Volunteering

Trustees of the Institution have an overriding duty to advance the purposes of the IFE and are responsible for its strategic development and management. Volunteering as a Trustee is a great way to broaden your skills with hands-on strategy and governance involvement. You will contribute to IFE’s charitable objectives and play a crucial role in delivering the IFE’s strategic vision. Nominations to stand as a Trustee and details of the nomination rules are usually open and publicised in July each year; nominees are voted on and elected by the Institution’s membership, where eligible.

Supported by International HQ, Malaysia branch run independently and are governed by a committee of volunteers who are also the Trustees of the branch. The Committee will include a Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, General Assembly Representative (IGA Rep) and other roles as required such as Membership Co-ordinators and Webmasters. Rules for branch governance including the process for elections at the branch AGM are prescribed in the branch constitution.

Getting involved with your branch can mean as much or as little time as you can spare. You could help support the administration of the branch, help to organize events, or offer your time as a speaker to name a few activities. Volunteering can provide you with valuable development opportunities and help you get the most out of your membership; you will be involved with discussing issues faced by the industry at local, national, and international levels and help to promote a fire-safe world by joining a 400 strong volunteering network across the Institution.

Take your first step today by contacting your branch directly; they will discuss current activities and provide you with some information on how you can get involved. We have no doubt you will find it valuable and enjoyable. Find details of our branch here. 

The IFE is licensed by the Engineering Council to register suitably qualified and experienced fire engineers in accordance with its internationally recognized standards of professional competence (UK-SPEC). IFE’s licence currently enables us to register Chartered Engineers, Incorporated Engineers and Engineering Technicians. All volunteers to support these processes must be current registrants themselves. We currently register around 75 new registrants per year and you will join our existing team of around 50 volunteers in supporting the next generation of aspiring candidates who seek professional registration.

To find out more about becoming professionally registered click here.

Peer Reviewer/Interviewer

You will play a crucial role in determining candidate suitability for registration accessing their academic knowledge, understanding and experience against defined criteria. 

Our Ethics committee is a standing committee of the Board of Trustees. It oversees the conduct of members; promoting competency and ethical behaviours and ensuring accountability of the fire profession. The Ethics Committee Is responsible for the Code of Conduct and other ethical guidance and procedures. To volunteer within the ethics committee you must have been a member of the IFE for a minimum of three years and have a minimum of five years of industry experience.

As a committee member, you will undertake independent reviews of the ethical behaviour and conduct of those who hold membership with the IFE. You will promote awareness of the ethical standards expected of our members and provide guidance to ensure our standards remain relevant and robust.

The IFE is a member of the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council (FRACC) and was the first UK organisation to establish a register for Fire Risk Assessors and Auditors in response to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 legislation. The IFE Fire Risk Register Panel are responsible for maintaining admission standards and subsequent ongoing periodic reviews of registrants in order to uphold the competency and suitability of those carrying out fire risk assessments for life safety. In order to volunteer with the Panel, you must be an IFE registered assessor or auditor yourself plus be registered by the IFE as a Chartered Engineering, Incorporated Engineer or Engineering Technician.

To find out more about our Fire Risk Registers click here.

Peer reviewer

You will play a crucial role in determining candidate suitability for registration assessing their academic knowledge, understanding and experience against defined criteria.

Interviewer

Performing a similar role to reviewers, you will carry out a review of an applicant’s written submission and then their performance at the interview to make recommendations for a candidate’s suitability for registration.

Periodic Reviewer

As a Periodic Reviewer, you will use your expertise to review Fire Risk Assessments/Audits and CPD of existing registrants against IFE’s requirements to determine the suitability for continuing registration. 

Panel Member

Panel Members are responsible for ensuring our standards are maintained in line with current legislation and guidance, keeping pace with changes and contemporary issues within the sector. Panel members ensure that IFE’s guidance on the suitability of registration remains accurate and up to date.

The IGA supports the corporate strategy of the Institution, provides a forum to share experiences and development and provides a sounding board for new initiatives. The International General Assembly is made up of branch and SIG representatives. To volunteer to support the IGA, you must be elected by your branch or SIG through a formal democratic process. Please refer to your branch/SIG for more information.

Our Membership Application Assessment Panel (MAAP) Is responsible for providing independent reviews of applications for graded membership of the IFE, maintaining public trust and confidence of the fire engineering profession by upholding the admission criteria expected of prospective members. All volunteers to support this process must have obtained a Fellow grade membership themselves.  The MAAP reviews approximately 100 applications each month. 

Playing an integral part of the journey for someone to become a member of the IFE, you will review the applications that are submitted by prospective members or current members who are seeking to re-grade their membership. You will assess candidate’s knowledge and experience and make recommendation to be awarded membership; ensuring competence and confidence In the applicant’s declaration.

More than 6,500 examinations are taken around the world across two examination sittings each year. IFE is a recognised awarding organisation regulated by Ofqual. Volunteers support the efficient running of the examinations upholding the integrity and parity of standards across the qualifications and across examination sessions.

Within your field of specialism, you assist in question setting, ensuring the variety and level of difficulty is consistent with the syllabus related to the qualification. As a marker, you will use your specialist knowledge to accurately assess scripts submitted by candidates in accordance with detailed marking instructions. Please note these are currently UK-based roles only.

You play a key role in enabling candidates to access IFE examinations around the globe, following detailed guidance to ensure that the centre arrangements maintain the integrity of the examinations and that the conditions provide an equitable experience for all candidates. You will have regular contact with International HQ throughout the period to enable a smooth and secure examination session.

You will conduct centre visits to ensure that the requirements for managing the examination sessions are being observed as prescribed.

Invigilators are responsible for the conduct of the examination session, ensuring all regulatory requirements are adhered to. This will include ensuring appropriate seating arrangements, checking identity documents, making sure examinations run to time and under exam conditions and providing clear instructions to candidates etc.

Following the application process and deemed suitability, IFE awards formal recognition of training courses, training providers and educational programmes of study. Volunteers are selected to review courses and providers depending upon their subject matter expertise, qualifications and/or relevant employment experience.

As a Recognitions Reviewer, you will undertake the initial assessment of courses/training providers, conduct visits to assess the appropriateness and quality of the course content and the training provider to deliver the course and assist with the ongoing quality assurance checks via the programme of triennial review.

SIGs are a significant component of the IFE offering a forum for collaboration and knowledge development.

Our Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are led by like-minded volunteers sharing a common interest and expertise in a specific field of fire engineering who come together from practice, consultancy and academia to produce guides, codes of practice, seminars, contribute to consultations and provide a space to network and share ideas.

Current SIGs include:

• Façades
• Firefighter Safety
• Fire Investigation
• Fire Modelling
• Fixed Firefighting Systems
• Heritage Buildings
• Industrial Fire and Rescue
• Rescue Engineering
• Transport
• Retail, Distribution and Logistics

Every SIG is managed by a Chair, supported by a Steering Group and governed by approved terms of reference. Membership of a SIG is usually restricted to IFE members only. SIG work plans and activities are updated regularly; some of which can be accessed by logging into MyIFE. Each SIG appoints a representative to the Institution’s Technical Strategy Advisory Group.

o volunteer and support our SIGs, please apply through the route above. If you have an interest in forming a new SIG, are a non-member but would like to get involved or have any general questions, please contact us here.

The Technical Strategy Advisory Group (TSAG) serves as the steward and guiding influence for the Institution on all technical matters. The views and comments received from TSAG members and contributors are invaluable as they help to ensure that IFE’s strategic technical direction, responses and influences reflect the views of the membership and are informed by member’s practical experiences and expertise.

TSAG includes a steering group lead and is represented by each SIG, external committee representatives and subject matter experts. TSAG coordinates the activities of SIGs, peer reviews technical articles, contributes to guides, consultations, codes of practices, draft legislation, post Grenfell working groups in the UK and internationally and reports directly to the Board and the Institution’s Technical Director.