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Latest Warringtonfire news & announcements
Warringtonfire has increased its fire resistance testing capacity to cater to the heightened demand for UKAS-accredited testing space from product manufacturers within the built environment and transport sectors. additional testing capacity The additional testing capacity has been created through improved operational planning at peak times, better communication around available test slots, and the cumulative impact of a 15-month process optimization plan. It is immediately available and includes testing slots across Warringtonfire’s full-scale horizontal and vertical furnaces, as well as its indicative furnace. fire resistance testing All testing is undertaken to British and European standards, in line with CE marking, UKCA and UKNI marking Warringtonfire, which is part of the Element Materials Technology Group, specializes in fire resistance testing for passive fire protection products including fire doors, structural steelwork protection, fire-stopping products, and large-scale testing of cladding. All testing is undertaken to British and European standards, in line with CE marking, UKCA and UKNI marking, and third-party certification. £23 million facility The enhanced testing capacity follows the recent announcement of Warringtonfire’s plans for a new laboratory at Birchwood Park, Warrington, which is due to open in early 2025. The £23 million facility is set to become the UK’s largest built environment product testing laboratory and will represent an 80% increase in size compared to the current facility. Following its opening, the current Warrington site will be transformed into a center of excellence for reaction to fire testing. regulatory landscape Jason Dodds, Vice President of Warringtonfire, comments, "The regulatory landscape for both the built environment and transport industries is incredibly dynamic and the need for manufacturers to test and certify their products is more pressing than ever." He adds, "While we will be well placed to service this demand in the long-term through our new Birchwood Park laboratory, we are acutely aware that manufacturers are facing a lack of UKAS-accredited testing capacity today." additional fire resistance tests Jason Dodds continues, "By increasing our ability to undertake additional fire resistance tests across three different furnaces we can help alleviate some of the short-term regulatory pressure facing manufacturers and ensure they can bring their product to market in a safe, efficient, and timely way." As well as increasing its fire resistance testing capacity in Warrington, the company is also investing in its mid-scale furnace at its laboratory in High Wycombe.
Warringtonfire has increased its fire resistance testing capacity to cater to the heightened demand for UKAS-accredited testing space from product manufacturers within the built environment and transport sectors. additional testing capacity The additional testing capacity has been created through improved operational planning at peak times, better communication around available test slots, and the cumulative impact of a 15-month process optimization plan. It is immediately available and includes testing slots across Warringtonfire’s full-scale horizontal and vertical furnaces, as well as its indicative furnace. fire resistance testing All testing is undertaken to British and European standards, in line with CE marking, UKCA and UKNI Warringtonfire, which is part of the Element Materials Technology Group, specializes in fire resistance testing for passive fire protection products, including fire doors, structural steelwork protection, fire-stopping products, and large-scale testing of cladding. All testing is undertaken to British and European standards, in line with CE marking, UKCA and UKNI marking, and third-party certification. new laboratory at Birchwood Park The enhanced testing capacity follows the recent announcement of Warringtonfire’s plans for a new laboratory at Birchwood Park, Warrington, which is due to open in early 2025. The £23 million facility is set to become the UK’s largest built environment product testing laboratory, representing an 80% increase in size compared to the current facility. Following its opening, the current Warrington site will be transformed into a center of excellence for reaction to fire testing. UKAS-accredited testing capacity Jason Dodds, Vice President of Warringtonfire, comments, “The regulatory landscape for both the built environment and transport industries is incredibly dynamic and the need for manufacturers to test and certify their products is more pressing than ever." He adds, “While we will be well placed to service this demand in the long-term through our new Birchwood Park laboratory, we are acutely aware that manufacturers lack UKAS-accredited testing capacity today." alleviating regulatory pressure Jason Dodds continues, "By increasing our ability to undertake additional fire resistance tests across three different furnaces we can help alleviate some of the short-term regulatory pressure facing manufacturers and ensure they can bring their product to market in a safe, efficient, and timely way.” As well as increasing its fire resistance testing capacity in Warrington, the company is investing in its mid-scale furnace at its laboratory in High Wycombe.
A pioneer in testing, inspection, and certification services, Warringtonfire is celebrating 30 years of its FIRAS installer certification scheme. During this time, over 1,300 companies have been awarded FIRAS certification, resulting in over a quarter of a million projects completed under certification, to date. FIRAS FIRAS is a voluntary, third-party certification scheme for installation contractors of both passive and active fire protection systems, operated by Warringtonfire and accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) to BS EN ISO/IEC 17065:2012. Launched in 1994, the FIRAS scheme aims to provide added assurance that the installation and maintenance of fire protection products have been conducted under an appropriate quality management system, using competent personnel and documented procedures. The FIRAS scheme allows individuals responsible for the fire safety of a building to verify that the necessary quality checks for installation and maintenance of fire protection products have been conducted based on the recorded information. installation and maintenance FIRAS-certified companies hold more than 2,700 individual modules of certification Warringtonfire has awarded FIRAS certification to companies providing installation and maintenance across a broad spectrum of passive and active fire protection systems and in total, FIRAS certified companies hold more than 2,700 individual modules of certification. In 2023, certified companies registered over 48,000 projects as completed under FIRAS certification for their clients. passive and active fire protection certification For over 30 years, FIRAS has been the pioneering certification body for companies installing passive and active fire protection systems. The FIRAS scheme Rules & Regulations, which is in their 18th edition, are continuously reviewed to make sure they are robust and in line with the latest requirements of the building regulations. assessment with specification Nick Froggatt, FIRAS Manager from Warringtonfire said, “It’s great to mark the 30th anniversary of our FIRAS scheme, which has seen tens of thousands of satisfactory assessments of installers from hundreds of companies that hold FIRAS certification." Nick Froggatt adds, “We value the importance of the FIRAS scheme as it provides confidence that the installation of passive fire protection products is by a documented specification and the installed product or system is likely to be capable of the required level of fire performance, as evidenced by the manufacturer’s supporting documentation.” three free employee technician assessments The employee technician assessments are a fundamental part of the FIRAS scheme To commemorate the anniversary and the milestones that have been reached, and to say thanks, Warringtonfire will be offering three free employee technician assessments and sending out a FIRAS 30th Anniversary Pack to all FIRAS-certified companies in addition to any new companies awarded FIRAS certification during 2024. The employee technician assessments are a fundamental part of the FIRAS scheme and evaluate the skills, knowledge, and experience of the certified company's nominated employee based on an inspection of the quality of their workmanship demonstrated on-site. benefits of third-party certification Nick Froggatt said, “We’re extremely proud that the FIRAS scheme continues to grow." He adds, "Over the last 30 years we have had the privilege of working with exceptional clients and their loyalty and commitment to the scheme continues to play a crucial role in making the construction industry and others aware of the importance and benefits of third-party certification.”
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