Our Fire Engineers

FDS Consult UK’s dedicated team of Fire Engineering Consultants provide leading fire engineering solutions to meet our client’s requirements, ensure maximum fire safety and adhere to relevant fire safety regulations.

Our Fire Engineer’s commitment to providing high-quality, efficient fire safety consultancy is what sets us apart. We’re not only good at what we do; we are deeply passionate about it too.

Qualified Fire Engineering Consultants

With decades of experience and a vast array of prestigious clients, our fire engineering team are the best in their field. Each of our consultants is qualified and experienced in fire engineering with the ability to offer you the best fire safety solution for your development. At FDS Consult UK, all our fire safety consultants are fully committed to our innovative, ‘out of the box’ approach to fire safety, ensuring that they only deliver the best results for all of our clients.

This can-do approach to the job means that all of our fire safety consultants work tirelessly to build and integrate any fire safety designs into a building, without disturbing the vision of the architect or client. We take this dedicated and bespoke approach to all of our projects because we believe that being safe shouldn’t have to come at a cost. Great designs and practical fire safety solutions can work together in harmony.

Working hard for you

Our, hardworking, fire safety consultants will ensure that they know the ins and outs of your building before they start to create a safety solution that’s right for your requirement. We take into consideration aesthetics, physical structure, function, end users and surroundings before designing an appropriate fire strategy.

FDS Consult UK’s Fire Safety Consultant’s will be available to help you every step of the way and can offer guidance and professional, in-depth advice, whenever it is needed.

Whether your building is already standing or is in the planning stage, we will never stop working to make sure it not only meets but exceeds every fire safety regulation relevant to the build.

Call today, to speak with one of our team of Fire Safety Consultants about your project. We’re here to help make your project a success.

Meet our Fire Engineers

Granville Harris

Director of Consultancy

After completing 30 years’ service with the London Fire Brigade, which included 8 years with the Fire Engineering Group and head of the London Olympics 2012 Fire Safety Team, Granville joined the commercial fire engineering world in 2013, before joining FDS Consult in 2016.

He is currently the Director of Consultancy at FDS Consult UK with a role which features: –

  • Project lead on major residential, educational and commercial developments, (i.e., project inception through to final handover – RIBA Stages 2 – 6), cost budgeting for the projects and staff development,
  • Oversight and support to the senior engineers and mentoring of graduate and junior fire engineers;
  • Peer reviewer for the senior and junior engineers for their own projects.

His specialties include: CFD Modelling, residential and car-park smoke control and clearance systems, Fire Engineering for RIBA Stages 2 – 6, external wall analysis and EWS1 / FRAEWS, mentoring and staff development.

CEng: Chartered Engineer with Institute of Chartered Engineers

MSc Fire and Explosion Engineering: University of Leeds

BEng (Hons) Fire Engineering: University of Central Lancashire

MIFireE: Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers

Dave Sibert

Technical Director

David Joined Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service in 1982 as an operational firefighter and progressed working as a fire safety enforcement officer and a role in the Fire Safety Technical Support Deportment.  David Graduated from South Bank University in 2000 with an honours degree in Fire Safety Engineering.

David became an Associate Fire Engineer at a small practice in Nottinghamshire before joining the Fire Protection Association as a Trainer and Technical Consultant.  In 2008 David was appointed National Fire Safety Advisor to the UK’s Fire Brigades’ Union.  This role involved contributing to countless committees in the fire safety industry; not least of which were British Standard Committees responsible for BS 7974 and the BS 999X standards.

In 2018 David returned to the Fire Protection Association as Head of the Fire Research and Testing Laboratory.  This role involved the supervision of bespoke fire testing as well as a BS 8414 façade testing programme.  David signed off BS 8414 test reports and BR 135 classification reports.

Prior to joining the FDS in 2021, David spent some time working for fire risk assessment companies managing large fire risk assessment contracts and delivering fire strategies.

In his spare time, David enjoys riding motorcycles both on and of road and tours Europe (and beyond) when the opportunity allows.

BEng(Hons) Fire Safety Engineering:
South bank University
GIFireE:
Graduate of the Institute of Fire Engineers

Linx Govender

Associate Director

Linx started his engineering career as a mechanical engineer in Johannesburg where he spent six years as a senior mechanical engineer for a power generation utility. He started his fire engineering career when he joined Limerick City Fire Brigade for two years as a Fire Officer in their fire engineering division. Thereafter he joined a niche fire consultancy firm providing bespoke solutions for commercial developments. Linx returned to Cape Town for six years in the role of the principal fire engineer for an industrial EPC involved with sub-Saharan power generation and petrochemical projects. He returned to the London to join the FDS team. He has about eight years of experience as a senior fire consultant handling residential, mixed-use and commercial developments across Ireland and the United Kingdom.

Linx is an outdoor enthusiast who enjoys camping and hiking. He is a keen volleyball player and competes in his local veteran’s league. When he has free time, he enjoys tinkering on his old Land Rover.

PGDip Fire Safety Engineering:
University of Ulster, Belfast

BTech Mechanical Engineering:
Technikon Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

AIFireE:
Associate Member of the Institute of Fire Engineers

Robert Pryor

CFD Team Leader

Robert is currently the CFD Team Leader at FDS Consult (UK) Ltd. His role includes overseeing a team of CFD Engineers, providing suitable technical expertise and support. In addition, he serves as the key point of contact to clients with matters relating to CFD. Robert joined FDS as a CFD Engineer before progressing into his current role.

Robert’s academic background includes studies at both the University of Southampton and the University of Hertfordshire, where he achieved a Master’s degree in Race Car Aerodynamics and an Undergraduate degree in Aerospace Engineering.

Outside of the office, Robert can often be found either on playing football or on the golf course. He is also an avid Formula 1 fan, having attended multiple race weekends across Europe.

MSc Race Car Aerodynamics;
University of Southampton

BEng (Hons) Aerospace Engineering:
University of Hertfordshire

Stephen Pickup

Senior Fire Engineer

Stephen Pickup is a qualified fire safety professional with a diverse skill set and vast experience in Firefighting, Fire Risk Assessments, Retrospective Fire Strategies and Fire Engineering.

After 10 years working as a Firefighter and Crew Manager in the London Fire Brigade, Stephen has provided fire safety consultancy on a wide range of premises types in existing developments and also throughout the various stages of the RIBA Plan of Work.

MIFSM:
Member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers

GIFireE:
Graduate member of the Institute of Fire Engineers.

Hassan Almousa

Graduate Fire Engineer

Hassan has obtained a qualified course from ROSPA in regard to evacuation and fire safety as well as an IOSH certificate whilst at university. His passion for fire safety led him to actively contribute to his local community by volunteering as a welfare officer at a local volleyball club for two years, showcasing his commitment to community well-being. Hassan has graduated in June 2022, he wasted no time in joining the esteemed team at FDS Consult as a graduate fire engineer, where he continues to make a significant impact.

Outside of work, Hassan is an accomplished public speaker since the age of 9 which is an important part of his live. He possesses a deep love for traveling and exploring new destinations. Additionally, Hassan actively participates in volleyball to be a player and serves as the secretary of the Moss Side Volleyball Club (MSVC) in Manchester.

 

 

BEng (Hons) Fire Engineering:
University of Central Lancashire

AIFireE:
Associate Member of the Institution of Fire Engineering

IOSH Certificate

Shehab Abougamrah

CFD Engineer

Shehab is a highly skilled and ambitious CFD Engineer with a proven track record of success in Fire Engineering. With 5 years of expertise in Computational modelling, numerical analysis has been mastered by Shehab as result. Shehab possesses a deep understanding of Fluid Dynamics and Solid Mechanics Principles, as he graduated with a 1st class Master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from University College London (UCL) allowing him to effectively analyse the robustness of a smoke control system and visualise the smoke dynamics. Shehab is committed to delivering exceptional results and has a passion for Fire Engineering.

When Shehab is not modelling or completing reports, he enjoys football as a spectator or a player, along with swimming and listening to music.

BEng Mechanical Engineering:
1st class – Kingston University

MSc Mechanical Engineering:
1st class – University College London

IMECHE
(Eligible but not registered)

Raahim
Mahmud

Graduate Fire Engineer

Raahim has a passion for how buildings, structures, towns, and cities are made and maintained. During university, Raahim completed a 2-week internship as a Trainee Interior Designer as well as continuing his passion for football by becoming a Junior Football Referee. 

After finishing university, Raahim worked as a Graduate Building Surveyor. Raahim’s day-to-day activities included carrying out a variety of surveys, including condition surveys of Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) and measured surveys at West Suffolk Hospital. Assessing against pre-defined degradation metrics (cracking, crazing, deformation, hollow damage, and water damage). Prior to joining FDS, Raahim completed another 6-week internship as a Graduate Party Wall Surveyor. Shadowing surveyors on site, carrying out Land Registry searches, and recording schedules of Conditions with their bespoke inspection reporting system.

 

BEng Civil Engineering:
Notting Trent University

Affiliate Individual 
Institute of Fire Engineers

Xue Er
Ng

CFD Engineer

Xue Er, a part-time CFD Engineer, has experience in numerical modelling, data analysis and High-Performance Computing (HPC). Her educational background has equipped her
with expertise in CFD-related software, including PyroSIM, OpenFOAM, and Pointwise. Meanwhile, she is familiar with programming languages such as FORTRAN and C++. This knowledge, combined with her practical experience, enables Xue Er to make critical judgements and independently solve technical
problems, greatly benefiting the CFD team.

In terms of academic
achievements, her Ph.D. is fully funded by Cranfield University. In her Master’s program, she earned an award from the university for being a runner-up for the International Aviation Women’s Association (IAWA). Additionally, Xue Er received the Excellent Student Progression Award during her undergraduate studies. These achievements underscore her dedication to academic studies and her commitment to advancing in the CFD field.

PhD Fluid-Structure Interactions:
Cranfield University (Present)

MEng Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) 
Cranfield University, 1st Class

BEng Mechanical Engineering 
Queen’s University Belfast, 1st Class

RAeS 
Member of the Royal Aeronautical Society

Kai
Dummetz

Fire Engineer

After graduating from the University of Hertfordshire with First Class Honours, Kai Joined the team at FDS Consult UK as a Graduate Fire Engineer. He is now a Fire Engineer in his third year at FDS with experience dealing with residential and commercial developments of various sizes. He has been responsible for producing Fire Statements and Fire Strategies and providing advice and support to clients through design and construction stages.

Outside of work, Kai is an avid traveller always looking to visit and explore new locations. He also enjoys hiking and attending live music events in his spare time.

 

BEng Mechanical Engineering:
1st class – University of Hertfordshire

Affiliate Member of the Institute of Fire Engineers