Creating joy with fire engineering
"I help to create safe, sustainable, functional, efficient, and joyful buildings and spaces for the community. It’s a privilege as a career."
Name: Marianne Foley
Job: Principal Fire Safety Engineer
Company: Arup
What do you love about your job?
Working with smart, engaged people, solving tricky problems, developing innovative design solutions. I love that we create tangible things - I can walk up to a building I have helped design and touch it. You don’t get that in many professions.
How did you get started as an engineer?
First, I did a degree at University of Leeds studying fuel and energy engineering. I then earned my PhD in Fire Safety Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.
How does your work make a difference to peoples’ lives?
Fire engineering affects almost everything in a design team, as well as building users, owners and operators, and emergency services. Everything from the layout of a building to materials used, to how people can get to safety in a fire. This means that what we do can impact on many aspects of how a building or spaces works both day to day and in an emergency.
I help to create safe, sustainable, functional, efficient, and joyful buildings and spaces for the community. It’s a privilege as a career.
What was the last exciting project you worked on?
Fire engineers get to work on lots of projects at the same time, which is fun. I am currently working on a metro rail line, a hospital, data centres, a new theatre building, university buildings, a museum, and more. I have just finished working on Australia's first new airport in over 60 years, which was very exciting.
What advice would you give a young person who was considering engineering as a future career?
If you enjoy problem solving, definitely consider engineering. There are lots of different types and skills needed. It’s not the stereotypical ‘sitting in a corner solving mathematical problems’ that often gets portrayed.
With all the challenges the world is facing right now, we need people who can solve challenging problems, and that’s engineers.
Also, engineering leads to a wide range of jobs, so spend time researching what they might be and what interests you rather than be pushed in a narrow direction.
What skills and personal qualities are important for being an engineer?
Curiosity, willingness to think hard, good ethics, ability to collaborate, and good communication skills really help. A sense of humour too!