David Williams takes up new role as FPA Chair

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FPA welcomes new Chair, as David Williams steps into the leadership role

The Fire Protection Association (FPA) has announced the appointment of David Williams as their new Chair, marking a significant shift in their leadership team. The news was announced on the FPA’s official website.

John Smeaton, the former Chair, has retired after a successful 4.5 years of service.

The decision to appoint David was unanimously backed by the FPA Board, following the recommendation of the FPA Nominations Committee.

Experienced leader takes the helm at FPA

David brings over 30 years of experience from the insurance sector to his new role.

Before becoming the FPA Chair, he served as the Managing Director of Claims, Underwriting and Technical Services at AXA Insurance UK.

Between 2011 and 2022, he chaired the RISCAuthority, a research scheme funded annually to conduct research on behalf of the insurance sector and administered by the FPA.

FPA anticipates a bright future under Williams’ leadership

Howard Passey, Deputy Managing Director of the FPA, expressed his optimism regarding the new appointment: “David understands our business and is committed to our long-term vision as the UK’s national fire safety organisation.

“His varied and thorough knowledge will ensure we continue to progress our objectives and initiatives, proactively addressing the causes of the industry whilst upholding our values.”

Passey also acknowledged the contributions of outgoing Chair John Smeaton, appreciating his “extensive support and direction during both his tenure as Chair, and wider association with the FPA over the last 20 years.”

Williams is eager to contribute to FPA’s future

On his part, David expressed his excitement about assuming the new role: “I am excited to be assuming the role of FPA Chair and hope to use my experience and knowledge of both the FPA and RISCAuthority to contribute strong leadership and guidance.”

He also emphasized the importance of the FPA’s role in disseminating fire safety information to government, businesses, members, and the wider public, and reaffirmed his commitment to “ensuring the association remains at the forefront of providing advice and guidance, training, testing, and risk surveying in the field of fire protection.”

About the Fire Protection Association (FPA)

The FPA is the UK’s national fire safety organisation. With its long heritage, the association works relentlessly to promote fire safety through training, advice, and risk surveying. The FPA aims to protect people and their property from the devastating effects of fire.

IFSJ Comment

David Williams’ appointment comes at a critical time for the fire and safety industry, amid an ever-evolving landscape.

His experience in both insurance and fire safety research, along with his familiarity with the FPA’s work, position him well for this key role.

International Fire & Safety Journal looks forward to observing the positive impact his leadership is expected to bring to the FPA, its members, and the wider fire protection community.

The Fire Protection Association gives update on future plans

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The Fire Protection Association (FPA) has given an update on taking the organisation forward following the passing of its Managing Director, Jonathan O’Neill OBE.

The FPA said: “Jon was one of the most influential figures in the fire safety industry and driving the forward momentum to make our built environment a safer place was paramount to him. As an organisation, we endeavour to continue his legacy with a strong and influential FPA.”

The Association announced that Howard Passey will be assuming some of Jon’s responsibilities to ensure that the FPA continues to deliver on its mission and address the causes of the industry: “Many will be familiar with Howard who joined the FPA in 1992 and has held a multitude of roles as the organisation has grown, including Principal Consultant and Director of Operations.

“Howard trained formally as a land surveyor before spending 8 years in the construction industry in his early career. He has since spent considerable time in the FPA’s fire advisory division and is among our most experienced and respected fire risk assessors. With support from the FPA Board and leadership team, Howard’s varied and thorough knowledge of the industry will ensure that the needs of the FPA, our customers, and the industry, remain the focus of the FPA’s objectives and that they continue to be successfully met.

“As such, we would like to reassure you that as the UK’s national fire safety organisation we remain fully committed to delivering the FPA’s fire testing, training, and consultancy services, as well as our wider initiatives to move the fire safety agenda forwards by improving standards and best practice.”

FPA reacts to newly launched Building Safety Bill

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Following last week’s development of the Building Safety Bill receiving royal assent, the FPA and other organisations in the industry have issued their responses to the news.

As we reported last week, The Bill received royal assent on 28 April after months of debate and amendments, and has passed into law as the Building Safety Act 2022.

The 252 page Bill is intended to “create lasting generational change” to the way high-risk and residential buildings are constructed and maintained. 

Jonathan O’Neill OBE, Managing Director of the FPA, commented:

“Of course we welcome the passing of the Building Safety Act; better late than never! We do however remain concerned that such a major piece of legislation and change in the regulatory structure needs to be supported by significant additional resourcing, and as far as we can ascertain, such a commitment from government remains outstanding.

“The Act has also been amended so many times that we are still unclear on important aspects, such as the implications of removing the requirement for a Building Safety Manager, and the role of Approved Inspectors going forward.

“Few were in favour of the two-tier approach to Building Regulation initially set out in the original Bill, but accepted the practical reality that given the need to act quickly, high-risk properties would be first through the process with other buildings following in time. 

“Whilst the word ‘proportional’ has been introduced in more recent vocabulary in relation to the widening of applicability of the new legislation, we believe that in order to ensure the safety of occupants and resilience of the wider built environment this needs to happen quickly with the views of all stakeholders given due regard.

“We accept and welcome that more buildings are now in scope, in June it will be five years since Grenfell, and we are only just about to start the process of change.”

Dr Justin Maltby-Smith, Managing Director of BAFE Fire Safety Register also responded to the news, saying: “BAFE share the same mentality of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), in that the Building Safety Act will help usher in the much needed culture change in safety for all stages of a building’s lifecycle.

“BAFE also agree that this culture change requires substantial communication by Government to help educate the full extent of requirements introduced. Whilst the act introduces changes in how residential buildings are built, managed, and regulated, BAFE hope this correspondingly marks the beginning of a stronger concentration on commercial/non-domestic building safety responsibilities.

“The BAFE competency schemes will continue to represent the best levels of quality working within the fire and life safety industry and trust that UKAS accredited third-party certification will become a stronger competency requirement to demonstrate compliance to legislation moving forward.”

The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) has issued a response to the news, stating: “While we know that there is set to be secondary legislation and guidance, making sure the details of this are right will be essential for industry and firms across the country to effectively implement the changes required.

“The industry will need a clear brief from government on the timeline moving forward, detail as to when the legislation will be ready and information on any consultations that will be brought in to allow industry to support at pace. It’s critical for the RICS and other organisations representing the professions impacted by the Act to have the opportunity to offer their continued support in finding and shaping the solutions alongside government.

“We also need government intervention on finding a solution for PII for those firms who are carrying out wider fire risk and building safety assessments and those carrying out the remediation work, as well as for all those involved in the design, construction, and management of high-risk buildings.”

The RICS also expressed concern that the professional indemnity insurance (PII) market remains too weak to meet the needs of the industry, saying: “It needs delivery of the long-awaited government External Wall Systems PII scheme to support professionals carrying out external wall assessments, which is a fundamental element in enabling industry to make buildings safe and affording consumers the reassurances they have long waited for.”