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Aggregated results of our survey on the use of AI in fire safety engineering
123 respondents
1. Role Profile
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Associate / Director | 41 | 33.3% |
| Junior / Fire Engineer | 31 | 25.2% |
| Senior / Principal Engineer | 31 | 25.2% |
| Consultant / Fire Risk Assessor | 10 | 8.1% |
| Academic / Researcher | 5 | 4.1% |
| AHJ / Regulator | 2 | 1.6% |
| Student | 2 | 1.6% |
| Principal Fire Engineer / Training & Development Manager | 1 | 0.8% |
2. Years of Experience
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| 15+ years | 39 | 31.7% |
| 0–5 years | 37 | 30.1% |
| 5–10 years | 27 | 22.0% |
| 10–15 years | 20 | 16.3% |
3. AI Familiarity
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Occasional use | 56 | 45.5% |
| Regular use | 41 | 33.3% |
| Aware but not using | 15 | 12.2% |
| Advanced / expert use | 9 | 7.3% |
| Not familiar | 2 | 1.6% |
4. Professional AI Use
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, occasionally | 55 | 44.7% |
| Yes, frequently | 31 | 25.2% |
| No, but interested | 25 | 20.3% |
| No, and do not intend to | 12 | 9.8% |
5. Perceived Effectiveness
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Somewhat effective | 63 | 51.2% |
| Effective | 39 | 31.7% |
| Not effective | 12 | 9.8% |
| Very effective | 9 | 7.3% |
6. Estimated Weekly Time Savings
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3 hours | 39 | 31.7% |
| < 1 hour | 34 | 27.6% |
| No response | 24 | 19.5% |
| 5+ hours | 13 | 10.6% |
| 3–5 hours | 13 | 10.6% |
7. Independent Checking
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, without exception | 96 | 78.0% |
| Yes, for technical work only | 25 | 20.3% |
| Sometimes | 2 | 1.6% |
8. Professional Risk
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Slightly increases risk | 46 | 37.4% |
| Significantly increases risk | 35 | 28.5% |
| No material impact | 29 | 23.6% |
| Slightly reduces risk | 11 | 8.9% |
| Significantly reduces risk | 2 | 1.6% |
9. Impact Over Next 5–10 Years
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Mixed impact | 72 | 58.5% |
| Mostly beneficial | 35 | 28.5% |
| Mostly negative | 9 | 7.3% |
| Unsure | 7 | 5.7% |
10. Regulator Expectations
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, slightly | 44 | 35.8% |
| No | 33 | 26.8% |
| Yes, significantly | 24 | 19.5% |
| Unsure | 22 | 17.9% |
11. Organisational Policy
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes, formal policy | 63 | 51.2% |
| Under development | 27 | 22.0% |
| No guidance | 18 | 14.6% |
| Informal guidance | 15 | 12.2% |
12. Awareness of Professional Body Guidance
| Response | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
| No | 83 | 67.5% |
| Yes | 21 | 17.1% |
| Unsure | 19 | 15.4% |
13. Sector (multi-select)
| Response | Count | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Consultancy / Design | 109 | 88.6% |
| Research / Academia | 16 | 13.0% |
| Expert Witness | 6 | 4.9% |
| Insurance / Risk | 4 | 3.3% |
| Contracting | 4 | 3.3% |
| Client / Developer | 3 | 2.4% |
| Regulatory / Approval body | 3 | 2.4% |
| Other | 7 | 5.7% |
14. AI Tools Used (multi-select)
| Response | Count | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Large language models (e.g. ChatGPT, Copilot) | 108 | 87.8% |
| Research or literature review tools | 40 | 32.5% |
| Data analysis / automation tools | 27 | 22.0% |
| Image or drawing interpretation tools | 23 | 18.7% |
| Coding / scripting assistance | 23 | 18.7% |
15. Current & Potential Use Areas (multi-select)
| Response | Count | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Administrative tasks (emails, proposals, summaries) | 95 | 77.2% |
| Drafting reports and technical narratives | 69 | 56.1% |
| Interpreting guidance and standards | 59 | 48.0% |
| Data analysis (e.g. evacuation modelling outputs) | 49 | 39.8% |
| Quality assurance / peer review | 38 | 30.9% |
| Fire strategies and design optioneering | 35 | 28.5% |
| Performance-based design support | 29 | 23.6% |
| Training and mentoring junior engineers | 18 | 14.6% |
16. Main Concerns (multi-select)
| Response | Count | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Accuracy and incorrect output | 115 | 93.5% |
| Misinterpretation of regulations or standards | 101 | 82.1% |
| Over-reliance by junior engineers | 96 | 78.0% |
| Professional liability and accountability | 76 | 61.8% |
| Data confidentiality / intellectual property risk | 75 | 61.0% |
| Ethical considerations | 69 | 56.1% |
| Lack of transparency in outputs | 56 | 45.5% |
| No significant concerns | 2 | 1.6% |
17. Roles & Skills Growing in Importance (multi-select)
| Response | Count | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Engineering judgement or interpreting guidance | 95 | 77.2% |
| Ethical and professional oversight | 80 | 65.0% |
| Performance-based design expertise | 80 | 65.0% |
| Fire science fundamentals | 66 | 53.7% |
| Communication with regulators | 59 | 48.0% |
| Programming / data literacy | 37 | 30.1% |
18. Preferred Form of Guidance (multi-select)
| Response | Count | % of respondents |
|---|---|---|
| Ethical framework | 102 | 82.9% |
| Practical dos and don’ts | 92 | 74.8% |
| Training courses | 64 | 52.0% |
| Case studies | 60 | 48.8% |
| CPD guidance | 57 | 46.3% |
| Model disclaimers / statements | 54 | 43.9% |
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