The Society of Fire Protection Engineers was established in 1950 and incorporated as an independent organization in 1971. It is the professional society representing those practicing the field of fire protection engineering. The Society has over 4900 members in the United States and abroad, and 64 regional chapters.

The purpose of the Society is to advance the science and practice of fire protection engineering and its allied fields, to maintain a high ethical standard among its members and to foster fire protection engineering education. 

The Society supports the development of the annual Professional Engineer licensing exam in fire protection and the grading of those exams under the auspices of the National Council of Examiners for Engineering and Surveying. Several volunteer committees and task groups work under the Society’s auspices on technical projects to further advance the state of the art. 

The Society’s activities include a series of educational seminars and short courses, technical symposia and conferences, books and publications, designed to advance the state of the art of fire protection engineering and provide technical information to the fire protection community. The Society publishes a quarterly newsletter SFPE Today, a peer reviewed quarterly Journal, and a quarterly technical magazine Fire Protection Engineering.