Madeleine Conway (University of Cambridge, Department of Engineering) - Autumn 2025
“I spent my summer working at Trigon, an independent fire safety engineering consultancy. Fire engineering involves designing and implementing strategies to prevent fires, reducing fire spread, minimising risk and prioritising life safety. Fire engineering is vital in almost every construction project from building a new block of flats to creating a new opening in a lift shaft. Trigon specialises in solving unique fire safety challenges for all building types and uses.
During my internship, I was involved in a wide range of tasks that spanned different stages of project development. These included helping to prepare fee proposals, drafting fire safety strategy reports, producing technical advice notes, marking up floor plans with fire doors and compartment walls, and conducting research. Since fire engineering makes up only a small section of most developments, I had the opportunity to work on several projects! This gave me the chance to compare safety requirements for many different types of buildings.
In addition to this, I was lucky enough to go on several site visits. These are extremely important for projects involving pre-existing buildings that are being renovated, as information on the existing building is often not very certain. I found it very surprising how little information is sometimes available, with existing reports often missing despite the buildings being in constant use.
While I was at Trigon, I had the opportunity to work on 2 research projects. The first was a literature review focused on green roofs, a growing trend for new buildings. Given the limited existing fire safety guidance on this topic, I compiled and summarised various documents to produce a technical note. This will now be used to support the development of future reports for projects involving green roofs. My second project was influenced by a live project involving a climbing gym. Since climbing gyms are a non-traditional building use they are not explicitly mentioned in current guidance documents, so more in-depth research is needed to provide advice. Both projects helped enhance my technical writing skills and strengthen my ability to extract key information from diverse sources.
Trigon’s London office has a team of just over 10 people including graduates, administrators and directors. Working within a relatively small team meant I quickly got to know everyone and felt comfortable reaching out to anyone in the team for help or advice. It also gave me the opportunity to talk to people about their career paths and the process they went through for chartership. I collaborated closely with engineers at various levels, including directors, which gave me valuable insight into both the technical and commercial aspects of fire engineering. Everyone was approachable and supportive, and I was encouraged to ask questions and contribute ideas. This environment greatly enriched my learning experience and helped build my confidence in a professional setting. Furthermore, I was invited on the monthly socials which were great fun and helped me get to know everyone at work better in a more relaxed environment.
Over the course of the internship, I developed a stronger understanding of the fire engineering industry and the consultant’s role within larger construction projects. I improved my technical writing, gained practical knowledge through site visits, and learned how to communicate technical information clearly and concisely. The variety of tasks I was entrusted with also helped me refine my research skills and adapt quickly to different types of projects. Overall, the internship has given me a solid foundation to build upon as I continue my studies and consider future career paths in engineering.”