Fire Industry Association (FIA) News

FIA CEO Ian Moore would like to share some of the work that the fire industry is doing in the fight against coronavirus. “Heroes is not a word I use often as they are not just people doing the job they volunteer for and carry it out for a salary, it is about people that go above and beyond what is expected for the good of others." Recognizing PLP Fire Protection "Heroes come in many guises and we have plenty of them highlighted (and rightly so) right now in the NHS and emergency service...

FIA CEO Ian Moore has just discussed the release of the below statement with Susan Revell, Standards Development Manager at BSI, and would like to share the information, help, and guidance offered by BSI, “Following the outbreak of Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19), BSI has examined how we can support the collective efforts to mitigate the risks to organizations, caused by this global health issue." 11 standards to help guide businesses "After careful consideration, we have made available 11...

Hochiki Europe, a renowned manufacturer of life safety solutions, has partnered with the FIA (Fire Industry Association) to host a roundtable discussing best practice when it comes to life safety in Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs). Panelists were made up of professionals involved throughout the life safety procurement chain, including representatives from the manufacturing, facilities management, consultancy/specification and installation sectors, as well as the FIA itself. selecting emerge...

The Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) is a certification body for organizations providing security systems and services, fire detection and alarm systems, telecare systems and services, manned security services and monitoring services. In this challenging time, with the closure of many business and the Prime Minister’s statement to further restrict movement, it is important to ensure the vital national work that the private security industry firms carry out is recognize...

Recently, James Brokenshire, Minister of State for Security at the Home Office stated, “Security and fire safety personnel can play a vital role at this time of national challenge. People working in these sectors who are essential to national infrastructure are ‘key workers’ for the purposes of the Government’s guidance on COVID-19.”  While the Fire Industry Association is continually seeking further clarification from the Government on the issue, Ian Moore, C...

The Fire Industry Association (FIA) is continuously seeking further clarification from the Government's position on this issue after Boris Johnson's speech on Monday 23rd at 20:30. FIA CEO Ian Moore has been in discussions with the Home Office on this subject over the last few days. FIA CEO Ian Moore says, “We have received hundreds of calls requesting clarification on what is meant by the Home Office statements. My first response is to be pragmatic about what you deem to be important und...

In this unprecedented time of a Global COVID-19 Pandemic, Euralarm informed users a few weeks ago about the Board’s decision to postpone its annual event that was planned on May 27th. The General Assembly, Industry Forum and 50th-Anniversary celebrations, and subsequent Section meetings, are rescheduled to October 29th and 30th, in the same location as previously communicated at the Renaissance Hotel in Brussels.   Extraordinary General Assembly Euralarm will run essential administ...

The proposed Fire Safety Bill will ‘amend the Fire Safety Order 2005 to clarify that the responsible person or duty-holder for multi-occupied, residential buildings must manage and reduce the risk of fire for: The structure and external walls of the building, including cladding, balconies, and windows. Entrance doors to individual flats that open into common parts. This clarification will empower fire and rescue services to take enforcement action and hold building owners...

The new fire safety bill, announced by the UK government post consultations with FIA (Fire Industry Association) and fire industry experts, aims to help people feel safe in their homes around the country, whilst ensuring that a fire related tragedy similar to that of Grenfell Tower fire never happens again. Fire Safety Bill The proposed Fire Safety Bill will amend the Fire Safety Order 2005 to clarify that the responsible person or duty-holder for multi-occupied, residential buildings must man...

In line with the latest Government instruction to close all educational settings due to the current Coronavirus pandemic, the FIA will be changing the way it delivers courses, exams, and CPD. From Monday 23rd March 2020, FIA has moved to deliver its training to an online platform allowing students to learn from the comfort and safety of their homes during this period of enforced self-isolation. It will be delivered live by FIA's professional instructors with the opportunity to interact through...

The FIA Export Council and all of ‘FIA Exporters’ are aware that they work closely with the Department for International Trade [DIT] and its Defence and Security Organisation [DSO], in respect of promoting the fire sector’s export interests overseas. The FIA is writing to highlight the opportunities for industry sector specialists to work within DIT DSO on time-limited projects to support UK exports. As part of the new 2019 Security Export Strategy, DIT DSO are seeking support...

FIM Expo and the Northern Ireland Fire Industry Conference, which were originally scheduled to be staged on 22nd and 23rd April 2020 respectively, will be held in October 2020, still in the Titanic Centre, Belfast. As users can probably imagine, this is due to the outbreak of Coronavirus (COVID-19). This decision has been made as a result of consultation with exhibitors, local companies, scheduled attendees, the event site, and other stakeholders to determine the best outcome for all. COV...

2020 is set for a series of important changes in the UK-EU relation. The FIA will keep users updated so that users can stay ahead. Post 31/12/2020 (unless there is an agreement to the contrary) the EU will not recognize engineer’s F Gas certificates issued through a UK agency such as the FIA (Fire) and other providers. Engineers UK certificate As quite a sizeable percentage of the refrigeration engineers in Ireland and about 95% of the Fire engineers are certified through UK agencies th...

The Northern Ireland Fire Industry Conference will take place on Thursday 23rd April at the Titanic Centre in Belfast, a monument to Belfast's maritime heritage on the site of the former Harland & Wolff shipyard in the city's Titanic Quarter where the RMS Titanic was built. In today’s competitive and ever-changing industry, it is now more important than ever to keep up to date with the latest industry developments, which is why this conference serves as an opportunity to all fire indus...

The Fire Industry Manufacturers’ (FIM) Expo is heading to Northern Ireland this spring with a one-day stop on Wednesday, 22nd April to the impressive Titanic Centre in the heart of Belfast, Ireland. Organized by the Fire Industry Association (FIA), FIM Expo features many of the UK's renowned fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focuses on showcasing the latest products and developments in this sector of the industry. Fire Industry Manufacturers’ (FIM) Expo FIM Expo is a road...

The proliferation of false fire alarms places a huge burden on the Fire & Rescue Service. Understanding false fire alarm causes and taking steps to prevent them can help reduce false dispatches. The threat of fire is known to all; there is no need to overstate the devastating impact of fire on people, wildlife, businesses and buildings. Only recently, Sydney and its surrounding areas have been devastated by raging bushfires, while in the UK, there was a 14% increase of fire incidents attend...

During FIA’s Northern Ireland week, the FIA is excited to be bringing the Fire Industry Manufacturers (FIM) Expo, Northern Ireland Fire Industry Conference (NIFIC) and FIA’s renowned training to Northern Ireland. The events, designed in line with the FIA’s principal objectives, will cover the most pressing subjects in the fire industry, regardless of what your business focuses. The FIM Expo features many of the UK's fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focuses on showcas...

In a post-Grenfell world there is clearly, and rightly so, a focus on the fire safety of high-rise buildings – especially in the residential sector. Yet this focus has answered as many questions as it has made new ones, particularly for the construction and fire industries. As reported in December of 2019 by the Fire Industry Association (FIA), a new cross-industry valuation process called the External Wall Fire Review (EWFR) was implemented by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors...

The firms, ranging from the architects Studio E, current and former staff at the main contractor Rydon, the TMO and Harley Facades, which are being investigated for their involvement in the Grenfell Tower Fire of 2017 that resulted in the death of 72 people, want a guarantee from Attorney General, Geoffrey Cox that they will be protected from prosecution when they give evidence, stated the latest Fire Industry Association (FIA) report in the inquiry matter. ‘Michael Mansfield QC, who is r...

Following increased reports of unwanted alarms caused by e-cigarette vaping and the lack of clear information in the market place, The Fire Industry Association has now published Fact File 85, covering their use and possible effects on Fire Alarm Systems. This is free to download from the FIA website. ‘dual optical’ detectors In the recent case of The Frog & Frigate, in Southampton, where vaping is allowed, smoke detectors false alarms, caused by vaping were becoming a consider...

St Leger Homes of Doncaster have been working closely with colleagues at Doncaster Council to improve fire safety across its housing stock. Doncaster Council funded fire safety works in all of St Leger Homes’ high-rise buildings at a cost of around £6m, with sprinkler installations accounting for over half of the total spend. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Authority contributed £200k to the installation of sprinklers at Silverwood House from their Safer Stronger Communities Re...

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 FIA Extinguishing Council has seated its first female member. Nicki Stewart, managing director of Firexo for UK and Ireland, said she was excited to confirm her seat for the next two years. "I’m honored to have a seat on the extinguishing council; I have big plans during my time here and I am really eager to work with influential market leaders at the FIA,” she said. First Female On The Fire Extinguishing Council Nicki has continued to show her ongoing passion for educating co...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) is demonstrating its continuing support for Fire Door Safety Week by holding a series of free fire door safety seminars. The national awareness safety campaign, which took place between 23-29 September 2019, was launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect and aims to increase the public’s understanding of the role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. It is led by high-profile organizations such as the British Woodwork...

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...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) is demonstrating its continuing support for Fire Door Safety Week by holding a series of free fire door safety seminars. The national awareness safety campaign, which took place between 23-29 September 2019, was launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect and aims to increase the public’s understanding of the role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. Fundamental Issues Of Fire Safety DHF has been a vocal advocate fo...

Dame Judith Hackett’s recommendations to the U.K. Government after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 were that the competence of the individuals working in the construction and life cycle of Higher Risk Residential Buildings (HRRBs) needs to improve and be clearer. Work had already started in many fire protection sectors to create fully recognized qualifications, and these help raise the benchmark. Improving fire safety training A force driving improvements in training is the Fire Industry...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has welcomed the Ministerial Statement to the House, given by the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire, in which he updated members on building safety. In particular, he informed those present that following an independent investigation into timber fire doors, no issues had been found with the consistency of the fire-resistance performance of the doors tested. This is good news for the industry and adds fur...

Comelit UK has demonstrated its commitment and growing prominence in the Fire Sector, investing in an additional member of the team by introducing a dedicated Fire Technical Support Engineer. Experienced fire industry specialist David Fraser joins Comelit’s highly specialist team incorporating Wesley Wright as UK Fire Manager and Mandy Bowden as Fire Business Development Manager North. David has over 20 years experience working with leading fire specialists, dedicated to installer focus t...

One lesson of Grenfell is how many fire system technicians operate without the appropriate qualifications. Since the Grenfell tragedy, Dame Judith Hackitt has called for all relevant trades to hold formal qualifications, and for industry to implement a system in which clients and end users can be assured that operatives are fully competent. Another lesson is that fire service audits of buildings are no longer fit for purpose. For instance, the current system does not require proof that a fire s...