Leading supplier AEI Cables has further invested in service excellence for existing and new customers by moving into new UK headquarters. The company has moved into the new modern facilities including a distribution warehouse in Washington, Tyne & Wear, to ensure all service needs are met for its customers. Stuart
Despite their crucial fire safety role, huge numbers of fire and smoke dampers remain untested in thousands of buildings across the UK, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). The Association fears that less than 1% of buildings have been fully tested in line with legislation, despite growing awareness
As part of the Element Materials Technology Group (Element), Warringtonfire has accelerated the roll out of its digital remote witnessing offering to improve customer experience. This remote witnessing service comes as part of Element’s large-scale digital transformation, offering customers the opportunity to monitor both sample preparation and installation, as well as
The NHBC has announced a U-turn on its decision to insist all fire frames must be installed and sealed at the pre-plaster inspection stage. The amended guidance was published in a new technical update and comes after The British Woodworking Federation, representing the concerns of its members and their clients, responded to a
The Government introduced the Fire Safety Bill in March 2020 as a first step to deliver the Government’s commitment to implement the Grenfell Tower Phase One Report recommendations. The Fire Safety Bill clarifies under that the Fire Safety Order, owners and/or managers of multi-occupied residential buildings (the “responsible person”) must
2-loop fire control panel connects up to 252 devices EN 54-23 compliant alarm devices and dedicated peripherals Time-saving tools such as auto configuration and on-board web server License free programming With the launch of the new version of the fire protection system, Cerberus FIT, Siemens Smart Infrastructure expands its offering
In a packed week for building fire safety, the House of Lords considers amendments to the Bill and top mandarins face scrutiny over last year’s Communities department annual report. The Fire Safety Bill returns to the House of Lords on Tuesday this week, as peers consider Commons’ amendments. This is
A major fire safety industry body has endorsed the message from specialist AEI Cables about the importance of using only approved cabling in signal and control equipment following the announcement of a revised version of the Code of Practice. AEI Cables has been highlighting the importance of the systems powered
In a letter to industry last week, the Fire Protection Association announced a new change within the LPC Rules for Automatic Sprinkler Installations 2015 incorporating BS EN 12845, clause 12.4.2. due to be issued very soon. A recent trend from within the industry has highlighted a practice that leads to inconsistencies
The confidential reporting system for the building industry now includes fire safety and has relaunched as CROSS, Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK. CROSS-UK welcomes reports about fire safety and structural safety issues related to buildings and other structures in the built environment. Reports include information that will help others
Leading supplier AEI Cables has further invested in service excellence for existing and new customers by moving into new UK headquarters. The company has moved into the new modern facilities including a distribution warehouse in Washington, Tyne & Wear, to ensure all service needs are met for its customers. Stuart Dover, general manager for AEI Cables, said: “The investment means we can move products quickly across our networks in the UK for our customers wherever they are. “With the increasing demand for specialist products, we can provide stock and the technical support and expertise they require from one location.” All AEI Cables’ products are supplied with approvals from independent bodies including BASEC and LPCB. It also holds approvals from organisations including Lloyds, the MoD, Network Rail and LUL and works to international standards around the world. Using the very latest in technology and science, the Firetec Total Fire Solutions range offers Mineral Insulated Cabling (MIC), Firetec Enhanced fire performance cabling, accessories and technical support from the AEI Cables distribution facility. AEI Cables’ Firetec Enhanced cabling has been approved and certified by LPCB to BS8519 (Annex B), Category 3 Control in addition to Category 2 Control.The BS Code of Practice under BS8519 contains six categories of cables, three for power cables and three for control cables each covering survival times of 30, 60 or 120 minutes.
Despite their crucial fire safety role, huge numbers of fire and smoke dampers remain untested in thousands of buildings across the UK, according to the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA). The Association fears that less than 1% of buildings have been fully tested in line with legislation, despite growing awareness of the importance of carrying out comprehensive fire safety risk assessments in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. Many building owners are unaware that they have a legal responsibility to ensure the fire and smoke dampers in their buildings are tested at least once a year – and sometimes more regularly depending on indoor conditions. Even where testing is being carried out, it is often impossible to access at least 25% of the dampers in a building and, in the worst cases, as many as 90% cannot be reached or even located. Failing to check that these devices are in good working order and, therefore, able to reduce the risk of fire and smoke spreading through a building, can lead to hefty fines and possible prison sentences under current fire regulations. “Many building owners don’t even know they have dampers; even less that they are a critical element of their building’s fire safety system,” said BESA’s technical consultant Peter Rogers. “However, since Grenfell there has been much greater focus on all aspects of fire safety. “This has obvious implications for damper testing regimes, best practice and the competence of the firms employed to locate, test, and maintain these safety critical devices,” Rogers told a BESA webinar this week. Guidance He explained that the Association had updated its technical guidance for Fire and Smoke Damper Maintenance (VH001) and that this can now be downloaded from its website as part of BESA’s contribution to improving the overall safety of buildings. The webinar heard that there are an estimated 30 million fire and smoke dampers already installed in UK buildings and, if each one was checked and repaired when necessary as required by law, the damper testing market would be worth at least £500 million annually. Despite the clear legal obligations, the BESA webinar heard that many buildings including hospitals (which typically contain thousands of dampers) had arbitrarily decided to reduce testing to once every five years to save money. “That’s like deciding to only put your seatbelt on once in every five car journeys,” said George Friend, chair of BESA’s Ventilation Hygiene group. “How do you know on which journey you are going to crash?” Part of the testing regime involves flagging up which dampers cannot be found or accessed and providing suggestions for remedial works – including installing access panels and/or builders’ hatches – to ensure all dampers can be checked and repaired if necessary. “It is also crucial that we move away from the tick list culture that still dominates testing regimes,” said Richard Norman, managing director of Indepth Services. “To be compliant with legislation, testing should involve comprehensive photographic records showing the condition of the damper before, during, and after testing. “The availability of VH001 has improved the situation and if all building owners or managers only used contractors who complied with this guidance, it would eradicate a big part of the problem,” added Norman. VH001 outlines all aspects of a compliant test regime in line with industry best practice and standards. It builds on the industry’s installation and commissioning code of practice DW/145, the sheet metal ductwork specification DW/144, and the ventilation hygiene standard TR/19. The BESA testing guidance was produced in response to urgent calls for a methodology to help the building services industry comply with the British Standard (BS9999) for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings along with the healthcare sector’s technical documents HTM 03-01 for heating and ventilation and HTM 05-02 for fire safety in healthcare premises. Competence BESA’s guidance explains how dampers should be located – in line with the responsibilities of the system designer and as part of a building’s fire strategy – and accessed for testing along with the levels of competence required to carry out this work. It states that an inventory of all dampers should be created and that every manually resettable damper is individually released to ensure the spring-loaded shutter remains operational. The BESA document also sets out a comprehensive plan for providing reports to clients and any findings that need action including damaged and missing dampers. It also highlights key elements needed to put a planned maintenance regime in place linked to the Association’s digital planned maintenance tool SFG20. “It is no longer acceptable – or compliant – to put in your report that a damper could not be tested,” said Friend. “There are a lot of people out there carrying out visual inspections that add no value for clients and certainly don’t make people safer.” Some firms have also been carrying out full building surveys to establish the number of dampers installed without actually carrying out any testing, the webinar heard. “Not only does this do nothing to improve fire safety, it is a criminal waste of a client’s time and money. If you are carrying out a survey, why not test at the same time?” said Norman, adding that one positive outcome from the Covid crisis was that many clients had been saving themselves time and money by getting indoor air quality and damper testing done at the same time.www.theBESA.com/knowledge
As part of the Element Materials Technology Group (Element), Warringtonfire has accelerated the roll out of its digital remote witnessing offering to improve customer experience. This remote witnessing service comes as part of Element’s large-scale digital transformation, offering customers the opportunity to monitor both sample preparation and installation, as well as the live test and subsequent data, and to share live feedback with the technical officer in situ. While strict measures remain in place at all of Warringtonfire’s laboratories to ensure the safety of colleagues and customers and in compliance with national and local requirements, this provides safe virtual access to both the site and the experts. Remote witnessing offers a number of additional benefits, including enabling those project team members who have never previously seen a fire test to witness one; allowing sales team members who are responsible for selling the products or systems to view the test; and helping members of technical teams to view the tests and continually build their competence. As with standard testing protocol, all remotely witnessed testing is performed in accordance with the relevant certification and security conformance standards. The delivery of the service is supported by rigorous operating procedures and usage guides, designed to give the customer the same high quality, efficient experience as they would in person. Rob Veitch, EVP of Fire and Building Products at Element, said: “Through the use of easily accessible digital platforms, customers can watch live testing of their materials and products remotely, keep their testing programs on track, avoid unnecessary travel and hotel costs, and focus on more productive, value-creating activities for their own organizations. “All of our laboratories remain open, so we are able to support our customers as they continue to face challenges that have arisen out of the COVID-19 crisis. We have been successfully delivering remote witnessing services to many of our customers for several years, but 2020 and 2021 have presented us with an opportunity to optimize our capabilities to better serve them through the restrictions that the pandemic caused, and we’re pleased that we can continue to offer our high-quality services while keeping people safe.” The Element Group is made up of a network of experts from around the world and its businesses work in collaboration to share expertise, best practice and capacity. With fire resistance testing, reaction to fire testing, cold smoke leakage testing, acoustic testing, security, performance and weathering testing, and third party certification and fire engineering capabilities spread across laboratories in the UK, mainland Europe and Australia, Warringtonfire offers a truly full-service solution to the construction industry.
The NHBC has announced a U-turn on its decision to insist all fire frames must be installed and sealed at the pre-plaster inspection stage. The amended guidance was published in a new technical update and comes after The British Woodworking Federation, representing the concerns of its members and their clients, responded to a directive issued by the NHBC in November, and which came into effect in January, which was a requirement to install and seal all fire door frames at the pre-plaster inspection stage. We considered this a backward step for the industry. Within this, NHBC introduced the rule that all fire frames should be installed, have the fire stopping materials put in place between the frame and the wall, and be sealed at the pre-plaster inspection stage to demonstrate the product had been affixed to the partition correctly. Up until then, NHBC inspectors had visited properties at the pre-plaster stage. The next time they inspected was when the house was almost complete, with all doors fully installed and painted. This meant that the second inspection was too late to verify the correct installation of fire frames, but the first was too early. Unfortunately, the NHBC was not willing to add an additional visit to inspect the doors after the plaster but before the architraves were fitted. The change caused house builders and door set suppliers to raise concerns as it was impossible to supply door sets, which offer greater control over the production of the assembly and potentially the performance of the completed fire door assembly. This was despite fire safety being in the spotlight more than ever and door sets widely being seen as the way forward to ensure compliance and improve safety. Door leaf manufacturers insist that doors are not on-site during wet trades and high levels of moisture. Having door leaves on site at the pre-plaster stage, was required by this new rule, but this could have influenced any product warranty and, potentially, their effectiveness at withstanding fire. The updated advice now offers three options for installers and contractors, which help maintain both the high levels of safety offered by door sets and testing for integrity: Option 1: Fire door frames installed at pre-plaster stage: This was the original requirement from the update in October 2020 and is still a valid option. Option 2: Fire door linings installed at pre-plaster stage Fire door linings could be plywood or part of the fire door set provided by the manufacturer or supplier. The lining would be installed at pre-plaster to allow the fitting of the frame at a later stage of the build process. The fire door frame should fit tightly within the plywood lining.* Option 3: Fire door frames installed after pre-plaster Fire door frames can be installed post-plaster and architraves not fitted until satisfactory inspection by NHBC has been completed. Once installed, the site manager would notify their Building Inspector that the door set is ready for inspection. The Building Inspector would then inspect the door frame installation on their next visit to site, thus negating the need for a separate inspection. The NHBC is also conducting a trial to assess the viability of accepting UKAS-accredited installers (third-party certificated) as an additional option. This would be in line with the BWF Fire Door Alliance Mission statement, which is; To ensure that only third-party certified fire doors, installed by third-party certified installers, should be used in the UK. Kevin Underwood, Technical Director for the BWF, who worked closely with British Woodworking Federation Fire Door Manufacturer members and some of their clients, said: “We are very grateful that the NHBC has taken our concerns and comments on board and have looked again at its guidance.” “The three options now give much more flexibility and allow for fire secure door sets to be fitted and inspected at the appropriate time, rather than making it all-but impossible to use them.” “It demonstrates that consultation with industry on these types of decisions, intended to further improve quality and safety, is essential.” *Installers must ensure that the certification for the door/door set allows this type of installation. If you are unsure please check with the door manufacturer/supplier.
The Government introduced the Fire Safety Bill in March 2020 as a first step to deliver the Government’s commitment to implement the Grenfell Tower Phase One Report recommendations. The Fire Safety Bill clarifies under that the Fire Safety Order, owners and/or managers of multi-occupied residential buildings (the “responsible person”) must manage and reduce the risk of fire for the external walls of the building and the entrance doors to individual flats. The House of Commons considered the following amendments on Wednesday, 24 February: Risk-based guidance about the discharge of duties under the Fire Safety Order (two amendments tabled by the Government) Duties of an owner and manager (tabled by Labour) Public register of fire risk assessments (tabled by the Liberal Democrats) Prohibiting the costs of remediation being passed on to leaseholders (tabled by the Liberal Democrats) Risk-based guidance about the discharge of duties under the fire safety order This amendment has been made by Government and it delivers advice from fire safety operational experts to bring the Fire Safety Bill into force on a single date for all buildings. This amendment also ensures that risk-based guidance, which will be issued by the Secretary of State, supports an all at once commencement of the Bill. By taking this approach, the Bill will commence as early as possible after Royal Assent, which means building owners or managers for the highest-risk buildings should take urgent action to update their fire risk assessments. Proof of compliance or a lack of compliance with the risk-based guidance can be used in legal proceedings. Duties of owner and manager This amendment seeks to include, in primary legislation, four new duties on building owners and/or managers. The fire at Grenfell Tower was a tragedy and we are working to ensure that it does not happen again. The Government is, and always has been, committed to delivering the recommendations made in the first phase of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry report. This was a manifesto commitment. However, this amendment is unnecessary as the Government is already putting in place the building blocks to enshrine the Inquiry’s recommendations in law. Between July-October 2020, the Government undertook a three-month consultation exercise where views were sought on how to deliver the Inquiry’s recommendations and to strengthen the Fire Safety Order. Over 200 responses were received to the consultation. The Government is concerned that this amendment ignores over 200 responses received to our Fire Safety Consultation. Our approach has been supported by the National Fire Chiefs’ Council, among others, and it is crucial that we consult with experts to make sure the right changes are made and can be delivered. It is inaccurate and misleading to suggest that: The Government is going back on its commitment to deliver the Inquiry’s recommendations This amendment alone ensures that the Government acts on its commitment to deliver the Inquiry’s recommendations This amendment accelerates the timetable to deliver the Inquiry’s recommendations Public register of fire and risk assessments This amendment will mean that members of the general public will be able to access fire risk assessments for all buildings that the Fire Safety Order applies to. This includes residential buildings, schools, hospitals and prisons. The Government is concerned with the security issue this poses, particularly if this information is accessed by anyone with malicious intent, such as criminals and terrorists. The Government’s position is that information contained in a fire risk assessment should only be accessed by the residents who occupy that building or by others with a legitimate reason to view it, such as fire and rescue services. That is why our Fire Safety Consultation included proposals for building owners and/or managers (the “responsible person”) to provide vital fire safety information to residents, including the fire risk assessments on request. Prohibiting the costs of remediation being passed on to leaseholders The Government supports the intention to protect leaseholders from remediation costs but disagree that the Fire Safety Bill is the right vehicle to address this issue. On 10th February, the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government announced a five-point plan to help protect hundreds of thousands of leaseholders from the cost of replacing unsafe cladding on their homes. With an unprecedented £5 billion investment in building safety, (including £3.5 billion announced today (10 February),) the Housing Secretary has already confirmed to the House of Commons that the Government will fully fund the cost of replacing unsafe cladding for all leaseholders in residential buildings 18 metres (six storeys) and over in England. This will ensure funding is targeted at the highest risk buildings in line with longstanding independent expert advice and evidence, with Home Office analysis of fire and rescue service statistics showing buildings between 18 and 30 metres are four times as likely to suffer a fire with fatalities or serious casualties than apartment buildings in general. Lower-rise buildings, with a lower risk to safety, will gain new protection from the costs of cladding removal with a generous new scheme offered to buildings between 11 and 18 metres. This will pay for cladding removal – where it is needed – through a long-term, low interest, Government-backed financing arrangement. Under the scheme, no leaseholder will ever pay more than £50 a month towards the removal of unsafe cladding. This will provide reassurance and security to leaseholders, and mortgage providers can be confident that where cladding removal is needed, properties will be worth lending against. Further details on the Housing Secretary’s announcement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-to-bring-an-end-to-unsafe-cladding-with-multi-billion-pound-intervention
2-loop fire control panel connects up to 252 devices EN 54-23 compliant alarm devices and dedicated peripherals Time-saving tools such as auto configuration and on-board web server License free programming With the launch of the new version of the fire protection system, Cerberus FIT, Siemens Smart Infrastructure expands its offering for the small to medium-sized buildings market. Various small to medium-sized buildings can now be covered with a simple and cost-efficient solution. Cerberus FIT maximizes fire safety, thanks to greater functionality and enhanced productivity for those working on protecting the buildings. The intuitive interface as well as the auto configuration tool allow the technician to install, commission and maintain the system in a fast, easy and reliable way. With the delayed alarm function staff will be informed first to identify what an alarm is about in order to assess the situation. This ensures business continuity and reduces disturbances to occupants of smaller buildings such as small-to-medium sized hotels, kindergartens or nursing homes. Safety and business continuity in every situation The Cerberus line offers a broad portfolio of detection and alarming devices including pre-configured Cerberus FIT device to choose from: from fast and reliable fire detectors to configurable alarming devices (including EN 54 compliant sounder and voice sounder beacons) which enables smart evacuation. The newest portfolio member, the updated Cerberus FIT fire protection system now allows for second loop, supporting a maximum number of 252 addressable peripherals and devices, such as detectors as well as alarm devices. Compared to one loop panels with only 126 addressable peripherals, the second loop offers more possibilities to wire devices to the panel. All detectors and peripheral devices have an integrated line separator. In case of an interruption, the loop turns into two stub lines while making sure the system is running. This significantly increases the safety of building occupants and ensures business continuity. Because every device is also powered by the loop, less wiring is needed, enabling the customer to achieve cost-efficiency. Intuitive and easy operation The new version of the Cerberus FIT control panel comes with an intuitive interface, including LED indicators with self-explanatory icons and an easy-to-read display. This avoids extensive training and allows facility staff to perform simple operational tasks on their own, without the help of experts. Thanks to its auto configuration feature, the Cerberus FIT control panel detects and automatically reads-in all connected devices, providing immediate and simple operation. The integrated ‘Panel Configurator’ enables the configuration to be changed quickly and easily on a PC or laptop, without additional software. Cerberus FIT is an EN-compliant fire protection system. It is approved and certified by the independent certification body LPCB and can be used in accordance with the application standard DIN VDE V 0826-2. The new Cerberus FIT version will be available globally, maximizing the fire safety of smaller buildings as well as enhancing the productivity of everyone involved in their protection. For more information on Siemens Smart Infrastructure, see www.siemens.com/smart-infrastructure For further information on Cerberus Fit, please see www.siemens.com/cerberus-fit
In a packed week for building fire safety, the House of Lords considers amendments to the Bill and top mandarins face scrutiny over last year’s Communities department annual report. The Fire Safety Bill returns to the House of Lords on Tuesday this week, as peers consider Commons’ amendments. This is not the first time that the Bill has returned to the Lords, in a process known as ping pong, and the amendment about who pays for cladding remediation remains contentious. Lord Greenhalgh, who is Minister of State for Building Safety and Communities as well as holding the Fire brief in the Home Office, leads for the government. The controversial amendment is known as the McPartland-Smith amendment, named after the sponsoring MPs, Stephen McPartland MP and Royston Smith MP. It would prohibit the owner of a building from passing cladding remediation costs on to leaseholders and tenants. Currently, the Commons disagrees with this amendment: “Because the issue of remediation costs is too complex to be dealt with in the manner proposed.” Today, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Committee investigates the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government’s Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20. Chair of the Committee, Clive Betts MP will hear evidence from Permanent Secretary, Jeremy Pocklington, Alex Skinner, Director of Local Government Finance, Emran Mian, Director for Stronger Places and Matt Thurstan, Chief Financial Officer. The session will examine departmental spending in the last financial year. This will include focus on particular programmes including Help to Buy and cladding remediation, as well as overall departmental spend and local government financial health. One of the seven operational objectives set out in the MHCLG Departmental Plan includes: “Secure effective support for those affected by the Grenfell Tower disaster, delivering the changes this tragedy demands and ensuring people are safe and feel safe within their homes.” This oral evidence session will give MPs the chance to scrutinise the Grenfell-related work of the Ministry as well as cladding issues. MHCLG Annual Report and Accounts 2019-20 Fire Safety Bill Lords amendments and Commons reasons
A major fire safety industry body has endorsed the message from specialist AEI Cables about the importance of using only approved cabling in signal and control equipment following the announcement of a revised version of the Code of Practice. AEI Cables has been highlighting the importance of the systems powered by these cables – including smoke and heat extraction systems – in assisting fire services in the case of firefighting and a safe evacuation in the case of life safety. Now the professional fire safety membership body the Institution of Fire Prevention Officers (IFPO) is supporting the initiative. Martin Dunne of the IFPO said: “In terms of fire safety compliance, we support the message to the fire safety community to follow the detail of the new Code of Practice under BS8519. Anything which constructively helps to improve fire safety in our buildings is welcomed.” As the only supplier in the UK with independent approval from LPCB for BS8519 Category 3 Control fire performance cables with a fire survival time of up to 120 minutes, AEI Cables is warning of the dangers of using any other type of cable. Stuart Dover of AEI Cables, said: “AEI Cables would encourage installers to check with their suppliers that they are using only approved compliant cable for these installations. “We’re receiving a very positive response to our campaign to make the industry aware of the implications of the new Code of Practice. “We must emphasise that any inferior types of cable being used for these applications is dangerous and presents a risk. The standard clearly references and clarifies the products and levels of performance relevant for all parts of the supply chain from specifiers to contractors and installers.” The applications of Category 3 Control fire performance cables also applies to evacuation alarms for the disabled in care homes, emergency voice communications systems and voice alarm systems in relevant buildings including tall buildings, office spaces, hospitals, care homes, shopping malls and stadia. AEI Cables’ Firetec Enhanced cabling has been approved and certified by LPCB to BS8519 (Annex B), Category 3 Control in addition to Category 2 Control.The BS Code of Practice under BS8519 contains six categories of cables, three for power cables and three for control cables each covering survival times of 30, 60 or 120 minutes. All AEI Cables’ products are supplied with approvals from independent bodies including BASEC and LPCB. It also holds approvals from organisations including Lloyds, the MoD, Network Rail and LUL and works to international standards around the world.
In a letter to industry last week, the Fire Protection Association announced a new change within the LPC Rules for Automatic Sprinkler Installations 2015 incorporating BS EN 12845, clause 12.4.2. due to be issued very soon. A recent trend from within the industry has highlighted a practice that leads to inconsistencies in design and installation of sprinkler systems that exponentially compromises the effectiveness and speed of sprinkler head activation. Details of the changes are outlined in the letter to industry, issued by the Fire Protection Association’s Principal Consultant and RISCAuthority Active Sprinkler Rules Working Group convenor, Dale Kinnersley. The update is expected to be released at the end of June. All customers who have a copy of the Sprinkler Rules, either print or digital, will be provided with the updates. Read the full letter to industry here. To purchase a copy of the LPC Sprinkler rules, please visit their website.
The confidential reporting system for the building industry now includes fire safety and has relaunched as CROSS, Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures UK. CROSS-UK welcomes reports about fire safety and structural safety issues related to buildings and other structures in the built environment. Reports include information that will help others to learn from safety issues and typically look at concerns, near misses or incidents. Established originally in 1976 by the Institution of Structural Engineers, the Standing Committee on Structural Safety’s main function was to identify in advance, trends and developments that might contribute to an increased risk to structural safety. The move to this new organisation is a response to the findings of Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety published in May 2018. Neil Gibbins from the Institution of Fire Engineers has been involved with the evolution of CROSS to include fire safety. He said: “The fire safety sector has nothing similar to CROSS. The UK approach to fire safety over the last forty years has changed quite dramatically. It has gone from being almost totally owned and managed in a prescriptive manner by the fire brigades to a much more diverse, goal based, self-compliant and complex process.” He continued: “The expansion of CROSS is a key step that will support fire sector learning, providing a route for professionals to safely share lessons that need to be learned and to provide some oversight of the health of the fire safety system.” The provision of a confidential reporting system that includes fire safety is a major step forward and Neil Gibbins said that the IFE welcomed the chance to be involved. Commenting on the creation of expert panels to comment on the reports received by CROSS, Neil explained: “The formation of a CROSS-UK Fire Safety Expert Panel and regular planned events that bring them together with the CROSS-UK Structural Safety Expert Panel provides the opportunity to feed informed opinion into the building safety system.” CROSS is seeking new ways to collaborate and welcomes approaches from those who would like to be involved. More information is available from www.cross-safety.org
