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FROM TIME to time, the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) receives enquiries concerning the status of membership qualifications, typically whether they are recognised by other academic or professional institutions. This issue was also raised at the IFE South African Branch Council meeting and annual general meeting (AGM) that I attended in September. The Branch has been working for some time to have IFE qualifications recognised by the South Africa Qualifications Authority (SAQA), which would render them acceptable by local professional bodies and, more importantly, employers.
IFE examinations or qualifications are held in very high regard in the fire engineering world but, for various reasons, we have not seen the need to seek formal recognition in existing qualifications systems. Some members have remarked that our attention has been diverted to the Engineering Council Division (ECD) level qualifications with alignment in the academic world, at the expense of those at MIFireE grade and below. I must reiterate it is in our interests that we address the needs of both ECD and broad church IFE members in order that there are personal development opportunities for all classes.
Over the years, we have cross-matched our examinations with other organisations and, as a result, certain courses or external qualifications have been deemed to satisfy the academic requirements of TIFireE, GIFireE and MIFireE grades. It must be pointed out that admission to membership is another issue, and that has to take into account competence-based initial professional development criteria.
Unlike general academic qualifications, for which there is established accreditation or mutual recognition procedures, formal recognition of IFE qualifications (non-ECD) is not as straightforward. The reason behind the request for recognition also varies slightly with Branches and local needs. As such, there has not been a set of outcomes that can be universally applied. There is obviously a need for us to continue pursuing this matter in the interests of different Branches and mobility of IFE qualifications.
An immediate question that comes up relates to ‘equivalent recognition’. Simply put, an institution may have accepted IFE qualifications as satisfying academic requirements to a certain level, but whether a third party would accept the equivalent is a different matter. A ready example is that the University of Central Lancashire accepts MIFireE as one of the admission criteria to its BEng programmes in fire engineering, apparently ranking it at a level of Higher Diploma. However, the university may not be in a position to give formal recognition to this effect and, even if it could, the result might not be ‘consumable’ to a third party such as SAQA.
Another slightly different example is the European Confederation of Fire Protection Associations (CFPA) qualifications. CFPA is a statutory body that recognises fire safety organisations in the European Union. The CFPA Europe Diploma, which enjoys Europe-wide recognition, also satisfies the academic requirements for membership of IFE at various levels. If someone holds IFE qualifications, however, it does not automatically entitle them to CFPA diploma status.
So, there is work to be done on the request from the South African Branch and from other members facing similar situations, but the prospect is not entirely bleak. In fact, an alternative route does exist and is gaining in popularity in the UK and Australia – the Engineering Council route for members to be recognised as Engineering Technician. Details of this can be found at www.ife.org.uk.
South Africa Branch event
The IFE South African Branch AGM and conference, held in Cape Town in September, was superbly organised, with the city’s executive major, Helen Zille, opening the conference.
One of the interesting issues discussed at the event was that the construction industry has failed to comply with the country’s National Building Regulations, which require a Certificate of Occupancy to be issued by the fire authority before a building is occupied. The Branch participated in pressurising the authorities to rectify the situation and has turned to the South African Insurance Association for support.
In addition, the Branch has been invited to be a member of a new organisation that advises the South African Local Government Authority on professional growth and recognition of community safety professions; it aims to promote new technologies, methods and management skills through education, training and conferencing.
I would like to congratulate Branch president John Khoza and his strong supporters, Andrew and Louise Greig, on a most successful event.
Charles Chu
FSDSM, CPM, BEng (Hons), CEng, FIFireE, FHKIE
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