UK Home Office launches Fire Risk Assessor Survey

by Building ManagementFeatured NewsIndustry Sectors

The UK Home Office has invited members of professional bodies working in the Fire Risk Assessor sector to complete the survey. The governement department has also encouraged those involved in fire risk external wall assessments (EWA) to get involved with the survey.

The survey will ask questions about both the company you work for and you in your individual professional capacity. The survey’s findings will be used to inform the government’s policy development work. The Home Office may also share anonymous aggregated results with professional bodies who are supporting them in conducting this survey and leading the sector-led work mentioned above.

There is considerable work underway to strengthen the building and fire safety regulatory systems, not least through the changes being brought about by the Fire Safety Act (FSA) and the Building Safety Bill (BSB).

These changes will have a significant impact on the Fire Risk Assessor sector and with that in mind the Home Office are keen to gain a better understanding of capacity and capability within the sector. They are also keen to support sector-led work on professionalisation within the Fire Risk Assessor sector and your answers to these questions will very much help to support work in this regard.

The Home Office are particularly keen to better understand the impact that two specific forthcoming changes may have on the sector. These are the requirement in the FSA to include external wall assessments in fire risk assessments and the proposed requirement in the BSB for responsible persons to ensure that anyone they appoint to complete a fire risk assessment must be competent.

The survey will take approximately 10 minutes to complete, depending on how much you want to give, and will remain open until close of play Friday 8th April 2022.

The survey is being conducted by the Home Office in accordance with the Data Protection Act 2018 and the UK GDPR. Participation in this survey is completely voluntary, your answers will be kept confidential and no individual or organisation will be identified in any reporting.

G3 Systems confirms Interschutz 2022 presence

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsPublic Events

G3 Systems Limited has confirmed its participation at Interschutz 2022, the world’s foremost fire, rescue, civil protection, and safety/security trade show, from June 20-25, 2022, at the Deutsche Messe Hannover, Germany.   

Interschutz was last held in 2015, and the pandemic caused the show to be postponed in both 2020 and 2021.

Joining around 1,000 other companies from 50 countries, G3 Systems will be presenting its outsourced fire and rescue service capability to industrial, aviation and critical infrastructure customers from around the world.

With around 160,000 visitors expected to visit the show over 6 days, G3 Systems will demonstrate how its 24/7 fire and rescue services can minimise risk and improve on-site safety; protecting staff, visitors and facilities while enabling operations to continue in full compliance with national and international fire and safety standards and regulations.

Based in Portland UK, and currently celebrating 20 years in business, G3 Systems Fire & Rescue Services include structural and aviation rescue and fire-fighting services, emergency dispatch and response, incident command, fire safety, fire inspection and investigation, equipment and vehicle maintenance, testing and compliance, firefighter training and Medical Crash Crew / Ambulance Services.

In addition, G3 Systems provide waking watch services and client training in emergency response procedures, as well as through-life logistics support via mobile Field Service Engineers and forward deployed support staff.  Over 80% of its personnel work at its client’s facilities around the world.

G3 Systems will be present at Stand A51: Hall 17.

Has the pandemic overhauled the security landscape?

by Featured NewsIndustry SectorsPublic Events

Insightful contributions on a range of key, topical issues facing the security systems and security services sectors were shared at last month’s Thought Leadership Summit, held at the Royal Lancaster London after a two-year break following the pandemic. Organised by the Outstanding Security Performance Awards (OSPAs) in association with NSI, the annual event attracted a wide range of senior leaders from across the industry.

The 2022 conference programme reflected a variety of current themes affecting buyers of security and industry providers alike, including upcoming legislation covering protection of most public spaces – the Protect Duty proposals. These implications and opportunities were debated by three speakers: Andrew Donaldson, head of security at Real Estate Management UK Ltd; John Frost, Group head of business continuity at Marks & Spencer and chairperson of the Retail Business Continuity Association; and Stuart Toal, head of non-motor commercial insurance, Allianz UK.

The speakers’ contributions on the Protect Duty consultation reflected a wider, common thread: the value of collaborative working, regardless of commercial considerations. As one delegate put it, in a contribution ‘from the floor’: we have to work collaboratively to make the most of this once in a moment opportunity and explain to all parties how improved protection of public spaces will impact them in the future.

Those attending the Thought Leadership Summit also gained an insight into the current thinking guiding licensing body the Security Industry Authority, from CEO Michelle Russell. Michelle outlined a plan of actions including improvements to the SIA’s core licensing systems and processes, alongside a more proactive approach to compliance, inspection and enforcement.

The impact of the pandemic on the security sector was discussed by two speakers in a session addressing the topic ‘Who are the winners and losers amongst security suppliers? What the bosses say.’ Paul Evans, CEO of Carlisle Support Services and Christian Watts, MD, Fire and Security Systems at Mitie agreed that key worker status has raised the public perception and status of officers with a welcome increase in pay across the sector.

In contrast, there have been increases in violence, including serious assaults, along with a significant rise in abuse towards guards, and Paul argued for a “meaningful employee value proposition” to attract candidates and counter labour shortages.

Christian added that other “headwinds and challenges” include rising crime statistics, increases in the cost of living, supply chain disruption, tightening compliance, changing workplaces and technology evolution.

Richard Jenkins, NSI’s chief executive, provided Thought Leadership Summit delegates with an overview of the positive ways in which third party certification raises standards, reduces risks and independently demonstrates key competencies across the sector. He said: “Following NSI’s inaugural involvement with this prestigious event in 2020, the environment in which companies operate has changed and the 2022 Thought Leadership Summit provided challenging first-hand perspectives from practitioners on the key issues driving the direction of travel in both security systems and security guarding services deployment and operations.”

Professor Martin Gill, founder and director, Thought Leadership Summit commented: “Thought Leadership Summits are designed to inspire new thinking, provide a critique of what is happening and generate insights on where security should be heading, it once again achieved that. The presentations and debates remind us of the passion for those who work in security to want to improve it.”

FIREX International 2022 agenda announced

by Breaking NewsIndustry SectorsPublic Events

Some of the leading personalities in fire safety law and standards, fire risk assessments and building safety will provide a mix of informative individual presentations and expert panel discussions at FIREX International in May.

Gill Kernick has partnered organisations in high hazard industries to develop the leadership and culture needed to prevent major accidents. A former resident of Grenfell Tower herself until 2014, she is author of the book Catastrophe and Systemic Change: Learning from the Grenfell Tower Fire and Other Disasters. She will be kicking off the programme by sharing her thoughts on systemic change and the role of trust and disruption in the fire industry on 17 May.

Discussing more about the wide-ranging implications of the Building Safety Bill, the Deputy Director of the Building Safety Regulator – Tim Galloway – will be on hand on Tuesday 17 May to discuss the HSE’s new role in the building safety regime and its approach to compliance and enforcement.

View the full Expertise & Guidance Theatre agenda here

The golden thread of building safety information has been a feature of much work since Dame Judith Hackitt’s independent review of building regulations and fire safety in 2018. On 17 May, an expert panel on the role of digitised building information will discuss the ways ahead, including the provisions of the standard BS 8644 Digital management of fire safety information.

So much good practice in fire safety is underpinned by independent third-party certification of products and services. Also on Tuesday, a panel of senior representatives from third party certification organisations – such as BRE Global, BAFE and UL – will come together to discuss the steps specifiers should make to ensure they are procuring independently certificated products and services – from passive and active fire safety products and their installation, to service providers such as fire risk assessors.

The headline act for Wednesday 18 May will include a presentation from BSI on the increasingly prominent role IoT is playing in fire safety, followed by a panel discussion with key members of the Fire Industry Association’s IoT Forum debating the challenges and opportunities ahead.

Since the Grenfell Tower tragedy, the spotlight on the role of ‘stay put’ in purpose-built blocks of flats has come under scrutiny. Andy Scott, Chair of BSI’s FSH/12/5 committee on fire alarm devices, voice alarm evacuation sub-systems and emergency voice communications, examines BS 8629, the code of practice for evacuation alert systems to be used by fire and rescue services when ‘stay put’ is no longer tenable.

The specific challenges of improving fire safety in the social housing sector will be examined by Andy Frankum, Chair of the National Social Housing Fire Strategy Group, while a new standard for fire alarms for those with sensory sensitivities will be exclusively launched at FIREX by Sonny White and James Jones.

And, on Thursday 19 May, Erin Shoesmith, the Health and Safety Partner at solicitors Addleshaw Goddard, will be outlining how the legal landscape is changing under the Building Safety Bill – and not just for high-rise residential buildings.

Hochiki fire system installed at Italian food production site

by Featured NewsFire DetectionFire SuppressionHospitalityIndustry SectorsProductsWarehouse

In 1959, eight dairies in the Parmigiano Reggiano area founded the CCS Consorzio Caseifici Sociali. Over the years, the business expanded to include the production and maturing of Parmigiano Reggiano.

In 1995, the Granterre Consortium was established, bringing together the entire Parmigiano Reggiano dairy chain, and then almost ten years later, in 2004, control of Parmareggio Spa was acquired. In 2019 Bonterre Spa, the holding company under which the control of Parmareggio Spa and Grandi Salumifici Italiani Spa (controlled by UNIBON) was established.

Then in 2021, Agriform Sca (leader in the production of Grana Padano PDO and the main Veneto PDOs such as Asiago, Piave, Montasio and Monte Veronese) merged with Parmareggio Spa to create the first Italian company in the world of PDO cheeses and cemented this new company as the leader in the Italian food industry.

New company requires fire safety upgrade

In 2021, the site at Sommacampagna required an upgrade of the fire detection system. Hochiki were the appointed manufacturers to supply the life safety system and devices due to their experience and expertise in the Italian fire safety market.

Within food production sites, the temperature and humidity inside the environment must be carefully controlled to comply with food hygiene laws, and because of this, these sites can be notoriously complex buildings to design and install fire safety systems for. The customer was looking for a high-performance fire detection system that would not be affected by these environmental factors, and most importantly avoid false alarms which can halt production and cost the company thousands of Euros for every minute the site is not fully operational.

The installation team also needed to pay particular attention to the installation of cables and piping. As a specialist in aged cheese production, it was imperative that the delicate work of the cheese wheels and the hot marking of the upper layer of the Parmesan rind was not affected during the installation project. One of the benefits to Hochiki products to this project was the ease of install and ease of use of the devices which had minimal impact on the business.

To meet the requirements of the project, the installer NET Technologies Srl chose Hochiki’s market leading system L@titude to be the brain of the life safety system. This innovative fire detection technology combines the very latest hardware and software to produce a control and indication system which is powerful and sophisticated, yet simple to use and understand via a graphical interface.

Mirko Corsini, project manager at Hochiki Italia said: “The installer chose Hochiki’s L@titude panel together with our SPC-ET beam smoke detectors, which are characterised by low power consumption at rest and incorporate a sophisticated algorithm of automatic compensation to environmental changes.

The technical features of these products make them perfect for meeting the needs of this type of food processing environment. The flexibility of the Hochiki ESP protocol made it possible, through the CHQ-SZM2/SCI Zone Modules, to integrate conventional detectors (SPC-ET) as if they were addressable devices, without having to use auxiliary power supplies that would have required additional cables and batteries.”

Detectors with short circuit isolators were installed to ensure the system complied with the requirements of UNI EN 9795, which states that a short-circuit isolator must be installed for each room/compartment.

Intelligent Photoelectric Smoke detector with SCI incorporates Hochiki’s newest High Performance Chamber Technology. This detector removes the need to use Ionisation Smoke Sensors in many applications. This also allows the sensor threshold level to be increased, thereby improving the signal to noise ratio, and reducing the likelihood of false alarms.

Throughout the site Intelligent Loop-Powered Wall Sounder Beacons and Visual Alarm Devices were installed to ensure a fully compliant and state of the art fire safety system.

Commenting on the project, Fabrizio Bergamin, Technical Coordinator at the installer company NET Technologies srl, said: “We chose Hochiki devices and system because of the technical characteristics and reliability that this brand offers, as well as a wide range of products that fully meet market demands. Post commissioning of the project, the operating conditions envisaged in the design phase have been amply met. Over the course of the next year, there will be further implementations of the fire detection system at the Parmareggio production site, with distributed intelligence solutions or with several autonomous and networked L@titude control panels.

During the project we have had to deal with several technical design studios to solve various kinds of system problems; a fundamental role, together with the products they offer, is played by the Hochiki Italia technical support. They have responded competently to regulatory and design aspects, as well as proposed solutions for applications”.

Fire protection for electrical cabinets and data panels

by Breaking NewsBuilding ManagementFire SuppressionIndustry SectorsProducts

Technology is integral in every walk of life, Ed Chivers, global product and certifications director, Reacton talks about electrical fire supression

Almost everything we do relies on technology. From how we communicate, to how we are entertained and find answers to problems, technology plays an integral part. And behind the scenes, powering our ability to connect the devices in our hands and the computers on our desks with the world, is a complex network of control panels, data cabinets, switches and servers, that all rely on electricity. And if these fail, the consequences can be devastating, especially if the cause of the downtime is fire.

Electrical fires are incredibly challenging to predict and once started, if left to burn undetected, their effects can destroy equipment beyond repair and spread quickly to nearby equipment or structures. Outdated infrastructure, faulty wires, poor maintenance and overloaded circuits are all risk factors for fire.

Reacton Fire Suppression’s electrical equipment systems are designed for use in small enclosures to protect people, assets and critical infrastructure from fire. Not only will our Direct systems deliver protection right where the fire originates, but they are also compact and sized for the electrical enclosure or cabinet being protected.

This will result in a significantly reduced cost of ownership as only a few kilograms of Clean Agent are being used and therefore need replacing in any fire conditions. Compared to that of a large total flood application where the system sizes are much higher, so every discharge will come with a bigger price tag to replace or refill, not to mention the logistics and downtime.

The Reacton Direct system utilises our CT Direct valve technology and tubing to automatically detect the fire and actuate the system. The pressurised tubing is installed in and around the fire risks within the protected areas, always in communication with the system contents. When a fire occurs, the tubing will burst at the point of highest heat. As the contents of the systems are directly in communication with the detection tube, immediate discharge of the extinguishing agent is started at the point of detection.

Reacton’s Clean Agent range consists of 3M Novec 1230 Fire Protection Fluid and FM-200 waterless fire suppressant from Chemours™. These Clean Agents are the most trusted and tested liquefiable gases on the market with all supply being solely through the biggest names in the industry when it comes to Clean Agents.

These Clean Agents are the leading choice for fire suppression when rapid protection and zero clean-up is essential for sensitive electrical equipment.

For more information on Reacton Fire Suppression products, please get in touch with the team by emailing info@reactonfire.com or call us on + 44 (0)800 0306526.

Access 360 to showcase fire safety solutions at The Fire Safety Event 2022

by Featured NewsFire DetectionFire SuppressionIndustry SectorsProductsPublic Events

Bilco UK, Profab Access and Howe Green, which together form Access 360, will be exhibiting a complete range of certified access solutions for roofs, ceilings, walls, and floors at this year’s Fire Safety Event.

From 5th – 7th April, industry professionals can meet with Access 360’s technical experts at Birmingham’s NEC on stand 3a/E25 to learn more about its comprehensive range of fire integrity and fire safety access products.

This includes Bilco UK’s unique SKY Flatglass Smoke Vent, Profab Access’ revolutionary patented PRECISION Adjustable Frame and Howe Green’s extensive offering of fire rated floor access covers.

On Thursday 7th April, Marcus Parnham, Access 360’s commercial director, will be delivering an exclusive seminar in the Fire Safety Theatre at 11am, discussing the importance of comprehensive fire testing and certification to ensure the highest standards of safety, efficiency and compliance.

Across the three days, visitors can receive live demonstrations of Profab Access’ ground breaking PRECISION Adjustable Frame, which makes the installation of riser doors up to 30% quicker.

The only product of its kind currently available, the PRECISION Adjustable Frame has been expertly engineered to be fully adjusted to meet the specific dimensions of each structural opening, when installed into a flexible or solid wall construction.

Featuring a continual adjustable steel packer system and built in factory applied intumescent fire rated mastic strips to the outer frame that provides fire stopping between the wall and the frame, it ensures the installation is fit for purpose, by providing the highest standards in accuracy.

Profab Access’ comprehensive portfolio of third party tested solutions, including the INTEGRA 4000 Series and VEGA 1500 Series Riser Doors, in addition to the PRIMA 1000 Fire Rated Series and SPIRA 6000 Series Access Panels, will also be on display.

Attendees can also receive a demonstration of Bilco UK’s innovative SKY Flatglass, which offers professionals a diverse ‘three in one’ solution, as it can be utilised as a smoke vent, roof access hatch and rooflight.

Howe Green’s 7500 Series Floor Access Covers will also be on display, which are independently CERTIFIRE fire rated to BS 776 Part 22 for two hours on integrity, and up to two hours on insulation.

Visitors can also receive demonstrations Howe Green’s unique CoverSkate lifting device, which enables the safe lifting and movement of heavy floor access covers, whilst also viewing Howe Green’s Visedge Series Flexible Floor Access Covers.

The Access 360 team will be available throughout the event to discuss professionals’ upcoming projects and provide information regarding how their extensive offering of fire integrity access solutions can be specified to ensure the highest standards of performance and compliance.

Parnham said: “The Fire Safety Event is the perfect opportunity for us to present our most popular fire rated access products to visitors and share expert advice to assist them in achieving adherence with all relevant regulations by achieving the most effective and efficient specifications.”

Magirus will not participate in Interschutz 2022

by EventsFeatured NewsIndustry SectorsProductsPublic EventsVehicles

In a major development, German truck manufacturer Magirus has announced it will not participate in this year’s Intershutz.

The firm said it made careful considerations, not to take part at the Interschutz 2022 exhibition and “allocate part of the planned investment to charitable initiatives in support of firefighters in the Ukrainian conflict”.

After two long years marked by the global pandemic, which has deeply depressed the business environment, the brand was already focusing its resources on the development of its “Next Generation Firefighting” portfolio.

A statement from Magirus added: “Now, the unexpected war in Ukraine is further impacting the whole automotive and firefighting industry. Issues ranging from chassis supply to logistics challenges and very significant cost increase acceleration require Magirus to take an even more decisive step in focusing on core activities: developing the best firefighting products and services to ‘serve heroes‘.”

The brand will continue its marketing efforts for the entire product portfolio through plans to conduct an roadshow, to participate at the September IAA Transportation event in Hannover, and to host an in-house Magirus fair in the latter part of the year on its home turf in Ulm, Germany.

Additionally, in light of the ongoing crisis, Magirus has donated two turntable ladders to firefighters in Ukraine and has decided to use part of the planned Interschutz investment where it can make an immediate positive impact, contributing to the German Fire Services Association’s charitable initiative in support of Ukraine. “Magirus remains more committed than ever to its clients, dealers, suppliers, and all its stakeholders and will start planning right away to find new direct and effective ways to engage with them on an ongoing basis,” the firm added.