Electric jobs in United Kingdom

Featuring Joe Nims, Principal Fire Safety Consultant

It wasn’t the most reassuring moment for a fire safety officer.

Out for dinner in Stratford, Joe Nims set his napkin down on the table—straight onto a tealight candle. Flames appeared instantly. His partner, unfazed, leaned over and quipped: “Don’t worry, he’s in fire safety.”

Joe laughs when he tells the story. “Not my best look,” he admits. But if anything, it underlines a truth about him: fire safety isn’t just a job—it’s stitched into who he is.

“Walk me through a shopping mall and I’ll automatically be looking around, checking where the ventilators are, where the sprinklers are. It’s just instinct. Like a mechanic listening to an engine, I’m scanning for fire precautions.”

That instinct has been years in the making. Joe didn’t set out to work in fire safety at all. He began as an apprentice engineer with British Leyland and Albion Motors. But as the industry contracted, he started to rethink his path.

“One night I met a fireman in a bar who was telling me about the job. I thought, well, maybe I’ll try the fire service.”

It was a decision that would define his career. Rising through the ranks, Joe was promoted into a fire safety role. “They asked at the interview if I’d be interested. I said yes, and I discovered a new passion in fire safety, staying in the department for seven years.”

Even when he returned to operational duties, Joe kept building his knowledge. A posting to a quieter fire station gave him the breathing space to pursue a honours degree in Fire Risk Engineering at Glasgow Caledonian University.

“It was still a new course at the time, but it gave me the technical foundation to match my practical experience.”

His Fire Service career culminated at the Fire Service College, he taught the higher level fire safety modules, passing on both the academic principles and the real-world lessons of fire safety/prevention.

“Being in fire safety gave me a different perspective. You’re not just responding when things go wrong—you’re trying to stop them from going wrong in the first place.”

Even away from work, Joe admits he can’t help noticing the details. His partner often catches him scanning buildings.“You’re looking at fire precautions again, aren’t you?”she’ll say. And she’s always right.

That kind of constant awareness can sound obsessive—but for Joe, it’s second nature. “You don’t switch it off. It’s just part of you.”

It’s also what makes him such a trusted voice for Salus clients. He spots what others might overlook, and he knows from experience how quickly the small things can elevate.

“Electrical faults, poorly maintained fire doors, clutter in stairwells—these are the things that can cause serious problems. And they’re all preventable if someone takes the time to look properly.”

For Joe, a fire risk assessment isn’t a tick-box exercise. It’s about prevention, pure and simple.

“Every hazard you identify and fix before it causes a problem is a win. That’s the job.”

It’s also why he values the way Salus approaches the work. “We take the time to get it right. The team has sector-specific knowledge—whether it’s healthcare, education, or high‑rise residential—and that makes a huge difference.”

Joe is quick to point out that fire safety is a team sport. “It’s not about hierarchy—it’s about doing the job properly. Everyone understands the responsibility we carry, and we support each other to get it right. That’s important in a profession where the stakes are so high.”

After decades in the field, he still finds motivation in the same thing that first pulled him in: protecting people.

“You never switch it off,” he says again, simply. And that’s exactly why he—and Salus—can be trusted to get it right.