Laurence Skelly

MSc., BSc., MIHFES, CertIOSH

Laurence has been involved in Fire Safety for nearly 40 years. Having served operationally as a firefighter, paramedic and Station Officer with Ireland's largest Full Time Fire Service for over 30 years together with advising SME's on how best to deliver Fire Safety in their respective domains. Since his retirement from the Fire Service, he lectures on the subjects of Health and Safety Management, General Fire Safety, Fire Safety Management, Emergency Response, Event Safety Management, Fire Risk Assessment, Accident Mitigation, Reporting and Investigation. He also gives of his time voluntarily to assist community groups in developing their resilience to emergencies through education, training and response strategies. He believes that Fire legislative and regulatory requirements are not aspirational targets to be reached, rather they are a baseline from which Fire Safety starts. Based on his experience from fighting and managing fire incidents together with executing fire safety inspections he has coined the phrase "Complacency is the enemy of Fire Safety". He is a strong advocate for promoting the value that "It is incumbent on those in charge of premises to provide a safe place to live, work and visit." and is committed to assisting in the achievement of that goal.