Fire Protection and Life Safety in Unique Buildings for Storage and Supply

Paul Clancy is Managing Director of Sotera, a fire engineering consultancy since 2007. Sotera has 10 fire engineers from diverse backgrounds. Apart from Paul, it is led by Andrei Lazouski., Assoc Director and Peter Downer, Executive Director. Sotera has produced well over 2000 fire engineering reports for buildings of all sizes and classifications mostly in Queensland but also significantly in all other states and countries. Sotera aims for its staff to have good fundamental understanding, appropriate solutions to give its clients best competitive advantage, function, economy and safety.

Paul went to Brisbane State High School and University of Queensland, very much a Queenslander – all of whom come home. Prior to Sotera, Paul was a Senior Lecturer for some 20 years at Victoria University and a Research Associate for Centre for Environmental Safety and Risk Engineering at Werribee. Paul was privileged to work with Prof Vaughan Beck, Chief Research Scientist Bob Leicester, Profs Ian Thomas and Bennetts all of whom undertook most profound reforms and developments in fire engineering. It is because of these people, all fire engineers have their jobs. Paul was involved in teaching heat transfer in the fire engineering courses, undertaking research consultancies for wood industries in Australia, North America, Sweden and New Zealand, involvement in the Fire Code Reform Project and his PhD Project – “Time and Risk of Failure of Wood Framed Walls in Fire” winning the Vice Chancellor’s Prize for Best PhD in 1999. Prior to his involvement in fire, Paul was a structural engineer with Commonwealth Housing and Construction, Hardcastle and Richards, and Maunsells, involved with projects at Melbourne Airport, Defence, Wheat Board, Telecom, and Antarctic buildings. He completed his Master with the benefit of a Commonwealth Scholarship.