The Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), the world’s leading professional society for fire protection and fire safety engineering, announces the availability of its new Introduction to Principles of Fire Protection Engineering on-demand course. Designed for engineers and technical professionals who are new to the field, the course provides a broad foundation in the principles, methods, and applications of fire protection engineering.
Fire protection engineering draws on fire science, engineering analysis, building systems, structural engineering, and human behavior to address fire safety challenges. This new course introduces participants to the fundamental concepts and terminology needed to understand how fire protection engineers evaluate hazards and develop strategies to protect people, property, and the built environment.
“The fundamentals of fire protection engineering provide an essential foundation for engineers and other professionals working in fire and life safety,” stated Chris Jelenewicz, PE, FSFPE, CEO, SFPE. “This course brings together key concepts from across the discipline and provides professionals with a practical starting point for understanding fire behavior, fire protection systems, evacuation, performance-based design, and other core areas of fire protection engineering.”
The 18-PDH course covers a range of topics, including the following:
- Introduction to Fire Protection Engineering
- Fire Science: Ignition and Combustion
- Heat Transfer
- Enclosure Fire Dynamics
- Fire Modeling
- Fire Protection Systems
- Evacuation and Human Behavior
- Evacuation Modeling
- Performance-Based Design
- Structural Fire Engineering
- Industrial Fire Hazards
Participants will develop an understanding of fundamental fire behavior, active and passive fire protection strategies, basic fire scenarios, engineering models used in fire safety analysis, and the role of codes, standards, performance-based design, and engineering judgment. The course also helps professionals communicate more effectively with fire protection engineers, design teams, authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs), and other stakeholders.
The course is intended for engineers new to fire protection engineering; engineers transitioning into fire and life safety roles; mechanical, electrical, civil, and structural engineers; AHJs and code officials; fire service professionals; and other technical professionals who work with fire and life safety.
Participants can complete the course at their own pace and have access to it for 3 years from the date of enrollment. Upon successful completion of all modules, assessments, and the course survey, participants receive a certificate documenting the PDHs they have earned.
The SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering serves as a primary reference throughout the course, providing foundational concepts, data, tools, and methods used in fire protection engineering. The course was developed under the direction of SFPE with contributions from leading fire protection engineering experts Håkan Frantzich, FSFPE, PhD; Nils Johansson, PhD; Silvia Arias, PhD; Brian J. Meacham, PhD, PE, CEng, EUR ING, FIFireE, FSFPE; Jimmy Jönsson, BSc Fire, MSc Risk, FSFPE; and Joshua Reichert, PE.
Registration is now open. Course pricing is $1,400 for SFPE members, $1,700 for non-members, $700 for students, and $400 for eligible AHJs. Professionals interested in taking the course can learn more and register at sfpe.org.
