Steven Manchester is a highly experienced Fire Engineer and expert witness, recognised for his decisive leadership, strategic thinking and calm authority in complex, high stakes disputes. With a career spanning more than three decades in fire safety engineering, testing, research and consultancy, Steve brings exceptional depth of technical knowledge alongside a clear sense of direction that inspires confidence in clients and legal teams alike.

Steve specialises in fire safety design, compartmentation, cladding and external wall systems, active and passive fire protection measures, and fire and explosion hazards across the built environment and industrial sectors. Since moving into full time expert witness work, he has been instructed on a wide range of civil and criminal matters involving residential towers, hospitals, hotels, care homes, waste facilities and industrial premises, and has been cross examined in both civil and criminal courts.

Throughout his career, Steve has maintained a strong leadership role, most notably as Director of the Fire Safety Group at BRE, where he oversaw major research programmes, consultancy frameworks and technical approvals. His ability to assess complex evidence systematically, communicate it clearly and maintain focus under pressure makes him a trusted and authoritative expert.

Approachable, professional and exacting in his standards, Steve combines analytical rigour with practical judgement – providing clear, objective and resilient expert evidence, and consistently giving clients confidence that their case is in safe hands.