Fire Industry News for August 2023

This appointment will be responsible for establishing and pioneering the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR). The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has announced the appointment of a Chief Inspector of Buildings to establish and lead the new Building Safety Regulator (BSR). Peter Baker, HSE’s current Director of Building Safety and Construction, will take up the post with immediate effect. The government asked HSE to establish a new building safety regulator in the wake of the...

Upon BAFE’s acquisition of the Fire Industry Association (FIA) Awarding Organization last year, FireQual was established and has been diligently working on developing this platform to offer qualifications for individuals working in the fire safety industry. FireQual’s development FireQual is pleased to announce that approval has now been achieved from both Northern Ireland’s (CCEAR) and Scotland’s (SQAA) regulatory bodies to offer qualifications covering fire safety w...

The community is at the heart of Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS), and on-call firefighters help to strengthen those links by serving the villages and towns where they live and work.  Luke Pritchard is an on-call firefighter based in Faversham, where he lives with his wife and their two young children. Having grown up in the town, the 35-year-old wanted to be a firefighter at his local fire station from a young age and successfully applied for the role four years ago.  Comments of...

Daniel Muijs, Ofsted's Deputy Director of Research and Evaluation, has published a handy guide on what is going well and not so well with remote learning. The information published covers: What is remote education? Common myths about remote education Using remote education to deliver learning How to keep it simple Adapting learning Remote feedback and assessment Technology provision Live vs. recorded delivery Engagement online Additional resources Whether the organization eng...

For anyone who is not aware and is responsible for fire extinguishers within their building, there has been a change for class D Powder extinguishers (which are used for metal fires). This change has been introduced with BS 5306-10:2019, published 31/10/2020, and supersedes BS 7863:2009 (which is withdrawn). clearer differentiation Guidance published in December 2020 by FIA (Fire Industry Association), states, “The major change is the color-code for class D Powder extinguishers (fo...

Robert Jenrick MP, The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities, and Local Government, announced a “New £30 million fund for leaseholders in England to pay for the installation of fire alarm systems in high-rise buildings with cladding.”  Adding that this will remove or reduce “the need for costly interim safety measures such as waking watch.” Install common fire alarms The written statement continues by saying that “This step is supported...

Since its launch in 2013 by world-pioneering coatings manufacturer, Hempel, the Hempaguard X7 hull coating has been applied over 2,000 times. Hempel has continuously documented Hempaguard X7’s ability to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions for shipowners, and now the exact impact has been calculated. Hempaguard X7 hull coating Michael Hansen, Executive Vice President & Chief Commercial Officer at Hempel, comments: “Reaching this important milestone of 2,000 full shi...

BBC News has reported the Valley Nursing Home, located in Clogher, County Tyrone is to be deregistered by Northern Ireland care home regulator RQIA (Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority). Critical inspections Critical inspections identified multiple hygiene and safety risks, an RQIA report stated, "Of particular concern, adequate precautions and systems were not in place to manage fire risk.” These ;significant breaches' have resulted in the care home’s deregistration, mea...

PAS 79-1:2020 and PAS 79-2:2020 replace PAS 79:2012. Please note PAS 79:2012 has been withdrawn.  This has been superseded by two new documents: PAS 79-1:2020 Fire risk assessment. Premises other than housing. Code of practice (published December 2020). PAS 79-2:2020 Fire risk assessment. Housing. Code of practice (published December 2020). BAFE published information regarding the public consultation in April 2020. Generic fire risk assessment guidance The BSI website notes that t...

“At Hempel, we want to put sustainability at the heart of how we do business, and we want to do it with a high level of ambition and credibility. By working with the SBTi, we can enter this journey knowing that we are guided by a very well-credited program,” says Hempel CEO, Lars Petersson. Paul Simpson, CEO of CDP, and the founder of SBTi stresses the need for more companies to do as Hempel and commit to fighting climate change on a scientific basis: “The science is clea...

Apsana Begum, Labour MP for Poplar and Limehouse, has asked the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government “Whether he plans to provide funding for remedial work to buildings that do not comply with fire safety regulations but do not have problems relating to cladding.” The Minister of State (Housing, Communities, and Local Government), Christopher Pincher, Conservative MP for Tamworth, reminded building owners and premises management that fire safety rema...

In the recently published Fire and rescue incident statistics (England) it is documented that in the year ending June 2020 “FRSs attended 231,510 fire false alarms, a one percent increase with the previous year (229,961), a seven percent increase compared with five years ago (215,857) and a 19 percent decrease compared with ten years ago (285,368).” While the information published does note that “the number of fire false alarms attended by fire and rescue servic...

At the Fire 2020 event, Jonathan O’Neill, Managing Director of the Fire Protection Association, stated (concerning the Hackitt Review). “As many people explained to Dame Judith [Hackitt] at the very start of these investigations, it is not just the system that is broken, the guidance and regulations themselves are ambiguous, outdated, and subject to abuse.” life safety and property protection He questioned, “Are we setting the bar too low from the start?”. ...

The committee welcomed the International Fire Safety Standards: Common Principles: “Safe Buildings Save Lives” Following Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Global Building Standards Director (Fire Safety Lead) Gary Strong’s presentation in October, there has now been confirmation from the UN that the IFSS document will be published as a UN ECE standard. UN sustainable goals The document: International Fire Safety Standards: Common Principles: “Safe Buildin...

A residential structure fire was reported on Maple Lane between Eucalyptus Lane and Manzanita Lane in Sugarloaf at approximately 6:43 pm, on Monday, November 9, 2020. Upon arrival, fire crews observed a residential structure with heavy smoke and flames showing. Crews immediately went into defensive attack mode to the fully involved structure to provide protection to the adjacent structures. No occupants were in the home at the time of the incident. Big Bear Fire Crew carry out fire suppression...

Chris Watts of Eaton Lighting offers guidance for BAFE on behalf of the BAFE SP203 Monitoring Group. BAFE SP203-4 is for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of emergency lighting systems. Any period of shutdown generates potential problems and opportunities for testing and servicing of emergency lighting systems. The current lockdowns have an added dimension as it applies to sites that are not normally unoccupied and people responsible for the operation of the system should...

An update from Director of Schemes, Chris Auger, outlining issues raised by the new lockdown measures to be introduced on November 05, 2020. Due to the recent second wave of the COVID-19 coronavirus and the subsequent lockdown announced by the Prime Minister on Saturday 31st October 2020, BAFE has had to review the situation regarding refresher certificates and technician assessments. different levels of restriction Although the announcement only applied to England, there are also different...

With Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s announcement made on Saturday (31/10/2020), lockdown measures will be introduced across all of England this Thursday (05/11/2020). Initial guidance, in relation to going to work, published following the Prime Minister’s announcement states: “To help contain the virus, everyone who can work effectively from home must do so. Where people cannot do so (for instance people who work in critical national infrastructure, construction or manufa...

On the 16th of October, the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, answered the following question from Andrew Dismore (Labor): What dangers do you believe that buildings under 18 m with dangerous cladding pose to residents? The Mayor of London answered: “Several recent damaging fires in buildings below 18 meters have demonstrated the danger that unsafe cladding presents to residents. I have always been clear that fire risk does not adhere to strict height thresholds." Fire safety requirements in...

The Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has published Version 6 of the Site Operating Procedures document. Information from Construction Leadership Council (20/10/2020): Site Operating Procedures Update – Version 6 is now available The Site Operating Procedures have been updated to reflect recent changes in Government guidance. While there are no significant changes to social distancing requirements on sites, the Construction Leadership Council (CLC) has taken the opportunity to streaml...

Big Bear Fire Department has some 'Hot Tips for Cold Weather' to ensure safe winter heating. With the change in seasons in Big Bear Valley comes the need to warm homes and businesses. Stay warm and safe during the winter months by following some simple tips. Conventional Heating Have a professional check and service the heating system each year. Always keep combustibles away from heat sources. Check the manufacturer’s specifications for clearance distances. Portable Heaters Always use...

BAFE is pleased to announce the SP207 Evacuation Alert Systems Scheme Document.  BAFE SP207 Scheme Supporting British Standard 8629 (Evacuation Alert Systems for use by fire and rescue services in buildings containing flats), the BAFE SP207 Scheme document covers demonstrating quality evidence of competency for the design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance of evacuation alert systems. The Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government published the outcome of the cons...

A global coalition of over 80 fire safety pioneer organizations (including BAFE) on Monday 5 October launched a new internationally consistent approach to the safety and management of buildings, with the aim of saving more lives by reducing risk and preventing devastating fires. The launch of the International Fire Safety Standard – Common Principles (IFSS-CP) follows extensive work to bring public confidence around the regulation and control of fire safety measures. Non-existent require...

The competence requirements for the proposed new role of the Building Safety Manager have been set out in a new report Safer People, Safer Homes: Building Safety Management. Under new legislation being introduced in the draft Building Safety Bill published in July, those deemed responsible in law for the safety of higher-risk buildings, such as the landlord, will be required to appoint a Building Safety Manager. In the draft Building Safety Bill, homes that fall in the higher risk category...

A blueprint to improve competence for those working on higher-risk buildings and drive culture change has been set out by a cross-industry group representing more than 150 organizations in the fire and built environment industries. Setting the Bar is the second and final report of the Competence Steering Group (CSG) and is an update of its Interim Report, Raising the Bar, published in August 2019. The work was initiated by the recommendations in Dame Judith Hackitt’s review Building a Saf...

Update from Director of Schemes for BAFE, Chris Auger, for all organizations preparing for their BAFE Third Party Certification assessment and temporary certification changes. In June BAFE published a statement clarifying its position regarding remote assessments and how should prepare for Certification Audit. Issue of certificates At that time BAFE took the view that registered companies whose initial audit was due would be allowed an initial concession that would allow the Certification Bod...

Third-Party Certification “is a useful differentiator for those who purchase and then depend on products and services to be fit for purpose.” On IFSEC Global, Simon Ince (Project Engineer - UL) has been discussing Third-Party Certification. While the article focuses on firestopping, his comments apply to all areas of fire safety provision. Simon opens with the fact that “there isn’t a single solution or a magic wand that can be waved to improve the delivery of fire...

A rogue landlord who left residents living in a dangerous and illegal hostel in Swanley has been handed two suspended custodial sentences, 300 hours unpaid work, and must pay £8,000 costs. After three years of serving prohibition notices and bringing the case through the courts, Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) together with the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), has brought Mustafa Kemal Mustafa, of Briar Lane, West Wickham Bromley, to justice. fire service notices Mustafa was sente...

Following the news of BAFE’s acquisition of the Fire Industry Association’s Awarding Organization (FIA AO), BAFE announces the launch of FireQual. BAFE and the FIA week announced the acquisition of the FIA AO by BAFE FireQual Ltd.   BAFE strongly believes this will be a significant opportunity for the fire industry to develop an exciting range of accredited qualifications to meet the demand for quality assurance of individual skill and expertise required by the industry....

As Executive Vice President & Chief Operating Officer (COO) and a member of the company’s Executive Management Board, Katarina Lindström will play a central role in driving Hempel’s strategy. The company has the ambition to double in size in the next five years, and Katarina will lead Hempel’s strategic agenda within operational excellence, innovation and sustainability. She comments: “I’m very pleased to begin at Hempel. The company’s growth strateg...