FOCUS

Making buildings fire safe

These services involve the team providing expert opinion in building defects, postfire investigation, insurance claims and combustible cladding legal matters.

“An expert witness can be required in legal matters to assist the Court in making a decision on a claim,” says Knorr. “Our experienced team is well versed in Code of Conduct and confidentiality requirements when it comes to litigation and expert reports to streamline an effective resolution.”

Trending fire hazards

Regarding combustible cladding, Knorr says it is a major issue currently being investigated by governments and professionals worldwide. Combustible cladding is generally installed to external building façades, with certain types burning rapidly if they catch alight. The installation of combustible aluminium composite panels and combustible insulation to form external façades has caused large fires in Australia and the world.

“Combustible cladding has affected many apartment owners, because it makes it near impossible to sell their property,” says Knorr. “Whilst updated legislation has prohibited combustible cladding on new developments, existing installations can be subjected to risk assessments.

“We have been engaged to assess risks associated with combustible cladding that has been installed on certain buildings and offer risk mitigation methods.”

Further, the use of lithium batteries is the latest hazard affecting the fire safety of buildings. Knorr says the danger of lithium batteries is extensive, being in nearly every chargeable battery from laptops and cars to smoke detectors. “Personally, I think this is a bigger challenge because the combustible cladding is just on the exterior of the building,” she says.

“But lithium batteries are regularly located inside the building, meaning dire consequences should they cause a fire – and we can’t control what people keep inside their apartments, so we have a huge challenge in front of us trying to figure out a solution.”

The bigger picture

Although using the services of a fire safety engineer is optional, in the sense that a builder can develop a design that follows the prescriptive measures of the BCA, Knorr says it’s beneficial to engage a fire expert early.

“Fire safety engineers can help save lots of money, particularly in bigger projects that are being planned,” says Knorr. “Without us, a project could be priced and tendered, then later down the track in the middle of construction, issues could arise.”

“Then, they find they need to get a fire safety engineer in retrospectively, which is obviously not ideal – it’s just an additional cost that hasn’t been accounted for and further delays the project.”

When engaged early, CJK Fire & Safety can advise on options to overcome compliance hurdles before they arise.

Providing advice for graduates looking for a role in fire safety engineering, Knorr says the most important aspect is being interested in the subject. There are unlimited resources for self-studies and further education in the field.

“It’s an interesting job and it’s versatile,” she says. “You gain insight into a diverse range of projects, you get to design and work with computer modelling, and it never gets boring.”

Many engineering consultancies are currently looking for graduate engineers, and to enter the field of fire safety, the graduate engineer can be from any field including mechanical, chemical and structural.

One of the latest projects Knorr has started working on, under the name ‘CJK Fire & Safety Education’, is an education platform offering online courses for the wider construction industry, and property and legal professionals. She says many of the issues currently being problematic in the industry are because of lack of knowledge.

“It begins with building users when they don’t know what to do when there’s a fire or what equipment they’ve got available, and we also find some architects and even certifiers are not experienced with certain aspects of fire safety,” she explains.

“The goal is to develop a solid educational platform for people to be able to refer back to, find topics of interest, and work on professional development.”

It is also a place where professionals can collect Continual Professional Development (CPD) points for currency.

Knorr is a shining example of the opportunities that arise from a commitment to, and passion for, the fire safety engineering profession. Not only has she built a successful business that services projects Australia wide, but she also sits on the Engineers Australia Committee in Queensland and on two external advisory committees at the Western

Sydney University. She is an examiner for the Engineers Australia Chartered Engineers assessment process and a guest lecturer at the UNSW Edge Construction Law Intensive. For several years Knorr has been representing fire safety engineering at conferences, summits and seminars, sharing the necessary technical knowledge to a broader audience.

With Knorr heading the business, the CJK Fire & Safety team continues to be recognised throughout the construction industry for their fast turn-over of projects, excellent customer service and personalised approach.