Writing

Iain Hoey

Writing about Fire and Safety

Since May 2022 I’ve had the privilege of working in the fire and safety sector in my role as Editor of International Fire and Safety Journal (IFSJ), as well as launching it’s sister title Fire and Safety Journal Americas (FSJA) . In that time I’ve spoken with a huge number of brilliant people about subjects that genuinely matter. Being able to tell those stories, and present them in a way that is accessible to the people who need them, is something I never take for granted.

In my experience of B2B journalism you are rarely, if ever, an expert in everything you write about (although I like to think I’ve picked up a few things along the way). I’m a strong believer that, whatever the subject, the story is the truly important thing. You need to engage people. My expertise lies in taking niche, jargon-heavy and technical subjects and making them accessible to those who need to know about it.

As with any good B2B title, we produce a vast volume of fascinating material every month. If you open any issue of the magazine you’ll find it full of contributed pieces and work developed with the best of the best from across the sector – which makes choosing a few articles to spotlight an imperfect, so after wading back through time I’ve collected some of the ones that I remain particularly proud of.

Selected works

The story of Burned – Protecting the Protectors

Around the time when the documentary Burned: Protecting the Protectors was about to be released, I reached out to Elijah Yetter-Bowman on a wing and a prayer. The documentary focused on the growing problem of PFAS in firefighters’ protective clothing and amid growing awareness it was ushering in a watershed moment. For me, what mattered most was shining a light on the work that had gone into the film – a 30-minute brilliantly made piece that gave the issue a real human face.

Yetter-Bowman and I ended up having a long, thoughtful conversation in which their passion for the issue and the people at the heart of it was immediately apparent. The resulting article helped raise the profile of the documentary with the people who needed to see it.

What came next was completely unexpected – Hollywood’s Mark Ruffalo, one of the executive producers, unknown to us, shared that issue of the magazine and catapulted it beyond anything we could have hoped for.

Challenging culture in the fire service with Dany Cotton

I had the privilege of speaking with Dany Cotton, who was Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade at the time of the Grenfell Tower fire. In anyone’s career, one event can come to overshadow everything else so I wanted to talk to her about something she was actively trying to spotlight: the culture within the UK Fire and Rescue Service, particularly the experiences of women in the sector.

Being able to speak with someone who had held such a senior position and hear her perspective on those cultural issues was invaluable and eye opening.

America Fire Blanket – Special Report & Head-to-Head Interview

I worked closely with America Fire Blanket as they prepared to launch their product. After hearing about what they were developing, we spent a lot of time with them – going back and forth to properly understand the product, the problem it was designed to solve and why their solution stood out.

What struck me most was the genuine care behind it. Electric vehicle fires were (and still are) a serious, growing challenge and many of the existing solutions weren’t keeping pace. The AFB team were people in the fire sector who recognised the severity of the issue and set out to address it thoroughly and effectively. Sometimes the passion of the people behind a product can get lost in the telling, and so helping them shape the story during its launch was a real privilege.

Interview with Dr Lori Moore-Merrell, Former US Fire Administrator

Working in a specialist publication gives you access that still surprises me – the chance to speak with someone who has held one of the highest offices in the sector. Another genuine pinch-me moment came when I had the opportunity to speak to Dr Lori Moore-Merrell, whose work I had been following closely during her tenure as US Fire Administrator under the Biden administration.

Speaking with her after she left office, hearing about the work she had done and the way she talked about it, was striking – she was remarkably humble, and it was clear her passion remains with the people in the industry.

Firefighter Free Speech vs Conduct Policy

The term “free speech” is often murky – what is protected, what crosses into discrimination, and where the line is drawn and so I was very conscious of wanting to find clear precedent when writing about what it means for the fire sector and how it’s being dealt with. Looking at cases where firefighters or officers had been dismissed, and examining the impact of things said online on their professional lives, felt important as the fire service is the industry I work in, and understanding where that line falls matters.

Building Safety Regulator outlines priorities as it becomes a standalone body

I was part of a small group of press invited to the first media briefing after the Building Safety Regulator became a standalone body. It has been a difficult period for the regulator with a lot of (rightful) scrutiny and frustration in the wake of Grenfell.

Being able to hear directly from the people leading it and report on their plans I was once again was reminded that the people in these roles care deeply. Many have long careers in the sector, often as former firefighters. They understand the risks and the weight of the work. Sitting in that room on the day they shared their priorities felt like they were giving us hope that real change, at long last, was finally on its way – and being able to present that to our dedicated audience was the icing on the cake.

State of Fire and Rescue 2024–25: What the HMICFRS report reveals about England’s fire services

Reports like the State of Fire and Rescue – which commends the professionalism and public service ethos of the sector but warns that improvement remains uneven – are important to acknowledge. They give a clear view of how the system is performing – what is working and where improvement is still needed. Accountability is especially important in the public sector, and nowhere more so than in the fire service, where the consequences can be life or death.

The difficulty with big reports is that they are often dense. Not everyone will read the full document. That is why explainers are valuable. If someone reads a shorter, clearer version and comes away with a better understanding of the state of the service, that is worthwhile.

Urban Fire Forum 2025: What the five papers are trying to solve

There are many gatherings of senior people from around the world, but as with any niche they are not always well publicised or clearly explained. We took it upon ourselves to go through everything discussed at the Urban Fire Forum, unpack the agenda, and set out the positions the group had taken.

The aim was to give people actually working in fire services in different countries and regions access to what was being discussed at that highest level, addressing the fact that communication from the top down is not always clear.

Firefighter readiness before, during and after with LION

LION has always felt to me like it sits among the organisations that are genuinely at the forefront of innovation in the fire sector. Their focus on a rounded approach to supporting frontline firefighters – before, during and after an incident – is fascinating. Not every service will be able to access every piece of technology available, but rest assured that there are people at the heart of the sector making it more accessible each and every day, showing that solutions do exist and that there are diverse and practical ways to improve readiness and protection.

Why FireSat could transform the global response to wildfire threats

Because it is one of the biggest challenges that not only the fire sector but thew whole world faces, it feels inadequate to call wildfire a growing phenomenon – there’s a reason for the phrase ‘spreads like wildfire’.

Even if we do some day curb its omnipresence via the impossible task of reversing the effects of global heating, it is so important that in the interim we improve our response when these events happen. Both prevention and response matter. That is why work like that of the Earth Fire Alliance is so important – getting better, earlier intervention to the places that need it.

The moral identity of fire safety

One of the things that never fails to restore my faith in humanity is the number of people in the sector who care about culture and accountability and will unflinchingly hold the mirror up when things go wrong and ask who is responsible and why. This piece was a good example of that -it is about reminding people that someone is still trying to understand how failures happen and how they might be prevented in future.

Approval in action: What FM Approval means for Fire Rover’s suppression systems

There is a reason that Ryan Fogelman has appeared on the cover of IFSJ, FSJA and been named an industry influencer on multiple occasions. Anyone who spends time on LinkedIn in the first sector will know that he is a force – and you know it’s because he really cares about making a difference because why else would he would dedicate himself to tackling the not-so-glamorous threat that is waste and recycling fires.

It is not a subject most people get excited about, but it is one they should care about, and throughout my time working with him, Fogelman is always pragmatic and forward-thinking about the industry’s approach, particularly in making sure vulnerable sectors have practical tools while the longer work of public education continues.

From Federation to Confederation

I am a strong supporter of industry associations and organisations. Without them, the working world could be a much mor exploitative place and so watching one that has been around for years evolve into something new felt significant.

Whatever we can do to support the likes of the Fire Sector Confederation is vital as they will always be there to support the sector when it matters.

Building safety with Quelfire

Building safety can be a dry subject and, outside of its niche, it is not something that usually gets people excited – but it is critically important. Quelfire’s approach – focusing on early engagement, clear messaging and the need for collaboration and compliance from the start – sets the benchmark for how this work should be done.

Firefighters without fire-trucks: Is Russia’s emergency service running on empty?

I believe that examining how international markets operate and trying to shed some light on the challenges they face is an important way to remind people that fire is a global problem. Everyone is dealing with it in one way or another. This investigation into the Russian fire service became one of our most-read articles.

The Silent Threat: CO-Gas Safety

Because we operate in a specialist niche, our work reaches both the trade and, at times, a wider audience. It has always been important to me that we also spotlight the consumer-facing safety issues as the number of people who overlook basic safety is staggering.

Helping organisations that work to prevent harm and save lives, and telling their stories in a trusted, reputable space, is one of the clearest reasons these kinds of magazines need to exist. I’m proud to have been able to do that.

The Power of Perseverance

Georgina Gilbert and Rebecca Openshaw-Rowe are two trailblazing firefighters who continue to change the narrative of what it means to be a woman in a traditionally male-dominated space.

Sexism in these environments is in some ways better and but in many ways worse than it has ever been. Having people who constantly push against expectations and who act as genuine role models, matters. I am in awe of the expeditions they have undertaken and of the example they set. Being able to tell their story was inspiring.