Features are carefully selected from across the website and magazine, these articles are contributed by a wide range of authors from across the sectors covered by Fire & Security Matters, as well as the editorial team. Addressing the latest topics in terms of technological developments, legislation and industry issues
RETAIL REFURBISHMENT projects present a rather unique set of fire safety challenges that must be carefully managed throughout every stage of the works, writes Ramtech Electronics. From the earliest design decisions and material selection through to construction methods and site management, fire risk should remain a central consideration. This is particularly important in retail environments, where refurbishment work often takes place in complex buildings that may remain partially occupied or operational during construction.
WITH THE summer term drawing to a close, fire safety might not be front of mind in the school domain, observes Tom Roche, yet a run of recent incidents is a reminder that risk doesn’t take a holiday simply because the academic year is winding down.
WITH THE Grenfell Tower fire having occurred nearly a decade ago, the conversation around fire safety competency continues, writes Justin Maltby-Smith, but concerns around consistency and transparency in the sector remain. These concerns play a central role in the Government’s consultation on regulation of the sector due to the fact that the debate isn’t simply about frameworks, registers or professionalisation. It’s also about public safety.
TWO DECADES ago, writes Tom Roche, a piece of regulatory guidance quietly set a ceiling – quite literally – on what a warehouse could be without sprinklers. That 18-metre height limit in Approved Document B was, at the time, an outer boundary to signal a building that was going taller than perhaps the norm. Now, warehouses look very different. Has our thinking about protecting them from fire kept pace?
FIRE SAFETY in Scotland marked a defining moment on 6 April with the introduction of new regulations requiring sprinkler systems to be installed in historic building conversions used as hotels. For many commentators and practitioners, this represents a necessary step forward, writes Iain Cox.
