The Building Safety Act created demand for fire engineers that the profession simply cannot meet. Projects are being delayed, costs are soaring, and unqualified people are filling the gap.. The Numbers Don't Lie The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) estimates that the UK has approximately 800 practising fire engineering consultants . The Building Safety Act 2022, with its Gateway process, competence requirements, and safety case obligations, has created demand for an estimated 3,000 . The gap is 2,200 fire engineers — and it's growing. The Demand Explosion Gateway 2 applications each require 200 400 hours of fire engineering input Safety case reports for existing HRBs require specialist fire engineering assessment EWS1 assessments continue to require qualified fire engineers Competence verification under BSI Flex 8670 requires fire engineering expertise FRS consultation — fire services are referring more applications for fire engineering review The Consequences Are Already Here Project Delays Average wait time for fire engineering consultancy: 14 20 weeks (pre BSA: 4 6 weeks) Gateway 2 preparation time has increased by 35% due to consultant availability Some developers are delaying projects entirely until fire engineering resource is available Cost Inflation Fire engineering fees have increased by 85% since 2022 Average fire strategy cost for an HRB: £180,000 (2021: £95,000) Emergency fire engineering support: £350/hour (2021: £185/hour) This cost is ultimately passed to homebuyers and tenants The Competence Gap Unqualified individuals are marketing themselves as 'fire consultants' Fire risk assessments are being conducted by people without adequate training Some Gateway 2 submissions are prepared by engineers who aren't competent for HRBs The BSR is seeing this in rejection rates — 68% of submissions are inadequate Why Don't We Have More Fire Engineers? The Pipeline Problem Only 4 UK universities offer MSc programmes in fire engineering Total annual graduates: approximately 60 80 per year It takes 8 10 years to progress from graduate to fire engineering consultant At current graduation rates, it will take 28 years to close the gap The Retention Problem Fire engineering salaries lag behind structural and mechanical engineering Average salary: £52,000 (structural: £58,000, mechanical: £55,000) Senior fire engineers are being recruited internationally — brain drain Burnout rates are increasing due to workload pressure The profession is 87% male — failing to attract diverse talent What Must Happen Immediate (0 2 years) 1. International recruitment — fast track visa process for qualified fire engineers 2. Salary benchmarking — fire engineering must pay competitively 3. Conversion courses — enable mechanical/structural engineers to cross train 4. Retired fire engineers — incentive programmes to bring back experienced professionals 5. Technology — AI and automation to increase productivity of existing engineers Medium term (2 5 years) 6. Expand university programmes — from 4 to 10+ institutions 7. Apprenticeship routes — Level 6/7 fire engineering apprenticeships 8. Bursary schemes — funded places for underrepresented groups 9. International accreditation — mutual recognition with overseas qualifications 10. Schools outreach — fire engineering as a career option for STEM students Magnus Opifex is actively recruiting and developing the next generation of fire engineers. Interested in a career in fire engineering? Contact us.