Subject to UWS policy.
Applications to this course must be made through the Universities Admissions Centre (UAC). International applicants should contact UWS International for details on admission. Contact information for the International Office is available from the University's website.
Applicants must hold a degree in building, architecture, science or engineering. Those without a degree may be considered for admission if they hold an Associate Diploma in building or related area or have full corporate membership of the Institute of Fire, including Engineers who have at least five years relevant professional work experience in the field or a related profession.
Applicants with ten years post qualification experience and employment in a senior position will be considered for admission on the basis that they can demonstrate the ability to undertake postgraduate study. This may involve a written submission and/or an interview or, alternatively, the submission of evidence of general or professional qualifications and experience.
Qualification for this award requires the successful completion of 60 credit points as per the recommended sequence below. All units are compulsory. The course structure comprises the following units. In some instances due to resource and demand considerations there may be a need to rearrange the pattern set down below.
Recommended Sequence
Year 1
Session 1
Fire and Building Regulations
To familiarise students with the BCA and in particular those aspects of fire engineering incorporated within the regulations. To provide students with an opportunity to relate current research to the BCA. Topics: Building Code of Australia General Provisions, Structure, Fire Resistance Services and Equipment, Health and Amenity Ancillary Provisions, Philosophy, performance versus prescriptions, testing, produce accreditation, processes. Relationship of research to the regulations, authorities, fire hazard assessment, for detection and prevention, material and people behaviour during fire.
Fire Engineering 1 (Fire Dynamics)
This unit aims to develop a detailed knowledge of fire behaviour and dynamics in order to apply the basis of fire safety engineering calculations and fire safety systems. Fuels and combustion process; chemistry of combustion in fire; flammability limits; premixed flames; laminar jet diffusion flames; turbulent jet diffusion flames; flames from natural fires; fire plumes; burning of liquids; burning of solids; ignition of flammable vapour/air mixtures; ignition of liquids; piloted ignition of solids; spontaneous ignition; smouldering and glowing combustion; extinction and extinguishment; the phenomenology of flame spread; models of flame spread; flames spread through open fuel beds; pre flashover compartment fires; growth to flashover; post flashover fires; fire resistance and fire severity; projection of flames from burning compartments; spread of fire from a compartment; production and measurement of smoke; smoke movement.
Session 2
Fire Safety Systems 1 (Property)
To develop a high level of knowledge of fire safety systems relevant to property protection and of the design and assessment of such systems. To develop an understanding of risk assessment and cost benefit analysis applicable to protection from fire. Fire spread, fire severity, heat transfer and FRL by calculation, passive systems and performance, risk assessment for insurance purposes; cost benefit analysis.
Building Fire Services
The unit develops the student's understanding of various types of building services and fire safety systems, their types and their application and introduces methods of applying recommendations of fire engineering assessments with respect to building services and systems.
Year 2
Session 3
Fire Engineering 2 (Fire Models)
This unit aims to develop an understanding of various types of computational tools used in engineering design of fire safety systems. Its aims to develop an understanding of the basic phenomena being modelled and the limitations of the models in representing the real phenomena. Single room zone models; multi room zone models; field models for fire growth; field models for smoke movement; structural ethics in research and the methods for writing a scientific thesis and presentation.
Fire Safety Systems 2 (Life Safety)
To develop a high level of knowledge of fire safety systems relevant to life protection and of the design and assessment of such systems. Timeline analysis; design fires, regulatory objectives, unfavourable conditions; detection and alarm systems, smoke movement and control; life risk analysis; human behaviour and performance; evacuation systems; sprinklers and life safety.
