Fire engineering

Independent fire engineering expertise for complex disputes
Fire safety issues are often among the most complex and high-risk aspects of construction disputes, involving questions of life safety, regulatory compliance and professional responsibility. Our fire engineering expert witness team provides clear, independent and technically robust opinion to help legal teams, clients and tribunals understand and resolve complex fire safety disputes.

We investigate fire safety issues, establish the relevant facts and communicate our findings through clear, well-reasoned expert evidence. Our role is to bring clarity to technically demanding and commercially significant matters, while maintaining the independence expected of an expert witness.

• Experience across fire safety, compliance and building delivery

  Our experts bring experience across fire engineering consultancy, Fire and Rescue Service enforcement, Building Control, fire research and testing, and construction. This breadth allows us to assess fire safety issues from several perspectives, including design intent, regulatory compliance, construction practice, testing evidence, operational management and real-world implementation.

  Our work spans residential, healthcare, commercial, education and public sector projects, including high-rise and mixed-use developments. We advise on fire engineering designs and fire strategies, external wall systems, compartmentation, means of escape, fire detection and suppression systems, and the interaction between fire safety measures and wider architectural and engineering design.

  As part of a multidisciplinary practice, we consider fire safety issues in their wider project context, including the interfaces with architecture, structure, building services and building surveying. This is particularly important where disputes involve building safety compliance, external wall remediation, higher-risk buildings or post-Grenfell legislation.

• Objective analysis of fire safety disputes

  We advise on disputes spanning regulatory compliance and legislation, fire engineering design and strategy, and professional negligence, through to construction products, testing and certification, external wall systems, cladding and façade performance. This extends to compartmentation, fire stopping, means of escape and evacuation strategies, detection, alarm and suppression systems, and material performance and fire safety remediation.

  Their assessment of the evidence is objective throughout, with independent opinions provided on compliance, causation, responsibility and the performance of construction products and systems. We consider the legislation, guidance and accepted fire engineering principles applicable at the relevant time, focusing our analysis on the issues that are genuinely material to the dispute.

• Clear reports and practical advice

  Clients instruct us for our combination of broad industry experience, objective judgement and clear communication. We translate complex fire safety issues into practical, authoritative expert evidence that can be understood by both technical and non-technical audiences.

  Whether providing early advice, reviewing expert reports prepared by others, preparing CPR Part 35-compliant reports or supporting formal proceedings, we deliver balanced, defensible fire engineering evidence that helps clients make informed decisions and navigate disputes with confidence.