THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

WELCOME

Fire Sector Summit 2015

Dr Jim Glockling (FPA Technical Director)Standing in for

Jonathan O’Neill (FPA MD)

4th November 2015

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

Housekeeping

• Please turn mobile phones off or to silent

• The fire exits are behind the stage to either side, and to the back of the hall through the door everyone came in from

• Toilets are in the Drager building across the road (clearly signposted)

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

Fire Sector Summit 2015

Is the biggest to date:• over 200 attendees• 20+ exhibitors

The largest gathering of fire industry organisations ever!

So big we had to change venue to this space to accommodate you all!

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

An opportunity to ….

• Network• Understand each other’s viewpoint• Challenge• Determine what the critical issues are going forward

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

A starting point for discussion

Is the UK over-provisioned for fire protection?

‘Acceptable risk’ is achieved by combining Response, Built-in features, and Management

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

A starting point for discussion

Is the UK over-provisioned for fire protection?

But we are seeing a reduction in FRS resourcing

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

A starting point for discussion

Is the UK over-provisioned for fire protection?

We have seen a drastic reduction in the requirement for sprinklers with removal of Local Acts

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

A starting point for discussion

Is the UK over-provisioned for fire protection?

And we are seeing compartment size related protection requirements being ‘Engineered out’

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

A starting point for discussion

Is the UK over-provisioned for fire protection?

And we see a greater amount of the residual being left to ‘management methods’

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

A starting point for discussion

Is the UK over-provisioned for fire protection?

It’s difficult to see how a shift from the ‘reliable’ to the ‘fallible’ will not result in greater risk!

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

A starting point for discussion

Is the UK over-provisioned for fire protection?

That’s perhaps what the government’s actions may suggest

If this is the case:

Q: What data is being used to determine this?- it cannot be historical – that describes the reward of the current

Q: If it is modelling of the future – what are the criteria for success they are working to?

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

As we approach the anniversary of the Great Fire of London ….Let us review recent progress made ….

• The removal of Local Acts – the principle means of ensuring this disaster was never repeated

• The provision of methods to enable:• Construction of buildings with combustible structure• Insulation of buildings with combustible products• Cladding of buildings in combustible materials

• A rule-set that stubbornly refuses to acknowledge that fires are increasingly ‘breaking into buildings’ from outside

• A seemingly single minded pursuit of sustainability with no thought to the potential for adverse consequences

• A lost recognition of the Value £ of the Business of London

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

Making the most of this eventQuestions I would personally like considered:

• Where’s the data?• What are “Standards” for?• How valid are building regulations to newer construction

methods when it comes to considering fire?• Why do we have the lowest requirement for sprinklers in

commercial premises in the UK?• Can you think of any critical life-safety system where

such poor equipment function is tolerated as it is for smoke detection?

• Heritage protection – why does the love only stretch so far?

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

Piggy in the house-of-straw

Risky – YES – especially on BONFIRE NIGHT - but it’s a choice made.

There is a need to educate business and homeowners alike that whilst there may be life-safety equivalency going forward, a gap is

opening up in respect of building resilience to fire between construction methods and material choices

THE UK’s NATIONAL FIRE SAFETY ORGANISATIONProtecting people, property, business and the environment

Thank you to our partners and

sponsors and

welcome

NICK ROSS