The fire safety sector can only develop better outcomes if it unites to tackle issues such as modern building methods, sustainability and compliance with standards, says Brian Robinson in this article based on his address at the Association of Specialist Fire Protection president's lunch last month.

ASFP president, Brian Robinson, speaking at the event in Westminster

This government has, however, made it very clear that it wishes to see the fire sector – including our industry – take the initiative and will stop delivering functions that the fire sector is better able to deliver. Instead, it wishes to support the fire industry to take the lead in many areas, and in so doing set the industry standards for appropriate guidance. We have picked up the gauntlet to address this challenge by the formation of the Fire Sector Partnership.

The Fire Sector Partnership
The partnership, which has in excess of 50 organisations as members, is a forum where representatives of organisations working with, or within the built environment, the natural environment, the fire and rescue and national resilience environments in the UK can debate issues of common interest.

In so doing the partnership seeks to have a voice that will be influential in the future of policy, strategy and standards relating to our sector, and to help to drive efficiency, common policy and common standards.

The wider fire sector has a large number of different organisations working within it, but despite there being an overall common purpose within the sector; it is sometimes difficult for these different organisations to work effectively together. The partnership is evolving to help improve communications and co-operation.

We can use the example of the built environment for two reasons. First because it is where citizens spend the vast majority of their time at work, rest or play, and second, it is the environment in which most of our industry will labour, although the principles can equally be attributed to the natural environment or to issues of terrorism and resilience.

Our industry is well aware that building protection is not the province of one group of people; it is a continuous process which encompasses many. Architects, designers, building contractors, the passive sector, the active sector, owners, occupiers, and – when problems occur, emergency response and business recovery – is the continuum.

If we wish to give greater protection from harm to the citizen then it is important that fire safety is approached as a collective issue certainly based on the horizontal integration of the players. Unfortunately some see that their silo is to be defended at all costs and there are few countervailing pressures to address the fragmented pattern of services. If that continues to be the case then decision-making will continue to be made in isolation from decisions by other services. Money and decisions flow down through the silo rather than as part of a broader process.

But increasing the quality of fire safety requires a much greater focus on integrating the players and having a collective approach to risk reduction and risk mitigation. The problem with the dominant focus on any one element is that it crowds out attention and resource for wider, more integrated preventative approaches. 

Allowing the sector to be more self-determined is high on the government’s agenda and there are significant implications for us and others in this process, not least of which is to get out of old habits of reliance on the government decision-making machine and to develop our own way ahead. It will take time and thought to get used to the idea of developing our own policies and standards and this can only be done by all parts of the sector working together and in harmony – a bold new world! So what is the ASFP doing towards this aim?

2011 has proved to be a turning point in the direction of the ASFP and it is now taking a much more proactive stance in developing awareness of the essential need for appropriate passive fire protection measures. At the recent all-party parliamentary Fire and Rescue Group seminar back in the spring, the ASFP’s CEO, Wilf Butcher, said:

“To succeed we must educate. The difficulties that we as an industry 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 find a way to engage those that need to be educated in such a way they will want to participate. Please be under no illusion this is a very big task!”

We know 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, handover to the responsible person and onward management thereafter. So to get our message across we have to set our sights at all of these groups; a challenge yes, but one that must be addressed.

The question is – are we succeeding? Let us consider the question of modern methods of construction. All within our industry recognise that building technology is changing more rapidly now than at any other time, probably in the last 100 years, primarily motivated by the essential need to drive carbon levels down, increase thermal efficiency and develop sustainability. But with such innovation come consequences, not least of which the heightened risk of fire and fire spread by the increased level of certain thermally-efficient combustible products often used in modern buildings.

Sustainability task group
Earlier this year, ASFP formed a sustainability task group made up of key industry players from within the manufacturing and contracting communities, consulting engineers and assessment bodies. This task group was formed because of the growing recognition that within the ‘sustainability’ debate, compliance with the Building Regulations only forms part of the issue in relation to fire.

Building Regulations are based somewhat on the premise of traditional structures (brick and block with wooden floors). Whilst the regulations address the issue of life safety they have no bearing on the actual destruction of the building, the accompanying impact from the carbon release generated, the devastation to the surrounding environment and the social impact caused to those living or working in the building in question, or those surrounding it.

We are not calling for a review of the Regulations as it is accepted by many that they are fit for purpose. But buildings are now engineered to such a high degree that perhaps a more pertinent question is: Should we develop a different way of assessing the fire worthiness of a building rather than the traditional approach of assessing separate components?

The impact that modern methods of construction will have on government, industry, business, the homeowner and fire and rescue authorities over the coming decade will be substantial. The performance of a building in its normal state and – for both us and the fire service in its hostile state – is changing fast. For us it raises the critical level of importance of, amongst other things, fire stopping, and for the fire service it raises the question of whether the relationship between the technical interface of the building and their operational guidance is adequate or keeping pace with the speed of change. It follows, therefore, that the issue of appropriate fire protection measures, integrated within innovative design, must be recognised as a fundamental hub in any future carbon reduction mandate.

Over the coming months, ASFP will be working with those directly involved in the development of such innovative technology, to develop solutions in passive fire protection that will ensure adequate fire safety and building longevity without stifling essential innovation.

Education and training
The issue of compliance is another matter that sits high on the ASFP agenda. If you ask anyone in the design, build or maintenance process: Would you intentionally take action to ensure that the lives of the occupants of the building you are responsible for are put at risk of fire or smoke spread? I suggest the answer world be a resounding: No! So why then is compliance such an issue?

Earlier this year the ASFP met with the fire minister to discuss this matter together with the importance of third party certification, and a number of other issues. The minister recognises the role that the ASFP, along with many of our fellow industry colleagues, play in trying to educate the diversity of audience that need to recognise appropriate accountability for their actions. A perfect example of this would be the complete disregard for adherence to Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations.

Talking is good but if you want to get anything done in this world, you do it yourself!

In November 2011 the ASFP formed a training task group to look at the whole issue of supply chain education, through which the ASFP will work with other associations to develop an improved awareness of the importance of fire by those who may, by their day-to-day actions, impair the fire resistance within the fabric of a building.

Looking forward to the beginning of 2012 Niall Rowan, ASFP technical officer, will have completed what is in all probability the most significant document to be produced by the ASFP in the last decade. The ASFP Guide to Inspecting Passive Fire Protection for Fire Risk Assessors is an essential document designed to take a pragmatic approach to the degree of inspection necessary to reassure the responsible person that appropriate measures have been taken when inspecting a diversity of building types.

As I outlined a year ago, ASFP is no longer just a UK-based association, following the creation of ASFP Ireland in September last year. This September in Dublin, ASFP Ireland held its first seminar workshop on Fire Compartmentation - the Who, Why and How of Compliance, which was chaired by Terence Flanagan TD, who represents Dublin North East for Fine Gael.

To follow up this event David O’Reilly, who chairs ASFP Ireland, is now working closely with the Irish Health Board  (HSE) to develop a programme of passive fire protection training through the UK third party certification process, which in turn should form the benchmark for other third party certification initiatives in Ireland.

So I hope you will agree it’s been a busy year for ASFP!

Brian Robinson is president of the Association of Specialist Fire Protection