Fire Industry Association (FIA) News

Fire services across the UK are donating thousands of items of kit and equipment to be sent to Ukraine, to support firefighters on the frontline. UK charity, FIRE AID and International Development (FIRE AID), and the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) are coordinating donations of more than 5,000 items of fire and rescue equipment and PPE which will be sent in convoy to Ukraine. Eighteen fire engines, thermal imaging cameras for finding victims, generators, lighting, hoses, rescue eq...

During the 51st General Assembly of Euralarm, the European association representing the fire safety and security industry, the members have chosen Jon Könz as new President of Euralarm. He succeeds Martin Harvey, who was President for the past three and half years. Before being elected President, Jon Könz was Chair of the Services Section of Euralarm. He is Head of Industry Affairs, at Siemens Smart Infrastructure. Euralarm’s 2021 General Assembly The 2021 General Assembly was...

BSI, the business improvement and standards company, are to take a seat on the Fire Industry Association’s (FIA) forum to facilitate knowledge sharing and improve fire safety in the UK. The FIA’s Internet of Things (IoT) forum will facilitate the exchange of industry knowledge and remove barriers to the development and adoption of IoT products and services in the fire safety sector. Alongside FIA forum members BSI experts will work to improve fire safety provisions across the UK by...

With 20 exhibitors and 180 delegates, FIM Expo offered an excellent opportunity for networking and conversations with individuals from all sectors of the fire industry. This event's exhibitors were: Advanced - Emergency Lighting, Advanced, Aico, Apollo, C-Tech, Drax360, Eurotech Fire Sytems, FFE Group, Everlux, Fireco, Firepro, Global Fire Equipment, Hochiki, Honeywell Morely, Hyfire, Kentec, Nittan UK, Tio Fire Safety, Vimpex, Wagner. Meeting influential people In addition to this, it was fa...

Come and visit Nittan at FIM Expo on 19th October 2021 at Titanic Center in Belfast. Run by the Fire Industry Association, this free-to-enter event on the 19th of October allows you to check out the latest fire detection and alarm products in an informal setting. There will also be FIA-sponsored CPD seminars available on topics relevant to the industry, ranging from code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the fire detection and fire alarm systems for b...

To help support the Fire Door Safety Week 2021 campaign, ASSA ABLOY Opening Solutions UK & Ireland has announced the launch of a new best practice guide - ‘Fire Doorsets’ guide, on how to specify, install, maintain and inspect fire-certified doorsets in residential and commercial buildings. ‘Fire Doorsets’ guide The ‘Fire Doorsets’ best practice guide has been compiled, based on the knowledge and expertise of ASSA ABLOY’s FDIS-trained inspectors, a...

The Fire Industry Association (FIA) and National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) have come together to produce a new Code of Practice to bring clarity to the use of premises information boxes for residential buildings. The Code of Practice for the Provision of Premises Information Boxes in Residential Buildings is in response to recommendations about fire safety information made by the Grenfell Inquiry. One of the recommendations focused on the provision of premises information boxes and this new Co...

FIA released Fact File 90: Video Fire Detectors and Detection Systems. This FIA Fact File introduces ISO/TS 7240-29, the new ISO Technical Specification (TS) published in June 2017. It gives information as to the nature and content of the standard to assist manufacturers of video fire detectors (VFDs) in achieving design compliance. The Fact File also discusses the recent BRE/FIA collaborative research project aimed at developing repeatable test methods for testing video fire detectors. It als...

The discussion covered a wide range of topics all linked to multi-sensor detectors and featured a panel of experts including our own Paul Gatens. With the development and installation of multi-sensors continuing to grow, our training and support teams are experiencing an increasing number of enquiries about how these devices should be tested.  As well as covering this point, the roundtable also provided an opportunity to discuss the importance of false alarm reduction, certification, and t...

FIREX International Connect 2021 is a brand-new, month-long digital event running throughout June. The upcoming FIREX International in-person event will take place at ExCeL London from 12-14 July, providing the first opportunity in over two years for the fire safety industry to unite face-to-face. “Both events present unmissable opportunities for the industry to reconnect and explore the innovative approaches to fire safety that have been born out of a challenging year,” said Chris...

Upon BAFE’s acquisition of the Fire Industry Association (FIA) Awarding Organization last year, FireQual was established and has been diligently working on developing this platform to offer qualifications for individuals working in the fire safety industry. FireQual’s development FireQual is pleased to announce that approval has now been achieved from both Northern Ireland’s (CCEAR) and Scotland’s (SQAA) regulatory bodies to offer qualifications covering fire safety w...

The pioneer of the UK’s largest fire protection trade association has chosen the ‘Best of British’ manufacturing for new fire extinguishers throughout his fire equipment factory.  Derek Gotts, the Chair of the Fire Industry Association, has fitted Britannia Fire’s game-changing composite P50 across his Cambridgeshire factory that makes and supplies equipment for fire and rescue services. Seamless The Supply Plus Managing Director, who also sits on several British...

Following significant requests from customers, Apollo Fire Detectors have expanded their portfolio of free webinars and virtual CPD’s. In order to continue providing its training service throughout the national lockdown, Apollo released a selection of over 15 virtual courses in May 2020. The courses have been a huge success with thousands of attendees from over 30 countries taken advantage of the weekly sessions. Due to this success, and COVID-19 restrictions being in place once again in...

For anyone who is not aware and is responsible for fire extinguishers within their building, there has been a change for class D Powder extinguishers (which are used for metal fires). This change has been introduced with BS 5306-10:2019, published 31/10/2020, and supersedes BS 7863:2009 (which is withdrawn). clearer differentiation Guidance published in December 2020 by FIA (Fire Industry Association), states, “The major change is the color-code for class D Powder extinguishers (fo...

With the announcement from Prime Minister Boris Johnson, a national lockdown is now in effect until further notice. New guidance New coronavirus lockdown guidance has been issued for “people who are fit and well”. It is advised that “you must not leave or be outside of your home except where you have a reasonable excuse”.  The guidance clearly states that a “reasonable excuse” includes working “where it is unreasonable for you...

COVID-19 dominated the headlines in 2020, and it had a profound impact on the fire industry. TheBigRedGuide.com published many articles about the pandemic and its impact, some of which were among the most-read articles of the year. This retrospective will highlight some of those pandemic-related articles, including links to the original content.  The Fire Industry Association (FIA) in the United Kingdom published a survey report on the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The survey, conduc...

A clear indication of both, the company’s improved relationship with Government, and the incredible effort of individuals, is the secondment of two specialists from FIA members to the Department of International Trade - UK Defence and Security Exports. Here is what the key people involved in this great partnership have to say. Ian Moore, CEO, FIA: "Working with Government for our members and the wider industry is, and has always been, a key priority. We are proud our relationship with Gov...

FIA announced a new course in Evacuation Alert Systems (BS 8629), this training is the first of its kind and emanates from the work that has been done since the Grenfell Tower tragedy. The training course can be taken online and, in the future, it will be able to be taken in class to enable learners to choose a teaching style that suits their needs. Evacuation Of Residents Ian Moore CEO of the FIA added, “The FIA has been involved from day one with the Evacuation Alert System concept."...

The FIA has unveiled its participation as a founding member in a new, industry-wide initiative designed to attract and develop a new generation of fire protection engineers.  Zitko Talent Zitko Talent is an alliance of major manufacturers, installation companies and educators Zitko Talent is an alliance of major manufacturers, installation companies and educators, who will be providing an intensive 12-month program of salaried work experience, training, and development. The program is s...

The FIA has unveiled its participation as a founding member in a new, industry-wide initiative designed to attract and develop a new generation of fire protection engineers. Zitko Talent is an alliance of leading manufacturers, installation companies and educators who will be providing an intensive 12-month program of salaried work experience, training and development. The program is suitable for a wide audience, from college leavers and career changers to engineers wishing to cross-train from...

Jactone is delighted to announce the recent appointment of the company’s Managing Director, Craig Halford to the position of Chair of the Fire Industry Association Extinguishing Council. In turn, the organization is also delighted that as a result of the appointment, Craig Halford assumes his position on the Fire Industry Association’s Board of Directors. Jactone is committed to the work of the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and is particularly interested in contributing to the dev...

Valuation and home survey processes were previously insufficient to establish whether or not external cladding on high-rise buildings [over 18 m height] contains combustible material and therefore would facilitate the spread of fire. Following the Grenfell tragedy and subsequent MHCLG [Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government] guidance, RICS [Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors] along with UKF [UK Finance] and BSA [Building Societies Association] developed so-called EWS-1 form...

Integrated Fire Safety Systems Ltd, a provider in the design, installation, commissioning, and service of fire safety systems has announces it has attained Loss Prevention Standard (LPS) 1014 certified status. This is part of its ongoing strategy to expand its list of accreditations and certifications and provide customers with the reassurance that they comply with, and correctly manage system design, installation, commissioning and servicing of fire detection and alarm systems. Fire and secur...

New COVID-19 restrictions have been introduced by the Government, announced by Prime Minister Boris Johnson.  While this does not directly affect fire safety work, BAFE would fully support the advice that the stronger requirements for face coverings should be implemented consistently within the fire safety industry. This is especially important with technicians working on-site at care facilities and other buildings where vulnerable people may be exposed to the virus. Controlling COVID-19...

BAFE and the FIA announced the acquisition of the FIA AO by BAFE FireQual Ltd. BAFE strongly believe this will be a significant opportunity for the fire industry to develop an exciting range of accredited qualifications to meet the demand for quality assurance of individual skill and expertise required by the industry. This necessity was heightened by the Grenfell tragedy and its subsequent reports outlined by Dame Judith Hackitt and the Competency Steering Group. Dame Judith Hackitt stated: &l...

Carl Bryan, Managing Director WAGNER UK, offers CPD accredited training as part of the Fire Industry Association (FIA) online training on 10 September 2020. For one hour he will talk about the fire prevention solution with oxygen reduction. He will explain the technology behind and the advantages of using a hypoxic environment as a fire prevention solution. Participants will also be informed about the key considerations when specifying, designing and operating such systems. Interested parties s...

The FIA is pleased to announce that following extensive and detailed discussions with BAFE, the independent register of third-party certificated fire safety service providers, that BAFE will be acquiring the operation of the FIA AO. BAFE will be establishing FireQual Ltd as an OFQUAL-approved Awarding Body to run the existing fire detection and alarm qualification examinations and to develop new qualifications across the fire sector that will support the call for greater competence and availabi...

The FIA is pleased to announce that following extensive and detailed discussions with BAFE, the independent register of Third Party Certificated fire safety service providers, BAFE will be acquiring the operation of the FIA AO.   BAFE will be establishing FireQual Ltd as an OFQUAL-approved Awarding Body to run the existing Fire Detection and Alarm qualification examinations and to develop new qualifications across the fire sector that will support the call for greater competence and avail...

SELECT has helped shape a new Occupational Qualification Structure by the Fire, Emergency and Security Systems (FESS) industry that will lead to Electrotechnical Certification Scheme (ECS) Card recognition. Aimed at promoting high standards and skills, the new structure has been developed by an industry-wide working group formed by SELECT and other trade associations and employer representatives including: British Security Industry Association (BSIA) FESS Employer Group Fire Industry Assoc...

FIA’s Northern Ireland Week was originally scheduled to be held in March 2020; however, due to the effects of COVID-19, it will now be held in Belfast at the Titanic Centre Belfast on 16th -17th March 2021. FIA has been working closely with the Titanic Centre for many months throughout this unprecedented period of lives to ensure they will be in a strong position to deliver a safe environment for the exhibitors, visitors and staff. Scientific and political advice After consultation with...