Fire Industry Association (FIA) News

The FIA Extinguishing Council has seated its first female member. Nicki Stewart, managing director of Firexo for UK and Ireland, said she was excited to confirm her seat for the next two years. "I’m honored to have a seat on the extinguishing council; I have big plans during my time here and I am really eager to work with influential market leaders at the FIA,” she said. First Female On The Fire Extinguishing Council Nicki has continued to show her ongoing passion for educating co...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) is demonstrating its continuing support for Fire Door Safety Week by holding a series of free fire door safety seminars. The national awareness safety campaign, which took place between 23-29 September 2019, was launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect and aims to increase the public’s understanding of the role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. It is led by high-profile organizations such as the British Woodwork...

The next Fire Industry Manufacturers’ (FIM) Expo which will take place Wednesday 16th October, 2019. This time the FIM Expo will take place at Sheffield United Football Club. Organized by the Fire Industry Association (FIA), FIM Expo features many of the UK's pioneer fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focuses on showcasing the latest products and developments in this sector of the industry.A wide range of exhibitors are confirmed so far: Advanced Global Fire Equipment Ampac...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) is demonstrating its continuing support for Fire Door Safety Week by holding a series of free fire door safety seminars. The national awareness safety campaign, which took place between 23-29 September 2019, was launched in 2013 in response to a legacy of fire door neglect and aims to increase the public’s understanding of the role that fire doors play in protecting life and property. Fundamental Issues Of Fire Safety DHF has been a vocal advocate fo...

Dame Judith Hackett’s recommendations to the U.K. Government after the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017 were that the competence of the individuals working in the construction and life cycle of Higher Risk Residential Buildings (HRRBs) needs to improve and be clearer. Work had already started in many fire protection sectors to create fully recognized qualifications, and these help raise the benchmark. Improving fire safety training A force driving improvements in training is the Fire Industry...

Door & Hardware Federation (DHF) has welcomed the Ministerial Statement to the House, given by the then Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, James Brokenshire, in which he updated members on building safety. In particular, he informed those present that following an independent investigation into timber fire doors, no issues had been found with the consistency of the fire-resistance performance of the doors tested. This is good news for the industry and adds fur...

Comelit UK has demonstrated its commitment and growing prominence in the Fire Sector, investing in an additional member of the team by introducing a dedicated Fire Technical Support Engineer. Experienced fire industry specialist David Fraser joins Comelit’s highly specialist team incorporating Wesley Wright as UK Fire Manager and Mandy Bowden as Fire Business Development Manager North. David has over 20 years experience working with leading fire specialists, dedicated to installer focus t...

One lesson of Grenfell is how many fire system technicians operate without the appropriate qualifications. Since the Grenfell tragedy, Dame Judith Hackitt has called for all relevant trades to hold formal qualifications, and for industry to implement a system in which clients and end users can be assured that operatives are fully competent. Another lesson is that fire service audits of buildings are no longer fit for purpose. For instance, the current system does not require proof that a fire s...

The Fire Protection Association (FPA) is slated to host a Midlands’ Seminar themed, ‘Building a Safer Future: A Call for Evidence’– an opportunity to discuss the government’s long awaited changes to fire safety regulations, including the Fire Safety Order, Call for Evidence and the Building Safety Consultation. Fire safety proposals Following a commitment to improve fire safety regulations within the built environment, 6th June 2019 saw the British Government prov...

West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) announced that it will be hosting two realistic and interactive road traffic collision (RTC) rescue challenges at this year’s Emergency Services Show. Extrication Challenge Taking place at the NEC, National Exhibition Centre Birmingham, United Kingdom from 18 to 19 September, 2019, the Extrication and First Aid & Trauma Challenges will provide an arena for some of the UK’s best rescue personnel to come together and develop their proficiency lev...

FIREX International, 18-20 June, 2019, at ExCel London will feature 25-plus hours of seminars and panel discussions along with an exhibition of 130-plus manufacturers showcasing products for fire safety. A Sprinkler and Suppression Presentation Area will highlight the important category. Also, for the fourth year, the International Tall Building Fire Safety Conference will take place alongside FIREX International. There will be 18,000 fire prevention and protection professionals from over 70 c...

Tamworth-based trade association, DHF (Door & Hardware Federation) is emphasizing the importance of making fire safety an ‘absolute priority’ in new-build homes, following an investigation into potentially dangerous fire safety issues in houses developed by Persimmon Homes and Bellway Homes.  Fire Safety In New-Build Homes The BBC’s Watchdog discovered serious breaches that had gone undetected during the construction process" The findings, by BBC Watchdog Live, high...

The National Security Inspectorate (NSI) has published industry research undertaken by Perpetuity Research into the benefits and challenges of automating confirmed alarm signaling from Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs) to police control rooms. The independent research – done via an online survey and one-to-one interviews with a range of industry people including from Alarm Receiving Centres (ARCs) – assesses the pros and cons of automating signaling beyond current practice, the potenti...

In an unprecedented collaboration within the fire and security industry, three not-for-profit organizations with expertise in fire and security doorsets have combined their knowledge to offer guidance on a newly-published document on flat entrance doorsets. The joint publication: ‘A Guide for Selecting Flat Entrance Doorsets; A publication for housing associations, landlords, building owners and local authorities in England’, relates to new doorsets and is the product of DHF (Door &...

Nittan fire protection to be present at FIM Expo Reading in Madejski Stadium. Run by the FIA, this free to enter event on the 3rd April allows the visitors 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. The visit can be booked at the company’s official website.

New rules have been introduced by the government to improve the quality of electrical inspections in rental properties, which will reduce the risk of fires caused by faulty appliances and wiring. Minister for Housing and Homelessness, Heather Wheeler MP, said, "While measures are already in place to crack down on the small minority of landlords who rent out unsafe properties, we need to do more to protect tenants. These new measures will reduce the risk of faulty electrical equipment, giving pe...

The 2018 Fire Industry Association Annual General Meeting (AGM) and lunch was again, one of the standout industry events of the year bringing together more than 300 industry leaders. The FIA AGM provides the ideal opportunity to highlight the achievements of the association over the last year and signal our priorities for the future. Our members mingle with industry colleagues, entertain prospective customers and catch up with the FIA Secretariat team. This year Ellie Taylor provided the after-...

Research undertaken by the Building Research Establishment in association with the FIA and a range of manufacturers of detection products has led to some momentous discoveries in the field of fire detection and alarm: more sophisticated multi-sensor detectors really are more effective at reducing false alarms than the ‘standard’ smoke alarms. The research, undertaken by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) and the University of Duisburg in Germany, and part-funded by the FIA, u...

The courses are full formal qualifications and will lead to a certificate upon completion, the equivalent to an A-Level Following the launch of four brand new fire detection and alarm qualifications in designing, installing, maintaining, and commissioning of fire detection and alarm equipment earlier this year, the Fire Industry Association has announced that bookings can now be made on the FIA website. The courses are full formal qualifications and will lead to a certificate...

Two psychological therapists from The Fire Fighters Charity will also be speaking on the the emotional impact of emergency medical response Responding to fires in tall buildings will be a key focus at this year’s Emergency Services Show which returns to Hall 5 at the NEC, Birmingham, UK from 20th to 21st September 2017. Russ Timpson, founder of the Tall Building Fire Safety Network will present a session in the Lessons Learnt seminar theatre (sponsored by UCLan) on tall...

The FIA Expo 2017 will host two free CPD accredited seminars The FIM Expo 2017 will take place at Glasgow Science Centre, one of Scotland's must-see visitor attractions - presenting concepts of science and technology in unique and inspiring ways. Organised by the Fire Industry Association (FIA), FIM Expo features many of the UK's leading fire detection and alarm manufacturers and focuses on showcasing the latest products and developments in this sector of the industry. CPD a...

The last 6 months there have been a lot of changes in both the political and economic stratosphere The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has released the results of the Market Conditions Survey, Wave 8. This survey is a snapshot of the current trends within the fire industry nationwide. Each Wave is conducted every 6 months. Wave 8 reveals the impact of the changes in the political landscape within the last 6 months, the trends within the market, as well as other emerging issues...

Bield Response24 alarm receiving centre uses Gent by Honeywell’s pioneering WINMAG software Bield Housing and Care’s Bield Response24 alarm receiving centre (ARC) is one of the first facilities of its kind to provide fire detection system monitoring and management from multiple sites using Gent by Honeywell’s pioneering WINMAG software. Bield Housing & Care Since it formed in 1971, Bield Housing & Care has remained committed to improving the quality...

The webinar will give vital update on how the fire protection industry is performing The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has recently published its 5th Market Conditions Report; together with FIREX International they hosted a webinar on Wednesday 18th November 2015 at 11.00am to disseminate key findings from the report. During the FIA webinar, Ian Moore, Chief Executive Officer of the FIA answered questions on how the industry is growing and where this is coming from, along w...

FIREX 2015 continued to attract decision makers from across the industry with 9% increase in end-users and 27% in visitors FIREX International, organised by UBM EMEA, is pleased to announce another successful year for the leading industry event for fire protection, prevention and detection. Hosted once again at London’s ExCeL from 16-18 June, FIREX International welcomed 4,794 attendees across the three days. Reflects ever-increasing convergence between fire and securit...

The standard relates to the engineering of fire alarm systems, fire doors and secured fire exits BSI, the business standards company has revised BS 7273-4:2015 Code of Practice for the operation of fire protection measures - Part 4: Actuation of release mechanisms for doors. It was developed using collaborative input from the fire and safety industry with such organisations as The Fire Industry Association (FIA), Fire Protection Association and National Landlords Association o...

FIREX International will be held in the south hall alongside IFSEC International FIREX International 2015 will open its doors from 16-18 June 2015 at London’s ExCeL, offering fire and security professionals’ unparalleled access to leading global technology, solutions and knowledge with the aim of promoting expertise in life safety. Returning to London’s ExCeL for a second year, FIREX International will be located in the south hall alongside IFSEC Interna...

Carried out by French authors this is the first such published work for a decade New experimental work assessing tenability (how toxic gases and heat prevent escape and kill) using a full-scale room has found that any occupants would be at high risk of death if a smoke alarm wasn’t fitted. Carried out by French authors, this is the first such published work for a decade. They measured temperature (from 0.8m to ceiling), heat flux, opacity and a range of toxic fire gase...

Michael Clifford, MD of Beacon Fire Safety, was formally presented with it at a ceremony held recently SSAIB, the UK’s leading fire, security and telecare certification body for organisations, has awarded a certificate to the latest company applying under its new BAFE SP205 UKAS-accredited scheme. Michael Clifford, MD of Beacon Fire Safety, was formally presented with it at a ceremony held recently at the FIA’s Middx headquarters, attended by SSAIB consultant...

The Fire Sector Federation will conduct a panel discussion aimed at assessing the outcomes of the inquest The recently published inquest into the Lakanal House fire in London 2009 has highlighted some key areas of non compliance, oversight and operational confusion directly attributed to the incident. It has also argued the tragic loss of life could have been averted if the correct procedures and legal recommendations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order had been fo...