Luke Beckett

I joined West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) in January 2004.  I was very proud to undertake a career where essentially, I would be helping people. Within a couple of years I had a growing family of two sons, Ethan and Toby, and my soon to be wife Sarah. 

I was initially posted to a busy city centre station.  I experienced all manner of incidents, some of which required the attendance of what was then The Fire Research and Investigation Team.  My fascination with Fire Investigation was ignited in the early years of my career.  It intrigued me that we had a dedicated team who investigated the more serious incidents, furthermore, that they could establish a cause when considering the severity of damage they encountered.  

My progression through the ranks exposed me to more responsibility which I have always embraced throughout my career. As an operational officer I found myself dealing with incidents and conducting tier 1 investigations, which only served to develop and enhance my interest in the process of conducting a fire investigation. 

I am now approaching my eighteenth year in WMFS, with the last two years spent as a dedicated Fire Investigation Officer (FIO) in the Fire Investigation and Prevention Section (FIPS).  The last two years have undoubtedly been some of the most enjoyable and challenging of my career, thus far.

Personally, I have been fully committed to my own personal development.  I am currently halfway through a Master’s of Science degree in Fire Scene Investigation at the University of Wolverhampton.  I have been a proud member of the UK-AFI for two years, achieving professional members status earlier this year.  I have also recently written an article, detailing my development, and experiences I encountered in my first year as a dedicated FI.  This article will be included in an upcoming edition of the UK-AFI journal.    

I am passionate about the journey that new and developing FI’s take in attaining personal competency.  The IAAI professional development programmes provide new and less experienced FI’s the opportunity to expand their understanding of all aspects of a professional investigation.  I believe the role of FI is challenging and demands that its practitioners are committed to continued personal development and learning.  This commitment will allow practitioners within the public and private sectors to demonstrate professional competence. 

It is my belief that the support and guidance of fellow FI’s within our community is integral to the continued improvement and commitment to a standardised level of competence.  This year has been difficult for the whole country.  All professions have had to develop innovative methods to deliver training and development opportunities.  The use of virtual training events in the form of the UK-AFI webinars has provided the membership with the opportunity to continue to develop their technical knowledge. 

In closing I feel privileged to have the opportunity to sit on the board of directors of the UK-AFI.  I hope my enthusiasm for our profession will support our organisations key objectives and vision of maintaining good practice in the investigation of fires, and the development of our members technical knowledge and procedures.