IMFSE’s Summer Internship 2022 by Deonisius Aprisa and Gizelle Jamero

After two semesters of studying at two different universities, the first academic year comes to an end as the summer season starts. This presents a good opportunity for all the students to go on holidays and recharge their energy, go back home to visit friends and family, or get involved in summer internships at different companies all over Europe. Although not a mandatory part of our study, students are still eager in doing the summer internship to gain first-hand work experience in the fire safety industry. This year more than half of the 2021 cohort spent some of their summer working as an intern, either at a consultancy company or even at a research institute.

Here, we linked up with some of our friends to hear more about their summer internship experiences at different places. Since it’s possible for several students to undertake their internship at the same company, we grouped their responses based on the company where they worked.

Basler & Hoffman AG

Basler & Hoffman AG, established in 1963, is an international consulting company headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland. This summer Annachiara Nardone managed to secure a summer internship at this company.

1. How did you get your internship at Basler & Hoffman AG?
   • I got the internship through IMFSE’s collaboration with partner institutions.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about your duties during the summer internship?
   • Since I was involved in the fire engineering consultancy team, I worked on tasks that fire engineers do. I developed fire scenarios on building, then from there I also built fire dynamics models. Lastly, I was given the opportunity to do data sampling for fire risk analysis as well.
3. How did the tasks relate to your studies, and how is it beneficial to the master’s?
   • The tasks that I worked on were directly related to IMFSE’s study program, since it’s a real-world application of all the subjects we’ve learned during the first year.
4. What was the best part about your internship?
   • What I like the most about my internship is the practical experience that I got to work as a fire engineer. Moreover, there were always opportunities for a healthy debate and discussion with other colleagues to improve our knowledge.

Semper Fire Engineering Ltd

Semper Fire Engineering Limited is a fire engineering consultancy firm based in London, United Kingdom. Joel George, Shiban Ahmed, and Victoria Venceslau had the opportunity to work there as summer interns. Now, Joel is here to tell us about his experience.

1. How did you get your internship at Semper Fire Engineering?
   • I applied for the summer internship through IMFSE.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about your duties during the summer internship?
   • During my internship at Semper, I got hands-on experience on some of the ongoing engineering projects of the company and also worked on a research topic on external fire spread. My tasks involved developing fire strategies for different types of buildings, CFD simulation for a warehouse to assess the ASET and RSET, and also developing a model to predict the external structural steel temperature based on the Law method.
3. How did the tasks relate to your studies, and how is it beneficial to the master’s?
   • Most of my tasks involved the application of some of the theoretical principles learned through IMFSE. Also, the internship gave me exposure to the tasks of a fire engineer in a consultancy company.
4. What was the best part about your internship?
   • The internship was in London. It was a great experience to live and work in a city like London.

Jensen Hughes

Jensen Hughes is arguably one of the biggest fire protection engineering companies in the world. However, they have extended their coverage beyond the fire protection engineering field as well. The company has offices in North America, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and Australia. This year, a number of IMFSE students had the chance to work as summer interns at their Belgium office. Joshua Teh, Ahab Zahoor, and Martin Sturdy will share some of their experiences with us.

1. How did you get your internship at Jensen Hughes?
   • Joshua: I emailed the company my CV and Cover letter. Xavier, the Managing Director is kind enough to offer me a position in the infrastructure team.
   • Ahab: I contacted them through their website and email address along with the CV and cover letter. Then I was called for an interview. And then they offered me a place.
   • Martin: I got the internship by contacting the company.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about your duties during the summer internship?
   • Joshua: I worked with the team to strategize a Fire life safety design review approach for an international Metro project. I also assisted in formulating the Testing and Commissioning plan for the Airport Retrofit project and conducted fire load calculations for a chemical storage plant.
   • Ahab: I worked on 3 projects, a) Fire and Gas detector mapping, which also involved programming and a bit of software development. b) after that iI was assigned to a metro project involving a review of FLS and ventilation design. c) also I was working on smoke control system for a shopping mall involving model preparation on Pyrosim and then CFD simulation on FDS.
   • Martin: During the internship, I was part of the fire load calculation team. I did some site visits at buildings we were working on and performed fire load calculations on them. I also worked on a web tool to automize the fire load calculations. I programmed in Python and HTML.
3. How did the tasks relate to your studies, and how is it beneficial to the master’s?
   • Joshua: The review of Fire life safety strategy enables me to adopt theoretical learning of Human Behaviour in Fire, Fire design curve, Fire dynamics in compartments interacting with boundaries and check if the design of a building is safe.
   • Ahab: This builds expertise in relevant skills like FDS, Prosim, Pathfinder, etc., which will be used in master’s thesis and then later on in my professional life.
   • Martin: I got experience in how fire load calculations are approached and got to put my knowledge from my education into practice. It’s good for the Master’s since I can now see some areas that are more or less touched upon during the program and that could be worked on more.
4. What was the best part about your internship?
   • Joshua: The best part is the company acknowledged my past working experience and gave me a chance to bring in added value to the team, enhancing my fire safety engineering knowledge while learning new skills by attempting and solving problems.
   • Ahab: Being exposed to the work culture of Belgium was the best part of this internship, I think. As this was a friendly work environment with a conducive learning opportunity and respect for the employees. I enjoyed my time here.
   • Martin: The best part about my internship was to get actual exposure to the work environment and the tasks that will be performed once the education is completed.

DBI (The Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology)

2022 Summer Interns at DBI (4 from IMFSE and 1 from MFSE)

DBI or Dansk Brand- og Sikringsteknisk Institut is a Danish non-profit institute that focuses on fire safety and security. Other than research and development activities, DBI also offers services, such as training, consultancy, fire investigations, and certifications, to private and public enterprises. The headquarter of DBI is located in Hvidovre, Denmark although they have branches in Sweden and the United Kingdom as well. This year, 4 IMFSE students had the chance to work on different projects as summer interns there. Akshay Rathee and Juan Carlos will be giving us a glimpse of their summer internship below.

1. How did you get your internship at DBI?
   • Akshay: IMFSE helped me secure the internship.
   • Carlos: I applied through the IMFSE programme.
2. Can you tell us a little bit about your duties during the summer internship?
   • Akshay: I was part of the ‘Burn stuff’ project. The main aim was to study the changes in the burning properties of Methanol when it is diluted with various volume percentages of water. It was an experimental project but also involved some simulations.
   • Carlos: I was part of two projects, a feasibility study of electronic nose and the design and construction of sound test device. These projects were part of the technology department, meaning it was really important to be creative and improvise. At the end of the internship, we had to give a presentation about our results.
3. How did the tasks relate to your studies, and how is it beneficial to the master’s?
   • Akshay: The project I worked on was quite related to the knowledge I have gained from the master’s program since first, it involved the hand calculations, then simulations, and finally the experimentation part. However, it is also important to outline the experience I got through the process because I could understand how a big research project unfolds, which I think is quite crucial for my thesis and for my future job.
   • Carlos: The applicability of my activities is limited. The first project, the feasibility study of an e-nose, was related to the principles of smoke and gas detection systems, however, the main focus was the machine learning process. My second project, the alternative sound test device, was developed since the company wants to create new materials for sound insulation panels with good flammability properties, but I was only involved in the characterization of the sound absorption properties of the material.
4. What was the best part about your internship?
   • Akshay: The whole internship experience was really amazing. Firstly, the people at DBI are very friendly, knowledgeable, and willing to teach you. Secondly, the summer in Denmark is amazing, you can go for a swim, explore the city by bike and enjoy different events. Lastly, DBI offers tasty cafeteria food :D. The best part I would say was the Independence and support that DBI offers you to work in your own way.
   • Carlos: There were many things. Because DBI is a research institute, the work environment encourages you to be creative and work on your own, but because there are many people with a lot of experience, it was very common to talk with my co-workers to improve and get new ideas. Besides that, the facilities of DBI are quite nice, with free nice food, unlimited coffee, and chocolate, and from time to time some cake. Finally, the summer in Denmark is remarkable, I could go to the beach any time any day. I would definitely recommend doing an internship at DBI.

Barcelona, and the places to visit

The city of Barcelona is known among the football fans communities around the world as the place where the famous team FC Barcelona resides. As a lifelong fan of the club, it has always been a dream for me to visit the city and see Barça (nickname of FC Barcelona) plays in their home stadium. Fortunately, I visited Barcelona twice; in 2018 and 2022, both during my time as an Erasmus+ student. In total, I spent almost 2 weeks between those visitations, making Barcelona a city where I’ve spent my longest time as a tourist. Even now, Barcelona stands among the top 5 cities in the world that I have visited, and I hope to visit the city again in the next few months.

                Because of that special connection between me & Barcelona, I was ecstatic to learn that Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (UPC) had become one of IMFSE’s partner universities starting from the 2021/2022 academic year; which will enable students to live & study in Barcelona. As someone who has finished the semesters in Edinburgh and Lund, I believe that Barcelona will be a wholly different experience compared to those two cities. Although I won’t be able to experience life there as a student, I’d dedicate this post to personally welcome UPC to the IMFSE family, and share some of my favorite spots in the city during my latest trip there during the Easter break.

Barceloneta Beach

Located on the eastern coast of Spain, Barcelona boasts a good selection of beaches close to the city, one of them being the Barceloneta beach. The beach is located just shy of the Gothic Quarter (Barri Gotic), making it a hot spot for locals and tourists during the sunny summer days. The beach has white sand and calm waves (although it’s possible to surf here as well, especially during the winter months). Whether you plan to sunbathe, play beach volleyball, or have a picnic and siesta, the beach will be a good place to do it. I personally love the beach because it’s lively, however, it can be overcrowded at times. If you plan to visit Barceloneta, I’d suggest bringing a set of towel and clothes, plenty of sunscreens, a beach mat, and snacks, as well as good companions.

Spotify Camp Nou

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The home stadium of arguably the best team in the world (sorry for the bias!), the recently renamed Spotify Camp Nou has the biggest stadium capacity in Europe with 99.354 seats. The stadium is located in the southwest part of the city, reachable by underground metro from the city center. Conveniently, the stadium is within walking distance from UPC which should put the stadium as one of the top destinations for the upcoming IMFSE students. Even if you’re not a football fan, experiencing the atmosphere of Spotify Camp Nou during the match is a must, especially since ticket price can start from as low as 30 euros for lower-tier matches. This is an experience that you should experience at least once in your lifetime. Also, visit the FC Barcelona museum (the second most visited museum in Barcelona) to learn more about the history of the club and its legendary players, such as Cruyff, Ronaldinho, and the GOAT: Messi. In the museum, don’t miss the chance to take a picture with the Champions League trophy inside the stadium like what I did!

La Rambla

La Rambla is the most famous pedestrian street in the whole of Barcelona, where it starts at the Plaza de Catalunya, and ends at the Colombus monument. Along La Rambla, you will find a great selection of restaurants (which can be expensive because of its location), as well as numerous shops. If you go to La Rambla, it’s also possible to go to the famous Mercat de la Boqueria and get a taste of the famous Jamon Iberico, visit Palau Guell and wonder at Gaudi’s ingeniousity, or just stroll around Barcelona Cathedral and the Gothic quarter. The fact that La Rambla is so close to numerous places made it hard for me not to put it on this list. However, since La Rambla is a tourist magnet, always be wary of pickpockets!

Parc Güell

As the name suggests, Parc Güell is a green space that hosts numerous architectural elements designed by the famous Catalan Architect, Antoni Gaudi. Originally, the area was designed to be a premium residential complex; The idea was later abandoned. However, you can still visit the Gaudi House museum inside Park Guell, where Gaudi & his family resided for 19 years since 1906. Park Guell is somehow touristy and famous, so expect crowds especially on weekends and holidays. Although not located in the city center, you can still reach Park Guell by public transportation (bus for less walking, metro if you’d prefer more walking). The ticket for the Park’s entrance can be bought online, and I’d suggest you to do so before coming to the park. The park opens all year round, and given Barcelona’s mild weather, you can even visit it in December.

Sagrada Familia

What I think to be the masterpiece among Antoni Gaudi’s works, Sagrada Familia is a Catholic Basilica that has been undergoing construction since 1882. Yes, I wrote that right and you read it right as well; the Basilica is planned to be fully finished by 2026. By then, it means that the construction took more than 140 years, nuts, right?

The Basilica is a massive structure, worthy of all the hype and the expensive entry ticket. Take a deep look at the small details of the church and you will realize how genius Gaudi was. I can’t comprehend how he thought of all the details and planning of this giant church.

For those wanting to keep their expenses low, you can enter the church and join the mass for free. And you don’t even have to be a Catholic. However, please remember that you’re mainly visiting not as a tourist, so be respectful of the procession and you might not get a lot of freedom if you choose this method.

Tibidabo

Tibidabo is a very popular hill located on the outskirt of Barcelona. The connection to reach the top of the hill is also easy with public bus and funicular. The good thing about Tibidabo is you will be spoiled by the view from the highest hill in Sierra de Collserola, even on your way to the top with the funicular or the bus. Once you reached the peak, you can visit the Church of the Sacred Heart and the Tibidabo amusement park.

In order to get the best view of the city, you can take the stairs on the side of the church and get to higher ground; or you can also get inside the Tibidabo amusement park. During my visit on the Easter break, it was completely free to do both activities so we did both. However, please be noted that the wind can blow strongly and makes it uncomfortable to stay for a longer period. If the wind is deemed to be too strong to the point where it’s unsafe, the amusement park will be closed by the staff.

The Carmel Bunkers

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The Carmel Bunkers is another viewpoint where you can enjoy the view of Barcelona from above. This place is a popular place among the locals to hang out and see the golden hour just before the sunset. The bunkers is located at the top of the Turo de la Rovira, easily accessible by bus. However, unlike Tibidabo, you will need to do a short walk and hike from the last bus stop to reach the top. Don’t let the walk stops you from visiting the Bunkers though; you will be rewarded with a panoramic view of the city. You just need to bring some friends, wine, snacks, and music to enjoy the view from the Bunkers.

Girona

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Girona is a city in northern Catalonia, which can be reached by a short train trip from Barcelona. Yes, I know that it’s not exactly in Barcelona, but I really recommend the city for a day trip from Barcelona. From the station, it’s a short walk to the Onyar river. Then, take a walk on the Patronat Call de Girona, or the Jewish quarter, before heading to the Girona Catherdral (FYI: The cathedral was one of the filming locations for season 6 of the Game of Thrones series). Then, you can walk along the Passeig de la Muralla, or the medieval walls surrounding the city. To close the day, visit the Placa de la Independencia to enjoy the cuisine at one of the restaurants there.

Of course, this short post won’t do justice to the beauty of Barcelona, and I will suggest to everyone (especially the students going there next year) to explore the city and experience the life there by yourself. There are a lot of places to visit, cuisines to try, moments to experience, and friends to make. A friend of mine who lived in Barcelona for a semester said that it was one of his best semesters abroad, and I can only envy him (and you guys who will study there) who get the chance to live the life there!

What does the IMFSE mean to me? A look back at the IMFSE’s 10-yr anniversary and graduation ceremony 2022

9:25pm – the bus rolls into Ghent Dampoort station, a bit of rain frames the horizon, and the sky takes on a pinkish-blue hue.

As with my flair for the dramatic, the song Everybody (Backstreet’s Back) by the Backstreet Boys played in my head as I took the first steps down the bus (🎶 Oh my God, we’re back again 🎵). It felt so great to be back in eccentric Ghent! I sorely missed the people, the busy streets, and the fries and beer. But! Way up on the agenda for visiting Ghent was also to attend the 10-year anniversary of the IMFSE and this year’s graduation. These were to be very much celebrated as they highlighted a decade of long-lasting friendships, mentorship, knowledge sharing, networking, industry support, STEPS TOWARDS RECOVERY OF TRUST and COMPETENCE, and breaking barriers of social inequity when it comes to safety.

The graduation ceremony

The graduation was an important milestone for cohort 2020, as with any graduating student, because it marked the end of their two-year studies and signified the start of their journeys as newly minted fire safety engineers. Cohorts 2018 and 2019 were also there to be finally doing their graduation in-person after it was held online. To date, the programme has produced 194 quality graduates who have pledged to tirelessly advocate fire safety excellence worldwide.

The event was held at Aula Academica. My classmates (Alfred El Haddad, Martin Sturdy, Jose Morales, and Muneeb Khalid) and I volunteered to help Lies and Silke with the graduation rites. We wanted to ensure that our seniors go out with a bang and that the program ran smoothly as well.

Congratulations to our dear graduates!

The entire program was a perfect mix of impassioned speeches, nostalgia as the graduates looked back at their 2-year studies, and good cheer.

Congratulations also to this year’s award recipients:

Mohammad Seyfi – Margaret Law Award for Outstanding IMFSE Student and Best Poster Award (jury)

Nazim Yakhou – Margaret Law Award for Outstanding Thesis Research

Edwin Ayala Tovar – Margaret Law Award for Progression and Development

Lea Elhokayem – Margaret Law Award for Overall Motivation and Enthusiasm

Devmini Kularatne – Best Poster Award (public opinion)

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After the ceremony, the night festivities started with a walking tour of Ghent. We were a bit worried since it rained in the morning but Lies jokingly said that she talked to the big man upstairs to give us favorable weather in the evening. Indeed, the rain stopped, and we were able to visit Ghent’s famous tourist spots and sample the local cuisines (Stoverij, Cuberdon, Mastel, and of course beer!).  It was amazing because even though we had spent a semester in Ghent, there were still a lot of places to visit! The walking tour was a great networking opportunity too, a chance to talk with prominent personalities outside of a classroom or professional setting. But even in social gatherings, they still love to talk about fire safety and that was great because we learned a lot!

The 10-year anniversary

I was debating internally whether to write about the experience as purely news-like, but I decided to take on a more personal approach and write about what the IMFSE means to me. This is due to the highly inspiring presence of our dear faculty, the alumni, industry sponsors, and the camaraderie.

Covid has derailed a lot of in-person activities but there was one thing that it couldn’t prevent: the passion and dedication of the fire safety community. The excitement was palpable, the atmosphere electric. As we toasted and applauded 10 years of the IMFSE, I felt a renewed sense of purpose. Hearing Professor Torero’s speech On Competence, Trust and the IMFSE had me reflect on why I joined the master’s programme. Everyone has different reasons to do a master’s: to enhance their technical knowledge, to fuel their fire safety interest, or even to be economic refugees from their respective countries. Me, I have always been inspired by engineering in all forms. Sometimes when I see a bridge or a unique building, there is that appreciation and wonder. Working for 8 years in the industry, I always hear the nagging questions, “How can I better myself or what can I contribute to the field?” The questions started from Piper Alpha and the answer came in the form of the IMFSE. In our everyday tasks as engineers, I see not only buildings or bridges but also people with families. There is that drive to bring these people home safely. Fire, as a prevalent issue, is ever dynamic and we must do everything that we can to be one step ahead of it and for me, that is through honing my engineering skills in a fire safety program.

Joining a male-dominated industry, I have always felt the need to “speak louder”. However, in joining the IMFSE, I found my voice. I am always grateful to the programme for putting women front and center in fire safety. They constantly feature amazing women fire engineers and with the alumni speeches, I was further ensured that we have support and a place in the industry.

Looking around the room during the celebration, I felt immense pride and that motivation to study well so that I too will be able and competent to safeguard people, built environment, and environment safety. These engineers may or may not be the richest in the world, but they constantly inspire me that what we do for fire safety, what I do, matters.

📸 Credits to the event photographer for the photographs

When the stars align: Pt. 2

(This blog follows from When the stars align: Pt. 1. Do check it out 😊)

Lundakarnevalen or Lund Carnival has been a Lund City and Lund University staple for many years. When I say years, I mean it has been a century-long tradition. It has braved the test of time, having weathered through significant historical events such as the First World War, Economic Crisis of 1932, and recently the ongoing Corona virus pandemic of 2019. Albeit these circumstances, the carnival has been a big success every time and continues to delight both young and old as people flock to the city center to partake in numerous fun activities such as food booths, games, concerts, and the carnival parade.

According to the official Lundakarnevalen page, the first officially recognized carnival was in 1849 when students from the Småland’s nation hosted a peasant wedding in the form of a carnival procession. Over the years, the carnival started to take on more organized forms, beginning with the quadrennial celebration of the event which was established in 1894. Additional attractions such as Film festivals and a Circus were also introduced. Interestingly enough, the Lundakarnevalen has themes and the activities and over-all look adhere to the theme. Since 1954, the themes typically end with ‘-al’ (e.g. Ritualkarneval, Futuralkarneval). This year, the name of theme was true to tradition and was aptly named Katastrofalkarneval (Disaster Carnival). I have to say, me being there and witnessing the merriment and the high energy, it was an ironic homage to some recent disasters such as the pandemic and climate change.

My classmates and I took some time off from our busy schedules (exams were a week after the carnival!) to watch the parade on the last day. It was a bit confusing as some of the signages and placards on the parade floats were in Swedish. But that’s the thing about having fun, right? You don’t need to understand the words to have a good time. The parade floats were fun and funny!

After the parade, we headed to the main carnival section because we wanted to grab some carnival food. It was amazing to eat cotton candy again! I couldn’t remember when was the last time I ate such huge amounts of sugar. We got into sword fights after with the cotton candy sticks. Hey, we’re serious master’s students but that doesn’t mean we have to stop being kids at heart. The bonding was also a fun way to say goodbye to some of our classmates since we will be separating again for the third semester. Aside from cotton candy, we enjoyed craft beers specially made for the event, tacos, and popcorn. There was also a jazz concert that we happily listened to. It was good standing in the sun because it was a pleasant sign that spring and summer were just around the corner. It was also pleasant to go around and just look at people having a great time. There were also booths and games which were organized by students. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to try one because you had to exchange your money for carnival coins and use those.

In keeping up with our societal duties as fire safety engineers, some of our classmates also volunteered as fire marshals for the event. Cohort 2021 is proud of our volunteer classmates as they ensured that the event was an enjoyable and safe one.

Fire marshal Alperen Gürer at the event

The Lund Carnival was a perfect end to our semester at Lund University. I will surely miss the peace and quiet that Lund offers. I will also miss the nice people (from the local students to our professors) and Fika in Sweden! It was a great experience for IMFSE Cohort 2021 to attend both Lundakarnevalen and Gent Lichtfestival.

When the stars align: Pt. 1

What does one do when at 11:30 in the evening, the caffeine and sugar unceremoniously kick in? Write another blog! This blog is a two-part story of happenchance (or happenstance) events in my IMFSE student life. Nope, this is not a vocabulary lesson on the difference of happenchance or happenstance. This is just an aptly titled blog because it’s such a happy coincidence that during my 2-year master’s programme, I will have witnessed special events: Gent Lichtfestival happening every 3 years and Lundakarnevalen happening every 4 years.

Last year in Ghent, my classmates and I happened to participate in the triennial Gent Lichtfestival (Ghent Light Festival) in November as we were in our first semester in the first year. This spectacular open-air light show festival was set on the streets of Ghent. For five days, almost 7km of Ghent’s prominent tourist spots were illuminated by around 30 light art installations. The festival showcased local and international artists. I particularly enjoyed the hanging lanterns which were crafted by people during lockdown. See if you can spot it in the pictures! Many installations were carried over from previous festivals because they are popular with festivalgoers. The art piece called “Cloud”, consisting of 6,000 light bulbs, was a crowd favorite in Gent Lichtfestival 2015. It was present in the 2021 festival as well. Visitors, like the perennial moth to the flame, traversed the cold to be a part of this historic event because after two years of being in lockdown, any light at the end of the COVID tunnel was warmly welcomed. It was truly refreshing to be part of a community activity again. But we were still cautious and still wore masks as the event was attended by almost 240,000 people!

I leave here pictures of the event because they are indeed worth (more than) a thousand words.

The stars continue to align in When the stars align Pt. 2: Lundakarnevalen 2022 edition, a quadrennial event in Lund and coincidentally we will get to participate in it too as we are in Lund for our 2^nd semester!

How do they say ‘Fire’ in different parts of Europe? and my Easter break travel.

Last April 13 to May 1, we had our Easter break. For some, it is an entirely secular activity wherein people opt to spend the time with their family and do Easter-related activities. This is something entirely new to me because in the Philippines, we are allowed a week off in observance of Holy Week. To try and marry the two cultures (European and Filipino), I spent the Holy Week doing fasting and abstinence and decided to do a 5-country backpack trip to visit friends and family in the following weeks. Aside from chilling and discovering the many beautiful places in Europe, I thought that it would be a good activity to also learn what “Fire” is in different languages.

Sweden and Denmark

I hopped on a train from Sweden to Denmark because I was taking a flight to Budapest from Copenhagen. Like Sweden, Denmark also uses the word “Brand” as the local word for fire.

Hungary

Finally, Hungary! I’ve always dreamed of taking a trip to the Central-Eastern part of Europe because the culture and architecture would be wholly different from that of the Scandinavian countries. I had a great time visiting notable tourist spots such as the Castle Hill complex, Széchenyi Thermal Bath, and Liberty Bridge. My friend and I also did an off-the-beaten-path activity: an Escape Room experience in Locked Room Budapest! We also got to sample local cuisines such as Hungarian sausages (if you’re in Hungary should it be just called a sausage?), Goulash beef stew, and Paprika sauce in the Great Market Hall. I also enjoyed the chimney cakes, which sources say hail originally from Romania but has evolved to be Hungary’s most ubiquitous pastry. In Hungarian, fire is called “Tűz”.

Sunset in Budapest, Liberty Bridge, and views in the Castle Hill complex

Slovakia

After such an action-packed Budapest adventure, our travel to Bratislava, Slovakia’s capital, is a much-needed breather. After settling in our hostel, we munched on some burgers and makové šúľance, a Bratislavan dessert of potato, poppy seeds, sugar, and cherries. The hearty lunch called for a good walk around Bratislava. The Slovak word for fire is “Oheň”. The walk was definitely “oheň” to the extra calories burned off by walking to and from tourist spots such as The Blue Church, Old Town, and Čumil (The Watcher). We only spent a day in Slovakia but before heading out to Vienna, we met up with a good friend for an amazingly authentic Bratislavan dinner. The food consisted mainly of potatoes and goat cheese. I highly recommend that you pair your dinner with a tall glass of cold Slovak beer.

The Watcher statue, view of the UFO bridge from Bratislava Castla, and Old Town

Austria

The 3^rd leg of my 5-country backpack trip is beautiful Austria. As Austria is predominantly German speaking, the local word for fire is “Feuer or Brand”. Austria displayed a noticeable departure from the architecture and over-all look of Slovakia and Hungary. The buildings, from the Schönbrunn Palace to the Hofburg, were more baroque and rococo in style. The Habsburg influence not only extended to the structural aesthetics but also to the food and pastries. An afternoon snack of the world famous Sacher Torte (an ode to the aristocrats and wealthy of old Vienna) and Viennese coffee at the Hotel Sacher was undeniably a decadent experience. We also visited the Hundertwasserhaus complex, a bustling neighborhood that is testament to Vienna’s richness too in the arts and music.

Austria’s National Library

Germany

It was time to say goodbye to my travel companion as I headed north to Germany to visit my cousin. Thus, the 15-hour bus travel from Vienna to Germany commenced. What kept my sanity was the thought of eating good Filipino food because my cousin is a great cook. Plus, I get to visit Hamburg again! Like Austria, Germany calls fire as “Feuer or Brand”.

Norway

I was back again in good old Scandinavia. This time I took a cruise ride from Kiel, Germany to Oslo, Norway to visit some Filipino friends and to spend time with my cousin. The cruise ride was one for the books! We got to enjoy fresh seafood on board, and we were even treated to a good view of the Oslo Opera House, bay area, and the Great Belt Fixed Link bridge. Over-all, I have to say that the trip was “Brann”!, Norway’s own way of saying fire.

View of the harbour area above Oslo Opera House

Great Belt Fixed Link

The trip was really a refreshing break from the 1^st semester and 2^nd semester’s first half. Being an international student in Europe, I get to be exposed to different people, food, and way of life. For me, this is a great training experience because to combat fire in the future merits working with unique mindsets and cultures. Until the next lit experience!

IMFSE Cohort 2021 goes to DBI by Gizelle Jamero and Deonisius Pradipta

A good reason to join the International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering is the robust network and industry relations. As we were gathering in front of the V-building in Lund University, we couldn’t help but be excited for the industry visit to one of IMFSE’s programme contributors, DBI – The Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology. Many of us have also never been to Denmark and so the industrial visit is an opportunity to visit Copenhagen. As we were crossing the Øresund Bridge, we see the Ferring Pharmaceuticals building looming ahead, one of DBI’s many interesting projects in and around Denmark.

DBI, The Danish Institute of Fire and Security Technology, is one of Europe’s and Denmark’s leading institute for fire safety. Its services range from product development, fire testing, fire investigation to advanced services and research. DBI’s services are applicable in several stages, starting from design & development, construction, facility management, and after fire. One of DBI’s main objective is to unite the research field and the industry, by helping to move new technology to the market and be involved in the testing and standardization process. There, we were warmly welcomed with coffee and chitchat with Bjarne Husted, senior researcher and Thushadh Wijesekere, IMFSE alumnus.

DBI – Dansk Brand-og sikringsteknisk Institut

The day was jam-packed with sessions with the Consultancy, Fire Investigations, Fire Testing, and Advanced Services and Research departments of DBI. As IMFSE students, we were wholly interested in these talks because these gave us a glimpse into the many possible career tracks that we can take up after graduation. The speakers highlighted the technical competencies in our master’s programme that can be very beneficial for work as a fire safety engineer. Among the many competencies are fire simulations, fire dynamics concepts, and risk assessment. DBI also presented some innovations that they are employing to keep up with new technology and the ever-changing demands of project execution and management. The remote inspection is certainly a novel idea to address the sudden shift of everything to online. This gives clients the chance to do remote consultancy. The digital twin represents a virtual model that reflects a real-life fire scenario. It gives the benefit of having a digital footprint of the system and increased digitization allows for easy access to the project site sans the cost of travelling, as well as getting information as quickly as possible before the project site is cleaned.

Digital Twin demonstration by Friedrich Grone, Fire Investigator in DBI

Advanced Services and Research talk by Dan Lauridsen

Aside from presenting us with the relevant departments in DBI where we can potentially work for in the future, DBI also gave us a tour of their fire testing facilities. The institute boasts of a façade test for testing out the integrity of façade materials and flame spread. The façade test equipment was gigantic; and it was the biggest testing apparatus that we’ve ever seen so far. We also got to see very familiar equipment that we have learned about and worked with in the master’s programme – cone calorimeter, room corner test, thermogravimetric analysis, and microcalorimeter.

IMFSE students touring the DBI facility

The visit was closed by having lunch together in the DBI’s very own canteen. During the lunch, we sat together with Bjarne, Thushadh, and Dan Lauridsen, and they answered any of our questions regarding their experience working in DBI. We would like to thank DBI for the insightful visit, and we surely hope that one of our friends will end up working there!

IMFSE 2021 cohort with PhD Students in Lund University, and Bjarne Husted and Thushadh Wijesekere

Sunday’s Work: Volunteering at the Edinburgh Zoo

One of the advantages of studying at the University of Edinburgh is the sheer number of activities that one could join. As a student for only a semester, I didn’t want it to go to waste, so I decided to register myself for another activity, which would be different than the hillwalking club (read my post about the hillwalking club here). I was looking for volunteering work where I can contribute my time and efforts to a good cause. Then, there I was on one fine Sunday morning in November, standing in front of the Edinburgh Zoo’s main entrance, fully equipped with my working clothes and boots ready to do some (literally) dirty work.

Front entrance of Edinburgh Zoo

A little bit about the Edinburgh Zoo itself, the Zoo is owned by the Royal Zoology Society of Scotland (RZSS) and was first opened in 1913. Unlike many other Zoos, the main missions of the Edinburgh Zoo are to help conserve, educate, and research with other zoos and conservation agencies in the world. The funds collected by the Zoo, other than to support the Zoo itself, are also used to support conservation projects in the wild. Knowing that they are working for good causes made it an easy decision for me to volunteer there.

There were 14 other students who registered for the volunteering work, and we were greeted by Blair, a staff of the zoo who acted as our coordinator for the day, and soon he explained the jobs that we would be doing until the end of the day. To put it shortly, we’d start the day at 10 AM by clearing out and preparing for the re-opening of the Wildlife Garden which has been closed since the start of 2020 (thanks to COVID-19), have a lunch break from 12 PM – 1 PM, continue with the Wildlife work for another hour, and then a secret challenge that would be announced later.

Before the start of the work, Blair kindly took us for a short visit to several animal enclosures, such as the penguin pool and the red panda’s enclosure. Personally, I found the red panda family to be one of the best enclosures in the whole zoo, just because we could see the parents, Bruce and Ginger, struggling to deal with their kit, Ruby, who was just born in 2021. Definitely, something that I’d suggest people to check if they’re planning to visit the Zoo!

Shortly, we started to work on the Wildlife Garden. The group was divided into two smaller groups, one with the job to clear out the bushes near the ponds, and another was tasked to clear the path, lay down ground cover membrane, and cover it with 4-inch thick of wood chips. The job seems easy, but it was physical work that sucked the energy out of me by the time we finished it. Shoveling the woodchips from a big pile and moving it into the wheelbarrows also killed my arm and my back. Thankfully, we were able to use some of the lunch break time to stroll around the zoo for a wee bit, where we observed some of the penguins sunbathing and chilling.

After we finished with the Wildlife Garden, we proceed to go to the wallaby and kangaroo enclosure. The enclosure is an open enclosure, where there is a path for the visitors to walk through the enclosure. If you’re lucky, you may see the wallabies and kangaroos crossing the path. The “secret” work that was kept by Blair that we do here is a small competition among the 2 groups, where we were asked to collect the feces (or poop) of the wallabies and the kangaroos, put it in a plastic bag, and by the end of the 15 minutes period will be weighted by Blair. The group that collected more poop will win the challenge and rewarded with a bragging right in front of the other group.

Gloves have been put on, it’s time to handpick some poop. If you want to know how it felt to pick the poop, thankfully it’s not as disgusting as I was expecting. You can see from the picture that the poop looks harmless, and I’m glad to report that everyone was enjoying the challenge, and the spirit of the competition was indeed alive. In the end, my team won, and we actually broke the record for the heaviest poop ever collected by the volunteering teams. What an achievement, huh?

As a present for all the volunteers, we get to enjoy the rest of the day in the zoo. Being a student on a budget, this is what I have been secretly waiting for the whole day. We managed to go through all the animal enclosures in the last 2 opening hours of the zoo, where we met pygmy hippo, giraffes, pandas, and I even met my fellow Indonesians, the Sumatran tigers! Another thing that I like about the zoo is that since the main goal is to conserve the animals, the enclosures are spacious and built to mimic the natural habitat of the animals. Because of this, please wear comfortable walking shoes if you’re planning to visit; the zoo is located on a hill and it’s extensive. As a reference, I put the map of the zoo down below.

Map of Edinburgh Zoo

Burn, baby, burn!

And we have officially started the second semester! The first weeks have been challenging since the pandemic, exacerbated by the winter season, is still bringing in several positive Covid cases. However, Sweden has already eased up on the restrictions and we are slowly being allowed to resume in-person classes. Imagine our excitement when we did our first physical lecture for the Advanced Fire Dynamics course! We all woke up early, donned on our best clothes, and traipsed to the V-building where most of our classes are held.

Aside from the lectures, we were also looking forward to finally experience the laboratory classes in the master’s programme. The coordinators have really been working tirelessly to give us the full experience – lectures and laboratories – and we are extremely grateful that they have accommodated us. I am always eager to enhance my knowledge of fire science through practical applications.

We did a cone calorimeter test which is just one of the many apparatuses that is housed in the Fire Laboratory at the Division of Fire Safety Engineering at Lund University. The Division of Fire Safety Engineering in Lund University is world-renowned in that its education and strong faculty have produced forth a lot of able and skilled fire safety engineers. Among the many equipment in the lab, there are also a third-scale ISO 9705 room for Room Corner Test, a developing laboratory for studying tunnel fires, and a micro combustion calorimeter.

Chris, Muneeb, and Ahab building the solid wood sample and pictures below of the actual testing.

A cone calorimeter works on the principle that the amount of heat or energy obtained is related to the amount of oxygen consumed during the combustion process. Aside from the amount of energy, we can also obtain smoke production and soot yield. The materials we tested were gas (propane in two different flows), liquid (methanol), and solid (wood crib). During the experiment, the group took note of the observed mean flame heights, initial masses, and colors emitted by each fuel. The group is tasked to calculate rate of heat release according to oxygen depletion, convective part, and mass loss rate from the retrieved data.

Thank you to Dr. Nils Johansson for the fun and educational laboratory session on the cone calorimeter test. I am looking forward to doing more laboratory sessions in the future.

Before we start 2022.

While the world has momentarily been slowed down by the current pandemic, fire however has not been deterred. According to the European Commission, Europe is still reporting an average of 65,000 wildfires all over the continent, especially in the European Mediterranean region. The message is clear: continue honing and developing the next generation of engineers to take on fire-related challenges. Thus in 2021, Ghent University welcomed a new set of passionate fire safety engineers from all over the world to study in the International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering (IMFSE).

Before we start 2022, it is fitting for us to look back at the beginning of the journey of these young fire safety engineers. They were warmly welcomed into the master’s programme with a guided tour of Ghent’s tourist sites, food spots, and local culture by resident Belgians, Lies Decroos and Silke Van Parys.

L-R: Budmika Chamath from Sri Lanka, Alfred El Haddad from Lebanon, Alperen Gürer from Turkey, and Martin Sturdy from Italy

In focus: Muhammad Muneeb Khalid and Ahab Zahoor from Pakistan

The tour kicked off in front of the Campus Boekentoren building in Jozef Plateaustraat. The building serves also as the main location for most classes of the IMFSE students.

While Campus Boekentoren houses some of the Engineering and Architecture classes, Ghent University also has some twenty other campuses spread across the Ghent area. Campus Aula adds to the charm of Ghent with its large ceremonial doors and ancient stone columns. This campus has witnessed special University occasions. Artists have even used Campus Aula as a site for some art pieces. A local Belgian artist named Jan Fabre covered the stone columns with slices of ham and aptly named the installation as “Over the Edges”.

Marvelling at the Campus Aula architecture is Jose Antonio Morales from Peru

Speaking of food, Belgium is famous to the world for its beer, waffles, and fries. But unknown to many, Ghent was awarded the title “veggie capital of Europe”, with the city observing “Thursday veggie day”. It is no surprise that restaurants such as Pacha Mama and Greenway, vegetarian and vegan restaurants, dot the street of Nederkouter. We headed to Nederkouter to visit a part of Ghent’s food scene and learn about the local cuisine. But if like me, you need the carbs and meat, Silke and Lies suggest eating at Bavet. It serves pasta dishes and is extremely popular to students who love spaghetti.

Ghent is indeed thriving with a lot of food spots and restaurants that can fulfill any foodie’s fantasy, but Ghent also excites visitors with its architecture and amazing city views. The students walked from Nederkouter to the city center to visit the renowned churches and impressive buildings.

The view of the Leie river while we were traversing the bridge to the city center looked like a scene straight out of a postcard.

The city center was bustling with tourists, locals, people on bikes, and trams when we arrived there. Ghent supports cleaner and better air quality, hence the city center is included in the low emission zone and is a bike-friendly area. Inside the city center, you can have front-row seats to the famous Ghent skyline of the three towers: Sint-Niklaaskerk, Belfort, and Sint-Baasfskathedral. Silke and Lies pointed out famous restaurants and shops in the area such as Amadeus for eat-all-you-can ribs, Leonidas for extra-special chocolates (though supermarket chocolates in Belgium are also excellent), and Frituur Tartaar for a taste of Belgium’s famous fries.

L-R: Budmika, Jose, and Ekaterina Krasnova from Russia in front of the Saint Nicholas Church

Fancy a treat other than chocolates? Cuberdon, a popular Belgian delicacy, is for folks with a sweet tooth. These delectable gummy candies are said to be native in Ghent and are also called as Ghent noses because of the shape. The Flemish government has recognized these as an official regional product.

We ended the tour with cold beers and wine at the Kunstzentrum Vooruit modern terrace. Thank you again to Lies and Silke as they have made us feel welcomed in Ghent. We loved the East-West Flanders banter between them!