What SFJ Awards changed in fire risk assessment

by Featured NewsTraining

New UK qualifications announced by SFJ Awards

SFJ Awards has launched two new UK fire risk assessment qualifications aligned to the BS 8674 standard, which was updated by the British Standards Institution (BSI) in August last year.

SFJ Awards said the new routes are an Ofqual-regulated Level 4 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment and a Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment.

The organisation said the updated standard is intended to improve consistency, quality and accountability in how fire risk assessments are carried out.

What the standards update aims to change

SFJ Awards said the BS 8674 standard was updated following Grenfell Tower and subsequent fire safety reforms.

The organisation said the standard aims to improve consistency, quality and accountability in fire risk assessment work.

SFJ Awards said fire risk assessments are a legal requirement in the UK.

The organisation said anyone responsible for a building, e.g., an employer, owner or occupier of premises that is not a single private dwelling, must ensure a suitably competent person completes a fire risk assessment.

How the qualifications were developed

SFJ Awards said it worked with fire and rescue services, the Ministry of Defence and other contributors to develop the new qualification routes.

The organisation said the qualification structure was designed to provide greater flexibility for learners.

SFJ Awards said the qualifications support the application of legislation and risk-based methods across a range of premises.

The organisation said the routes are intended to enable learners to produce clear findings and recommendations as part of the fire risk assessment process.

David Higham, Managing Director at SFJ Awards, commented: “Delivering improved standards in fire risk assessments relies upon having the learning architecture in place to support learners to acquire the requisite knowledge and apply it practically in the field.

“Bringing these new qualifications to market is a key step forward in supporting this aim and enabling alignment with BS 8674:2025.

“The introduction of the Level 4 Certificate and Level 4 Diploma offers two qualification routes to provide flexibility for learners and support greater coverage across the sector – as is needed – to drive up safety standards overall.”

Availability and progression routes in the UK

SFJ Awards said the Level 4 Certificate and Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment are now available for delivery at training centres across the UK.

The organisation said the routes support progression through supervised practice, workplace experience and ongoing continuing professional development (CPD).

Chris Wilson, Managing Director at The Fire Safety Academy, said: “BS 8674:2025 is an important step forward for assessing and mitigating fire risk in residential complexes, tall buildings, and business and mixed-use premises across the UK.

“The qualifications therefore provide a vital bridge between the new safety standards and learners and practitioners responsible for conducting fire risk assessments.”

SFJ Awards said Level 5 Certificate and Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment qualifications are also in development.

The organisation said these are intended to support progression to the advanced Fire Risk Assessor competencies set out in BS 8674:2025.

Fire Industry Association launches CPD Certification Centre

by Featured NewsUncategorized

The Fire Industry Association’s all-new Continuing Professional Development (CPD) Certification Centre is an exclusive member-focused benefit affording the organisation’s members’ CPD sessions the FIA ‘stamp of approval’, in turn saving them thousands of pounds.

Members will now be able to have their CPD certified by the FIA as part of the cost of their membership. The FIA can host, market and manage all bookings for any sessions which have been certified by the FIA CPD Certification Centre. The FIA will then issue CPD certificates on behalf of its members to the delegates involved (the only proviso being that the CPD session must be hosted by the FIA). Importantly, data on attendees will only be shared with the member company delivering the CPD session.

The organisation is readily able to assess the technical content of CPD sessions and give them its stamp of approval or otherwise assist with bringing it up to standard. This enables the Trade Association to be able to assess any presentations which are submitted and also give the stamp of approval on its educational quality.

The FIA strives to do all it can to champion, represent and help improve the excellent advice given by its members to their customers and, indeed, the wider industry.  By checking and certifying members’ CPD, the FIA feels that this will be of massive benefit to all parties involved and also serves as a practical way in which to improve standards right across the entire fire industry.

By having the weight of the FIA’s technical and educational backing behind them, CPD sessions gain a level of credibility specific to the industry at which they are aimed. It also benefits end users (ie the target audience of FIA members) as they know that the CPD they are receiving has been checked and certified by the leading industry body, thereby giving it more value and credibility.

FIA members using its CPD service no longer have to pay fees to external generic CPD certification bodies who are not experts in the fire industry. This can potentially save companies thousands of pounds in unnecessary expenditure.

By making use of the FIA’s marketing ability and its extensive database of fire industry and related contacts, members can rest assured that their CPD sessions are being marketed directly to the right people and companies.

Crucially, the wider fire industry can also benefit from the FIA’s CPD Certification Centre as they become familiar with the online CPD process itself.

The certification process is a simple one. Members submit their presentation via e-mail to the FIA’s Technical Department for assessment. The presentation will be assessed against various criteria including (but not limited to) technical correctness, impartiality (there must be nothing product or company-specific) and educational quality, etc.

Once a session passes the assessment process and is certified, the FIA will enable usage of the FIA CPD Certified logo which can be applied to all certificates for that session.

The event is then booked in with the FIA’s training team and this will be added to the events calendar on the Trade Association’s website. Sessions will also be included in the FIA’s marketing releases and social media.