Merlyn Forrer - Fire Fighter and Fire Safety Engineering Consultant

Merlyn Forrer

Fire Fighter and Fire Safety Engineer at Design Fire Consultants

Mr Forrer joined Design Fire Consultants in May 2019 after serving as an operational Station Manager with Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service (GMFRS) with 19 years’ service. Between 2012 and 2017, Merlyn moved into fire safety responsible for Manchester borough, providing fire safety and enforcing the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 for one of the largest and most complex metropolitan boroughs in the UK. Between 2017 and 2019, Merlyn has been working for the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) on the response, updating guidance and national codes following the Grenfell fire tragedy.

He graduated from the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) with a Master’s degree in Fire Engineering (distinction), is a member of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and is a Fellow of the Institution of Fire Engineers, FIFireE. His research for both his Bachelors and Masters dissertations focussed on the fire performance of externally thermally insulated cladding systems and the use of organic polymer foams which he continues to research.

Through his project work, involvement on committees, interaction with peers, regulators and building control authorities, Merlyn has detailed knowledge and experience of fire safety engineering, legislation and guidance document interpretation, application and enforcement. This includes fire spread on the external walls of buildings with a detailed understanding of the intent of regulations and guidance.

Merlyn is regular speaker at conferences and seminars on fire safety and regulations.  Merlyn has also authored papers on external fire spread, development of regulations and Firefighter safety.

Biographies in PDF

PowerPoint Presentation