IFSJ outlines the key messages from the five position papers endorsed at the 2025 Urban Fire Forum and presents them as reference points for departments, policymakers and partner organisations.
Shaping safety in Saudi Arabia: MSA Safety and Vision 2030 alignment
Yassin Afroukh, Regional Sales Manager for First Responder and Milipol at MSA Safety, talks Intersec Saudi, local partnerships, connected technology and Vision 2030
Securing Saudi Arabia’s industrial engines: Reacton technology supports major projects
Reacton Fire Suppression and Al Aswad are combining international expertise with local presence to deliver certified fire suppression solutions for Saudi Arabia’s mining, transport and infrastructure projects
Where accuracy meets application: Sensitron’s approach to gas detection across complex environments
Emanuele Barbieri, Key Account Manager HVAC-R at Sensitron, explains how gas detection systems help safeguard lives, workplaces, and infrastructure across complex and hazardous environments
Tailored illumination: How Streamlight equips crews for extreme conditions
Donato Sasso, Director of International Business Development at Streamlight talks equipping fire and emergency crews with the right lighting tools for the job
When the sky breaks: Responding to aerial threats
Eitan Charnoff, public safety consultant and emergency preparedness expert, discusses how Civil Defense must respond to the real-world impact of aerial threats
As conflicts drag in the Middle East and Europe, the threat posed by unconventional aerial attacks on civilian environments has evolved from a theoretical risk to a present-day operational concern.
While significant resources are allocated to missile interception technologies and air defence systems, the reality is that no system offers complete protection.
Aerial threats, whether intercepted or not, often result in falling debris, unexploded ordnance, fires and widespread structural damage.
As such, fire and Civil Defense agencies must shift their focus from mere prevention to full-spectrum preparedness, encompassing post-impact response.
Unconventional aerial threats now include not only ballistic missiles and rockets but also low-cost, weaponized drones, drone swarms and other improvised airborne devices.
These technologies have proven capable of penetrating urban spaces, igniting fires, damaging infrastructure and inciting panic.
Thus, governments must address the post-impact implications with the same seriousness afforded to the interception phase.
Governments routinely invest in downing these threats – but they must equally invest in preparing for the consequences when they actually crash and explode.
Evolving threat landscapes and operational realities
Modern aerial threats are diverse in form and effect.
Ballistic and cruise missiles carry heavy payloads with wide blast radii.
Rockets – less precise but still highly destructive – are frequently used in saturation attacks.
Meanwhile, small drones or drone swarms, whether equipped with explosives or incendiary devices, can strike numerous targets simultaneously, creating unpredictable and dispersed damage zones.
This evolving landscape demands that Civil Defense services understand not only the physical impact of each type of threat, but also the distinct operational challenges they pose.
A ballistic missile may leave a large crater and cause building collapse.
Conversely, a drone swarm might target rooftop infrastructure or industrial facilities, sparking fires in multiple, hard-to-reach locations.
In both cases, the consequences on the ground can be catastrophic if not promptly and expertly managed.
One of the most underestimated hazards is the aftermath of successful interceptions.
The public often assumes that an intercepted projectile poses no further risk.
However, fragments and debris from destroyed aerial threats can cause fatalities, start fires and damage buildings.
A notable case involved debris from an intercepted missile falling into a Gulf capital, killing a civilian.
The notion that interception equals safety must be urgently revised in public awareness campaigns and professional training alike.
Impact consequences and hazards on the ground
Once an aerial threat makes contact with the ground – whether intact, intercepted, or malfunctioning – the immediate scenario is complex and dangerous.
Responders may encounter:
Fires and explosions
Impact can ignite fires in fuel depots, residential buildings, or industrial facilities.
Secondary explosions are a real risk, especially where volatile materials are present.
Structural collapse
Explosions compromise the integrity of buildings, resulting in partial or total collapses.
These incidents necessitate rapid and well-coordinated Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) operations.
Unexploded ordnance (UXO)
Some threats fail to detonate on impact.
The presence of UXOs significantly increases responder risk and requires explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) intervention.
Debris fields and shrapnel
Scattered remnants can obstruct rescue operations, damage vehicles and harm personnel.
Large components of drones or missiles may remain embedded in structures or the ground.
Infrastructure failures
Damage to utilities – including gas, electricity and water – can paralyze emergency response and escalate risks such as electrocution, flooding, or fire.
A particularly dire scenario arises when multiple impact sites occur in quick succession across an urban area.
In such cases, emergency services must operate under triage conditions, prioritizing fires, structural rescues and UXO containment simultaneously.
This underscores the necessity of pre-planned, well-rehearsed multi-site response strategies.
Key roles and multi-agency coordination
An effective response requires seamless collaboration across a spectrum of agencies:
Fire and Civil Defense services
These units are primary responders for extinguishing fires, conducting rescues and assessing structural stability.
Specialized training in high-risk USAR environments, including hazard identification and rapid building assessment, is essential.
Firefighting must be technically sound, agile and deeply informed by current threat profiles.
EMS and hospitals
Emergency medical teams must be trained in mass-casualty triage, including treatment of blast injuries, burns and crush syndrome.
Hospitals need clear surge protocols for rapid intake of large numbers of casualties.
Explosive ordnance disposal (EOD)
EOD teams, often military or specialized civil units, must respond rapidly to secure UXO zones.
Coordination with fire and rescue units is vital to ensure scene safety.
Infrastructure and utility engineers
Damage to power lines, gas mains, or water systems must be rapidly assessed and contained.
Engineers play a central role in restoring functionality and preventing secondary disasters.
Emergency Operations Centres (EOC)
Coordination hubs must activate Incident Command Systems (ICS) to ensure all agencies share a common operational picture.
Responsibilities must be clearly delineated – who commands, who supports and how information flows.
Psychological and public health support
Crisis counsellors and public health officials mitigate the human toll through mental health first aid and hygiene monitoring when infrastructure is compromised.
Training programs and reinforcement learning
Specialized training is the foundation of effective preparation.
Programs delivered by leading safety consultants now include:
Comprehensive threat education
First responders are taught to understand the characteristics, operational impact and response implications of various aerial threats – drones, rockets, missiles and swarms alike.
Case studies and real-world testimonies
Drawing from recent events in conflict zones, these sessions offer responders direct insights into challenges faced, decisions made and the lessons that have emerged from live operations.
Practical response techniques
Training emphasizes hands-on skills – from containment of fires in complex environments to coordination in fast-changing conditions.
Scenario-based adaptation is prioritized.
Safety protocols and risk mitigation
Attendees learn structured approaches to minimize risk on site.
Topics include operational safety at impact zones, responder protection and managing scenes with ongoing hazards.
Simulated incident training
Realistic, scenario-based simulations enable responders to build confidence and competence.
From tabletop drills to full-scale exercises, participants reinforce technical knowledge through experiential practice.
In today’s threat environment, preparation for unconventional aerial attacks on civilian spaces must extend beyond interception.
Civil Defense and fire services must embrace a holistic posture – one that incorporates not only suppression of fires and treatment of the injured but also UXO management, infrastructure stabilization, psychological care and multi-agency coordination.
Drawing on case studies and guided by structured training and protocols, responders can develop the capacity to meet these threats head-on.
Through strategic foresight, integrated training and community engagement, emergency response systems can transform from reactive to resilient.
The cost of unpreparedness is measured not only in lives lost but also in the long-term trauma, infrastructure damage and public trust eroded in the wake of avoidable chaos.
In contrast, the dividends of preparedness are clear
lives saved, crises managed and societies made stronger in the face of aerial warfare’s evolving front.
A vital aspect of this transformation lies in training realism and repetition.
The most effective programs simulate the unpredictability of real-world conditions, reinforcing decision-making under pressure.
Firefighters and Civil Defense personnel must not only know their tasks – they must internalize them, responding instinctively when confronted with simultaneous fires, blocked access routes and panicked civilians.
Simulation-based training and after-action learning loops are not auxiliary – they are central pillars of operational readiness.
Furthermore, the adaptability of training formats to local realities ensures that agencies are not merely implementing generic protocols, but are applying context-specific solutions shaped by regional geography, population density and infrastructure vulnerabilities.
Whether in a coastal metropolis or a landlocked town, the principles of coordinated, technically proficient and safety-first response remain constant – but their application must be locally attuned.
Ultimately, the bottom line is simple
governments already invest heavily in systems that aim to down threats in the air.
What is now urgently required is a commensurate investment in preparedness for the moment those threats inevitably reach the ground.
It is on the ground – among the fires, rubble and confusion – that lives are either lost or saved.
The readiness of those who respond determines which outcome prevails.
About the Author
Eitan Charnoff is a leading global expert on emergency preparedness for aerial threats and a public safety consultant and an advisory board member to international security conferences and think tanks.
He has nearly two decades of experience as a firefighter, medic and urban search and rescue (USAR) volunteer and has worked closely with emergency response agencies on preparing for unconventional threat scenarios from Mass casualty incidents to pandemic response.
This was originally published in the August 2025 Edition of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE copy, click here.
Is firefighter PPE keeping pace?
Simon Ash, UK and Ireland Sales Manager at HAIX, outlines key design challenges in firefighter PPE and how technology is enabling lighter, more versatile equipment
Fire risks in the UK are changing fast, driven by new technologies, lifestyle shifts and climate change.
Lithium-ion batteries and vapes, for example, have caused a sharp rise in fires, where vape-related incidents alone have increased by 348% since 2020.
These fires often burn hotter and spread faster, posing new dangers for firefighters.
At the same time, wildfires are becoming more frequent and severe, with more UK land burned this year than in any year over the past decade.
Firefighters now face a heightened dual challenge of responding to both urban and wildfire incidents.
This evolving landscape raises a crucial question: are current PPE solutions, especially footwear, keeping pace with these changing demands? And how can manufacturers ensure firefighters are properly protected?
The PPE challenges facing modern firefighters
Many of the risks and challenges for firefighters are well known.
However, firefighters also face hidden foot health risks, contending with varied terrains across urban and wildfire settings, wet floors and spillages, all creating slip hazards.
This requires well-fitting PPE footwear that have high levels of grip and stability to reduce risk of slips, trips and falls.
Another challenge for firefighter rarely taken into consideration is comfort.
Wearing heavy fire boots for extended periods can cause muscle fatigue, extreme discomfort and lead to loss of toenails and other damage to the foot.
All of which hinders performance and distracts firefighters.
It is not only the on-the-job risks that firefighters face, there are many ergonomic risks which can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs).
Globally, firefighters are classified as the most vulnerable group to developing MSDs, with a 47% prevalence among this group.
Long-term health impacts, including reduced healthy working life expectancy, future healthcare costs and the economic cost of lost working days, are all hidden risks for firefighters.
Subsequently, PPE not only protects firefighters now but supports their long-term health and wellbeing
Innovating PPE: what do firefighters need?
The firefighter boot has a fascinating history, influenced by military kits and originally starting as a knee-high leather boot with the main function of keeping feet dry.
Designed to withstand harsh conditions and offer protection, these boots were heavy and unflexible.
Whilst some of these factors haven’t changed, the advancement of materials, technology and manufacturing has allowed the boot to develop and innovate in line with the firefighting profession.
Versatility has transformed the performance of fire boots.
Firefighters need boots that can adapt to various environments without switching gears.
Therefore, factors such as flexibility, durability and weight are crucial.
Wildfire firefighting highlights the need for versatile PPE.
Traditionally, firefighters used structural or Wellington boots, but neither is ideal for the comfort, flexibility and protection required for long periods across varied terrains.
Manufacturers are moving to address this with innovative boots like the HAIX Fire Eagle 2.0, offering a lightweight, flexible, fully certified structural boot that also excels in wildfire and technical rescue scenarios.
Comfort, as outlined above, is a more difficult challenge to navigate.
There has always been a trade-off between comfort and protection with every piece of vital PPE adding weight for firefighters to carry.
Therefore, any innovation that can make gear lighter, without compromising protection, will have a positive effect in reducing the strain on firefighters while on the frontline.
Technological advancements in materials have proven successful.
Deploying innovative new materials like the GORE-TEX CROSSTECH® EXTRAGUARD technology into firefighter PPE is expected to be a gamechanger in the field.
Such materials are lighter than leather and maintains its light weight even when wet.
HAIX has integrated this innovative material in its latest model, FIRE EAGLE 2.0 EXG.
The combination of light weight material that is quick to dry and requires no break in period demonstrates the forward thinking that puts both firefighters’ safety and comfort front of mind.
What else can the industry do?
The industry has a responsibility to meet the needs of those on the frontline, particularly as they are constantly evolving.
This requires manufacturers to speak to firefighters on their experiences and address key concerns around PPE performance and requirements.
Wearer trials and prototype testing is a good approach to getting this feedback.
Events and trade shows further provide a great opportunity to gather this information firsthand and exchange knowledge and expertise across the sector, which can then be incorporated into better, more responsive boot designs.
Staying on the front foot to protect the front line
In an industry where every second counts, PPE manufacturers must prioritise continuous innovation to ensure products can effectively respond to new and existing challenges.
New innovations and technological advancements hold the key in revolutionising PPE footwear.
By creating more versatile offerings, firefighters will no longer have to choose between protection and comfort and enjoy the longer-term health benefits of improved foot health.
As times continue to change at a rapid pace, there is no doubt that manufacturing and technological innovation will continue to play a key role for years to come.
This was originally published in the August 2025 Edition of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE copy, click here.
Exclusive: Why FireSat could transform the global response to wildfire threats
In this exclusive interview for IFSJ, Brian Collins, Executive Director of Earth Fire Alliance, explains how the FireSat programme is using space-based technology to provide earlier, faster, and more precise wildfire detection data
The cornerstone of decision-making and effective wildfire response is good situational awareness.
Timely and accurate data is essential for response, prevention, recovery, and the development of new methods to improve wildfire resilience.
With the first satellite images from FireSat released this week, Earth Fire Alliance is demonstrating how its system can detect early-stage fires that may otherwise go unnoticed.
Earth Fire Alliance, a nonprofit coalition established in 2024, is leading a global effort to change how wildfires are detected, monitored, and managed through its flagship initiative, FireSat – a purpose-built satellite constellation designed with and for the fire community.
Backed by philanthropic support and developed in partnership with satellite manufacturer Muon Space and Google Research, FireSat will offer rapid, high-resolution wildfire data to first responders and scientists around the world.
In this interview, Brian Collins, Executive Director of Earth Fire Alliance, outlines the programme’s mission, the gaps it aims to close, and what a data-led approach means for the global fire community.
Can you tell us about Earth Fire Alliance and how the FireSat programme came about?
Earth Fire Alliance is a 501c3 nonprofit organization seeking to transform humanity’s collective response to the escalating global wildfire crisis.
We are spearheading FireSat, a first-of-its-kind satellite constellation that will provide high-fidelity wildfire data and deliver near real-time detection and monitoring capabilities to first responders, incident commanders, and scientists worldwide.
I have spent much of my career at the intersection of space technology and wildfire and emergency response.
The Alliance was founded in 2024 to ensure that the wildfire and science community have accurate, reliable, and accessible data at their fingertips as they protect our communities and resources in the face of increasingly frequent, intense, and fast-moving wildfires.
In the United States alone, wildfires cause more than $1 billion in annual damage, destroy thousands of homes and properties, and burn millions of acres.
Current approaches are hampered by critical information gaps that prevent timely detection and response.
With this escalating crisis as our focus, Earth Fire Alliance and our partners collaborated with hundreds of firefighters, decision-makers, ecologists, and policy-makers and identified the need for purpose-built satellite technology for wildfire detection and tracking.
The FireSat orbital demonstration launched in March 2025, and we recently released the first wildfire images taken by the satellite.
Why aren’t existing satellite systems meeting the needs of those tackling wildfires today?
Today’s satellites are useful but are not precise, fast, or reliable enough to meet the high stakes of modern wildfires.
Most of the satellites we rely on today were built for other purposes such as weather monitoring, Earth observation, or high-resolution imagery.
As a result, they can’t detect small fires and have trouble collecting and reporting on the dynamic characteristics of wildfires such as fire intensity, spotting, and movement.
Some satellites only pass over a fire-affected region as infrequently as every two to three days – we need faster and more high-fidelity data to support the decisions firefighters face during today’s fast-paced incidents.
High false positive rates from space are also common.
Some satellites might mistake a reflection off of a pond or smoke from a factory for an active blaze, drawing resources unnecessarily.
Finally, traditional space-based fire data isn’t always available in near real-time or in the formats and products useful for rapid decision-making, delaying and reducing the effectiveness of detection and response efforts.
If data cannot be seamlessly integrated into firefighter workflows, it is difficult for first responders to use, let alone at speed.
These are all issues Earth Fire Alliance is addressing to improve how first responders can access and apply data.
What sets FireSat apart in terms of what it can detect and how quickly it can deliver that information?
FireSat is uniquely designed for precise, real-time wildfire detection and monitoring in order to give firefighters, decision-makers, and the public enough situational awareness to address the changing scope and scale of wildfire impacts across the planet.
At full capacity, our satellites will deliver global monitoring every 20 minutes or less.
FireSat also brings a new level of precision.
The sensors are designed to detect thermal anomalies with enhanced sensitivity and can identify small fires at early ignition stages.
Current satellites detect fires once they are two to three acres in size (approximately two football fields), whereas FireSat will be able to detect fires that are orders of magnitude smaller, roughly the area of a one-car garage.
FireSat is also designed to provide information on fire intensity and impact so we can understand the difference between high-intensity fires that pose a threat and fires that may occur naturally in different landscapes.
FireSat will be unmatched by any combination of existing or planned infrared satellites in terms of imagery detail, accuracy, and speed.
How is this technology expected to change day-to-day decision-making for frontline responders?
FireSat has the potential to change how organizations allocate resources before, during, and after active incidents.
Starting before wildfires escalate, with near real-time data, frontline responders will be able to detect and monitor low-intensity, small fires from space.
This will enable them to identify heat anomalies and fire ignitions before they spread, reducing response time and potential damage.
This technology can also support fire risk assessments, resource planning, and mitigation strategies.
During active blazes, FireSat will provide fire agencies with a comprehensive view of active fire zones.
It will improve how agencies can track fire intensity and progression to best allocate resources, inform the public, and protect lives and communities.
FireSat can also be a critical tool to support recovery efforts.
Data can be applied to assess post-fire landscapes, inform damage assessments, measure burn severity, and aid in ecological restoration planning.
This program will be a resource for the entire lifecycle of fires, and we hope to help improve outcomes in each phase.
What role did collaboration with fire agencies play in shaping the system’s design and priorities?
FireSat was developed via an extensive requirements definition process with hundreds of end users around the world to ensure the system specifically meets their operational needs.
That effort represented our first step, but the most important step happens now that we have sample FireSat data.
The Alliance has established an Early Adopter Program for global engagement with end users – this includes everyone from frontline responders to incident commanders, predictive modelers, and fire scientists.
We recently announced our first cohort of Early Adopters, which includes eight fire agencies across three continents.
We know that while there are many common core approaches to fire, there are also key differences across communities, agencies, and geographies.
Early Adopters will help us learn and adjust to ensure that as quickly as we collect operational data, which will be available in 2026, agencies and communities will be able to use it to improve their resilience to wildfire.
Early Adopters help the Alliance understand the wide range of workflows and systems in use today.
We are learning agency processes and collaborating with their technology partners to determine the best way to ingest FireSat data into existing platforms.
The goal is seamless integration of FireSat data into as many communities as possible.
Earth Fire Alliance partners just released the first wildfire images from FireSat in July. What do the images reveal, and what milestone do they represent for the program?
The first FireSat images demonstrate FireSat’s breakthrough capabilities across a range of diverse fire scenarios.
FireSat detected a small roadside fire in Oregon, USA, that was completely missed by existing satellite systems, showcasing our ability to catch fires in their earliest stages when they’re most manageable.
We also captured the Nipigon 6 fire in Ontario, Canada, where FireSat’s multispectral sensors distinguished between active fire regions, old burn scars, and unaffected areas, providing comprehensive insights into the fire’s lifecycle in that region.
In Australia’s Northern Territory, we detected multiple simultaneous fires across a large landscape, and in Alaska, we monitored two remote fires in a single image, demonstrating our value for regions where ground-based observation is challenging.
Collectively, these images demonstrate the powerful impact FireSat will have on communities and the firefighters who protect them worldwide.
They are a proof point that FireSat can detect fires much more precisely than existing satellites, validating everything we’ve been working toward with our fire agency partners.
They show that when our full constellation is operational, we’ll be able to provide the global fire community with the situational awareness they need to act before small fires become catastrophic blazes.
FireSat is the result of extensive collaboration among engineers, researchers, frontline fire agencies, and philanthropies.
The images represent a milestone in leveraging public-private-philanthropic partnerships to advance global wildfire detection, response, and understanding.
How could FireSat support moving from reactive suppression to more preventative strategies – and what does that actually mean in practice?
Most of today’s fire prevention and response strategies focus on suppressing fires first.
While that strategy is important for specific conditions and communities, it presents challenges when multiple events occur simultaneously, requiring decisions about which fires pose the greatest threat and how ecological strategies can provide additional resilience.
The shift from “reactive suppression to prevention” will require data and insights to inform policy- and decision-making.
FireSat’s ability to detect small, low intensity fires fills a fundamental gap in our collective knowledge, and will contribute more informed strategies for both suppression and prevention.
There is more fire on the landscape than we know today, because today we can only see and collect data on large fires.
This often misses critical low-intensity events that are essential to understand complete fire patterns and distinguish beneficial fire from destructive events.
The root cause of this information gap lies in technological limitations because existing satellite systems cannot provide the resolution, sensitivity, frequency, and data accessibility required to improve situational understanding of fire across the planet.
If we can better understand the full life-cycle, origin, and behavior of fires, decision-makers can implement and assess more strategies like controlled burns while ensuring they stay within safe parameters and maximize ecological impact.
Comprehensive fire intelligence enables dynamic risk assessment where firefighters can predict which low-intensity fires might naturally extinguish versus those likely to escalate into dangerous blazes.
Such predictive capabilities could inform more diverse approaches, from suppression to selective intervention, and preserve fire’s natural role in ecosystems while protecting communities and infrastructure.
With over 50 satellites planned, how do you intend to balance global reach with the specific needs of local fire communities?
The FireSat program will scale over the next several years.
The first three operational satellites are expected to launch in mid-2026, providing a twice daily global revisit rate.
The goal is to provide a 20-minute global revisit rate by 2030, which we project will be achieved with 50+ satellites.
At the same time, we’re focused on growing our network of Early Adopters as we scale, so we can maximize impact once FireSat is fully operational.
We want to ensure FireSat data is accessible and easy to use, specifically for organizations in the most fire-prone regions and areas with more limited resources.
This will be made possible through a range of public, private, and philanthropic investments, so we can provide FireSat data to first responders, communities, and scientists globally.
Looking ahead, what kind of impact do you hope FireSat will have on how the world prepares for and manages wildfires?
FireSat has the potential to fundamentally shift our understanding of how wildfire affects communities across the planet.
It will change humanity’s relationship to fire just as global weather observations changed our relationship with weather events.
FireSat will make our communities safer by providing early detection and reporting of wildfires that threaten us.
It will also open up new wildfire management strategies and approaches to preserve unique ecologies across the planet.
We’re building real-time fire intelligence that captures the complete spectrum of fire activity, and aim to be a catalyst for a united global response to the wildfire crisis.
We envision a future in which this unprecedented dataset drives approaches that expand humanity’s collective approach to wildfire.
We want to put these tools into the hands of as many decision-makers as possible, empowering a global user community with precise, timely, and trustworthy data for confident and effective decision-making.
The moral identity of fire safety: Redefining responsibility through a values-based supply chain
Gavin Skelly, Founder of Fire Aware, explains how a values-based charter is reshaping how businesses demonstrate accountability across the UK fire safety supply chain
The idea for Fire Aware first came to Gavin Skelly when he noticed works being undertaken on several blocks of flats in his local area that had been completed and occupied in 2018 – after the Grenfell Tower disaster.
Having worked in the construction industry all his life, Skelly could see that the contractor was opening up external walls to install fire barriers in the cavity walls.
He was astonished that even after the events of 2017, this situation had been allowed to occur: “Compartmentation is not a new concept – its requirement has been part of Building Regulations for many years – yet it appeared to have been completely overlooked in this building and several others on the same new build estate,” he says.
But for him, it wasn’t just about what was happening on the scaffold.
He started to think about how many professionals were involved in the chain that had led to this failure – and how, even after Grenfell, they had not reflected or demanded more of themselves in their role as duty holders.
“The question for me was how many of them thought about the people who would be at risk in this particular building if the worst happened,” he says.
Skill vs intent
That frustration shaped a wider conclusion: fire safety cannot simply be about one type of company or another.
It cannot just be about technical specialists.
“There is a human element of fire safety that cannot be taught from a book, and that element must exist within all links of the chain that combines to create the environments we trust to be safe,” he says.
“Competency is one thing. But behaviour is another and is equally if not more important – the adage ‘you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink’ applies.”
Over his 30-year contracting career, Skelly worked with many different types of company on both sides of the supply line – from developers and consultants to contractors, subcontractors and specialists.
He worked for small firms and Tier 1 contractors alike, and across that experience he saw many different types of behaviour.
“Some companies, on either side of the supply line, would be wholly responsible for their duty of care – even before Grenfell,” he says, “and some would race to the bottom as soon as they could.”
The problem, he says, was that on paper they all looked the same.
“There is nothing to define the integrity shown by the companies who would refuse to tender poorly funded or poorly specified works from those who would,” he says.
“Nothing to separate the client who clearly understands their duty of care to their end user, from those who would be thinking more about offsetting that responsibility.”
Grenfell gave the public a view of what it looks like when the race to the bottom is allowed to thrive.
And now that they know what that looks like, Skelly says, identifying companies that trade responsibly is more important than ever – and so is giving the public the ability to choose those companies over those who won’t.
“This isn’t a new concept,” he adds. “The medical profession has been using the Hippocratic Oath in exactly the same way for over 2,500 years.
Ask yourself – would you go to see a doctor who hadn’t signed it?”
Shifting approach
Fire Aware represents a shift from the traditional approach to fire safety.
It launched for membership in December 2021 and now has nearly 200 UK-based members, with growing interest from the United States, Australasia and Northern Europe.
“At first, there was a lot of scepticism – which was understandable, as we were pushing a brand-new concept into a very fragile space within a very turbulent and polarised environment,” Skelly says.
But over time, the sceptics quietened.
The membership base now includes some of the most respected voices across the fire safety sector, and that diversity has formed a formidable voice against those who might challenge the initiative’s need or legitimacy.
“It’s spreading across the UK and the interest from those discovering what Fire Aware is about has been high,” he says.
“We’ve got a way to go with this, but it’s accelerating in the right direction.”
A moral obligation
The purpose of Fire Aware is to influence members of the supply chain to commit to a set of moral obligations that shape how they deliver fire safety.
It operates as an independent charter-based organisation.
From the outset, Skelly knew it had to be inclusive.
“It had to apply to all members of the supply chain – not just the construction industry,” he says.
“It needed to apply to anyone who carries a duty of care – and that duty manifests in many different ways, but ultimately leads to the same goal: to protect those who rely on that duty being upheld to keep them safe.”
All members of Fire Aware share the same duty – they simply fulfil it in different ways.
As a result, Fire Aware developed multiple discipline-based charters.
These cover not only contractors and specialists, but also extend to sectors often left out of fire safety frameworks – including hoteliers and landlords, cost consultants and designers, housing associations and property developers, facilities management companies, recruitment firms, and others.
“Why?” Skelly says. “Because in some way, they all carry a duty of care – and it could be their link that breaks down to allow the worst to happen.”
Influencing the procurement process
For Skelly, the approach is about identity and unity.
“It’s about giving people a choice,” he says. “It’s easier to believe in something if you can see it.” But that choice can’t just exist inside the supply chain – it has to be visible in the public domain.
This, he explains, is one of Fire Aware’s most distinct elements.
Its reach can ascend vertically through the supply chain, applying to clients of Fire Aware members and continuing upward to their clients, until it surfaces into public view.
He gives the example of a hotel.
“They have a duty of care for their customers’ fire safety,” he says.
“By using Fire Aware members, they can identify themselves as compliant with the hoteliers’ Fire Aware charter.
“They can use the Fire Aware brand to demonstrate that they are making the right choices in terms of the supply chain they rely on to keep their building safe.”
This principle, he explains, could apply to any number of public-facing environments – schools, libraries, pubs, restaurants, hospitals, train stations, airports.
“The point is, all of these are connection points with the public.
“And once the public understands what the Fire Aware mark means, they can begin to demand it as a condition of sale.
“If you had the choice between a hotel displaying the Fire Aware logo and one that didn’t, which one would you choose?”
Strengthening cross-sector collaboration
Fire Aware helps to build trust by allowing members to recognise one another across the supply line – even if they’re delivering different services.
“It’s about understanding that they are both undertaking the same process, and that they’re united in that commitment – and identified similarly as such,” Skelly says.
“It’s a bit like being in a stadium as a supporter of a team,” he continues. “The team in this analogy is public safety.
“You don’t know everyone in the stadium, but you’re all wearing the same colours – which means you do know one thing about everyone around you: you know what they believe in.”
Fire Aware uses a two-stage compliance process, which Skelly describes as “rigorous.” It begins at the point of application.
“Anyone joining the organisation must demonstrate that they are legally compliant to provide the services they offer,” he says.
In some cases – due to the broad spectrum of member disciplines – there may be no legal requirement.
In these situations, Fire Aware assesses where the company is on its learning journey.
“We may set targets within the membership period for that company to continue its educational pathway,” he explains, “and link them with Fire Aware training providers who can help them achieve this.” It’s also a way to gauge whether companies are genuinely progressive and willing to grow.
Once in membership, businesses must show how they are adhering to the charter they’ve signed.
“Each condition is answered via our compliance portal, and all answers must be evidenced,” he says.
This process resets at the end of each annual membership period and must be repeated – but members are expected to improve on the previous year’s responses.
A community for cultural change
The Fire Aware website includes a public-facing best practice portal, which is populated by members and available to all.
This includes information on best practice, innovation, and updates on fire safety measures being undertaken by the community.
It acts as a one-stop shop for fire-related CPD and helps promote members’ services.
According to Skelly, the goal has always been – and will continue to be – cultural change in how fire safety is delivered across the UK.
“For too long now, it’s been an industry exploited by those who see it primarily as a profit-making environment, combining highly technical elements with a lay person’s reliance,” he says.
“Our goal is to make the Fire Aware identity as prevalent and as trusted as the Food & Hygiene Standards that the public rely on.”
For Skelly, the core message is simple: “It’s not all about competence. It’s not all about skills and knowledge.
“It’s primarily about behaviour – and identifying companies that understand why behaviour matters is just as important as recognising a qualification or accreditation.”
This was originally published in the July 2025 Edition of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE copy, click here.
Approval in action: What FM Approval means for Fire Rover’s suppression systems
Ryan Fogelman, Fire Protection Consultant, explains what FM Approval means for Fire Rover‘s system and the company’s role in managing growing global risks
Fire Rover has become the first company to obtain an FM Approvals listing for a remotely-operated fire-suppression monitor.
Its proprietary technology, which has been deployed in more than 750 systems, is now certified under six separate FM standards.
Ryan Fogelman, Fire Protection Consultant at Fire Rover, sat down with IFSJ Editor Iain Hoey to explain what the certificate means, how the technology works and where early-stage suppression is most urgently needed – especially as lithium-ion batteries drive a steady rise in waste-handling fires.
What does FM Approval mean for your newly certified Continuous Flow Primary System?
Our cameras, detectors, control panels and monitors have carried individual UL, ETL and FM component listings for years, but each installer still had to prove the assembled package satisfied code intent.
The new FM Approvals report treats hardware, software, water delivery and the monitoring service as one tested product.
That simplifies design, eliminates variances and, most importantly, lets insurers quantify the installation as a proven risk-reduction measure.
FM Global writes the standards used in chemical warehouses, aircraft hangars, recycling yards, waste-transfer stations and bulk-storage sites – the very occupancies we protect.
Because FM Global also insures many of those buildings, the listing tells underwriters they can credit the system when setting deductibles or loss-prevention requirements.
The certificate therefore translates directly into lower property-loss expectancy, faster project sign-off and, for owners, a single document that satisfies both code officials and insurers in one review step.
Just as critically, the listing puts Fire Rover on the same footing as long-established sprinkler technologies in engineering guides and specification libraries.
Engineers can now reference a recognised FM datasheet instead of drafting a bespoke narrative, which should accelerate adoption in design-build tenders and public-procurement bids where deviations from catalogued products are discouraged.
Which FM standards did the system pass, and why is each significant?
The Fire Rover system has achieved FM Approvals certification by meeting six rigorous standards:
- FM 1421 checks monitor body strength, flow stability and corrosion resistance
- FM 5511 verifies nozzle pattern and volume at every elevation and azimuth
- FM 3810 subjects the control cabinet to electromagnetic, surge, vibration and temperature cycling
- FM 3010 & 3011 confirm alarm signals meet NFPA 72 and that the central station meets redundancy and training rules
- FM 3260 evaluates infrared and optical flame detectors for speed, sunlight immunity and calibration drift
After lab work, FM auditors visit our plant, pull units from production, review calibration logs,trace parts back to suppliers.
Spot-checking continues for the life of the certificate, so the thousandth monitor shipped next year must match the first that went through the burn rooms.
That continuous scrutiny builds confidence not only for regulators but also for facilities that cannot tolerate downtime caused by defective suppression gear.
What components form Fire Rover, and how does detection differ from ceiling sprinklers?
Dual-spectrum flame detectors and radiometric thermal cameras provide detection.
Because the camera “sees” absolute temperature, it spots a hot lithium-ion cell even through smoke or darkness.
Ceiling sprinklers, by contrast, wait for heat to rise ten metres or more, which can take fifteen minutes.
Fire Rover generally intervenes when heat release is still 100–200 kW; a ceiling system often does not open until the flame has grown past several megawatts and engulfed roof steel.
An operator at an FM- and UL-listed central station then aims a2.5-inch electrically driven monitor onto the exact coordinate.
The nozzle delivers 150–500 gpm, yet a many incidents require less than 500 gallons – less than five per cent of the water released by a thirty-head sprinkler activation.
Designers can specify Fire Rover alone or use it as a fast-attack layer in front of sprinklers; in mixed systems our Fire Rover is able to identify and suppress the system long before ceiling heads fuse, demonstrating how early intervention shrinks loss size and prevents sprinkler-related water damage.
How do remote operators verify alarms and decide precisely when to release water?
Each site streams visual and thermal video to two geo-redundant monitoring centres.
If a camera spots a temperature spike or persistent smoke, the event jumps to the top of the operator’s console.
The operator compares thermal and visible feeds, filters nuisance triggers – such as hot exhaust manifolds or sunlight reflections – and, if a fire is confirmed, alerts the local brigade, energises the pump, swings the monitor and opens the valve.
Cross-hair overlays show real-time temperatures, letting the operator throttle flow or shift aim the moment the hotspot cools.
Because a trained human remains in the loop, the system has never recorded an accidental spray in more than 3,000 field incidents.
The same person can also warn on-site staff via loudhailer, wait for personnel to clear the area, and protect nearby assets by drawing a water curtain.
A digital report – time-stamped video, water usage, detector data and actions – arrives in the client’s inbox following the event, giving safety managers clear evidence for regulators, insurers and internal audits.
In practical terms, how does FM listing speed insurance and regulatory approval?
Early projects required a means-and-methods variance because the system was not yet listed for fixed fire protection.
We submitted computational fluid-flow modelling, live-burn data and field videos; most fire marshals approved, but the paperwork cycle could stretch to months.
With the FM listing the variance disappears: the designer now references the published data sheet, and the plan reviewer signs off during the ordinary permit window.
Insurers respond similarly.
Several carriers – including ones that do not write FM policies – already credit the system as a primary suppression method.
Clients in the waste and recycling sector have seen deductibles fall by double digits, while property owners rehabbing older warehouses report that a Fire Rover line item can replace expensive roof-level mains.
Across a dozen U.S.
states the listing has trimmed four to six weeks from construction schedules, allowing earlier occupancy and revenue.
Beyond quicker paperwork, the listing streamlines site commissioning.
FM requires our technicians to witness spray tests, detector alignment and communication checks before tagging the system operational.
That structured handover gives owners a clear maintenance baseline and insurers a formal record, reducing follow-up queries that often delay policy issuance.
Has certification helped you deploy in Canada, France, Australia and the United Kingdom?
Yes.
Canada follows NFPA codes closely, so an FM listing transfers almost one-to-one.
UK warehouse owners favour detector-led strategies under BS 5839, making a solution that both detects and acts immediately attractive.
France’s APSAD rules demand third-party listings; the FM report satisfies that requirement and its water-usage data aligns with French environmental discharge limits.
Australia’s water authorities are stringent on runoff, so the low-gallonage figures help there.
In every case the FM certificate answers the first regulatory question before it is asked.
Operationally, the remote-monitoring model also suits multinational owners who standardize operations.
A company with sites on three continents can have consistent operating and fire response procedures across facilities.
The facilities can all be monitored at one monitoring hub, apply uniform response rules and archive footage in a common cloud platform.
That consistency improves compliance audits and simplifies insurance negotiations, because the underwriter can evaluate one documented process rather than a patchwork of local systems.
Why are lithium-ion batteries and disposable vapes triggering so many waste-facility fires?
Crushing a lithium-ion cell pierces its separator; the electrodes short, temperature soars beyond 500 °C and flammable gas vents like a blowtorch.
The flare may last only seconds, yet it lands in a pile of paper, cardboard, dried organics or plastic wrap.
Within a minute the pile surface becomes a rolling fire front, fed by its own draft.
Because the ignition sits several layers deep, sprinkler water struggles to penetrate, and firefighters must pull the pile apart with loaders while breathing dense smoke.
Disposable vapes compound the problem because their thin casings rupture easily under the pressure inside compaction truck or under a loader tire.
Video from client sites shows a glowing core hidden under thirty centimetres of refuse, invisible to line-of-sight security staff but obvious on a thermal camera.
Immediate pinpoint suppression avoids the need to evacuate workers, shut conveyors, ventilate buildings or, in extreme cases, flood a bunker and pump out contaminated water – a shutdown that can idle a plant for days.
Which industries stand to benefit next, and where is protection still consistently overlooked?
Airfields, chemical plants and fuel depots must retire PFAS-based foam deluge systems.
Fire Rover already handles fires with water, but once the alternate agents complete their own listings the same monitor can deliver fluorine-free foam, wetting agents or encapsulating gels directly onto the hazard – without flooding an entire hangar floor or polluting storm drains.
That targeted, on-demand delivery meets new environmental regulations while maintaining – or often improving – fire-control performance.
On the overlooked side, outdoor waste-wood yards and biomass-fuel piles often rely on truck-mounted hoses alone.
A mast-mounted camera paired with a remotely-operated monitor can cover several hectares for a fraction of the cost of buried mains and hydrants.
The same applies to photovoltaic farms, where an overheated combiner box can start a grass fire kilometres from the nearest hydrant, and to scrap-metal bays where magnesium shavings can ignite under sunlight.
Wherever ignition hides beneath bulky stockpiles, a steerable monitor proves its worth.
Fire Rover expects to manage more than 400 suppression events across its client base in 2025.
Each early knock-down means less smoke, lower repair bills and minimal business interruption – benefits now quantified in a single FM Approvals certificate and deliverable worldwide through an expanding network of virtual firefighters.