BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment) News

BAFE has announced releasing a fire safety advisory during the on-going coronavirus (COVID19) pandemic. The advisory stated, “During this extraordinary situation, it must be noted that fire safety cannot be put on hold. Fire does not discriminate, and it is important that your fire safety policy is well maintained appropriately”. Fire safety systems and provisions It further reads, ”BAFE have discussed this fact before, but fire safety systems and provisions are different to...

The BAFE office is temporarily closed due to coronavirus (COVID-19) concerns. Staff safety is a priority and they will be working from home.  BAFE will be monitoring emails and accessing voicemail left to the BAFE office number. The response times may be longer than normal. 

IFEDA (Independent Fire Engineering & Distributors Association) releases statement informing that it has postponed all training courses until at least 1st June. "With yesterday’s public health announcements in mind I am sure you will appreciate that IFEDA has no option but to postpone all training courses until at least 1st June. A full refund will be offered to all who have paid, or you may wish to have your candidate moved to a later course when we can confirm dates, please let us k...

As BAFE Registered Companies will be aware, there are certain time period requirements when service and maintenance work should be performed for fire safety provisions and systems. At present, if a client is not permitting access on-site due to coronavirus precautions, the company should make sure that they explain that it is their decision to not allow the completion of the work. It is the role of the premises management (i.e. Responsible Person/Duty Holder) to ensure they fulfil their fire sa...

In view of the current situation regarding coronavirus (COVID-19), BAFE are issuing guidance relating to BS5306 fire extinguisher exam invigilation and fire extinguisher technician assessments. Any individual who has recently travelled to a Category 1 or Category 2* location or is showing signs of a medical condition that could be diagnosed as coronavirus should not attend their scheduled BS5306 exam. BS5306 fire extinguisher technician exams If any of the above information applies, please co...

BAFE, the independent register of quality fire safety service providers, have launched a new campaign to inform premises management and the public that specifying Third Party Certification is only part of the process in acting with due diligence. The campaign, ‘Don’t just Specify, Verify!’ points out the important second, and sometimes overlooked, verification stage when specifying and sourcing a competent Third Party Certificated provider to help comply with fire safety legis...

The Government consultation ‘Fire safety: risk prioritization in existing buildings’, closed recently. In January Stephen Adams, Chief Executive, BAFE, encouraged everyone to review the document provided on the MHCLG website and to respond accordingly. The call for evidence noted it was “in line with the Secretary of State’s commitment to conducting a full-scale technical review of the Fire Safety guidance to the Building Regulations (Approved Document B) and to provide...

The Government consultation Fire safety: risk prioritisation in existing buildings, closes in mid February 2020. In January Stephen Adams, Chief Executive – BAFE, encouraged everyone to review the document provided on the MHCLG website and to respond accordingly. The call for evidence noted it was ‘in line with the Secretary of State’s commitment to conducting a full-scale technical review of the Fire Safety guidance to the Building Regulations (Approved Document B) and to pro...

Amthal is celebrating its 20th birthday with the launch of a specialist logo, dedicated to showcasing its fast-growing, evolutionary journey to becoming a fire and security specialist. Launched in 2000 by close friends John Allam and Paul Rosenthal, Amthal now has over 60 members in the team and operates on a nationwide basis providing design, installation, maintenance and monitoring services across all commercial, public sector and residential sectors. In 2008, Jamie Allam joined the managemen...

Rethinking fire toxicity – inaugural conference featuring speakers from across the globe – focus on long-term effects of firefighter health. As part of the review of Building Regulations (Approved Document B), and in response to emerging evidence on long-term firefighter health issues, the government is investigating whether the effects of fire toxicity should be a legal requirement when choosing materials for high risk buildings. To assist in this research, the Fire Protection Asso...

As part of the review of Building Regulations (Approved Document B), and in response to emerging evidence on long-term firefighter health issues, the government is investigating whether the effects of fire toxicity should be a legal requirement when choosing materials for high risk buildings. To assist in this research, the Fire Protection Association is bringing together global fire toxicity experts to share their knowledge at an inaugural conference in London on 30th March. The day will be su...

FPA’s first Building a safer future seminar of 2020 attracted over 150 delegates to London to hear the latest updates from the public inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire. The expert speakers discussed competency, governmental and regulatory changes ahead, third party certification (TPC), dilemmas for the fire and rescue service (FRS) and toxicity. FPA’s managing director Jonathan O’Neill opened by ‘tracking the progress’ of the government’s recent announceme...

The Fire Protection Association’s (FPA) Building a Safer Future Seminar, held on Monday, January 27th, 2020 in London (sponsored by BAFE), played out the on-going discussion of competency within both the combined construction and fire safety industries. Chair of the event and Managing Director of the FPA, Jonathan O’Neill OBE, opened the seminar affirming his continued “whole-hearted” support for Third Party Certification, stating “I have been banging the drum for...

The Fire Sector Federation acknowledges and welcomes the announcement made by the Government in advance of a debate in Parliament on the Grenfell Tower fire. The delay in positive action has been a deep cause of concern to Federation members so the outlined steps, particular of the role of Health and Safety Executive and a new Act, are seen as helping move the whole process forward. Developing third party assurance Federation members have with many others been working together for over two ye...

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on Jan 20, 2020 launched a consultation seeking views on ‘how to assess and prioritize fire safety risks and how to better understand the complexity of building risk’ to ensure that an appropriate level of safety is achieved in existing buildings. Assessing fire safety of buildings MHCLG (Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) stated that they are commissioning research to develop an evidence base on fire saf...

SSAIB, one of the licensed certification bodies who deliver BAFE scheme assessments, have achieved an historic milestone of 300 active BAFE scheme-certificated companies. In September 2019, BAFE registered A1 Fire and Security Ltd, who are the 300th active company on the BAFE Fire Safety Register that have been assessed and third-party certificated through SSAIB. They join the more than 1450 BAFE-registered companies who are third-party certificated, with over 1700 BAFE fire safety scheme certi...

Around five years ago, BAFE representatives went to see two Scottish Government civil servants to discuss fire safety and in particular Fire Risk Assessments. The responsibility for Tony Maskens, then BAFE Technical Schemes Manager, and Euan Robson, Governmental Adviser - Caledonia Public Affairs, was to explain that Fire Risk Assessors should be professionally qualified and certificated and at present there is no requirement for them to be so. When The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 was published it...

BAFE launches a new scheme to assess the competency of dry riser/wet riser service and maintenance providers. With over 12 months in development including a public consultation, BAFE have worked with industry experts to establish robust criteria to assess and determine evidence of a provider’s competency to deliver maintenance of dry and wet risers/falling installations. Dry And Wet Riser Installations The BAFE Competency of Organizations for the Service & Maintenance of Dry and Wet...

Bield Response24, Bield Housing & Care’s alarm receiving center (ARC) has become one of the first facilities of its kind to provide fire alarm system monitoring and management. Since 1971, Bield Housing & Care has remained committed to improving the quality of life for older people by offering a diverse range of services to enable them to achieve as much independence and life fulfillment as possible. A not for profit organization, it is now one of the largest providers of housing...

The recent ban on combustible building materials by the government was for buildings over 18 meters – or six storeys high. The Cube student block in Bolton (providing student accommodation in a six storey block) which caught fire on Friday provides a stark reminder that the problem facing UK fire safety is the result of many issues and not just Grenfell style ACM cladding. Although the final details have not yet been released, there are a number of key issues reported, all of which are re...

The FPA Managing Director Jonathan O’Neill thought it was important to chair the Fire Sector Summit to stress his feelings towards the current state of the fire industry. He opened the event commending the Fire and Rescue Services but commented “Please don’t see Sir Martin [Moore-Bick]’s comments and recommendations [regarding the Grenfell Tower fire] as an attack. See them as an opportunity.” “If Dame Judith Hackitt gets her way you will likely to be asked t...

BAFE endorses the response to the Grenfell Review by the Fire Sector Federation and their call for action that this sort of tragedy never happens again. They must look ahead, including into Phase 2 of the Inquiry, to ensure that competent providers, at every stage of a building’s construction and use, keep residents and occupiers safe and that all means of fire protection are regularly monitored, with the full co-operation of owners, managers and residents. Making fire safety a priority...

Mr. Passey stated that they’re looking at a ‘new world order’, noting multiple changes recommended in Dame Judith Hackitt’s post-Grenfell Review that will dramatically alter the landscape of premises management which ‘some of us won’t recognize’. One of these changes he notes is that ‘duty holders should ensure that any recommendations outlined in the fire risk assessment are undertaken and completed in a timely manner.’ He adds to this, as...

The Queen’s speech raised a number of post-Grenfell Tower issues including building safety standards legislation. She declared “My Ministers will bring forward laws to implement new building safety standards.”  Within the official document released alongside this speech, it stresses that the purpose of this legislation will be to “put in place new and modernized regulatory regimes for building safety and construction products, ensuring residents have a stronger voice...

Specialist in advanced electronic fire and security solutions, Amthal has expanded its team with the appointment of Mick Byron to Business Development Manager. The newly established role within the company will help to support the sales and commercial teams, in their drive to maximize opportunities to promote and progress the business. Mick will strategically coordinate plans to move forward and develop channels and relationships, in line with an ever growing smart product installation portfoli...

At the UK Construction Week (UKCW) 2019 event, day one focused heavily on the fire safety and what actions are being taken in the construction industry to prevent further tragedy. Attending the show, BAFE observed an industry that is responding to the fire safety issue, but more action is required and fast. This comes just days after Dame Judith Hackitt told the industry to not wait for regulations to ‘raise the bar’. On the UKCW main stage, ‘Building Safe Homes: When will the...

Following the publication of the Raising the Bar Interim Report, the Competence Steering Group (CSG) are welcoming responses to this document. “The Competence Steering Group is inviting comments on its interim report Raising the Bar, which sets out measures to improve competence in the design, construction and fire sectors. The measures are intended to tackle competency shortcomings identified in the Hackitt Review, Building a Safer Future, following the Grenfell Tower fire.” raisin...

The next Fire Industry Manufacturers’ (FIM) Expo which will take place Wednesday 16th October, 2019. This time the FIM Expo will take place at Sheffield United Football Club. Organized by the Fire Industry Association (FIA), FIM Expo features many of the UK's pioneer fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focuses on showcasing the latest products and developments in this sector of the industry.A wide range of exhibitors are confirmed so far: Advanced Global Fire Equipment Ampac...

Abbot Fire Group is delighted to announce that they have achieved BAFE SP203-1, the accreditation for fire alarm design, installation, commissioning and maintenance. This is an extension of their existing BAFE SP203 accreditation for maintenance of fire alarms. BAFE SP203-1 accreditation The BAFE SP203-1 accreditation ensures that all elements of fire alarm design, installation, commissioning, handover, and maintenance are now covered by this independent third party, industry recognized accred...

Nittan Europe, UK manufacturer of conventional and addressable fire detection products and systems, has had its Evolution analog addressable fire detection system installed into St. Nicholas Church in Bristol. The system was supplied and commissioned by Coomber Fire and Security Systems who are a Nittan Elite Partner and BAFE SP203-1 & SP101 accredited. Grade II listed, St Nicholas Church was built in 1769, although the crypt dates back to medieval times. St. Nicholas has always played an i...