London, United Kingdom (06 September 2011) – Parsons Brinckerhoff, the international engineering consultancy, has appointed leading industry specialist Dr Nicole Hoffmann, as UK Principal Fire Engineer for its transport business covering rail and road infrastructure, airports and ports.

With over 25 years in fire engineering and 15 years consultancy working for Mott MacDonald, Arup and most recently Kingfell, Dr Hoffmann brings a wealth of specialist fire engineering and risk analysis expertise to Parsons Brinckerhoff. Her work will be predominantly focused on supporting UK activities, although she will also be a valuable resource to the company’s extensive global transport activities including its internationally recognised tunnel ventilation team.

Dr Hoffmann has been responsible for developing fire and evacuation strategies for a wide range of transport projects in the UK and internationally. In London and the South East she has produced fire strategies for numerous London Underground projects and mainline stations including Kings Cross, Victoria, Liverpool Street, London Bridge, Euston, and Blackfriars. She also developed an integrated fire safety study for Crossrail, covering the entire sub-surface and surface line route, seven new sub-surface and 27 surface stations.

Dr Hoffmann was instrumental in the development of the industry standard STEPS model (Simulation of Transient Evacuation and Pedestrian movements) which she initially helped design and develop. The programme is capable of simulating both normal and emergency evacuation modes to allow the analysis of ‘what if’ scenarios.

Commenting on the appointment, Darren Read, Director of Rail at Parsons Brinckerhoff for Europe, Middle East and North Africa, said: 

“We are very pleased to welcome Dr Nicole Hoffmann to Parsons Brinckerhoff. She brings exceptional experience and understanding of fire engineering and risk analysis which is a critical area for modern infrastructure planning, as transport systems become increasingly complex.” 

Dr Hoffmann is a Chartered Engineer and a Chartered Mathematician. She is also a Member of the Institute of Fire Engineers (MIFireE) and a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (FIMA). For the last three years, she has been a committee member for the UK Railway Industry Fire Association.

She takes up her new post at Parsons Brinckerhoff on 1 September 2011 and will be based at the company’s Godalming office in Surrey, where she will also work closely with Kate Hunt who runs the UK tunnel ventilation team.

Parsons Brinckerhoff is a leader in developing and operating infrastructure around the world, with approximately 14,000 employees in 150 offices dedicated to meeting the needs of clients and communities in the Europe, Africa, the Middle East, Americas, Asia and Australia-Pacific regions. Parsons Brinckerhoff offers skills and resources in strategic consulting, planning, engineering, program/construction management, and operations for all modes of infrastructure, including transportation, power, buildings and infrastructure, water and the environment. Parsons Brinckerhoff is part of Balfour Beatty plc, the international infrastructure Group operating in professional services, construction services support services and infrastructure investments (www.pbworld.com)