Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008 - (Page 41)

»» We often hear or talk about formal mentoring programs. These programs are touted as employee benefits and advertised in recruiting campaigns. What does mentoring mean in the context of fire protection engineering? And how is a mentoring program put in place to achieve the professional development goals needed for success? The challenge with creating a mentoring program for fire protection engineers lies in the fact that there are so many different areas in which fire protection engineers can practice or specialize. One of the keys is developing the mentoring program around the career development interests of the individual—the program needs to be flexible and provide opportunities for exposure to people knowledgeable in a broad range of practice areas. When we think and talk about mentoring programs, we usually are talking about new graduates and younger engineers. The learning process is lifelong and learning from others can be one of the fastest ways to learn. Fire protection engineering careers There are a number of different business paths in fire protection engineering. A 2006 Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) survey ranks the business areas where fire protection engineers work, in order of the number of survey respondents as: • Consulting • Government • Insurance • Industry • Fire equipment manufacturing and installation • Education • Research. Having a mentor early in a career plays a significant factor in finding a rewarding career path. The roles of the fire protection engineer vary significantly between businesses. In the engineering professions, those wanting to earn engineering licensure often undergo a forced mentorship. Those individuals typically are required to gain experience under the supervision of an engineer who is licensed already. While this relationship between the engineer- in-training and the supervising engineer is one that must be documented, there are other mentoring relationships that can be developed to enhance learning and the success of the mentee. There also are many career paths in fire protection engineering that don’t require licensure. However, from a career potential perspective, it is hard to deny the benefit of professional licensure. The SFPE 2007 Profile of Fire Protection Engineers report indicates that having a PE license commands an average 20% salary premium. When we think of mentoring engineers, the tendency is to focus on the technical aspects of the profession. While the technical aspects are critical, other areas, including technical, should get attention: • Technical and engineering judgment • Professionalism • Ethics • Client service and interpersonal skills. Arguably, there could be a laundry list of areas for focus in fire protection engineering mentoring programs. Technical Fire protection engineers have diverse opportunities to work in the technical field. For example, the Principles and Practice exam for fire protection engineers crosses a broad range of areas: 1. Fire protection analysis: This includes hazard, risk, and economic analysis; and codes and standards, test methods, and data interpretation. 2. Fire protection management: This includes design limitations and facility/ system management. 3. Fire science and human behavior: This includes fire dynamics such as fire growth, combustion, smoke behavior, and heat transfer; and human response such as people movement, response to fire cues, and dynamic egress. 4. Fire protection systems: This includes water-based suppression such as hydraulics, water supply and distribution; special hazard systems such as design, application, personnel safety, and control; fire detection and alarm such as design, components, performance, survivability, and interaction with other building systems; Consulting-Specifying Engineer • MARCH 2008 41

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Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008 Contents Viewpoint Letters News M/E Roundtable Grade A HVAC When UPS and Gensets Have Issues Ignite Opportunities To Mentor Fire Protection Engineers Cooling People, Not Buildings Codes & Standards Case Study New Products Equipment Lifecycles Advertiser Index Green Space Pure Power Supplement Edison Institute Honors Recovery Efforts Canada Launches Clean Energy Software Climate Change Drives Increased Investment Critical Power for R&D Heating Calculations for Electrical Duct Bank Submetering for Energy Profiling New Products

Consulting-Specifying Engineer - March 2008

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