The regulations already in force need to be better enforced

At a time when increased regulation is unlikely, the proper recognition and enforcement of current fire safety regulations, standards and guidance is key to improving fire safety, says Wilf Butcher.

I would argue that, historically, much of the decision-making in relation to the fire protection process in the UK has been ‘disaster lead’. So much so, that one of the safest places in London today, in respect of the effects of fire, is probably (post Kings Cross) the underground.

Through the recent ‘Fire Futures’ initiative and the Fire Sector Partnership that has evolved from it, however, we have a very real opportunity to influence, direct and improve fire policy in this country.

The issue we face is not one of a blanket need for tougher regulation to ensure the safety of life and therefore, by default, the protection of property, but rather one of enforcement of the very regulations already in place.

The Government is now stating loud and clear that it will stop proposing functions that the fire sector is better able to deliver. Instead, it will support the fire industry in taking the lead in the role of educator and in so doing, set the standards for appropriate guidance.

So to succeed we must educate. The difficulties that we, as an industry will face in this process are in many respects the same as those experienced every day by teachers up and down the country. We have to devise a method of engaging those that need to be educated in such a way they will want to participate.

Just how big a task is this? Please be under no illusion, it is a very big task!

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) represents the passive sector of the fire protection industry and in some quarters we have enough trouble just explaining what the term ‘passive’ means!

So what kind of environment are we working in?

Firstly, we are working our way out of the worst economic climate in my life time (and I’m pretty old now!), where price is key and many builders have, shall we say, selective hearing when it comes to the ‘appropriate choice of solution’!

Secondly, we have to take action at a time when designers are fixated in their drive toward improving the thermal and acoustic efficiency of the buildings they design, whilst having nowhere near the same zeal with regard to the need to ensure appropriate fire performance. This in spite of the fact that no one is likely to die from hypothermia if new insulation targets are not met, or go deaf if improved acoustics coefficients are not achieved.

Get the passive and active specification or installation wrong, however, and you are faced with a much more serious scenario. So let’s be under no illusion. The road ahead will not be an easy one.

Serious disconnect
Within the passive fire protection sector (and the same is just as true for the active sector), the ASFP recognises that there is a serious disconnect in appropriate understanding, communication, ownership of responsibility and commitment to required standards throughout the entire process of design, build, inspection and hand-over to the responsible person.

In fact, by way of an example, over the last few months I have run a number of workshops for fire risk assessors and facilities managers. Of the several hundred delegates involved, less than ten confirmed they had ever received information in accordance with Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations (formally known as Regulation 16B).

So where are we in this new process of enlightenment? Well, the industry has taken the first major step through the formation of the Fire Sector Partnership - a body led and funded by the industry. To some degree and not everyone will thank me for saying this, that’s the easy bit! The difficulty comes when we start to put the ‘meat on the bones’, to lay down guidance that will ensure that overall standards in fire protection are improved.

This is where the real work begins and it will need the total commitment of all concerned and by this I do not mean simple lip service. The fire Industry, the fire service, Local Government Association and Government must all work together.

The goal must be that all in the process of the design, build and onward maintenance of a building, are accountable for what they do and how they do it. Each sector of the fire industry will have its particular issues and needs and will wish to ensure that these are understood and respected.

In relation to this, the passive fire protection faces a particular dilemma in that, invariably, the only time passive products are tested is in the event of a real fire. So the need for correct product/system specification and installation is paramount.

All the more reason, therefore, to ensure that we strive to achieve third party certification as an industry-wide accepted practice, for both the products and systems used and in relation to the specialist contractor who installs them. Third party certification should be seen as an industry norm and not an ‘off the shelf’ option.

Existing buildings
But what of the vast majority of building stock (some 95%) that already exists? Once again, the passive fire protection sector has a particular set of issues to face.

To what degree are the passive fire protection measures in such building stock compromised? For example, compartmentation that has been breached through the addition of new penetrations and not adequately sealed to ensure that the integrity of the compartment wall is maintained, or damaged fire doors left to deteriorate, or with inappropriate repair measures?

Nowhere is there a more compelling case for high standards in Fire Risk Assessment and yet, in my experience, passive fire protection remains the least understood fire protection measure by those undertaking such assessments.

So, where does the industry go from here?

First and foremost it must not delude itself with unrealistic targets and expectations! It has a once in a lifetime opportunity to educate the ‘built environment’ and in so doing raise the bar from the current and quite frankly, in some quarters, completely apathetic disregard for appropriate fire protection measures.

Secondly, there is a clear need for the industry (and those associated with it from within the built environment), the fire service and the Local Government Association to work in a more united way, to ensure that they are all ‘singing from the same hymn sheet’.

Thirdly, it must ensure that those engaged in the development of ‘modern methods of construction’ are adequately equipped to develop appropriate products and systems that meet with the Government’s drive to reduce the carbon footprint, but in a fire safe manner.

Fourthly, the industry needs to engage with Government at all times to ensure that the guidance it produces is recognised and supported by it.

Fifthly, it must educate and in some sectors quite determinedly so, those that should be aware of the appropriate fire protection process.

And finally, the industry needs to make sure that all it does is available to all those that may benefit from it. By pooling such information and data, through a knowledge management process, all will benefit.

In conclusion, fire protection is a holistic process in which everyone has a part to play. Each part is a vital link the chain toward ensuring life safety, minimising fire damage cost and avoiding the social upheaval that goes with it.

Where do you go from here? Start by visiting: www.asfp.org.uk

Wilf Butcher is chief executive of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection