President's Update

International President's Desk


July/August 2011

International President's Desk

H G Tay begins his year as international president this month. Here, he sets out his background in the fire sector and what lies ahead

AT THIS month's annual general meeting and international conference in Cardiff, I will take over from John Woodcock in the distinguished role of international president of the Institution. I am honoured and privileged to be the first Malaysian to serve as international president since the IFE was established in 1918.

I have been in the fire safety engineering profession for the last 33 years, since I graduated from the University of Edinburgh in 1978. Reminiscing about my time at university, I recall how we (the foreign students) were always startled by the one o'clock cannon firing above Edinburgh Castle whenever we walked along Princes Street. The other trademark of Edinburgh is, of course, the incredibly strong chilly wind that blows from the north. We used to carry umbrellas, not knowing that they would be completely defenceless against the infamous Scottish gales.

Life in Edinburgh was interesting and memorable. I spent three years studying a Bachelor of Science in Buildings degree at Heriot-Watt University, learning about building construction, material science, building services, structural design, construction management, accountancy, etc.

Following my first degree, I decided to continue my studies with a Master of Science degree in Fire Safety Engineering at the University of Edinburgh, as the two disciplines are interrelated and integrated.

Fire science

Learning how to build is important, but endeavours in areas of life safety and property protection are even more of a challenge. Hence I decided to undertake a postgraduate study in Fire Safety Engineering under Professor David Rasbash and Professor Dougal Drysdale. Under Professor Rasbash, I gained vast knowledge in fire science and the characteristics and behaviour of fire and smoke, while Professor Drysdale taught subjects such as chemical reactions of fire and combustion. Looking back, I realise that this was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

After returning home to Malaysia from Edinburgh, I served as a project engineer in a fire protection system corporation, a subsidiary of Harpers Gilfillan Pty Ltd, gaining a detailed insight into both active and passive fire system design.

Years later, I ventured into state-of-the-art modern software-based air-sampling smoke detection systems, when this technology was initially launched in Asia. Aspirating smoke detection system design requires a full understanding of smoke movement for effective and efficient fire detection, especially in high air-flow environments. The detection of fine smoke particles during the incipient stage of a fire, thereby raising a fire alarm, will effectively increase the available safe egress time.

Recognising the special application of fire engineering principles can effectively extinguish a fire, I started to introduce impulse fire extinguishing equipment that utilises minimum quantities of water for maximum fire extinguishing effect. Ultra-fine water droplets that travel with exceptional speed into the seat of fire not only remove heat energy required to support combustion but also prevent re-ignition. The main advantage of impulse technology is the non-destructive nature of the application that preserves evidence from the fire scene for subsequent fire investigation. I am currently providing a fire safety engineering consultancy service to corporate clients.

IFE moves

In 1996, I was requested by Dr Dato Soh Chai Hock to set up an IFE Malaysia Branch. Two meetings with George Almond resulted in the inauguration of the Branch in 1997 by Peter Holland in Kuala Lumpur, which was witnessed by the then Minister of Housing and Local Government in Malaysia.

Over the past decade, the IFE Malaysia Branch has been actively working with Government, quasi-government and other non-governmental organisations to promote fire engineering. During my tenure as president of IFE Malaysia, we signed a memorandum of understanding with the Standards and Industrial Research Institution, one of the country's standards writing organisations.

As your incoming international president, I will do my level best to continue the efforts of all past presidents in promoting fire engineering. In view of recent environmental incidents and developments, the theme during my presidential year will be 'Sustainability in the built-environment using fire engineering' and, indeed, this is the main focus of the Institution's international conference this month.

My thanks go to all the members, the Board of Directors, and head office staff for their continuous support, which I am sure to appreciate more than ever over the next 12 months. I would also like to thank Dato Wan Mohd Nor Ibrahim, president of the IFE Malaysia Branch, as well as the Malaysian Minister of Housing and Local Government, for their ongoing support for the Institution.

H G Tay FIFireE, BSc (Hons), MSc