Mark was employed by a Local Authority Fire Service for 31 years as an operational fire fighter. The last 13 years were in Fire Protection and Fire Safety Enforcement. During that time Mark completed all the nationally accredited fire safety courses at the fire service college. As an enforcement officer Mark has put into practice the knowledge gained in a wide variety of buildings. Mark is also a member of the IFE and Engineering Council.

In his role as Fire Safety Manager, Mark managed a team in South Manchester which was responsible for fire safety enforcement in Airports, hospitals, large university complexes and included consultations with approval authorities.

Mark completed his final years in Fire Service Headquarters as Fire Protection Technical Officer. This role involved producing technical guidance and policies to support fire protection staff.

Mark was also involved in many areas of work with CFOA and has assisted in the production of guidance documents in support of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.