Whilst being a Building Control officer I developed an interest in fire safety, not because I liked starting fires, but because I felt great satisfaction in ensuring that a building was safe to use. From this enthusiasm, I began to study a Fire Safety Engineering degree at Central Lancashire University. On graduating I decided that my future was in fire safety consultancy. I joined Hoare Lea in 2002 and I am currently responsible for focusing on using modern techniques to examine smoke development, people movement and structural response. I was invited to join the partnership in 2007.