Fire Protection Association (FPA, UK) News
The award recognizes the work undertaken throughout 2020/2021 by the FPA to revolutionize its digital services by launching two new websites and a CRM system to improve customer engagement, integrating a third-party security tool throughout all digital platforms to protect the members, delivering two successful virtual events, and implementing a new webinar platform to improve member engagement and also in the process of launching an app to improve accessibility to digital products. Both websit...
The UK Government has apologized to the victims of the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy, and admitted to a string of failings in the years leading up to the disaster, dubbed one of the ‘major scandals of our time.’ The government’s Barrister told the Grenfell Tower Inquiry it was ‘deeply sorry for its past failures’, in regards to overseeing building safety. Jason Beer QC said shifted some of the onus onto local inspectors, saying they were responsible for the safety...
Thanks to member feedback, the new membership scheme offers FPA members additional benefits such as access to the Business Property and Protection Portal which produces a risk report for any business type in the UK, the Cladding Compliance Toolkit created by RISC Authority, which aims to help users understand the complex legislative fire safety requirements of external building cladding systems, and easier access to resources such as our popular Assembly Point Podcast. Launch of a CPD Record To...
A London property management company has been fined in excess of £80,000 for serious fire safety deficiencies in an Islington block of flats. London Fire Brigade inspectors made two visits to the five-story building on Danbury Street in Islington, which consists of more than 40 self-contained flats. The building is managed by Eurolets (UK) Limited. Fire Safety Order breaches The inspectors found severe breaches of the Fire Safety Order, including a lack of fire extinguishers, a non-func...
Over 70 colleagues from the fire sector gathered at the Oriental Club in Stratford Place, London to celebrate the FPA's platinum jubilee. Guests included current and former government ministers, and staff from the NFCC, IFE, and the London Fire Brigade, among many others. More than merely a victory lap or a gathering of old friends, the event was also a poignant reminder of what can be achieved within the sector with a collective and unified voice, and a singular message. FPA C...
The Association for Specialist Fire Protection has announced the shortlist for its 2021 Passive Fire Protection Awards, with the winners due to be announced on 26 November at the Association’s Awards Lunch at the Edwardian Hotel in Manchester. The awards will be presented by broadcaster, naturalist, and marine biologist Monty Hall. The 2021 event will see awards presented in six categories, each recognizing excellence within the passive fire protection industry, at a company and...
As a direct result of the findings of the Hackitt Report and subsequent government focus on the recommendations for the wider fire safety environment, FIREX International, the UK’s fire industry tradeshow, has taken the decision to fully commit to supporting and promoting third-party approvals, independent accreditation, and competency for construction products and services. This will mean all exhibiting companies with relevant fire protection or prevention systems and materials will need...
The IFSS Coalition has unveiled its new guidance document to address differing or non-existent fire safety requirements in countries across the world. A global coalition of over 80 fire safety leadership organizations on Monday, 11 October, 2023, launched a new Global Plan for a Decade of Action for Fire Safety 2022-2032, to ensure an internationally consistent approach to the safety and management of buildings, infrastructure and more with the aim of saving lives by reducing risk and preventin...
National Housing Federation research shows that one in ten new affordable homes to rent or buy in England can no longer be built because of the costs of fixing fire safety defects. The NHF surveyed 106 housing associations, with 61 reporting that they have discovered dangerous materials on their buildings since the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017. This is despite those buildings having been signed off as meeting building requirements at the time they were built. Author's quote The NHF est...
In the latest episode of Assembly Point, FPA Director of Operations - Howard Passey talks to Lewis Ramsey, Caretaker Manager at BAFE to examine the key issues and areas to consider when looking at fire risk management in buildings that are occupied by vulnerable persons. Howard and Lewis also explore the criticality of active and passive fire systems being suitable for the purpose, installed correctly, and that their subsequent maintenance and testing is undertaken by an accredited third party....
The London Fire Brigade successfully prosecuted a West London building owner, after major breaches of fire safety law were discovered, following a major blaze three years ago. On 9 August 2018, firefighters were called to a fire at a flat above a shop on Queensway in Bayswater, West London. It took 70 firefighters and ten fire engines to control the blaze that ravaged half of the four-story building. Two women were rescued from the building and treated for smoke inhalation at the scene. Absenc...
The Home Office has published the latest fire prevention and protection statistics, showing a massive reduction in fire and rescue service activity during the pandemic. The number of fire safety audits carried out by fire and rescue service inspecting officers fell 30 percent on the previous year to just over 34,000. This is substantially lower than five years ago when services carried out over 54,000 audits. Fire and rescue service inspection Fire safety audit is a planned visit by a fire an...
The NFCC Academic Collaboration, Evaluation and Research Group (ACER) will get to work this autumn, led by Nottingham Trent University academic Dr. Rowena Hill. ACER will review research from both the UK and across the world, keeping a watching brief on lessons learned that could apply to UK fire and rescue services. The NFCC is keen for ACER to encourage approaches from academics who share areas for potential research. NFCC set up The NFCC set up NOL that analyzed incidents to then share lea...
Fire Door Safety Week research reveals more than one in ten renters fear that raising fire safety concerns will affect their tenancy. There is cause to complain: a third of all renters have experienced fire doors being damaged or propped open and a quarter noticed a broken fire alarm in the last 12 months alone. With renters also concerned about whether reporting issues will even lead to them being fixed, the Fire Door Safety Week campaign is calling for fire safety to be urgently prioritized a...
Module 5 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry focuses on firefighting, with opening statements setting out a detailed analysis of operational, cultural, and leadership shortcomings of the London Fire Brigade. The Inquiry is interested in how the London Fire Brigade trained and prepared its staff for responding to fires in all buildings as construction methods have changed over the decades. Different legal firms Module 5 began with opening statements from three different legal firms, representing the...
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service has been awarded a grant from the Regulators’ Pioneer Fund. This is a new funding pot encouraging the creation of a UK regulatory environment that supports innovation and growth. Teaming up with the National Fire Chiefs Council, the University of Northampton, and Eyecademy Ltd, the West Sussex-led project will deliver a new web-based fire risk assessment tool. The interactive tool will improve users' understanding of fire safety. fire risk assessment...
The Fire Standards Board for England has released a new Fire Standard to help fire and rescue services address capacity and skills when it comes to inspecting fire safety in non-residential buildings. The announcement at the National Fire Chiefs Council conference in Warwick comes after an extensive consultation process. eighth Fire Standard This is the eighth Fire Standard to be published and it is an overarching standard for Fire Protection with further standards relating to more specific a...
BBC’s Newsnight devoted an entire program to the building safety crisis but could find no government or developer representative prepared to go on air. As Parliament returns next week to continue its examination of the Building Safety Bill, this program was a timely reminder of how many people are financially and physically trapped by fire safety defects in their homes. biggest public policy Introducing the program, Newsnight presenter, Emilly Maitlis said, “For many the wake-up c...
The Welsh Government has published new guidance on water mist systems aimed at local authority building control and installers to assist compliance with building regulations. Automatic water mist systems for domestic and residential premises was published on 27 August. This new guidance sets out how installers of water mist systems can satisfy the requirements of Regulation 37a of the Building Regulations 2010. Automatic fire suppression is mandatory in new residential premises in Wales....
The Association for Specialist Fire Protection has published three new Advisory Notes offering guidance on the fire protection of structural steel. 2021 version Addressing specific concerns identified by the industry, the ASFP's Advisory Note 19 sets out its position on the use of critical steel temperatures above 650°C. In an update to the previous edition from July 2020, the 2021 version notes: 'It is vital to ensure that the appropriate limiting temperature is used in the spe...
Steve Emery shares his thoughts on what conservation professionals should put into fire strategies for historic buildings. In the latest edition of the Built Environment Journal published by RICS, the issue of fire safety in historic buildings is explored by the University of Oxford’s fire officer. Fire risk assessment He takes the view of the conservation professional and how they need to look at historic buildings through a fire safety lens to avoid the experience of high-profile fire...
The Scottish Government has launched a new campaign to raise awareness of new fire safety laws that mean all homes must have interlinked smoke alarms from February 2022. The Building and Fire Safety Ministerial Working Group was established after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 to review Scotland’s existing building and fire safety regulatory frameworks. Their work has resulted in several changes in Scotland including this new approach to smoke alarms. New regulations New regulations un...
Fire and rescue services across the UK worked with partners to respond to the impact of COVID-19. Making a difference provides a series of short case studies to show the range of activities that services did over the last 18 months; it recognizes that the pandemic is not over and services continue to help communities in many different ways. Phil Garrigan is the NFCC lead for the COVID-19 response. He said: “The pandemic was unlike anything else we have...
Safety reporting body - CROSS-UK published a report earlier this month highlighting the fire risks from poorly maintained green walls, as changes to fire safety law mean that the external walls will become part of fire risk assessments. Green walls have been a popular way of making urban areas more attractive, contribute to biodiversity and help mitigate the impacts of climate change. Close-down procedures This new report from CROSS-UK discusses how building close-down procedures that...
Women in Fire Safety is seeking nominations for its inaugural awards recognizing excellence in the fire safety industry. The Women in Fire Safety Awards honor the outstanding achievements and contributions of all women within the fire safety community. Founded by Chloe Vickery and Kate Blake, the awards strive to address the historical gender imbalance and champion a more progressive industry. More progressive industry They said: “We hope to encourage the next generation to see fire saf...
A draft of PAS 8673 is available for public comment and contains competence requirements for the new role of Building Safety Manager. This PAS is based on the recommendations and core competence criteria set out in BSI Flex 8670. It supports the introduction of the Building Safety Manager that is contained in the Building Safety Bill currently going through Parliament. PAS 8673 The BSI has facilitated the development of PAS 8673 and it is sponsored by MHCLG. Brian Atkin is cited as the techni...
The value of the contract currently published on Contracts Finder is between £9 and 12 million over five years. The council is looking to install new fire sprinkler systems (and associated works) in 30 of its two and three-storey supported housing blocks as well as 102 blocks of general needs residential accommodation. The closing date for suppliers to respond is 10 September 2021. Retrofit sprinkler systems This comes after the council worked with Hampshire and Isle of W...
Gentoo is investing over £32 million over four years in internal refurbishment works across its housing stock for 60,000 residents. In an early notification published on Contracts Finder last month, Gentoo set out details of its intentions. The contract is divided into three lots with lot 3 focused on high-rise buildings and the installation of sprinkler systems and fire alarms. The value of lot 3 alone is £7 million and will be awarded on a framework basis for up to six providers...
Responding to an average of nearly 30,000 calls a year to false alarms generated from automated fire alarm activations, unwanted fire alarm signals (UFAS) account for 30% of all incidents by the service. Time for Change Reducing Unwanted Fire Alarm Signals is a new consultation document from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service. It shows that only 2% of automatic fire alarms from non-domestic properties were actual fires, with only a tiny percentage requiring firefighting as the majority were...
The newly created not-for-profit organization, the Building Safety Alliance will deliver a publicly accessible register of certified Building Safety Managers in a move that will increase confidence in the competence of these new duty holders prescribed in the Building Safety Bill. Emerging from the working group activity of the Competence Steering Group, the Building Safety Alliance marks a significant step forward for establishing the role of a Building Safety Manager in higher risk buildings....
