fire fighting equipment.

Fire engineers have to work in shifts in dangerous conditions and are at risk of burns, smoke inhalation and exposure to chemicals. They need to be patient and disciplined, quick and efficient, reliable, self-confident and able to work well in teams. They need to know about streets and places in their district, the handling of dangerous goods and building construction. They also need to know about fire-fighting, different types of fires and how to deal with them, and about rescue methods and equipment.

Eligibility: Most of the occupations in fire engineering requires a bachelor's degree.

Job Prospects & Career Options :A degree in fire engineering makes one eligible for the management cadre in Fire Service in the government or public sector.

Remuneration/salary : In Government sector, the starting gross salary of a fire engineers could be in the range of Rs 5,000-7,000 per month.