Pete Wise

Experience

Pete has a wealth of operational firefighting experience working at fire stations throughout London and as a specialist support and command officer. While in government he worked within the National Resilience structure in supporting fire and rescue services and other agencies nationally, including during the 2012 Olympics and major flooding and riot events.

In London Fire Brigade’s fire engineering team, Pete was responsible for Fire Authority approval for major projects such as the Heathrow Terminal 5 development, the King’s Cross Station modernisation, upgrade of the East London Tube line, initial Crossrail concepts and the London Transport step-free program to make tube stations accessible.

In 2009, Pete joined the Office of the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser where he acted as Sir Ken Knight’s lead fire safety adviser. He advised ministers, the civil service and stakeholders on technical fire safety matters, fire service operational and fire safety practice and enforcement issues. He provided technical advice on behalf of Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser on government fire safety guidance documents. These included ‘Fire safety in purpose-built flats’, the UK Timber Frame Association Guidance on Timber Frame Under Construction and the ‘Guidance on Fire Precautions at Explosives Sites Licensed by the Health & Safety Executive’.

Pete also worked on investigations such as the Lakanal House fire and the fires resulting in firefighter deaths at Atherstone on Stour and Shirley Towers. He gave technical advice to investigators and policy advice to enforcers and other stakeholders. He also advised ministers for Fire Safety Order determinations. 

Pete has extensive experience in creating technical guidance documents. He was a member of the British Standard committees responsible for issuing the initial versions of BS 9999, BS 9991, and PAS 7 as well as representing the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser on the BS 0 Management Committee. He also worked with the National Fire Chiefs Council providing advice on fire risk assessment on high-rise residential buildings.

Within the private sector, Pete worked very closely with major residential developers and housing associations following the Grenfell fire, providing technical advice on external wall cladding system fire performance and advice on Building Regulation compliance and enforcement.

Pete has a keen interest in equality and diversity and is a lead trainer within the Brigade, specialising in neurodiversity. He was lead technical adviser on the production of the government fire safety advice on Means of Escape for Disabled People. 

As a principal consultant at the Fire Protection Association, he worked with the insurance industry on fire and business continuity topics. He also provided expert technical advice to support clients and the insurance industry for improved construction practice.

Pete has been an expert witness on various high-profile cases. These include advising clients in relation to major fires, as well as advice on technical fire engineering and fire risk management in disputes. This has involved work in residential, care home and commercial buildings.