About the IFE USA Branch

The Institution of Fire Engineers was founded in 1918 in the United Kingdom by a group of eight British chief fire officers. The mission statement they adopted at that meeting continues to guide the Institution in meeting the needs of its members and serving the interests of society:

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To promote, encourage, and improve the science and practice of Fire Engineering, Fire Prevention, and Fire Extinction, and all operations and expedients connected therewith, and to give impetus to ideas likely to be useful in connection with or in relation to such science and practice to the members of the Institution and to the community at-large.

The United States of America Branch continues the tradition of fire service leadership in promoting fire engineering established by the forward looking men who established the Institution decades ago and an ocean away. A similarly small group of fire service leaders met in Tulsa, Oklahoma in February 1996 to establish the branch. Today, our membership numbers more than 500 individuals from all parts of the country.

• The Institution has almost 60 branches worldwide which run seminars, 1 to 3 day conferences and have their own newsletters.
• The institution is in the process of forming Special Interest groups with a non-geographical basis.
• The Institution has over 11,000 members worldwide occupying positions of responsibility and influence in all aspects of the fire world. All members are awarded appropriate certificates to validate their status.
• The Institution conducts examination for its members in all countries where it has branches and even in those countries where there is a requirement but no established branch.
• The Institution provides and administers the forum for educational qualifications in the fire community, a network of universities and colleagues throughout the United Kingdom and other countries, and actively supports the Chair of Fire Engineering at the University of Central Lancashire.
• The B.Eng (Fire) degree at UCL has been accredited as fulfilling academic requirements for E.Eng status.
• The Institution provides its members with opportunities for Continuous Professional Development.
• The Institution provides each member with a copy of its professional bi-monthly publication, the Fire Engineering Journal published by its own company, Institution of Fire Engineers (Publications) Ltd. It maintains a stock of books of fire engineering topics and commissions and publishes new titles.
• The Institution now publishes "The International Fire Professional" Journal quarterly.
• The Institution accredits and validates courses of study and training for numerous outside educational bodies and training establishments.
• The Institution secures and administers bursaries, educational grants and scholarships on behalf of the Fire Service Research and Training Trust and for other organizations.
• The Institution actively encourages education and training in underdeveloped countries through its Traveling School.

USA Branch Constitution and Rules (pdf)1.78 MB

US Branch Mission and Goals