Please introduce yourself, describe your role or position within your current workplace and an overview of your responsibilities.
I’m Dean Morris and I currently work as a Director of a multi-disciplinary fire consultancy company offering specialist fire safety and fire engineering services. My day-to-day role is really varied, which is one of the things I enjoy most about the job. I’m fortunate enough to have worked worldwide (122 countries and counting!), along with some of the most well-known and historic buildings in the UK.
Please explain your volunteer role and what inspired you to become an IFE volunteer?
I’m currently President of the IFE Southern Branch, Chair of the Early Careers Networking Group, part of the marking team for IFE exam papers and also review applications for the IFE Risk Assessor Register.
What inspired me to volunteer was wanting to give something back to the industry, particularly to the people who don’t always have the same opportunities in life. Throughout my career, a lot of people helped and supported me, and I’ve always felt it was important to do the same for others coming into the profession. I’m also passionate about improving standards across the fire industry and helping people develop their knowledge and confidence.
What do you find most enjoyable about being an IFE volunteer?
The thing I enjoy most about volunteering with the IFE is helping people progress. Whether that’s supporting someone through professional registration, running training events, or mentoring people early in their careers, it’s really rewarding seeing others grow in confidence and succeed. I also enjoy bringing people together across different areas of the fire sector. Through the Early Careers Networking Group, we created a free 2 year training programme that has seen thousands of people attending. It’s great knowing that something you helped build is genuinely benefiting the wider industry.
How does being part of the IFE volunteering community benefit you (i.e. career, personally)?
Being part of the IFE volunteering community has benefited me massively, both professionally and personally. From a career perspective, it’s helped me build relationships with people from all areas of the fire sector, from firefighters and fire engineers to regulators and consultants. I’m a big believer in communication being an important skill and actually meeting people and talking to them is so important. It’s also given me opportunities to develop leadership and communication skills that I probably wouldn’t have gained as quickly otherwise. Personally, it’s given me a real sense of purpose and pride. The fire industry can be challenging at times, but being surrounded by passionate people who genuinely want to improve fire safety keeps you motivated and constantly learning.
What skills, insights or knowledge have you gained through volunteering?
Volunteering has helped me develop a huge range of skills. Leadership and public speaking are probably the biggest ones, especially through chairing groups and delivering training sessions. I’ve also gained a much broader understanding of the industry as a whole by working with professionals from different backgrounds and specialisms. Reviewing professional applications has improved my understanding of competency standards and what good practice looks like across the sector. On top of that, it’s reinforced the importance of collaboration, communication and continuous professional development within fire safety.
How do volunteers like you help shape the future of fire safety?
Volunteers play a really important role in shaping the future of fire safety because a lot of the industry development comes from people giving up their own time to improve standards, share knowledge and support others. Whether it’s mentoring the next generation, contributing to industry guidance, reviewing competency standards or organising training and networking events, volunteers help drive positive change across the profession. I think the future of fire safety depends heavily on collaboration and knowledge sharing, and volunteers are a massive part of making that happen.