Diploma paves the way

This Issue This is a part of the Fire feature

By and - , Build 180

The new New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Fire Engineering) should help ensure a steady stream of fire engineering technicians entering the industry.

RECENT CATASTROPHIC FIRES have brought fire safety to the attention of the world in tragic ways. Recognising their importance, authorities have turned increasingly to fire engineers to ensure fire safety is incorporated into buildings from the planning and design stage right through to the final touches of construction.

Fills gaps in tertiary study

The need for fire engineers is clear, but the pathway to training for the profession has been unclear. In New Zealand, fire engineering qualifications were rare, with University of Canterbury’s Master of Engineering in Fire Engineering the only formal tertiary offering.

To undertake the master’s programme, students had to have completed a Bachelor of Engineering in another discipline, as fire engineering was not offered as an under-graduate option. It became clear that a fire engineering qualification was needed earlier on in the tertiary study path.

In 2017, experts from the Institution of Fire Engineers, Fire and Emergency New Zealand and the Fire Protection Association of New Zealand analysed industry requirements versus educational offerings. They found the best place to begin a tertiary pathway for fire engineering was at level 6.

Consultation with the Tertiary Education Commission, Manukau Institute of Technology and New Zealand Board of Engineering Diplomas began, and the New Zealand Diploma in Engineering (Fire Engineering) was established on the NZQA framework.

Offered through Open Polytechnic

Developed by learning designers and subject matter experts in January 2020, the diploma comprises core papers common to all engineering disciplines and six purpose-built fire courses covering:

  • engineering design practice
  • means of escape
  • fire dynamics
  • fire risk assessment and fire hazard analysis
  • fire safety systems – active
  • fire safety systems – passive.

Graduates will enter the workforce as engineering technicians with a solid understanding of the New Zealand fire safety industry.

Sprinkler and alarm technicians, IQPs and evacuation consultants are expected to enrol to gain formal qualifications in the industry they are already working in.

Pathway for school students

The diploma will also be accessible to school leavers wanting to gain a tertiary qualification before beginning their fire safety careers. It is a 2-year full-time programme or can be undertaken over 4 years as part-time study. Currently offered by Open Polytechnic, the course is an online distance-learning qualification, allowing students to study the diploma from wherever they are.

It is hoped that the diploma will be the first of a suite of tertiary fire engineering qualifications to be developed so 15-year-old secondary school students can see a pathway from NCEA level 1 science through to a master’s degree in fire engineering.

For more

Further information on the course is available at www.openpolytechnic.ac.nz.

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