Ben Walker (firefighter)
Benjamin Walker is a British firefighter, author, and occupational safety professional. Walker specialises in teaching Fire Service Instructors and Commanders worldwide in tactical firefighting and first-response command with co-Author and business partner Shan Raffel. Walker's teachings on using science and engineering to enhance tactical firefighting have been frequently used and also cited in academic papers on Fire Dynamics as being one a small amount of textbooks geared to operational firefighters on scientific and engineering subjects[1] These books are recommended reading for all those undertaking the Institution of Fire Engineers examinations.[2]
Firefighter and training
[edit]Walker was born in Staffordshire,[3] West Midlands, and graduated from Newcastle University in 2002 with a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Government with upper honours.[4] He served in the then known as Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade as an operational Officer with command experience of combined firefighting and live rescue operations, epitomised by the command of a large fire and rescue of multiple persons at an incident in Gateshead in 2010.[5]
He later worked as a Tactical Firefighting and Live Fire Instructor for the London Fire Brigade and Babcock International Training partnership. In 2014 and 2015 he travelled through South America as a guest Instructor for the International Fire and Rescue Association on missions 51 and 56.[6][7]
Author, writer and commentator
[edit]Walker is a noted writer and commentator in the field of Fire and Rescue and Emergency Preparedness. Walker's books include Fire Dynamics for Firefighters, Reading Fire and Fighting Fire. He has also appeared as a subject matter expert on a Russia Today news broadcast.[8]
Walker presented at the annual Fire Department Instructors Conference from 2015 to 2018.[9][10][11][12] He was a keynote speaker for FDIC 2017.[11]
In 2018, Walker released a novella memoir called The Fireman.[13]
Controversy and Grenfell warnings
[edit] | This section possibly contains synthesis of material which does not verifiably mention or relate to the main topic. (January 2021) |
Controversy arose when it transpired that contents of Walker's 2016 textbook Fire Dynamics for Firefighters contained details of external fire spread of high rise buildings and how to prepare and fight these. London Fire Brigade Commissioner’s Dany Cotton’s statement to the official inquiry that the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 had no precedent[14] and could not be prepared were in direct contrast to information contained within Fire Dynamics for Firefighters on external fire spread, which as mentioned and cited within this article, was already recommended reading for Fire Officers studying for Institution of Fire Engineers Examinations. By extension this should have been read by London Fire Brigade personnel studying for these examinations. These two contrasting viewpoints, in textbook form from Walker's 2016 textbook and Cotton's verbally expressed statements in 2018 were noted within the fire industry but this interesting conflict of published opinions and insights was not debated, or explored further by the Grenfell Inquiry which covers the 2017 tragedy[15][improper synthesis?]
Walker had also previously gone on record in 2016 UK national broadsheet newspaper The Guardian warning of cuts to firefighter training and consequential effects [16] In an article in the April 2017 issue of Fire Risk Management, Walker wrote about concerns at the lack of knowledge of building and construction and its relation to frontline firefighting tactics with potential for disastrous and total building losses and severe losses of life.[17] Topics such as cuts to firefighting training and reduction of building and construction methods identified by Walker in both the broadsheet and journal articles were extensively discussed in the firefighting component of the official inquiry into the Grenfell tragedy, with the recommendations made in sections 33.9, 33.10e, 34.5, 34.6 of the Grenfell Inquiry Executive Summary of the Phase One[18] Report notably tallying with the information, warnings and predictions that Walker had made in 2016 & 2017 as above.
Walker is a Managing Director of Ignis Global Ltd,[19] a UK based fire, safety and security consultancy.[16]
Accolades
[edit]In 2014, Walker received the Godiva Award for outstanding achievement in Institution of Fire Engineers examinations[20][21]
Walker was shortlisted for Fire magazine's Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards in 2017 for Training Provider of the Year, the only individual to be rather than any organisation, and with Shan Raffel and Michael Benga for "International Best Practise".[22]
Books
[edit]Compartment Firefighting Series by Ben Walker with Shan Raffel
- Fire Dynamics for Firefighters (Pavilion Media, 2016), ISBN 9781911028321
- Reading Fire (Pavilion Media, 2017), ISBN 9781911028734
- Fighting Fire (Pavilion Media, 2017) ISBN 9781911028741
Other books
- The Fireman (Ignis Global, 2018), ISBN 9781912419227
References
[edit]- ^ Johansson, Nils; Svensson, Stefan (2019). "Review of the Use of Fire Dynamics Theory in Fire Service Activities". Fire Technology. 55 (1): 81–103. doi:10.1007/s10694-018-0774-3. ISSN 0015-2684.
- ^ "IFE Examinations - Recommended Reading List" (PDF). Institution of Fire Engineers. 30 January 2021. Level 2 Certificate and Level 3 Certificate Examinations, also: Level 3 Diploma and Level 4 Certificate Examinations. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "UKBMD Summary Page". www.ukbmdcertificateordering.co.uk. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ "Benjamin Walker BA(Hons) FIFireE MSoA". LinkedIn. UK. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "Seven people flee Gateshead flats block blaze". Newcastle Evening Chronicle. Reach Plc. 22 February 2010. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "Ballyclare donates to Argentina Fire Mission" (Press release). Pavilion Media. 8 March 2016. Diary Entries by Convoy Commander Jim Dave and Instructor Ben Walker:Convoy 56 Argentina. Retrieved 27 January 2021 – via Fire Magazine.
- ^ Dave, Jim (5 December 2016). "Ballyclare donates to Argentinian Fire and Rescue Services" (Press release). MDM Publishing. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via International Fire Fighter.
- ^ Russia Today News (15 July 2017). "Were there loopholes or shortcuts made?" #GrenfellTower. Retrieved 30 January 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ "FDIC 2015 Instructor Profile: Benjamin Walker". Fire Engineering. 25 April 2015. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "Your FDIC International 2016 "Backstage Pass"". Fire Engineering. Vol. 169, no. 1. 1 January 2016.
- ^ a b Gagliano, Anne (4 May 2017). ""Who IS This Guy?"". Fire Engineering. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
And a new author to us, one we got to have dinner with, the talented keynote speaker from the Honeywell dinner we attended, British firefighter Ben Walker. We now have one of his books, Fire Dynamics for Firefighters. There were more in other bags too. More morsels of knowledge and wisdom and experience that will be savored and treasured by my firefighter for years to come.
- ^ "On Target Preparedness – Links, Partner Agencies". On Target Preparedness. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
David Hesselmeyer was introduced to Ben Walker through Brother Andy Starnes from Insight Fire Training and Shan Raffel through Brother Walker. David has spent time reading his books and also participated in his lecture at FDIC 2018. Brother Walker's lecture at FDIC was an all around great presentation.
- ^ Pridding, Beth (5 April 2018). "Benjamin Walker to release first novella, The Fireman, and Burton residents could be the first to read it". Staffordshire Live. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ Booth, Robert (27 September 2018). "Fire chief: I would change nothing about Grenfell response". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "Homepage | Grenfell Tower Inquiry". www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ a b Walker, Benjamin (26 January 2016). "Cuts are hitting UK firefighters where it matters most: training to fight fires". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ Walker, Benjamin (April 2017). "Critical Path: Are Firefighters prepared for Building Fires?". Fire Risk Management. Fire Protection Association.
- ^ "Phase 1 report | Grenfell Tower Inquiry". www.grenfelltowerinquiry.org.uk. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ Ignis Global, Ignis Global (26 January 2021). "Ignis Global Ltd Website". Ignis Global Ltd. Wix. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
- ^ "IFE AGM and International Conference 2014 Review". Fire. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ "Annual report and financial statements for the year ending 31 December 2014" (PDF). Institution of Fire Engineers. 2015. p. 30. Retrieved 31 January 2021.
- ^ "Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards". Fire. Retrieved 31 January 2021.