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
YOU KNOW the question, writes Onetrace. The one that can ruin a good day: a Tier 1 or a building owner wants proof that a specific compartment line, damper or penetration seal was signed-off, dated and installed to spec. Under the Building Safety Act 2022’s ‘golden thread of information’ expectations, that question isn’t going away, while: “The work was right” isn’t the same as: “The record proves it.”
TWO VERY different fires that occurred earlier this year have left the same question hanging in the air, suggests Tom Roche. ‘When something goes wrong in the buildings where we’re on holiday, why does it always take a tragedy before anyone asks whether the regulations were followed?’
THE BUSINESS Sprinkler Alliance continues to press the case for a fundamental rethink of how fire safety regulations treat housing for vulnerable individuals. At the heart of the issue, observes Iain Cox, resides a simple, but consequential question: ‘What counts as a ‘Care Home’?’
FROM 30 September, writes Martin Green, every new residential block of flats in England with a top occupied storey of 18 metres or above must be built with a second staircase. The change follows years of scrutiny post-Grenfell and addresses a straightforward problem: a single staircase means residents and firefighters share the same route in an emergency and, if that route is compromised, there’s no alternative.
BULGARIA IS building at a pace that the fire detection sector needs to keep pace with, writes Petia Simeonova. Eurozone entry in January this year has removed currency risk for international investors and European Union (EU) structural funds are accelerating construction across public infrastructure, logistics and commercial real estate.
