Fire Protection Engineering

WPI: The National Leader in Fire Protection Engineering

First master’s program in the U.S. 45 years of expertise.

Home to the first master’s program and one of only three fire protection engineering (FPE) graduate programs in the nation, the Fire Protection Engineering Department at WPI has driven significant cutting-edge research, developed real-world solutions through its state-of-the-art fire laboratories, and graduated highly trained, influential, in-demand experts.

Our internationally renowned faculty members are recognized for cutting-edge research and teaching focused on making the world safer by tackling challenging questions about fire behavior and our response to it. Students work alongside them in state-of-the-art facilities to gain and create knowledge that informs and shapes regulatory policy, building design, manufacturing processes, first responder operations, and product performance standards.

As our world continues to adapt to the effects of severe weather impacts, particularly with a surge in wildfires, there’s a renewed need for professionals who understand fires develop solutions to protect communities and firefighters.

IN THE NEWS

WPI Leads the Way in Wildfire Research

The devastating wildfires in the Los Angeles area exemplify the dangers of wind-driven fires in inhabited areas. WPI’s research, which involves faculty and ongoing experiments conducted by students in a state-of-the-art wind tunnel on campus, was featured by several media outlets including The Associated Press, The Boston Globe, WCVB, NBC 10 Boston, NECN, The New York Times, and Spectrum News 1.

Degree is also offered online.

Area of Study	Minor	Certificate	Master	PhD
Fire Protection Engineering	minor	certificate	master	phd
This degree is also offered Online.

State-of-the-Art Facilities

Students and faculty have access to facilities that are unmatched in academia—including a lab where researchers can conduct large-scale burns up to a two-story building.

Explore Our Facilities

45 Years of Engineering Excellence

With more than 1,000 alumni across the world, WPI’s FPE program has grown into a thriving graduate program with a robust research agenda and strong industry partnerships.

Read the Story

Alumni Who Are Transforming Fire Safety

Danielle Antonellis founded a nonprofit to reduce risk in vulnerable communities around the world.

Read Story in the WPI Journal

See Our State-of-the-Art Facilities

FPE Faculty and student researchers have access to facilities that are unmatched in academia—including the Performance Engineering Laboratory at Gateway Park, where researchers can conduct large-scale burns up to a two-story building.

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Spotlight on Engineering: Urban Fire Research Group

James Urban, assistant professor in fire protection engineering, researches advances in wildland fire, visual-based fire protection, and fundamental fire phenomenon. His team is especially skilled at finding low-cost ways to measure fire and provide collaborators access to state-of-the-art fire labs, easily allowing for multi-scale experiments.

Media Coverage

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Full Fact

Why do wildfires sometimes leave cars burnt but trees and utility poles intact?

Albert Simeoni, professor and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, provided analysis to the fact-checking website Full Fact for an article addressing online claims about the devastating Los Angeles wildfires. In the article, Simeoni explains how wildfires can cause uneven damage to objects that are in proximity.

WPTF

James Urban, Assistant Professor at WPI, on the California Wildfires

The Department of Fire Protection Engineering conducts research on many aspects of wildfires with a goal of improved prevention and public safety. James Urban, assistant professor of fire protection engineering, helped answer some frequently asked questions about the tragic Los Angeles wildfires during an interview on WPTF news radio in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Wall Street Journal

Fire at One of World’s Largest Battery Plants Prompts Evacuations in California

“Since lithium-ion batteries are a high energy density fuel, there is a possibility of an explosion hazard,” Ali Rangwala, a professor of fire protection engineering and director of WPI’s first-in-the-nation explosion protection engineering master’s program, provided analysis for a Wall Street Journal article on the risks associated with a fire at one of the world’s largest battery storage facilities. Lithium-ion battery fire and explosion dangers are among the topics being studied by WPI students in the explosion protection engineering program.

Additional Publications: Business Insider

The New York Times

How Wildfires Came for City Streets

For its coverage of the Los Angeles area wildfires, The New York Times interviewed Albert Simeoni, professor and head of the Department of Fire Protection Engineering, about how the wildland fires in Southern California transformed into urban fires, leading to extensive loss of life and destruction of property. The department of fire protection engineering conducts extensive research on wildfires aimed at improving the prevention of and response to fires in the future.

A High-Demand Career Path

The demand for fire protection engineers continues to grow, providing nearly unlimited career opportunities for WPI FPE graduates. Our alumni are highly sought after and can be found working as consultants, at fire protection equipment manufacturers, and in government, the insurance industry, research laboratories, and more. Their jobs have taken them from the South Pole to Alaskan pipelines, Disney World, and beyond.

Avoiding Costly Losses Due to Fire

This white paper, written by FPE professor of practice Milosh Puchovsky, introduces the profession of fire protection engineering and explores the many roles fire protection engineers play in helping organizations mitigate fire and explosion threats.

Download the white paper

From the University Magazine

Working Smarter, Not Harder

Derrick Morse ’01, MS ’03 works with robots that tackle the back-breaking, detailed work of layout transfer.

Fire Safety as a Human Right

Danielle Antonellis founded a nonprofit to reduce risk in vulnerable communities around the world.

Sustainability of the Built Environment

Researchers seek solutions for a source of 40 percent of carbon emissions worldwide—human-made infrastructure.

Fire Safety for Lithium Ion Battery Energy Storage Systems (ESS)

ESS facilities pose unique challenges as they can result in fast developing fires of significant heat release. Through a radiation heat transfer analysis, separation distances are examined. The results can inform the development of standardized spacing practices based on associated energy capacity and container size.

Download the report

WPI: The National Leader in Fire Protection Engineering

First master’s program in the U.S. 45 years of expertise.

WPI Leads the Way in Wildfire Research

Areas of Study