In recent news, the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) has unveiled its 2023 class of Fellows and the recipients of their various awards. For the full details, readers can visit the official announcement on their website.

SFPE’s highest honour: The 2023 Fellows

Elevation to Fellow status within the SFPE is a significant professional honour, reserved for those who have achieved considerable accomplishments in the field of fire protection engineering. This year’s inductees to the Fellow status are:

• Traci Bangor, PE, FSFPE
• Tracey D. Bellamy, PE, CFPS, CWBSP, FSFPE
• Kees Both, FSFPE
• Gilles Carrier, T.P., FSFPE
• Flora F. Chen, FSFPE
• John Durante, PE, ARM, FSFPE
• Joshua Greene, PE, FSFPE
• Moriel Kaplan, PE, FSFPE

Recognising the industry’s upcoming leaders: The “5 Under 35”

SFPE’s “5 Under 35” award recognises the outstanding younger professionals making waves in the industry. The 2023 recipients are:

• Christopher Crivello, PE
• William N. Fletcher, PE
• Christopher Hallock, PE
• Jens Steemann Kristensen, PhD
• Ankit Sharma, PhD

Celebrating excellence: SFPE’s 2023 award recipients

SFPE has also revealed its ten award recipients for 2023, including:

• Kerry M. Bell, PE, recipient of the SFPE Trailblazer Award
• Kees Both, FSFPE, recipient of the SFPE Lund Award for Professional Recognition 
• Tom Christman, recipient of the SFPE Lucht Award for Contributions to Education
• Michael A. Crowley, PE, FSFPE, FASHE, recipient of the SFPE Nelson Award for Inspired Service
• Samuel Dannaway, PE, FSFPE, recipient of the SFPE Bryan Mentoring Award
• Joshua Greene, PE recipient of the SFPE Jensen Award for Outstanding Committee Service
• Keith Lunsford, recipient of the SPFE Spotlight Award
• Lori Moore-Merrell, PhD, recipient of the SFPE Fire Protection Person of the Year Award
• Craig Vesely, recipient of the SPFE Spotlight Award
• David Vickers, B.Sc., C.E.T., CFPS, RHFAC Professional, recipient of the SPFE Spotlight Award

In sharing his thoughts on the award recipients and Fellows, Chris Jelenewicz, PE, FSFPE, Interim Chief Executive Officer of SFPE commented: “Each year, we honour SFPE members who have made significant accomplishments to our profession and Society.

“Their contributions have profoundly impacted the science and technology that reduces global fire risk. We are grateful for their leadership and commitment to SFPE and the fire protection engineering profession.”

These awards will be handed over by Jimmy Jönsson, FSFPE, President of SFPE, at the SFPE Annual Conference & Expo in Washington D.C./Bethesda, MD, USA, scheduled from October 8-12, 2023.

Those interested in attending can register for the conference here.

Additionally, nominations for 2024’s class of Fellows and award recipients are set to begin early next year.

IFSJ Comment

The acknowledgement of professionals in the fire protection engineering field by a reputable organisation like SFPE emphasises the continuous strides and advancements being made in the sector.

Such recognitions not only celebrate individual achievements but also inspire upcoming professionals to aspire for excellence.