Fire risk assessment competency criteria published16 June 2011The long awaited competency criteria for fire risk assessors have been published as a draft document for public comment. Competency Criteria for Fire Risk Assessors has been put together by the cross-industry Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council. It sets out criteria that could be used by professional bodies and third party certification bodies to register or certificate fire risk assessors and organisations providing fire risk assessment services. The document sets out broad criteria for fire risk assessors of both “simple buildings” – where the fire risk assessor might, for example, be an employee of the occupier – and “complex buildings”, which will require higher levels of knowledge understanding and preferably experience on the part of the fire risk assessor. For complex buildings, fire risk assessors will need to have the “specific applied knowledge and skills of an appropriately qualified specialist”. Such criteria – which are detailed in nine separate appendices to the document – include appropriate knowledge of:
Knowledge can be obtained by academic study, training, working alongside others, short courses, continuing professional development or any combination of two or more of these. The deadline for comments on the draft document is 7 September 2011 [download a comment form here]. The foreword to the document states: “In the light of experience, including the emergence of inadequate fire risk assessments for premises that suffered multiple fatality fires, there has been growing concern regarding the competence of those who provide fire risk assessment services to duty holders on a commercial basis. “As a result of these concerns, the Fire Risk Assessment Competency Council emerged from the fire sector with the encouragement of Government. The raison d’être of the council, which comprises a broad group of relevant stakeholders, is to establish criteria against which the competence of a fire risk assessor can be judged.” “The Competency Council for Fire Risk Assessors is an open group that has emerged from the fire sector to address the issue of competency criteria for fire risk assessors,” said Iain Cox, chief fire officer of Berkshire and the council’s chairman. “It was widely felt that the requirement to use competent persons for fire safety works should extend to those who make the risk assessments upon which such works are based.” The publication of the competency criteria follows the launch last month of BAFE SP205, the new scheme for the third party certification of companies offering fire risk assessment services. The closing date for public comments for that document is 1 July. Download Competency Criteria for Fire Risk Assessors and the official comment form    |
