Fire Industry News for August 2024

The Building Safety Alliance, an independent industry-led ‘not for profit’ organization, is launched to implement the certification of competent individuals wishing to deliver the role of building safety manager (BSM) and a publicly accessible register of those certified by the scheme. building safety The Grenfell Tower tragedy brought to the fore how the safety of all buildings needs to be ensured. Recognizing the role they play in delivering safe buildings, representatives of bo...

The Building Safety Bill is the direct result of recommendations made in the Grenfell inquiry and the Hackitt Review. The framework set out in the draft Bill will impact the entire construction supply chain. safety regime with implications ‘Higher risk’ buildings include all multi-occupancy residential buildings over 18 meters high The provisions target ‘higher risk’ buildings, but the bill will introduce a stricter safety regime with implications for all buildings. &...

The Construction Leadership Council welcomed the introduction of the Building Safety Bill to Parliament yesterday by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Alongside the introduction of the Building Safety Bill, some draft statutory instruments on scope, duty holders, and competence; as well as transitional provisions have been published.  new regulatory regime The Bill will define the scope of the new regulatory regime and includes: Establishing the new Bu...

The Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) has comprehensively reviewed its communications and activities to improve its services and qualifications for members and strengthen its global influence in the two key areas of competence and sustainability. With over 100 years of history, the professional membership body enables fire sector workers to increase their knowledge, professional recognition, and understanding of fire through a global discourse. It is instrumental in shaping a future world tha...

Seek Thermal, a global manufacturer of affordable, high-performance thermal imaging sensors and products across the globe, announced Co-Founder and CTO, Bill Parrish, received the Pioneer Award at the 2020-2021 South Coast Business & Technology Awards.  A true pioneer and trailblazer in his field, both as a researcher and entrepreneur, Bill has contributed immeasurably to the design and development of thermal imaging technology and its applications worldwide. Military infrared technol...

CIC has inaugurated Justin Sullivan as its new Chair at its Council Meeting. Justin succeeds Stephen Hodder MBE in this role for a two-year term of office starting with immediate effect. Stephen now becomes Deputy Chairman for a year, by CIC’s rules and by-laws. Justin Sullivan Justin Sullivan is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with more than 30 years of experience Justin Sullivan is a Chartered Quantity Surveyor with more than 30 years of experience in the construction industry and foun...

Seek Thermal, a renowned manufacturer of affordable, high-performance thermal imaging sensors and products across the globe, announced the expansion of its Mosaic Core™ family, which now includes 53 total product offerings. This wide range of highly versatile OEM Thermal Cameras is configurable by resolution, field of view, and frame rate – for virtually any application – to give developers the ability to integrate high-resolution thermal imaging into even more products that c...

The fire risk appraisal and assessment of external wall construction and cladding of existing blocks of flats – Code of practice (PAS 9980) has been issued as a Draft for Public Comment (DPC). The public consultation will last for a month and will close on Thursday 20 May 2021. registration and CIC response If there is a new user, they will need to register before logging in for the first time. Registration is free and only takes a couple of minutes. Where possible, comments should...

The Fire Protection Association (FPA) is delighted to announce that it has been awarded UKAS accreditation to carry out fire tests on watermist systems to BS 8458: 2015 Fixed fire protection systems - residential and domestic watermist systems - code of practice for design and installation. automatic fire suppression systems It is proud to be heading the way as one of the first UK fire testing facilities accredited to offer this important British Standard test. The desire for automatic fire s...

The Architects Registration Board (ARB) has published new guidelines for all architects on Fire and life safety design and Sustainability. Everyone deserves a built environment that helps people to live healthy, happy and safe lives. Anyone using an architect, or an environment designed by an architect should have confidence in their professionalism and quality. ARB protects the public by ensuring everyone admitted to the Register has the necessary skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviors...

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). new building safety regulator 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 Grenfell Tower disaster and following recommendations in the ‘Building a Safer Futu...

Data released by the Fire Protection Association (FPA) has revealed the significant financial impact on businesses and key services caused by fires. The analysis of 4,782 major UK fires between January 2009 and December 2019 where the financial loss was £100,000 or more revealed a mean average loss of £657,074 per incident. The analysis focuses on fires in buildings used by private and public sector organizations and residential and mixed multiple occupancy shared ownership building...

They are excited to announce the appointment of a new member of the Fire & Safety Solutions team, Phil Wright. Phil is joining as a Business Development Manager and brings with him a wealth of experience in various industries including property, commercial catering, and education. He has utilized his knowledge and consultative approach in these industries to ensure that he recommends bespoke solutions dependent upon the requirements of each customer. He will be getting in touch wi...

CIC is pleased to announce a new partnership with Accredex, e-Learning and accreditation experts, to help provide innovative and timely e-learning for industry professionals. In the coming months, CIC will be working across its membership and network to identify gaps in the training market which they will seek to address. E-Learning can provide a flexible platform for the industry to tackle their training needs whilst also fitting in with work and lifestyle. Virtual learning services Accrede...

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 building, 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 ris...

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...

SP Energy Networks has partnered with UK homebuilding trade associations - HomeBuilders Federation, Civil Engineering Contractors Association (CECA), and Homes for Scotland - to launch the initiative to encourage the construction industry to follow strict safety guidelines and reduce the number of electrical incidents. most common accidents Reports reveal that to date in 2020 there have been 51 safety incidents on construction sites and around five people die each year, due to accidental...

The FIA is pleased to announce that following extensive and detailed discussions with BAFE, the independent register of third-party certificated fire safety service providers, that BAFE will be acquiring the operation of the FIA AO. BAFE will be establishing FireQual Ltd as an OFQUAL-approved Awarding Body to run the existing fire detection and alarm qualification examinations and to develop new qualifications across the fire sector that will support the call for greater competence and availabi...

Following her appointment earlier this year, Ann Allen MBE has become the new Chief Executive Officer at the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors (CICES). Speaking after her first fortnight at CICES, Ann Allen, said: "The thing that has impressed me in the couple of weeks I’ve been here is the level of professionalism and the quality of the work that is done in CICES. It's extraordinary. I want to build on that even further with greater collaboration and knowledge sharing...

CIC welcomes the MHCLG’s publication of the draft Building Safety Bill, together with its associated guidance and the Home Office’s publication of the Fire Safety Consultation. Taken together, CIC believes that the new legislative framework has the potential to deliver the most fundamental improvements to building safety regulation for over 50 years. These will include: A new national regulator that will strengthen the whole regulatory system for building safety, Greater acco...

Leadership organizations from across the building control sector have come together in the ‘Future of building control working group’ to develop 11 key recommendations for the future oversight and regulation of the profession and Building Control Bodies. The group has produced proposals for regulation of the building control profession following a discussion with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Reform of the building control sector is an important...

Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the points raised under the Dame Judith Hackitt review covering compliance and competence with independently tested products, the IFC scheme was developed with the Smoke Control Association (SCA). Developed to raise the importance of smoke control and the use of the EN/BSI and ISO standards, utilizing SCA guides for fire safety in buildings alongside of sprinklers. The IFC SDI 19 scheme is the first smoke control scheme accredited to UKAS. competence an...

The Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), which was appointed earlier this year to develop and manage the Building a Safer Future (BSF) Charter, is now recruiting for a Chair and Board Members for the BSF Charter. The BSF Charter has been created to help build public trust and raise standards in the industry by promoting an urgent and positive culture change in the safety of the built environment. It is a direct response to Dame Judith Hackitt’s Building a Safer Future Review set up in t...

At a meeting of its Council on 9 June 2020, Members of the Construction Industry Council (CIC) appointed Justin Sullivan as its new Deputy Chair commencing with immediate effect. Justin is expected to succeed Stephen Hodder MBE, the incumbent Chair, following CIC’s June 2021 Council meeting when Stephen will stand down from his two year term of office as Chair and resume the role of Deputy Chair for one last year, in accordance with CIC’s rules and byelaws. High-end residential sec...

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) is recommending government extends the ban on the use of combustible materials to a wider range of buildings than is currently proposed. It wants the ban to include care homes, halls of residence, and potentially schools. The CIC recommendations are in response to a government consultation first published in January, which proposes changing the Building Regulations to ban the use of combustible materials in and on external walls and in specified attachmen...

Seek Thermal, a global provider of affordable, high-performance thermal imaging products, announces the introduction of Seek Scan™, a simple, low-cost thermal imaging system designed to automate body temperature screening using skin temperature as a proxy. Seek-Scan Seek Scan is specifically designed and calibrated to deliver accurate skin temperature measurements while enabling social distancing protocols. In seconds, the system automatically detects a face, identifies the most reliabl...

Senju Sprinkler, a Japanese fire suppression manufacturer and an innovative pioneering company, recently announced the launch of a new intermediate 205°F temperature Flat Concealed Residential Sprinkler (RC-RES series) to their lineup. The new intermediate 205°F sprinklers are suitable for use where maximum ceiling temperatures are up to 150°F and available on 3.7, 4.9, and 5.8 K-factors. Moreover, these sprinklers have improved specifications on ordinary and intermediate temperatur...

Over 3,500 flood professionals will fill Birmingham’s NEC on the 11th and 12th of September to attend the world’s largest flood exhibition and conference - The Flood Expo 2019. With 150 cutting-edge supplier exhibitors, 100 expert-led seminars, and some of the brightest minds, engineers, and authorities within the sector all under one roof. The Flood Expo will showcase the innovative products, services, and infrastructure helping to deal with an ever-increasing global threat. The F...

The Construction Industry Council (CIC) inaugurated Stephen Hodder MBE as its new Chair at its Council Meeting on 11 June 2019. Stephen succeeds Professor John Nolan, in this role for a two year term of office starting with immediate effect. John Nolan now becomes Deputy Chairman for a year, in accordance with CIC’s rules and byelaws. Stephen Hodder MBE, a former RIBA President, is the Chairman of Hodder + Partners is the incorporated continuation of Hodder Associates which he founded in....

Developers, engineers, building owners, tech start-ups, and coders are needed to join a central London Hackathon that will bring experts together to develop new, commercially viable solutions that will radically change the face of fire safety within buildings in the UK and around the world. Hosted by the Association for Project Safety (APS), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), and Hack_Construct, the free-to-attend, two-day Hackathon will take place at the IET London: Savoy Pla...