Mark Egan – from a Fire Engineering to setting up his own business
Studying BEng (Hons) Fire Engineering in 2002
UCLan Fire Engineering graduate, Mark Egan, has used his firefighting career and expertise to set up his own business, Omega Fire Engineering.
Mark has always wanted to be a firefighter. Once he turned 18 years old, he applied to join the fire service, only to be rejected because he was too small, despite completing the physical assessment. Determined not to give up on his dream, Mark reapplied when he was 21 after finding out that the height restrictions had been dropped, and was accepted into the service. Mark wanted to progress his learning and create new opportunities for himself within the fire service and chose the Fire Engineering degree course at UCLan. He completed his studies alongside working full-time in his firefighting duties.
Working abroad
Following graduation in 2002, Mark continued working at the fire service for a number of years before emigrating to New Zealand where he was a fire engineer for the New Zealand Fire Service. After two years of working abroad, Mark returned to the UK to be a fire engineering consultant at a multi-disciplinary consultancy where his work took him to Manchester and Dubai.
Setting up a business
Three years later, in 2009, Mark set up his own company, Omega Fire Engineering, alongside two business partners. Mark is the Director of Fire Engineering at the company and his role is to work on a wide range of high profile buildings across a multitude of sectors all over the UK. As the director, Mark manages a team of fire engineers and liaises directly with clients and design teams to ensure that the fire engineering strategies they develop are implemented correctly.
The company employ UCLan graduates who have completed an undergraduate degree or master’s courses in fire engineering. They also sponsor student prizes on UCLan’s Fire Engineering courses. Additionally, Mark has been the Chairman of the Lancashire Group of the Institution of Fire Engineers.
University life
Talking about his time at UCLan, Mark said: “I met a lot of great people who I still talk to now. Without studying at UCLan, I would not have had the skills or the confidence to pursue the career I have.”
When asked to give advice to graduates and students pursuing a similar course, Mark stated: “Work hard, study, aim high and you will achieve success.”