Fire Protection Association (FPA, UK) News

The government is facing calls to deliver pension justice that a Court of Appeal ruling has mandated, with their lack of action meaning that the Fire Brigades Union is being forced to begin preparing relevant legal claims on behalf of its members. In a further unusual step, employees’ and employers’ representatives within fire and rescue have sent a joint letter to the government, calling on them to alter steps which mean that fire and rescue services are currently unable to comply...

Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) are changing how they respond to automatic fire alarms (AFA) in non-sleeping risk premises during the day. From 1 April 2022, LFRS are changing the way they respond to calls from automatic systems and from persons who have not investigated the source of a sounding fire alarm in non-sleeping risk buildings, between the hours of 8 am and 7 pm, seven days a week.  Automatic fire alarms (AFAs) Automatic fire alarms (AFAs) provide early warning in the...

The Fire Protection Association (FPA) announces the departure of its long-standing Technical and RISCAuthority Director, Dr. Jim Glockling, who has decided to step down from his position for lifestyle reasons. Dr. Jim Glockling will remain with the company until the end of June. positive influence Commenting on the news, the FPA’s Managing Director, Jonathan O’Neill OBE said, “Having worked with Jim for more than 20 years, I have seen firsthand the positive influence he has...

The clubhouse at Beaverbrook Golf Club in Leatherhead, Surrey, United Kingdom (UK) was destroyed by a catastrophic fire on the evening of Monday, 7 March, fortunately causing no injuries. Firefighters were called to the scene at 10 pm, with eight fire engines in attendance. The fire was found to have caused damage to 'the entirety of the building and its basement'. Surrey Fire and Rescue Service have not yet revealed a cause of the fire at this point, and while an investigation has been launch...

The UK government has presented amendments to the Building Safety Bill, including the removal of clauses 82 to 86, relating to the appointment of a Building Safety Manager. The amendments were made in the House of Lords in the Report Stage prior to the Third Reading. Prior to these amends, the Building Safety Manager had a significant role in the Bill, with responsibilities to manage the Part 4 building safety risk for higher risk buildings, which is outlined in clauses 60 to 81. These clause...

A landlord and the Responsible Person for an office block in Bedford have been fined over £40,000 for multiple and repeated breaches of the Fire Safety Order. issue of notice The owner of Broadway House, Mrs. J Lusty, and the Responsible Person, Mr. D Lusty, were given a Notice of Deficiencies letter in June 2019, after an audit under Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s (BFRS) Risk Based Inspection Programme (under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005). They were give...

The Scottish government, RICS, and the Fire Sector Federation have each issued new forms and guidance in relation to aspects of fire safety and building evacuation. Multiple new fire safety guides have been introduced in Scotland, including practical fire safety advice on how to prevent fires and reduce the risks in a variety of settings. Published by the Scottish government, the guidance provides practical guidance for existing high-rise domestic buildings, existing non-residential premis...

An Isle of Man care home has been fined £46,000 for health and safety breaches after a 95-year-old died as a result of a fire in 2019. Elder Healthcare, which runs the care home, also provides emergency assistance to residents in the adjacent apartments. The court heard Elder Healthcare was not to blame for the death of Olive Renecle, who lived in a sheltered flat connected to the care home in Douglas. However, Deemster Graeme Cook said ‘shortcomings’ were found in f...

The Fire Protection Association’s InfoZone seminar theatre returns for 2022 with an agenda covering a wide range of crucial talking points in the fire safety industry for attendees at FIREX International. meetings and networking Alongside its welcome reception area, where the FPA will be available for meetings and networking with members and the full supply chain of fire safety professionals, the popular InfoZone seminar theatre returns for FIREX International 2022, at London’s ExC...

The Senior Coroner for Hertfordshire, Geoffrey Sullivan, has taken the step of submitting a Prevention of Future Deaths report concerning care home sprinkler systems and building standards to Michael Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, following the conclusion of his inquest into the deaths of two women at a care home fire in 2017.  Resistive heating Resistive heating in the electrical wiring of a linen cupboard caused the blaze that quickly spread thro...

Pioneering trade bodies representing fire protection, the fit-out and interiors sector, and plasterboard manufacturers have come together to warn of the dangers of passing cables and pipes through firewalls used for compartments in buildings. The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), the Finishes and Interior Sector (FIS), and the Gypsum Products Development Association (GPDA) have joined forces behind a labeling initiative to provide instant guidance on what to do when considering...

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is spearheading vital fire safety improvements in the capital. innovative draft guidance The Mayor is launching a full public consultation on the innovative draft guidance to ensure all new developments are designed with the highest standards of fire safety from the earliest stage, keeping Londoners, their property, and the fire service safe. This new guidance will also ensure evacuation lifts are included in developments so that residents can evacuate building...

International Women’s Day is a global day celebrating the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. The day also marks a call to action for accelerating gender parity. Significant activity is witnessed worldwide as groups come together to celebrate women’s achievements or rally for women’s equality. International Women’s Day 2022 The campaign theme for International Women’s Day 2022 is ‘Break The Bias’. The campaign aims to achi...

Footage filmed from nearby buildings, and shared on social media, showed the fire raging and starting to spread from a flat on the 17th floor of the building. The alarm was raised shortly after 4 pm, and over 125 fire personnel responded, with crews from Whitechapel, Shoreditch, Dowgate, Bethnal Green, Dockhead, Old Kent Road and Islington all in attendance. The fire was brought under control by 7 pm after London Fire Brigade had mobilized a 64-meter turntable ladder - the tallest firefighting...

Over 2,500 delegates joined the latest Fire Protection Association webinar, produced in association with Barbour EHS, that looked at the important topic of Best Practices in Fire Risk Assessment and Competency.  Howard Passey, Director of Operations and Principal Consultant at the FPA, addressed the challenges presented by forthcoming updates to legislation, guidance, and competency requirements that will see fire risk assessors coming under increased scrutiny. responsible person Beginni...

On 9 February 2022, Northern Gas Networks Ltd was sentenced for safety breaches after a fire and gas explosion at residential premises in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, resulted in the death of the homeowner. fire and explosion Leeds Crown Court heard that, on 11 February 2019, West Yorkshire Fire Service was called to a fire and explosion in Huddersfield Road, Mirfield. The occupier, Elena Frunza, was discovered during a search of the property, whilst it was still on fire. She was taken to Pinder...

The UK’s national fire safety organization has announced the appointment of two new Executive Directors to their Board, following their first meeting of 2022 in January. female representation Jo Griffin, Director of HR and Support Services, and Claire Wright, Director of Training and Digital Services, are the first female representatives the FPA Board has seen in its history. With a combined service of almost 25 years, Jo and Claire’s commitment to the FPA has not gone unnoticed....

New guidance on cleaning and maintaining industrial and commercial kitchen extraction and ventilation systems has been published by the National Association of Air Duct Specialists UK. NAAD21 The document – NAAD21 is a collaboration between industry experts and other associations, and covers both grease and air quality. The guidance is embedded throughout the GT0F 04 SCQF Level 5 (NVQ2): Ventilation Hygiene Certificate and forms the core of the qualification, covering the practices and...

External wall fire review process forms, known as EWS1 forms, were developed by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and are used as part of the valuation process for high-rise residential buildings with cladding. Seven mortgage lenders provide EWS1 data to the department and these represent most of the lending market, according to the data release published on 17 February. This is the second time the Department for Leveling Up has published EWS1 lender data on mortgage valuation...

Following another successful conference last November which saw over 400 delegates in attendance, FIRE 2022 is set to return later this year. Traditionally organized collaboratively between the Fire Protection Association (FPA), Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), the Fire 2022 team have now welcomed the Fire Sector Federation (FSF) as a key contributor and supporter of this event. The four parties will work closely together on the event program to...

The fire, which happened just before Christmas, was recently highlighted by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS) to demonstrate the benefits of investing in sprinklers.   TWFRS said that a propane gas-powered forklift truck caught fire next to some wooden pallets, causing a large-scale fire in a large commercial warehouse. Firefighters from Gateshead and Swalwell Community Fire Stations were on the scene in a matter of minutes to assess the situation and extinguish the fire b...

The Mayor of London has launched a public consultation on draft guidance that puts fire safety at the heart of the planning process for new developments. Sadiq Khan has a strategic planning role for London and his London Plan sets out guidance for development and building across the city. He said that existing national building regulations are not fit for purpose and the progress of reform is too slow. National building regulations The Mayor is consulting on London Plan Guidance relating to f...

The Fire Protection Association and RISCAuthority has submitted its response to BSI regarding the major change planned to sprinkler standards in the UK following a 2 month window for comments. Jonathan O'Neill OBE, Managing Director of the FPA, responded to the proposed changes to BS EN 12845-1 and said: “There is major change planned to sprinkler standards in the UK, which is being driven by the European standards making body CEN. The window for commenting on BS EN 12845-1 Fixed firefig...

All homes in Scotland must have interlinked smoke alarms from 1 February. As the date nears, members of the Scottish Parliament have expressed their concerns about whether all homeowners will be able to comply. The Scottish Government gave Care and Repair Scotland £500k to help older and disabled homeowners install alarms. The daily record reported on 25 January that Care and Repair Scotland had struggled to meet demand and had closed its doors to new requests. Since September the se...

The Housing Select Committee is encouraging written evidence to help its scrutiny of the government’s approach to getting developers to fund the costs of remediating building safety defects. Since the government changed its approach to funding the cost of fixing building safety defects by going after the developers and manufacturers of construction products such as cladding and insulation, the Housing Select Committee will look at the effectiveness and impact of its approach. funding arr...

A care home business run by private health and care provider - BUPA has been ordered to pay more than £1 million after a resident died in a fire, while smoking at one of its care homes. In what is thought to be the largest ever fine for fire safety breaches in the UK, BUPA Care Services (ANS) Ltd was fined £937,500 and ordered to pay £104,000 costs at Southwark Crown Court on 5 January. Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order London Fire Brigade brought the prosecution under t...

A new code of practice for the fire risk appraisal of external walls and cladding of multi-occupancy residential buildings has been published by BSI. The code has been developed to support the changes to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 brought about by the Fire Safety Act 2021, which provides for the fire performance of exterior walls and cladding to be a material consideration. PAS 9980:2022 Fire risk appraisal The code, PAS 9980:2022 Fire risk appraisal of external wall...

More than half a million COVID-19 vaccinations have been given by fire and rescue services staff, according to a report by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC). As reported, the figure as of now is at 510,540 – a testament to the hard work from all involved, and will only increase as fire services continue their efforts to support the national program. Additional vaccination sites It is estimated up to 2,500 members of staff are supporting this vital work to get everyone eligible pro...

Ten people from across the fire sector have been named in the New Year Honors 2022 lists, in recognition of their services. The honors system recognizes extraordinary people, who in accordance with the list's criteria, ‘made achievements in public life and committed themselves to serving and helping the UK.’ Ongoing impactful work The FPA would like to extend their heartfelt thanks and congratulations to everyone named in the New Year Honours list for 2022, for their ongoing impa...

Chate Singh pleaded guilty to six offenses under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. He was sentenced to eight months in prison, suspended for 18 months, at Nottingham Crown Court. According to the fire service, a judge said Singh's actions could have had 'catastrophic consequences'. Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service noted that the breaches included failing to provide adequate fire safety training for staff, failing to implement procedures such as safety drills, and failing to...