The FireNZ committee consisting of Fire Protection Association, IFE and SFPE representatives has started meeting. I am representing the SFPE. We meet weekly from now till the conference to ensure everything runs smoothly.
This year the event will be held in Auckland again at the same venue (ASB events centre) from the 11th - 13th October. Next year the event will be held at another city subject to the right venue being available on the right dates.
The theme for the conference this year is “The beginning of a new era”.
Graphics are being put together at the moment then a call for papers will go out.
If you have any ideas for speakers and topics please let me know.
The early bird registration for the conference ends on 11th September then it is $100 extra.
The site visits this year are Glenbrook Steel mill emergency response Auckland Airport crash services which will offer great insights into emergency responses. Places are very limited for these visits so be in quick to secure a booking.
The IFE seminar on the first day which is open to all attendees will be given by Dr Rich Gassaway on situational awareness for fire fighters. While not specificlly aimed at Fire Engineers it will provide invaluable insights into human behaviour when dealing with complex stressful situations.
A couple of international speakers worth watching out for are
James Antell - Vice President International Developments for Jensen Hughes. He will be talking about high rise fire safety. His high rise projects include Petronas Towers, Jin Mao tower, Shanghai World Financial Centre, Burj
Khalifa, Wuhan Greenland Tower and Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Dr Tony Enright who many of you will know will bring valuable insights on the use of combustible cladding and lessons learned from the Melbourne Lacrosse tower fire.
The early bird registration for the conference ends on 11th September (next Monday) then it is and $100 extra. Early bird gives you the three days for the price of 2 days. Don’t miss out on what will be another great conference.
The first day options Site visits to Glenbrook Steel Mill emergency response or Auckland Airport crash services which will offer great insights into how private companies address life safety and property protection on large complex sites. Places are very limited for these visits so be in quick to secure a booking.
The IFE seminar on the first day which is open to all attendees will be given by Dr Rich Gassaway on “Situational Awareness for Fire Fighters”. While not specifically aimed at Fire Engineers it will provide invaluable insights into human behaviour when dealing with complex stressful situations.
Day 2 and 3
A couple of key speakers to look out for are:
Tim Warren FICE, MIPENZ talking on changing the construction industry mindset. There is a strong move to design and build better buildings and Tim’s company is actively involved in leading that change. From a fire engineering perspective we know that our lives would be much easier and lower our liabilities if buildings were built as we intended them to be built.
Tim O’brien CPEng, MIPENZ will be talking about the challenges of designing the fire engineering design for a enclosed botanic garden in Oman.
Also not shown on the program yet SFPE are organising a TEDx style event on the Friday. "SFPEx, Emerging young professionals, Ideas worth spreading" with 6 young Fire Engineering professionals presenting short presentations on topics of interest.
This year there is a Linkedin Page. This will be used to load up the conference program each morning of the conference so if you leave your program at home its simple, just use the LinkedIn app on your phone or tablet to check out the days program.
You will find the LinkedIn page here FireNZ Conference or you can search for it using the key words FireNZ Conference.
A couple of international speakers worth watching out for are
James Antell - Vice President International Developments for Jensen Hughes. He will be talking about high rise fire safety. His high rise projects include Petronas Towers, Jin Mao tower, Shanghai World Financial Centre, Burj
Khalifa, Wuhan Greenland Tower and Kingdom Tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Dr Tony Enright who many of you will know will bring valuable insights on the use of combustible cladding and lessons learned from the Melbourne Lacrosse tower fire.
Some local speakers worth listening to are
Priya Parag, Ivana Paunovic – Beca - Igniting a new generation of fire engineers
Daryn Glasgow – Beca - Stairwell protection in tall buildings
Dr Geoff Thomas – Vic Uni - Fire Safety in aftermath of earthquakes and other disasters
And don’t forget or Inaugural TEDx style event starting 10.45 am Friday SFPEx Emerging Professionals - Ideas Worth Spreading. with quick fire topics from our emerging professionals covering FDS modelling of stair pressurisation | Modelling smouldering fires in apartments | Fire alarm systems from a Fire Service Operational Perspective | Occupant loads using sliding doors | The case for alternative solutions | Structural fire protection of steel vs concrete.
Also the SFPE AGM will be on the Thursday starting 5.15 pm.
The keynote speaker for the evening will be Rebecca Wood who is a member of the World Champion Black Ferns (Rugby).
Also there is likely to be a prize draw for wveryone who has become a follower of the Firenz Conference page on Linked. Search Firenz Conference then select follow to be in to win.
FireNZ Delegates would you like to be at FireNZ 2018 for free next year ?
Well here is how, simply follow FireNZ Conference and while FireNZ 2017 is on simply take a photo of a speaker or an exhibitor and post with a comment on Linkedin and use the following tag FireNZ Conference
We will draw one person at the end of FireNZ 2017 and they will be awarded with free full registration for FireNZ 2018 including the Gala dinner.