By: Waqas Heider, Parina Patel and Nick Swailes

Background

DFC has been coming to Edinburgh, en masse, for annual CPD, since 2018. In our first year, we had space to spread out in a small classroom. Since then, we’ve covered flame spread, timber, heat transfer, and structural fire engineering before this year’s deep dive to learn how much we don’t know about learning from disasters. Such has been our growth six years later, we barely have space in a gigantic, beautiful (and very 1970’s) lecture theatre. The size of our team definitely has changed, but why we come here hasn’t. This begs the question: why do we come here? It’s for all the following reasons:

• To learn from the best fire engineering teachers in the world;
• To see some real fire phenomena in reality in the lab;
• To get together as a team and enjoy the company of our colleagues;
• To debate the future needs of the company and the industry;
• Because we’re giant nerds!;
• To sit at the back and pretend we’re back at university and young again;
• To see the beautiful city of Edinburgh from all angles and at all times of day and night.

Theme and Learning – Day One

This year’s theme, “Design by Disaster: Learning Lessons from Past Failures”, offered an insightful perspective for exploring the fire safety industry. Our CPD was held in the facilities at the University of Edinburgh’s Fire Research Centre and was led by their team of talented academics.

The first session kicked off with Dr Angus Law, who delved into “Design by Disaster” reflecting on different examples of the reactive nature of the fire engineering industry and the concept of ‘new physics’. He spoke about the infamous King’s Cross fire in London and the trench effect phenomenon.  We also had the honour of meeting Prof. Dougal Drysdale, who has conducted extensive research on this topic.

The day continued with a session by Prof. Rory Hadden, who explored fire investigation techniques such as flow patterns, burn patterns, and their reliability in fire investigation. This was followed by a session from Prof. Luke Bisby, who discussed the Knowsley Heights fire. He explained how the studies following this incident led to changes in building regulation guidance documents, such as the inclusion of cavity barriers in rainscreen cladding systems and the exclusion of combustible insulation from buildings over 15 metres.

These CPD sessions were anything but passive lectures; they were interactive and filled with lively discussions, blending academic insights with industry perspectives. One of the highlights was the lab session, where we got hands-on experience. We were split into groups and tasked with the surprisingly tricky challenge of burning a chunk of margarine with a matchstick. Spoiler alert: margarine does burn, but it’s far harder than you might think!

Image: Lab session – burning margarine

We also conducted some fire tests to observe the trench effect in action. Three inclined surfaces were created: one with open-sided surfaces, the second with side walls but without additional fuel, and the third with side walls and fuel added to the side walls. We observed that fire spread was slowest on the open-sided surface, faster on the surface with side walls, and much more rapid where fuel was added to the side walls. This was primarily due to the hot gases becoming trapped along the trench floor and flowing upwards within the trench. These gases preheated the unburned fuel ahead and on the side walls, while radiative heat feedback from the walls further accelerated the burning of the fuel, creating a cycle of intensified fire spread.

Image: Lab session – trench effect

Socialising

2024’s Edinburgh visit started with a fascinating walking tour of Edinburgh led by our guide Peter who immersed us in its rich history and quirky facts about how Edinburgh transformed from a quaint town into the bustling city it is today.

It has become our tradition to hike up Arthur’s Seat for the first sunrise of our trip — an adventure some of us eagerly embraced again this year.

Before the official DFC dinner at the delicious Vittoria on the Bridge, a few of us couldn’t resist the temptation to explore various Scottish delicacies. Some tried haggis, others fried Mars bars (yes, and they loved it), and even macaroni cheese pie.

Image: Sunrise at Arthur’s Seat

Image: Edinburgh walking tour

Learning – Day Two

The second day kicked off with Dr Law discussing the inevitability of accidents in “Accidents Will Happen”. Despite all precautions, some accidents are bound to occur, but through stringent quality control, we can minimise their occurrence. Following Dr Law, Dr Zakary Campbell-Lochrie offered insights into care home fires, while Prof. Hadden addressed the critical roles that furniture and finishes play in influencing fire behaviour.

After the lecture sessions, it was time to roll up our sleeves again. We were presented with two armchairs – one of which we cut up and dismantled to examine the materials. Using our newfound knowledge, we had to identify the most flammable part of the chair and determine how to get it to burn completely, which we successfully did!

Image: Lab session – burning armchairs experiment

Key Takeaways and Reflections

The event closed with a thought-provoking session by Dr Law on “Interests, Victims and Power.” He emphasised how codes and regulations are often shaped by organisations with particular interests. When disasters happen, it’s usually the underprivileged who suffer the most. As fire engineers, we have a responsibility to “use our power” wisely and advocate for those without a voice. Neal Butterworth, one of our Directors, has since addressed this topic in his blog titled “Power to the People”.

Here are some Highlights from our Colleagues’ Experiences

“Attending the Edinburgh CPD event was like reliving my time at the University of Edinburgh as a master’s student. Frankly, it is always exciting to attend Prof Rory Hadden’s lab tutorials, as he never fails to bring the flame of curiosity for teaching fire physics and chemistry. All the lectures were informative and highlighted important issues facing the construction industry today.”  (Muneeb, 2024).

“I really enjoyed the Edinburgh trip – it was a great experience both professionally and personally. The technical lectures on furniture fires, the King’s Cross escalator fire, and the Mont Blanc tunnel fire were very informative. The fire lab demonstrations were like a live-action movie; watching furniture go up in flames for real was wild. Outside of work, the morning hike with the team was a fun way to start the day, and dinner at an Italian restaurant was a nice way to wind down. And, as always, Edinburgh was beautiful!” (Shiban, 2024).

“I have learnt (and unlearnt) more on our annual trips than I’m willing to admit to, but such is my journey to competence. What I do know is, and perhaps the best compliment I can pay is, that I end every year the same way – asking the team at the University what we’re learning next year! Bring on Edinburgh 2025.” (Nick, 2024).

“From a learning perspective, the University of Edinburgh provided great lectures on interesting topics and also visual demonstrations in the labs to back up the theory being taught. Outside of the learning environment, the event allowed for some really good socialising between colleagues from different offices, especially for some of the new starters. The Thursday of the trip was my highlight, as my day began with a walk up Arthur’s Seat in the morning to watch the sunrise, followed by a day of brilliant lectures and then an evening meal with the whole company. The event was a great success, and I very much look forward to attending next year.”  (Max, 2024).

“I found that the Edinburgh event was a good balance between socialising with colleagues and continuing my professional development. The lecturers were informative and engaging, providing a good opportunity to experience Edinburgh University and to hear talks delivered by some of the top professors and doctors in the UK. The short walking tour to explore the city was fun and informal, especially interesting for me as this was my first time visiting Edinburgh. We learnt a lot about the history of the city and how it has evolved over the centuries. In conclusion, the Edinburgh trip was a really good experience and an overall enjoyable time. I would love to attend next year and hope it will be as good as this year’s!” (Malachi, 2024).