Fire Risk Management Group

Member survey results

September 2014

Executive summary

Many thanks to those who took the time to respond, please find the analyses of responses to each question in the sections below.

The Fire Risk Management Group was formed in 2001 and currently has 3,353 members. Although the group is growing in strength and has an increasingly stronger voice in the wider fire community, we felt that more could be done to improve the benefits members gain from the group.

A survey was emailed to group members to help inform the work of the group over the next three years. 448 members (13%) responded to the survey.

The findings from the survey support our strategy, with our main focus on:• providing resources and guidance to our members• writing articles on good practice and updates on recent development for members• facilitating research projects to drive improvements in fire safety management• taking the lead on representing non specialists in the fire community

1. What is your IOSH membership category?

7%

37%

17%

27%

4%8%

Chartered fellow

Chartered member

Graduate

Technical

Associate

Affiliate

Of the 448 members who responded, the largest groups are Chartered Members/Fellow members at 196, followed by Technical members at 122.

The smallest groups are Associates at 20 followed by Affiliates at 34.

2. Are you working towards upgrading your membership grade, either now or in the future?

0

50

100

150

200

250

300

Yes No

58% of respondents reported that they were working toward upgrading their membership

3. What fire safety qualifications do you hold?

0 50 100 150 200

NEBOSH Fire CertificateOther accredited certificate in Fire risk assessment…

NoneOther

FPA certificate in Fire risk assessment and fire safety…F&RS quals

CFPA Europe diploma in Fire PreventionMSc in a fire related subjectBSc in a fire related subject

CFPA Advanced diploma in Fire Prevention

Of the members surveyed, over a third (155) held the NEBOSH fire certificate and nearly a quarter (104) held another accredited certificate in fire risk assessment and/or fire safety management. 17% of respondents said they held no fire safety qualification .

15% of respondents specified that they had other qualifications. Of these 15% half had taken qualifications provided by the Institute of Fire Engineers, the Fire Protection Association or at the Fire Safety College at Moretonin the Marsh.

The total responses to this question add up to 689 as respondents could select more than one qualification

4. What is your role?

38%

25%

18%

12%

6%

1%Advisor

Manager

Consultant

Director

Head of department

Managing Director / CEO

Of the 448 respondents, a quarter were managers, 38% were advisors and 18% consultants.

Only four held the role of Managing Director/CEO.

5. Where do you work?

Of the responses received, • 353 members work in the United Kingdom,• 66 members work overseas and • 21 members have global roles.48%

1%

9%

16%

2%

13%

1%5%

5%England

Northern Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Scotland

Wales

Across all the UK

Europe

Outside Europe

Global

6. What are your areas of fire safety responsibility (if any?)

25

71

57

12 10 95

11

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

FacilitiesManagement

Fire riskassessment

Fire safetymanagement

Enforcement Installation,servicing andmaintenance

Fireengineeringand design

Notapplicable

Other

%age of responses

Respondents could give more than one answer to this question.

• 71% had responsibility for fire risk assessment • 57% fire safety management.

25% were responsible for facilities management. 11% mentioned other areas of responsibility and 38% of these other responsibilities involved training.

7. What are your areas of interest % ?

82

79

522728

43

43

36

37Fire risk assessment

Fire safety management

Training courses

First aid fire fighting equipment

Installed fire fighting equipment

Emergency response

Disabled evaculation

Fire detection systems

Business continuity, resilience

This is the breakdown of responses in the “very interest” category

Respondents could express more than one area of interest. The most popular topics were fire risk assessment and fire safety management.

Respondents could express more than one area of interest.

The most popular topics were fire risk assessment and fire safety management.

8. What sectors are you interested in %?

30

27

18

21

3013

44

29

41

Schools, universities, research labs

Care homes, warden controlled living

Transport

Healthcare

Retail, leisure and hospitality

Prisons and secure accommodation

Industrial environments

Residential and high rise buildings

Commercial property management

Again, respondents could express more than one area of interest.

Commercial property management and industrial environments were the two most popular areas.

This is the breakdown of responses in the “very interest” category

9. Indicate your opinion on the following statements:

Strongly agree Agree Disagree

Strongly disagree

Don't know

I receive regular feedback on the actions taken by the FRMG 13 127 148 46 54

I would recommend the group to non-members 30 191 75 21 71

I know where to find information about the group 32 180 113 28 35

I know how and who to contact if I have a question 20 118 168 33 49

The group microsite is useful 17 132 87 16 136

The group should be taking the lead on representing non specialists in the fire community 125 200 16 6 41

The group should be engaged in research projects to drive improvements in fire safety management 113 226 22 6 21

The group should write articles on good practice and updates on recent development for members 182 190 4 1 11

The group should have a library of resources available to members 213 162 3 2 8

More members agreed or strongly agreed with the following statements:

• The group should have a library of resources available to members (97 %)• The group should write articles on good practice and updates on recent development for members (96%)• The group should be engaged in research projects to drive improvements in fire safety management (87%)• The group should be taking the lead on representing non specialists in the fire community (84%)

Over half the respondents did not know who to contact if they had a question and only a third of respondents found the microsite useful.

10. Anything else you would like to tell us?

Location and frequency of meetings38% commented on the location and frequency of meetings. Respondents in Northern Ireland, Eire, London and the South East of England, South West England, North East and North of England and Scotland all reported that they thought meetings were held more frequently elsewhere than in their area. This indicates that events should be more regular and spread around the country. One member suggested a sub group in Oceania and another a sub group for members outside Europe.

Lack of communication from the group10% commented on the lack of communication from the group. The need to actively promote and publicise events was mentioned. These respondents felt disconnected from the group.

Lack of access to information and resources10% were concerned about the lack of access to information and resources. They requested training resources, a publication or journal on fire risk management, a fire knowledge library and example risk assessments. It is worth highlighting the IOSH Information Helpline, which is free of charge.

IOSH Information HelplineT: +44 (0)116 257 3199 | F: +44 (0)116 257 9199 | E: techinfo@iosh.co.ukSend us a letter to: IOSH Enquiry Service, The Grange, Highfield Drive, Wigston, Leicestershire, LE18 1NN, UK.(Please give as much detail as you can about the specific health and safety advice that you need – including dates, references, relevant circumstances and so on, plus your full contact details including your postal address).

These responses were analysed qualitatively and the following three main themes emerged. These were:

• concern about the location and frequency of meetings,• lack of communication from the group • lack of access to information and resources.

38% provided general comments about their personal situations or ‘no comment’. The remaining 4% requested that the group consider providing specific information suitable for offshore, help to set standards, and share good practice.

Review

13% of our membership participated in the survey and, although we need to take care not to extrapolate firm conclusions from only a sample of our membership, the responses were representative of our member demographic.

The majority of members responding were in advisory or managerial positions (advisors, consultants and managers) with principal responsibilities to carry out fire risk assessments or manage fire safety. Unsurprisingly, this was also reflected as the two most prominent areas of interest.

There was a spread of qualifications held by the respondents and the NEBOSH fire certificate was the most predominant. However, close to a fifth of respondents did not have any qualification in fire safety management.

The respondents felt that the group should:• have a library of resources available to members• write articles on good practice and updates on recent development for members• be engaged in research projects to drive improvements in fire safety management • be taking the lead on representing non specialists in the fire community

This was further reinforced by respondents highlighting the lack of communication and available resources as two of the three recurring themes in the “final thoughts” section.

Interestingly, the third main theme from the “final thoughts” section pointed to the lack of meetings. As a specialist interest group, we cannot hold meetings as we are not geographically bound in the way branches are.

Conclusion

The purpose of the survey was to re-engage with the members of the Fire Risk Management Group, giving them the opportunity to provide feedback, and gauge how the group was meeting the needs of its members. It also enabled us to adjust our strategy.

The main themes emerging from this survey are already in our three-year plan. Specifically, we:• Developed closer ties with a number of specialist publications (fire and H&S) • Made our articles available on our microsite• Continue to represent the fire safety community at the Fire Sector Federation• Respond to consultations• Run joint events with branches and other groups

These developments have already taken place.

However, there are many exciting developments on the horizon, such as a new programme of webinars and the new Communications Coordinator role. We are also investigating developing a knowledge base for FRMG members without incurring considerable cost for IOSH or breaching copyright.

Thank you!Like all IOSH groups and branches, the committee is entirely composed of volunteers. We would like to thank all group members for their continued support and for taking the time to complete this survey.