Leigh Hill, Director, Built Environment Europe, Warringtonfire, answers some important questions about the history of Warringtonfire and its role within the fire safety industry
Can you give us a brief overview of Warringtonfire?
Like many other companies, Warringtonfire had quite humble beginnings.
Originally established as Warrington Research Centre in the 1960s, it was soon renamed to Warrington Fire Research Centre.
Under an old railway arch in front of Warrington Central Station, our first-ever fire testing facility was established.
The late Brian Sayers set up the company alongside his two business partners Selwyn London and Fred Williams.
In the early days, we were only performing one large-scale fire resistance test each week, rather than the fifteen or so that are conducted today at our current Holmesfield Road facility.
What drove the move to your Holmesfield Road laboratory, and when did this happen?
Fire safety quite rightly continued to grow in importance.
Very quickly, we found that a new site was required to increase capacity and match the rapidly growing demand for our fire testing services.
The 1970s saw us relocate to Holmesfield Road, which has been Warringtonfire’s headquarters for over fifty years now.
Upon moving into Holmesfield Road, we had both a vertical and horizontal large-scale furnace installed to double our capacity and allow us to test an expanded range of building products.
These furnaces are built into the very fabric of the building.
We strip back and then reline these furnaces every two to three years, enabling them to perform as expected and remain extremely efficient.
How has the Holmesfield Road laboratory developed over the years?
When we first moved to Holmesfield Road, we had only our reception building and our original fire resistance laboratory.
However, due to increasing demand for fire resistance testing, we saw the need to expand our base and added a new extension adjacent to our original laboratory.
Since then, we have continued to grow and expand both the services we offer and the Holmesfield Road laboratory.
We now have several buildings on the industrial estate for test preparation, both small and large-scale reaction to fire testing, certification, and storage of customers’ test specimens.
With this expansion, we are now able to test a variety of passive fire protection products, including fire doorsets, partitions, intumescent coatings and paints for steel and concrete structures, intumescent seals, fire door components and many more.
What drove Warringtonfire’s growth, investment in the site, and expansion of services?
1986 was a pivotal moment for us.
This was when Warringtonfire really started to grow quite rapidly, as the ownership of the company changed hands through a management buyout by Geoff Deakin MBE and Ralph Shaw.
Ralph became our Technical Director, while Geoff assumed the role of Managing Director.
Geoff is an inspiration to many across the fire industry; not only was he our figurehead in the UK, but also an advocate for the industry across Europe.
We have Geoff to thank for many of the fire safety standards that we have today, and he was intrinsically involved in standards committees throughout the UK and Europe.
Quite deservedly, he received an MBE in the 1990s for his contribution towards raising fire safety standards.
Under Geoff and Ralph, Warringtonfire began to spread across the globe.
The word ‘Warrington’ was already becoming synonymous with fire safety across the world while we were still called Warrington Fire Research Centre! Soon, by the mid-1990s, we had opened offices and laboratories in Belgium, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, and Hong Kong.
In the UK, we acquired testing facilities in Willenhall, which have since relocated to Wednesbury.
We expanded from testing work for passive fire protection products to include third-party certification for products and installers, along with site inspections and training.
How are you bringing new fire testing experts through the ranks?
Fostering new talent and incorporating it into our team is always a top priority; it is the backbone of our success.
We utilise both apprenticeships and graduate programmes to invest in young people, reflecting the exciting career opportunities available in fire testing and certification.
Our graduate programme is a particular point of pride.
We have enrolled four talented graduates on a specialist two-year scheme each September since 2022.
Within this scheme, they gain valuable experience in the world of fire testing and certification.
Graduates rotate through four key areas of the business: reaction to fire testing, fire resistance testing, technical assessments, and quality.
To reflect their newfound experience and knowledge, they are guaranteed a role at the end of the scheme.
What is next for Warringtonfire and how will it continue to grow?
Increasing demand for fire testing and certification has led to continued growth for Warringtonfire, owing to a range of industry drivers.
Examples of these include harmonising certain BS and EN standards, as well as new regulations and legislation aiming to improve the standards of fire safety.
A key instance of this is the Building Safety Act.
Governance over fire safety and construction products is another area of continued improvement.
Fire safety standards and general improvement across the industry are continuously boosted by government bodies such as the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, which was up until quite recently known as the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).
With this context, several years ago we decided to invest in a brand new industry-leading fire resistance testing laboratory here in Warrington.
This will be located at Birchwood Park, and a $30m injection will allow us to treble our current fire resistance testing capacity, while at the same time boosting local job opportunities for those who are looking to pursue a career in fire safety.
Some features of the new laboratory will be four large-scale furnaces plus an indicative furnace which we aim to have up and running by January 2025.
By the end of 2026, we intend to add two additional large-scale furnaces, one vertical and one horizontal.
As soon as the Birchwood Park facility is fully functional, we will also complete the transformation of our Holmesfield Road laboratory into a Centre of Excellence for reaction to fire testing.
Any final thoughts?
I would not be able to end without saying thank you to all the colleagues and clients I have worked with over the years.
The trust we have built with our customers has been fundamental to where we are today, and we could not have done it without them.
We look forward to continuing all our relationships and building many more to carry on providing the excellent service that has become part of our very essence.
For more about Warringtonfire and its new Birchwood Park laboratory, or to book for 2025, please visit https://www.warringtonfire.com/about-warringtonfire/warrington-site-relocation-and-expansion
This article was originally published in the September 2024 issue of International Fire & Safety Journal. To read your FREE digital copy, click here.
