Fire Protection and Loss Control
Our Instructors
Ryan Szirmay
Ryan is our lead instructor and program manager for the Fire Protection and Loss Control Program at CEAT Professional Development. Through this program, he trains more than 350–400 industry professionals annually, advancing OSU’s core mission of outreach and extension. His teaching philosophy emphasizes practical, hands-on learning, ensuring students and professionals alike are prepared to apply their knowledge directly in the field.
In addition to serving professionals in the field, Ryan is the lab manager for the Fire Protection & Safety Engineering Technology (FPSET) lab, where he works closely with undergraduate and graduate students on subjects ranging from fire pump inspection and fire alarm system installation to live fire experiments, electrical safety, and chemical sampling.
Drawing on his own firefighting experience, Ryan integrates real-world applications into his instruction. He simplifies complex concepts through relatable comparisons and creates an environment where experimentation and learning from mistakes are encouraged. At the center of his work is a commitment to student success, equipping learners with the confidence, skills, and mindset to excel in their careers while continuing their professional growth.
Virginia Charter
Virginia brings extensive industry experience to her teaching and professional training in fire protection engineering. Before returning to Oklahoma State University in 2014, she worked as a Fire Protection Engineer in Las Vegas, serving clients across a wide range of industries including corporate real estate, industrial facilities, government, healthcare, higher education, and hospitality. In this role, she was responsible for planning and evaluating fire protection, life safety, and risk control systems—experience that now shapes her applied, hands-on teaching approach.
In the classroom and professional training settings, Dr. Charter integrates real-world case studies and project-based learning to bridge theory with practice. Her work emphasizes how fire protection and life safety principles are applied across different environments, giving students and professionals practical insights they can immediately apply in the field.
Her professional interests include factors that impact fire protection system effectiveness, such as corrosion, the application of codes and standards, fire safety challenges in informal settlements, and advancing engineering education. She is also a licensed Fire Protection Engineer in multiple states, reinforcing her direct connection to industry practice.
Dr. Charter remains actively engaged in the fire protection profession. She currently serves as Chair of the Higher Education Committee for the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE), is a Governor of the SFPE Foundation, and is a member of the UL Fire Council.
Bryan Hoskins
Bryan brings both industry and research experience to his work in fire protection and life safety. He began his career at Arup, focusing on life safety design and people movement, and later worked at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) on projects involving building evacuations and emergency messaging.
At Oklahoma State University, Dr. Hoskins teaches and develops training in areas such as human behavior in fire, life safety, suppression and detection systems, sprinkler system design, smoke control, fire dynamics, explosions, wildland–urban interface fires, and risk analysis. He also leads the Fire Safety and Explosion Protection master’s program, preparing professionals for leadership roles in the field.
Beyond the classroom, Dr. Hoskins is actively engaged in the fire protection industry. He is a long-time member of SFPE and NFPA, where he contributes to multiple technical committees, codes, and standards. He chairs the SFPE Research Roadmap working group, serves on several SFPE guide committees, and is an instructor for the SFPE PE Exam preparation course.
With professional interests in evacuation, emergency messaging, and human behavior in fire, Dr. Hoskins has delivered more than 50 presentations at industry conferences and authored over 30 publications. His work bridges research, practice, and professional training—helping advance both the science and application of fire protection engineering.