The University of Edinburgh celebrates a significant milestone: the 50th anniversary of its pioneering fire safety engineering education program. In 1974, The University became the first in the world to offer a Master’s degree in Fire Safety Engineering, marking the beginning of a legacy that has influenced fire safety practices and research worldwide.

The anniversary celebration, held on May 23, 2024, at Surgeons’ Hall in Edinburgh, brought together around 70 attendees. The event was a testament to the legacy and continued relevance of The University of Edinburgh’s fire safety engineering program. It also underscored the importance of continued research and education in fire safety, particularly in light of new challenges and technologies.

Over the past 50 years, The University of Edinburgh’s fire safety engineering program has educated over 2000 students and graduated 99 PhD students. The department’s research has produced innumerable influential papers, contributing significantly to the global understanding and advancement of fire safety engineering.

The anniversary event, inspired by David Rasbash's inaugural lecture "New Variation on an Old Theme," featured a series of talks on the theme of "Fifty Years." Esteemed speakers with world-leading expertise shared their insights, continuing the tradition of excellence that the program is known for.

Several notable figures integral to the program and its evolution attended the event. Among them was Prof José Torero, a member of the FRISSBE Advisory Board. During his tenure at The University of Edinburgh, Prof Torero, along with colleagues, revitalized the MSc program in Structural Fire and co-founded the International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering (IMFSE) program in collaboration with the Universities of Ghent and Lund. The University of Edinburgh is a part of this program, and FRISSBE recently became an affiliated partner. Additionally, Prof Bart Merci, Senior Full Professor at Ghent University and the PhD supervisor of Martin Veit from FRISSBE, currently serves as the Director IMFSE program.

Prof Grunde Jomaas, the ERA Chair holder of the FRISSBE project, served as Professor and BRE Chair of Fire Safety Engineering at The University of Edinburgh from 2016 to 2022. Dr Ulises Rojas, a Senior Researcher with the FRISSBE project, also has ties to The University, having completed his PhD there and served as a post-doctoral researcher.

During the event, Prof Grunde Jomaas met with Dr Agustin Majdalani and Dr Wolfram Jahn from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, both of whom completed their PhDs at Edinburgh. This interaction revealed the collaborative spirit between the two institutions, facilitated by a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).