BAFE (British Approvals for Fire Equipment) News

Both BAFE and FireQual are deeply saddened by the death of Jonathan O’Neill OBE, Managing Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA). Jonathan has been such an influential person in the advancement of competence within the fire protection sector. His career and dedication are testament to his character, with a level of integrity that is hard to match. In 2017, as many will already be aware, Jonathan was awarded an OBE for services to fire safety. While extremely prestigious, this o...

FireQual, the specialist Awarding Organization for the fire safety sector, is pleased to announce Darren Ellis as their new Qualifications Manager. Darren is a well-known expert within the regulatory and qualification development sector with over 15 years of teaching and training national and international experience. Most recently, he has supported the creation of the Military Qualifications Center (MQC) in Abu Dhabi to provide qualifications for the United Arab Emirates Safety, Defense and Em...

The FPA is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Gavin Dunn who will assume the role of Managing Director from 1 February 2024. Having held his current position as Chief Executive of the Chartered Association of Building Engineers since 2018, Gavin is an experienced business pioneer and Chartered Building Engineer with a talent for bridging technical matters with effective business management. He brings a wealth of experience in the testing, inspection, and certification markets in the sec...

The BAFE Fire Safety Register has been confirmed as the new headline sponsor of the Fire and Security Matters Awards 2024. BAFE has been the trusted independent register of quality fire safety organizations for the UK since 1984 and this announcement marks a key part of its 40th anniversary celebration. BAFE’s passion The Fire & Security Matters Awards (FSM Awards) is now in its third year and celebrates innovation and achievements in the fire and security sectors. This strongly ali...

Amthal has appointed Deane Sales to the position of Group Sales Director, following the company’s strategic shift to its senior management team and approach to fire safety and security. As one of the nation’s trusted commercial fire protection and security partners, Amthal welcomes Deane to lead the Group in its new direction, introducing his extensive insight into compliance to forge key partnerships and identify opportunities for business development. life safety solutions Deane...

The FireQual Awarding Organization is proud to announce that they have achieved Ofqual approval. FireQual shall now be offering both Ofqual and SQA Regulated Qualifications for individuals working in the fire safety industry. Lewis Ramsay, FireQual Chair, said: “This is a great milestone for FireQual, and we thank Ofqual for recognizing that making fire safety qualifications as accessible as possible for the industry is an important aspect to benefit the future safety of the built environ...

The BAFE Fire Safety Register is pleased to welcome Ken Bullock to the team in his new role as Technical Schemes and Assurance Manager. Ken Bullock is a well-known and respected individual within the fire safety industry and has over 35 years of experience in which time he has been involved in bringing new technologies to the industry. Ken’s fire industry journey began with wireless fire detection and alarm technology, back when he noted that BS 5839-1 only had one paragraph. fire and de...

BAFE Fire Safety Register has published Version 8.0 of their BAFE SP203-1 Competency Scheme Document for the Design, Installation, Commissioning, and Maintenance of Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems. BAFE has taken into strong consideration changes being introduced in respect of competency, including documents such as the BSI Flex 8670 (Core criteria for building safety in competence frameworks). For example with the recommendations of this document, the appropriate skills, knowledge, exper...

The BAFE Fire Safety Register is pleased to announce Howard Passey has joined the BAFE Board of Directors. Howard Passey, currently in the position of Deputy Managing Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA), has accepted an invitation to join the BAFE Board.   Howard has been with the FPA since 1992, working in multiple roles during this tenure. This includes varying roles from Training/Information Officer to Principal Consultant, and more recently as Director of Operations...

The Home Office has introduced an important piece of work being conducted to improve its understanding of the people currently conducting fire risk assessments and will use the findings of the survey to inform policy development work by the UK and devolved governments. Please note the Home Office has stated while there has been a good response so far, they would like to ensure that the summer holiday season does not prevent people from having time to add their views and experiences. The decis...

Fire safety responsibilities under Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022. The Home Office has published new guidance to help outline Fire safety responsibilities under Section 156 of the Building Safety Act 2022. The Government website notes “This guidance explains what responsible persons need to do as a result of changes made to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (‘the Fire Safety Order’) through the Building Safety Act 2022.” new guidance The new g...

After eight years, Simon Banks has made the difficult decision to step down from the BAFE Board. Justin Maltby-Smith, Group Managing Director of BAFE, stated, “In my first year with BAFE I can see that Simon has been an extremely supportive and valued member of the BAFE Board." "Simon’s work, especially in driving new talent into the fire and security sectors, has been of great value, and with Simon’s support BAFE has been honored to be part of this with our support of quality...

The Home Office has published new Guidance for anyone with responsibilities under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022.  The information published highlights “This guidance is for people who have responsibilities under the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 (“the Regulations”). You will have such responsibilities if, under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (“the Fire Safety Order”), you are a “Responsible Person” (or a p...

A.P.E Fire & Security offers maintenance and servicing agreements to anyone who they have installed a system for. Fire, intruder, CCTV, and access control are all systems that can maintain the fire and security system. Servicing the system regularly will elongate its lifespan and also, potentially reduce the overall cost of the system. Finding an issue with the system early means that parts can be fixed or replaced without having to replace the entire system. Replacing the entire system T...

Having the right fire alarm system installed could not only prevent serious damage to a property, but it could also save lives. In this guide, they discuss the various fire alarm systems suited to office environments. As a business owner or office manager, the priority is the safety of the staff and visitors to the office. With the amount of electrical equipment in offices, it is essential that users have installed an adequate fire alarm system. Good Fire Alarm System Why it is Important to h...

BAFE and NAPIT are pleased to announce the first-ever Third-Party Certification and BAFE Registration to the DS301 competency scheme, which has been achieved by CS Electrics based in County Durham. This competency scheme covers design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance works performed on Grade D domestic fire detection and fire alarm systems. domestic fire safety The importance of domestic fire safety was highlighted in 2017 with the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, but this does not on...

BAFE and NAPIT are pleased to announce the first ever Third-Party Certification and BAFE Registration to the DS301 competency scheme, which has been achieved by CS Electrics based in County Durham. This competency scheme covers design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance works performed on Grade D domestic fire detection and fire alarm systems. The importance of domestic fire safety was highlighted in 2017 with the tragic Grenfell Tower fire, but this does not only apply to high-rise r...

Both BAFE and FireQual are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen was a bastion of integrity and service to the United Kingdom, which both BAFE and FireQual profoundly respected. Her death is a huge loss for everyone. The Queen had a strong link to the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh (where BAFE and FireQual are based), having officially opened the site in May 1974. Respect and condolences go out to The Royal Family and to all affected by The Que...

Both FireQual and BAFE are deeply saddened by the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen was a bastion of integrity and service to the United Kingdom, which both FireQual and BAFE profoundly respected. Her death is a huge loss for everyone. respects and condolences The Queen had a strong link to the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh (where FireQual and BAFE are based), having officially opened the site in May 1974. Both give respects and condolences go out to The Royal Fam...

A new fire detection and alarm systems competition to enable apprentice engineers to boost their skills has been launched by the charity, WorldSkills UK. Program training  Run in partnership with Skills for Security, apprentice engineers will have the opportunity to undergo training ahead of the national final in November, with a chance to compete at the international ‘Skills Olympics’ in France in 2024. The program builds on WorldSkills UK’s electronic security systems...

FireQual is proud to support the WorldSkills UK Fire Detection and Alarm Systems Competition. WorldSkills UK is delighted to launch the new Fire Detection and Alarm Systems Competition, run in partnership with Skills for Security. As well as offering apprentices the chance to boost their skills, they also have the unique possibility of competing at the ‘international skills Olympics’ in France in 2024. Undergoing intensive training The competition, which kicked off in May at the I...

FireQual are proud to support the WorldSkills UK Fire Detection and Alarm Systems Competition. WorldSkills UK is delighted to launch the new Fire Detection and Alarm Systems Competition, run in partnership with Skills for Security. As well offering apprentices the chance to boost their skills, they also have the unique possibility of competing at the ‘international skills Olympics’ in France in 2024. Undergoing intensive training The competition, which kicked off in May at the IFS...

Amthal has worked in partnership with Abels Moving Services Ltd to deliver an all-encompassing takeover and upgrade of the fire safety and security solution at its central site. Based in London, Abels Moving Services is one of the UK’s pioneer specialist international moving companies.  Recognized for its high commitment to quality, since 1988 and renewed in 2016, it has held a royal warrant to Her Majesty the Queen for removals and storage services. With specialist teams also renow...

FireQual is pleased to announce its latest appointment to the Senior Management Team. Steve Skarratt, in their new position as Qualifications Manager, joins the organization from his former role as Head of Prevention and Protection Training at The Fire Service College. Throughout his career, Steve has been heavily involved in training and development including acting as Interim Head of Learning and Development at the College, and before that, Curriculum and Qualifications Manager at the Fire Pr...

FireQual is pleased to announce its latest appointment to the Senior Management Team. Steve Skarratt, in their new position as Qualifications Manager, joins the organization from his former role as Head of Prevention and Protection Training at The Fire Service College. Throughout his career, Steve has been heavily involved in training and development including acting as Interim Head of Learning and Development at the College, and before that, Curriculum and Qualifications Manager at the Fire Pr...

Fire alarms are installed and work to save lives. These alarm systems work to detect early signs of fire and alerts occupants, allowing everyone in the building to evacuate the property and contact the emergency services. There is a wide variety of fire detection systems on the market, each can vary hugely in technology and what locations they are most suitable for. Here they are going to briefly go through how some fire alarm works which may help the users understand why some system are more s...

It is with a heavy heart that BAFE announces the passing of two friends and colleagues. Both, Peter Chilton and Dominic Cook passed away at the end of April 2022.  They both greatly assisted BAFE with fire extinguisher technician assessments/verification and exam invigilation as experts within their field. Peter Chilton Peter Chilton had more than 30 years of fire industry experience before working with BAFE, including 25 years with a fire extinguisher organization, Fire Protection Servi...

It is with a heavy heart that BAFE announces the passing of two friends and colleagues. Both, Peter Chilton and Dominic Cook passed away at the end of April 2022.  They both greatly assisted BAFE with fire extinguisher technician assessments/verification and exam invigilation as experts within their field. Peter Chilton Peter Chilton had more than 30 years of fire industry experience before working with BAFE, including 25 years with a fire extinguisher organization, Fire Protection Servi...

Johnson Controls, the globally renowned company for smart, healthy and sustainable building solutions, is welcoming the amendments to The Building Regulations 2010 Section 15, Paragraph 15.17, in relation to evacuation alert systems in high-rise residential buildings. The amendment states that new residential developments over 18 meters tall will have to incorporate an Evacuation Alert System in accordance with BS 8629 to help fire and rescue services inform residents of a change in evacuation...

BAFE and FireQual joint statement on the fifth anniversary of the Grenfell Tower Fire (14/06/2017). Both BAFE and FireQual remember the Grenfell Tower fire and on this day would like to pay respects to all affected individuals of this disastrous event. BAFE’s remit to define the competency of organizations working within the sector has a primary focus on life safety. While damage limitation to the building is also desired, mitigating risk to life is the key factor here. Building Saf...