The new edition of the biannual BAFSA member publication, Focus provides a round-up of work taking place in the sprinkler industry.
John McCann, BAFSA Chairman welcomed members to the June 2021 edition of Focus magazine, the voice of the automatic water-based fire suppression industry. He reflected on the pressures faced by the construction industry resulting from pent-up demand from COVID-19, as well as the ensuing scarcity and rising costs of building materials.
He is delighted that more organizations have joined BAFSA and benefited from the wide range of online learning and training opportunities developed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Changes to Legislation in Scotland
Thanking those who lobbied for changes to legislation in Scotland that will see more demand for sprinklers north of the border, he bemoaned the lack of change in England.
He said: “Sadly, the message from the government in England is not so positive regarding sprinklers. While they have reduced the height requirement for sprinklers from 18m to 11m, they have also introduced a review of the need for sprinklers in schools.”
new draft of BB100
Focus contains articles on sprinklers in leasehold flats and an update on fire safety in Scotland
Keith MacGillivray, Chief Executive of BAFSA writes a timely piece about sprinklers in schools as the government published its consultation on a new draft of BB100, which looks at fire safety design in schools.
He said: “BAFSA believes sprinklers should be fitted in all new build schools in England and Northern Ireland and supports the need for sprinklers to be mandatory in the review of BB100.”
Focus contains articles on sprinklers in leasehold flats and an update on fire safety in Scotland and a wide-ranging feature from the National Fire Chiefs fire protection lead, Gavin Tomlinson. These show the continuing impact of the tragic Grenfell Tower fire four years on.
Importance of automatic opening vents
Ritchie O’Connell writes a prescient piece that refers to the importance of automatic opening vents, which comes in the wake of the recently published report from the London Fire Brigade into the high-rise residential fire in New Providence Wharf where the ventilation did not operate.
Tom Roche from the Business Sprinkler Alliance writes about the impact of large commercial fires and picks up on how regularly they appear on social media channels. He focuses on the damage and the longer-lasting effects on the environment.
As well as providing a round-up of sprinkler-focused news, the BAFSA Focus highlights a new website www.sprinklersaves.co.uk providing a central and comprehensive record of fire incidents where sprinklers played an essential role in controlling if not extinguishing the fire.
