The digital infrastructure for fire safety
Fire safety knowledge in action. Expertise within reach.
For fire safety professionals: open, tested fire engineering calculations and specialist AI support, with the sources and assumptions in view. For everyone else: a structured way to find the companies that provide fire safety expertise.
83 methods across 9 documents · Free · No installation · Open source
2939 companies in 68 countries · 48 specialisms · Free to search
Ventilation factor
BR 187 | Ch. 1 | Eq. 1
- A_s Surface Area of Compartment (less openings and floor)
- 100.00 m^{2}
- A Area of Ventilation Opening
- 20.00 m^{2}
- H Height of Ventilation Opening
- 2.50 m
Two ways in
What do you need from OpenFire?
One platform, two jobs: putting fire safety knowledge into action, and putting the companies that hold it within reach.
I work in fire safety
Find methods faster, see what sits behind the result, and produce work others can follow.
- Method catalogue
- Ember AI
- Calculation sheets
- Browser, Desktop and Python
- Technical articles
I need fire safety expertise
Find and compare companies across the fire safety supply chain, by category, specialism and location.
- Company directory
- Categories and specialisms
- Countries, regions and cities
- Factual company records
- Supporting articles
For fire safety professionals
Spend less time searching. Keep control of the engineering.
Recognised methods are scattered across handbooks, codes, research and inherited spreadsheets, and get rebuilt project after project. OpenFire brings them into one open, tested implementation — and leaves the judgement with you.
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Find an applicable method faster
Search the catalogue for what you need to work out, or ask Ember AI. Every method names its source, so you can judge its standing first.
Searchable catalogue · Source references · Ember AI
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Understand what sits behind the result
Inputs, units, assumptions and limitations stay in view beside the answer, and the implementation is public.
Open source · Calculation sheets · Traceable sources
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Produce work others can follow
A full calculation sheet shows how the result was produced, so a reviewer can follow it and reproduce it.
Calculation sheets · PDF export and sharing with Membership
Methods
Run a recognised method without rebuilding it
Each method is implemented once, in the open, and tested against the document it comes from — so you can read the code, see the limitations, and run it in the browser.
- Drawn from recognised guidance, codes, handbooks and research
- Open source, each implementation tested against values published in its source, and those tests public to read
- Assumptions and limitations shown alongside every result
- 83 methods from 9 documents, free in the browser with nothing to install
Where the methods come from
- SFPE Handbook
- CIBSE Guide E
- Fire Dynamics Tools
- PD 7974-1
- BS 9999
- BR 187
- Introduction to Fire Dynamics
- TR 17
Every implementation traces back to a published source, and the code behind it is public.
Ember AI
Get from a technical question to a transparent method faster
Ember is grounded in fire engineering methods, terminology and technical context. It finds a relevant method, explains its scope and inputs, helps you fill it in, runs it, and stays with you through the what-ifs.
The calculation is never written by the model: Ember runs the same tested method you would run yourself. It supports discovery and explanation — it does not choose the method for you, and it is not the source of engineering truth.
Free with any account, up to a monthly allowance.
Example
For anyone who needs fire safety expertise
Find the expertise you need without starting from scratch
Fire safety is designed by one set of companies and delivered by many others. Search that supply chain by category, specialism, country, region, city or company name — and reach firms your own network would never surface.
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Fire engineering
Fire strategy, modelling and assessment
788 companies
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Fire doors
Doorsets, installation and inspection
430 companies
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Suppression systems
Sprinklers, mist, gas and foam
619 companies
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Smoke management systems
Ventilation, extract and pressurisation
256 companies
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Passive fire protection
Firestopping, coatings and compartmentation
390 companies
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Alarm & detection
Detection, voice alarm and emergency lighting
713 companies
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Testing laboratories
Accredited fire testing and certification
71 companies
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Expert witness
Fire investigation, evidence and testimony
159 companies
2939 companies · 68 countries · 48 specialisms
Directory listings are factual records — registered number, years in practice, offices and stated scope. They are not endorsements: OpenFire does not select, certify or recommend companies.
For fire safety companies
Make it easier for the right clients and partners to find you
People search the directory by specialism and location, not by the name of a firm they already know.
- Claim your listing and keep its details, offices and scope current
- Not listed yet? Add your company — new listings are reviewed before they are published
- Claiming and listing are both free
Knowledge
Understand more than the answer
Practical writing on the methods, the context around them, and the parts of fire safety a calculation does not settle.
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AI and Leadership in Fire Engineering: Deliver the Work, Grow the People, Build Safe Buildings
AI is a leadership question as much as a technical one. How technical directors can use it to create capacity, build capability, and develop their people.
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What Is Open in OpenFire?
What “Open” means in OpenFire: an inspectable open-source method library in Rust, a Python API on PyPI, and openly available documentation.
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What is OpenFire?
OpenFire is an AI-enabled fire engineering environment that unifies methods, guidance, research and calculations — built around transparency and judgement.
Competence & responsibility
Make better-informed decisions without hiding the judgement
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Competence stays central
OpenFire supports competent fire safety professionals. It does not replace their judgement, accountability or responsibility.
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Everything is inspectable
Methods, assumptions, limitations, references and dependencies are made visible wherever possible.
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Understanding over answers
A tool should help you see why a method works, where it applies, and where it does not.
OpenFire makes methods easier to select, run, understand and defend. Choosing and applying them appropriately remains your professional judgement.
Browser, Desktop, Python, open source
Use the same transparent methods wherever your work happens
In the browser
Run a calculation immediately, with full calculation sheets and nothing to install.
Python API
Bring the same methods into your scripts, notebooks and internal workflows.
Open source
Inspect, audit and reuse the calculation engine, or contribute methods and test data.
Desktop app
Organise professional work in a dedicated offline workspace, with Projects and shared parameters. Download it from your account.
Free & membership
Start solving the problem for free
Every method, every calculation sheet and the whole directory are free — and so is Ember AI, up to a monthly allowance.
Free
£0 /month
Run every transparent method with full calculation sheets, search the whole directory, and work with Ember AI up to a monthly allowance.
Membership
£20 /month
Everything in Free, plus premium AI models, a higher allowance, and PDF export and sharing.
OpenFire Desktop is a free download from your account. Membership is per named user, includes a 15-day free trial, and covers browser and Desktop on one subscription.
Start with the part of OpenFire that solves your problem
For fire safety professionals
Free in your browser, right now. An account adds Ember AI.
For those seeking fire safety expertise
Search the supply chain by specialism and location. No account needed.
Run a fire safety company? Claim or list it
Questions, ideas or contributions — we would like to hear them.
Frequently asked questions
What is OpenFire, and who is it for?
Fire safety knowledge in action. Expertise within reach. OpenFire is the digital infrastructure for fire safety. For fire safety professionals it makes fire engineering knowledge easier to find, understand and apply: 83 transparent methods from 9 documents, with specialist AI support. For everyone else — architects, developers, building owners, contractors, reviewers, manufacturers — it makes the companies that provide fire safety expertise easier to find.
How does OpenFire help fire safety professionals?
It removes the searching and the rebuilding. You search one catalogue instead of tracking a method across handbooks, codes and inherited spreadsheets; you see the source, assumptions and limitations behind it; and you run it in the browser, with a full calculation sheet others can follow.
How do I use OpenFire to find fire safety expertise?
Search the directory by category, specialism, country, region, city or company name — 2939 companies in 68 countries, across 48 specialisms. Each listing sets out factual information: registered details, offices, years in practice and stated scope of work, so you can compare firms on the same basis.
How is Ember AI different from a general-purpose chatbot?
Ember is grounded in fire engineering methods and terminology, and it is wired to the calculation engine rather than asked to imitate it. It can find a method, explain its scope and inputs, fill the form in and run it — but the number comes from the tested implementation, not from the model.
How are the calculation methods tested?
Each method is implemented once, in the open, and tested against values published in the document it comes from. Those tests are in the public repository. That checks the implementation against its source; it is not an independent validation of your design, and it does not remove the need for review.
Does OpenFire replace professional judgement?
No. It makes methods, assumptions and limitations easier to inspect, so decisions are better informed. Choosing a method, judging whether it applies, and responsibility for the design all remain with the competent professional.
What is free, and what does Membership include?
Free: every method with full calculation sheets, the whole directory, the articles, and Ember AI up to a monthly allowance. Membership, £20 a month per named user with a 15-day free trial, adds premium AI models, a higher allowance, and PDF export and sharing.
Do I need to install anything, and where does OpenFire Desktop fit in?
Nothing: the methods, calculation sheets, Ember AI and directory all run in the browser. OpenFire Desktop is an optional free download from your account for people who want an offline workspace with Projects and shared parameters; one Membership covers you on both.
I run a fire safety company — how do I get listed?
If your company is already in the directory, open its profile and claim it, then keep its details current yourself. If it is not listed, add it from your account settings; new listings are reviewed before publication. Claiming and listing are free, and Membership does not change how a company appears.
Are directory listings recommendations or endorsements?
No. A listing is a factual record — registered details, offices, specialisms and stated scope — published so companies can be found and compared. OpenFire does not select, certify, approve or recommend the companies listed.
Is OpenFire open source?
Yes. Every method comes from the open-source OpenFire library (MIT-licensed). You can read and audit the calculation engine on GitHub, use it from Python (ofire on PyPI), or contribute methods and test data.
Who develops and maintains OpenFire?
OpenFire is developed and maintained by Emberon Tech Ltd, a technology company based in Edinburgh, Scotland, combining fire safety engineering and software expertise.