Abbie Dawson – Fire Protection Advisor

How long have you been in the Fire Protection team?

I’ve been in the Fire Protection team for around two years now, initially joining as part of the Graduate Scheme before training as a Fire Protection Advisor. As part of the Fire Protection team, I provide support to the whole of the Sellafield Site, as well as the offsite buildings which means I have quickly learned how the business operates and how the Value Streams interact with one another.

How does the Fire Protection team support the Sellafield site?

The team works across the whole lifecycle of buildings on the site which keeps things interesting, one day we can be visiting the new build construction projects with our PPP colleagues, the next we can be writing decommissioning strategies for legacy facilities such as the Calder Hall Site.

The role is varied and can involve supporting facilities planning modifications that may affect fire safety, carrying out fire risk assessments, training and coaching other teams within the business as well as supporting inspections carried out by the regulator and ensuring the learning from events on site is shared with the wider business and other stakeholders.

What is the team culture like?

We are a close-knit team, from a range of backgrounds including the fire service, safety, nuclear operations and building management. The broad range of backgrounds and expertise allow us to all have our own specialties or topics we like to focus on, which allows us to collaborate and work together to solve some of the novel situations we come across on a complex site like Sellafield.

Fire Protection is continually changing with new technology and requirements, so there are always opportunities to develop our knowledge to ensure we effectively support the challenges faced within the business.

We are currently recruiting for a Fire Protection advisor to join our team here at Sellafield. If you think this could be your next challenge, click here to learn more.