Fire Industry News for June 2024

There are six main varieties of fire suppression systems that are installed based on the nature of the industry. 1. The Wet Fire Sprinkler System Wet fire sprinkler fire suppression systems are an effective way of preventing and controlling fire hazards and providing safety to residential, commercial, and industrial dwellings. It utilizes a network of pipes that are filled with water and are connected to a reliable water source. These pipes are equipped with special sprinkler heads which are...

Lewis Ramsay, Caretaker Manager/Board Member – BAFE, said, "BAFE fully supports any developments in helping younger people enter the fire and security sector. It is crucial the right skills, knowledge, expertise, and behavior are instilled from day one of working with life safety processes and systems." He adds, "We encourage all BAFE registered organizations based in Wales to complete this survey to establish evidence of employer interest to develop this further." specialist apprentices...

UKAS is delighted to announce that following the passing of a Resolution at the European Cooperation for Accreditation (EA) General Assembly on 25th November 2021, UKAS’s continued membership of EA has been assured. UKAS’s membership of EA, the association of national accreditation bodies for the European region, had been under review following the UK’s withdrawal from the EU in 2020. The EA and UKAS were keen that UKAS remained a member and the Articles of Association ha...

With the recent Black Friday sales and as everyone heads towards Christmas, a large number of people will be treating themselves or their family to new electrical devices and items. From tablets and phones to new lights for the Christmas tree, this time of year sees a surge in electrical purchases. extensive damage FASS would like to urge people to only purchase official, licensed, or reputable brands FASS would like to take this opportunity to urge people to only purchase official, licensed...

In 2020, the Forensic Science Regulator set in place a timeline for Sexual Assault Referral Centers (SARCs) to achieve accreditation to ISO 15189:2012, by 1st October 2023. UKAS recognized that ISO 15189:2012 and the requirements for a management system was a new and unknown element for many SARCs and has worked with the FSR to develop an assisted application scheme (UAAS). UKAS application fee includes access to the UAAS The UAAS has been developed as a series of eLearning modules that guide...

The UKAS Academy Training Team continues to evolve with learners at the forefront of everything they do. A key objective of theirs is to ensure that they deliver valuable content to their customers to empower them to add value to their organizations and support them in the continuous improvement of their service. Over the coming year, they will be undertaking a three-part quality improvement project, designed to enhance their training programs and provide a delegate experience that is highly le...

The Government has confirmed that verification bodies for the UK ETS scheme do not need to be registered as a UK legal entity or have an office in the UK, but they shall need to hold the appropriate accreditation (ISO 14065) from the UK’s National Accreditation Body, i.e. UKAS. The UKAS assessment will take into account any relevant accreditation where this has been granted by a National Accreditation Body that is a signatory to the EA Multilateral Agreement (MLA) and, where such accredit...

The new UKAS publication GEN 6 - Reference to accreditation and multilateral recognition signatory status by UKAS accredited bodies, was issued on 1st November 2021. This applies to all types of Conformity Assessment Bodies (CABs) and sets out UKAS policy on references to accreditation and MLA signatory status, in line with European co-operation for Accreditation (EA) mandatory document EA-3/01 M. UKAS publication LAB 1 Reference to Accreditation for Laboratories has been withdrawn as requirem...

UKAS is pleased to announce that Technical Manager, Kevin Belson, has taken the position of Chair of the Technical Committee for the International Accreditation Forum. As well as congratulating Kevin on his appointment, they would like to extend good wishes to JAS-ANZ’s General Manager of Accreditation, Steve Keeling, who precedes Kevin in this role. Along with UKAS’ Accreditation Director, Lorraine Turner, who currently chairs the Inspection Committee of the International Labo...

The United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) has welcomed the Construction Industry Council (CIC) as its newest and twentieth Member, following a positive vote at the UKAS AGM. UKAS is the government-appointed sole National Accreditation Body, whose role is to provide oversight of testing, certification, and inspection organizations across the full spectrum of economic activity. Important link to the sectors UKAS is a not-for-profit, non-profit-distributing independent company operating un...

UKAS is the National Accreditation Body for the United Kingdom. UKAS is appointed by the government, to assess and accredit organizations that provide services, including certification, testing, inspection, and calibration. From the beginning of the pandemic, UKAS has been working with the government to provide advice on quality assurance and accreditation of laboratories performing COVID-19 testing including laboratories that have been supporting the national testing provision (NHS Test and Tr...

The United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development sets out 17 Sustainable Development Goals. The SDGs aim to address social imbalances, develop sustainable economies, and slow the rate of climate change. Achieving these ambitious goals will require a collaborative effort from governments, industries, businesses, and consumers alike. Accredited conformity assessment Accredited conformity assessment against internationally recognized standards is a useful tool that can help organizatio...

UKAS is pleased to announce the accreditation of the following SSIP SSIP-Registered Members as inspection bodies under ISO 17020: 2012. CQMS PQS The accreditations follow the successful completion of their assessment against ISO 17020. Safety Schemes in Procurement SSIP (Safety Schemes in Procurement) and UKAS have been working on a pilot assessment program for a small number of SSIP Registered Members. The results of the pilot will be collated and fed back to SSIP. The SSIP Registered...

UKAS is delighted to be able to continue to support the Chief Scientific Officer’s (CSO) Knowledge Transfer Partnership Program for 2021. Knowledge Transfer Partnership Program CSO’s Knowledge Transfer Partnership Program offers a unique opportunity for clinical leaders The program will be launched at the CSO Conference. Come along and learn more about how UKAS is working with NHS England, NPL, and UK NML ChemBio to share knowledge and support the development of innovative ideas t...

Apollo announces that it is the Headline Sponsor for The Women in Fire Safety Awards on 4th November. New to 2021, the awards have been set up to honor the outstanding achievements and contributions of women within the fire safety community. These awards will also be supported by some key industry names such as IFSM, the FPA, and the ASFP. Recognize, motivate and promote women The purpose of the awards is to address a historical gender imbalance and champion a more progressive industry t...

FireQual is developing a qualification that will look to provide the underpinning knowledge and the skills required by those who work within the area of fire door installation. In addition, reflecting on the core messages of the reports, Building a Safer Future – Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety (May 2018) and Setting the Bar (2020), FireQual will be looking at how core practical competencies of individuals can be accurately and consistently assessed. FireQual t...

After 12 successful years as BAFE’s CEO, and latterly as CEO and Director of FireQual, BAFE announces that Stephen Adams has stepped down from the business (with effect from 7th September 2021). Stephen joined BAFE in 2009, and oversaw the move into our current offices within the Fire Service College at Morton-in-Marsh, where he has been central to the development of the business and the respect it has within the UK fire market.  BAFE SP206 Kitchen Fire Protection Systems Stephen h...

Zeta Alarms Ltd is pleased to announce that their latest EX-Pro extinguishing panel now boasts 3rd-party certification to EN 12094-1 and EN54 parts 2&4 from BSI. This modern extinguishing panel includes a LCD display showing the event history along with adjustable flood times and countdown of extinguishing sequence. The panel has 5 on board outputs with the facility to add a further 3 or 8 using an optional PCB, which can be mounted within the panel enclosure.

The Government has announced an extension to the date ending recognition of the CE Mark in Great Britain. CE Marked goods may continue to be placed on the GB market until 1st January 2023. This extension means that all product sectors have until 1st January 2023 to prepare to use the UKCA Mark, except Medical Devices. The UKCA Mark can be used and the Government is encouraging businesses to start using it as soon as possible, with it becoming mandatory for placing goods on the market...

HURST Jaws of Life has been nominated for the NC Chamber’s Coolest Thing Made in N” competition, a contest that allows the public to both nominate and vote for their favorite North Carolina-manufactured product. “We’re proud to call Shelby, North Carolina, home, and we’re honored to have HURST Jaws of Life recognized as one of the ‘coolest things’ made in North Carolina,” said Britt Hawkins, Manager, Marketing Services, for the rescue tool whose n...

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) has approved the first UK GDPR certification scheme criteria. Recently UKAS accredited Age Check Certification Scheme (ACCS) has developed criteria for two schemes relating to age assurance and children’s online privacy. This is a great example of UKAS working with regulators to bring important improvements in safety and child protection in innovative emerging sectors.

Apollo is dedicated to keeping people safe from fire and that’s why it offers free ongoing advice to building managers, housing associations, and others on choosing appropriate fire protection for buildings with fire safety concerns such as flammable cladding or compartmentation. Apollo works closely with its partners across the country who are doing a tremendous job at installing fire detection and alarm systems into the affected buildings. Apollo’s partner Pacific Fire and Securit...

Holding accreditation provides many benefits to a wide range of organizations. In addition to demonstrating technical competence to the local market, it can also provide confidence to overseas markets through multilateral agreements (MLAs) whereby the reports and certificates issued by bodies accredited by signatories of these accreditation agreements receive global recognition. This benefit is essential to UKAS customers operating on the global market, so it is vital that UKAS retains its EA,...

UKAS is pleased to report that the UKAS IAF Multilateral Recognition Arrangement (MLA) scope has recently been extended in the area of management systems certification, with two food/feed schemes being added at Levels 4 and 5: FSSC 22000 is a Food Safety Management System sector scheme that builds upon ISO 22000. UKAS currently accredits 10 Certification Bodies to provide this service. FAMI-QS is a proprietary management system standard in its own right for the specialty feed ingre...

Following the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, the Government introduced the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) regime, as part of the domestic legal framework introduced for goods being placed on the GB market. Review of the UKAS publication GEN 5 As the UKCA regime has developed, a review of the UKAS publication GEN 5 has been undertaken, leading to some updates to the latest edition of this document. Changes include updated names and contact details of the Competent Authorities and the expansi...

Organizations have long understood the many potential business benefits of holding certification to an international management system, such as the widely recognized ISO 9001 quality, ISO 14001 environmental, and ISO 45001 occupational health and safety standards. More than being a certificate to hang on the wall, certification is a powerful business tool, providing a degree of certainty in uncertain times. Externally, certification offers the potential to lower barriers to trade by opening doo...

Following an extensive development process over two years in the making, the BAFE Fire Safety Register and NAPIT are proud to announce a new Scheme to assess the competency of organizations that provide design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance services for BS 5839-6 Grade D fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises. BAFE DS301 BAFE DS301 (For the Design, Installation, Commissioning, and Maintenance of Grade D Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems in Domestic Premis...

The National Quality Infrastructure (NQI) partners, BSI, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), and UKAS with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy have published the Standards for the Fourth Industrial Revolution, an action plan to unlock the value of standards for innovation. Joint Action Plan This joint Action Plan is intended to enable the NQI’s activities across standards, measurement, and accreditation to support innovation and technological change for the fourth...

UKAS is delighted to announce that Lorraine Turner, UKAS Accreditation Director, has been appointed as a Member of the newly formed Interim Industry Competence Committee (IICC). The formation of the IICC coincides with the recent announcement of the Building Safety Bill in Parliament by Robert Jenrick MP, Secretary of State for Housing. The Bill outlines a program of actions aimed at preventing a recurrence of the problems that contributed to the Grenfell Tower fire. Foremost amongst these meas...

The UK’s national fire safety organization, the Fire Protection Association (FPA), is further developing its collaboration with UL, a global pioneer in safety science, to support fire testing in the UK by expanding testing and laboratory capacities at the FPA’s test laboratory in Blockley, Gloucestershire. UL is investing in the installation of fire-resistance test furnaces at the FPA’s test laboratory. As part of the collaboration, tests for fire resistance, which form the ba...