Change of ownership announced at Fire Protection Association

With effect from 14 July, the members’ interests – including the guarantor interests – in the FPA have now transferred to Certek Group Holdings Ltd as part of a strategic transaction. As a direct result, the FPA has now become part of the wider Certek Group of companies.

Headquartered in London, Certek is an independent company that delivers a range of mission-critical compliance services to an international client base.

The FPA will continue to operate under its established name and brand, while the organisation’s registered and trading address, phone number, web address and e-mail address all remain unchanged. Head office is located at Pembroke House, Banbury Business Park, Aynho Road, Banbury OX17 3NS.

The FPA’s Fire Testing Laboratory continues to be located at the Northcot Business Park, Station Road, Blockley, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 9LH.

Having been established back in 1946, the FPA has been at the heart of UK fire safety for almost 80 years, setting the highest industry standards, influencing policy and supporting a community of over 4,000 members. The organisation trains circa 7,500 individuals and completes some 650 risk assessments every year.

Through the RISCAuthority scheme and its wider research programme, the FPA also delivers market-leading research that shapes fire safety practice, guidance and policy across the built environment.

Transformational moment

Dr Gavin Dunn, CEO of the FPA, commented: “This is a transformational moment for the FPA. Our partnership with Certek secures the organisation’s future, while preserving everything that makes the FPA unique. It provides the investment and scale to accelerate innovation, expand our services and strengthen our role as the UK’s leading fire safety organisation. Most importantly, it enables us to continue delivering independent expertise, research and professional development that supports a safer built environment for generations to come.”

David Harrison, CEO of Certek, stated: “We are delighted to welcome the FPA into the Certek family. The FPA is the trusted voice of fire safety in the UK. Its reputation for independence, technical excellence and market-leading research is second to none.”

Harrison continued: “The FPA is an excellent strategic fit for our Built Environment division and augments our fire services capability with a superb testing facility and a highly experienced team joining Certek. For fire Testing, Inspection, Certification and Compliance services, Certek is now the market leader in the UK, offering the broadest range of capability across research, testing, assessment, certification, training, inspection and engineering.”

Further, Harrison observed: “Our partnership with the FPA will deliver investment into new research and educational projects and also enhanced testing and certification services in order to better serve client and assessor requirements, all while safeguarding the FPA’s vital research into fire safety and the independence, rigour and commitment to the highest standards that have defined the organisation throughout its history.”

Dr Gavin Dunn concluded: “We have secured our future and protected everything that makes this organisation special by maintaining the independence, integrity and public benefit role that has always defined the FPA. With the ability to create opportunities that simply were not available to us before, I genuinely believe this move marks the beginning of a very exciting new chapter for the FPA.”

Strong heritage

Established by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) to be the core voice of fire safety for the Fire Offices’ Committee, the FPA’s heritage resides in sharing fire safety messages and information to Government, businesses, its membership and the wider public.

Over the years, the FPA has remained the centre point of fire safety expertise and guidance for the ABI.

All of the FPA’s training and consultancy services are approved by the Lloyds Register and certified to BS EN ISO 9001:2015, while the organisation has attained the prestigious Investors in People Award.

*Further information is available online at www.thefpa.co.uk