Fire Safety Matters Podcast - Episode 11

The Fire Safety Matters (FSM) Podcast is hosted by the magazine’s Editor Brian Sims and Western Business Media’s CEO Mark Sennett, with new editions available fortnightly on Wednesdays. The FSM Podcast is kindly sponsored by The Fire Safety Event, which takes place at the NEC in Birmingham from 27-29 April 2021.

During Episode 11, Brian interviews Stephen Adams, CEO at BAFE, the independent registration body for third party certified fire protection companies across the UK that operates a national independent register of quality fire safety service providers.

BAFE develops specific schemes designed to support quality standards for fire protection companies to achieve and become third party certified. This process independently acknowledges those companies’ competency to provide specific fire protection services for end users.

Third party certification

For his part, Stephen is responsible for all aspects of the day-to-day management and marketing of the organisation, in addition to developing product markets in the fire safety industry.

He boasts a commercial background, together with Trade Association experience gained in the security industry thanks to his time spent as membership and marketing director of the British Security Industry Association. In days gone by, Adams has also served as general manager for Thorn Fire and Security and also as the divisional managing director at a specialist print company.

Importantly, Adams continually seeks to ensure wide appreciation of the value of third party certification for fire protection services and to develop the recognition for BAFE quality and independence with registered companies, certification bodies and key industry stakeholders alike.

Fire sector qualifications

On Episode 11 of the FSM Podcast, Adams focuses on the recent news – first published online by Fire Safety Matters – that BAFE has acquired the Fire Industry Association’s (FIA) Awarding Organisation and is now in the process of launching FireQual Ltd.

BAFE strongly believes this will be “a significant opportunity” for the fire industry to develop an “exciting range” of accredited qualifications designed to meet the demand for quality assurance of individual skill and expertise required by the industry.

FireQual Ltd will operate as a separate wholly-owned subsidiary of BAFE with its own Board of Directors and will only offer examinations and qualifications. Neither BAFE nor FireQual Ltd will be delivering any form of training. FireQual Ltd will be working with licensed training organisations (including the FIA) who will offer the approved syllabuses to their learners.

Having been a guest on Episode 3 of the Fire Safety Matters Podcast, Adams returns to explain precisely why BAFE has made this move, outlining how the deal evolved and what happens now in terms of the establishment of FireQual Ltd and the key practitioners involved.

Adams pinpoints the governance structure for FireQual Ltd as well as the organisation’s main aims and assesses in detail how it will actively enhance qualifications for practising fire sector professionals. On that note, plans are in place for consulting the industry on the best way forward for fire education and Adams duly describes what that consultation process looks like.

Suppression in view

Warren Spencer (managing director at Blackhurst Budd Solicitors) returns to the Fire Safety Matters Podcast after a well-earned holiday and, this time around, addresses a question from one of our readers focused on the duty of a company marketing holiday lets in relation to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Our third guest on this edition of the FSM Podcast is Andy Spence. Andy is the sales director and general manager at Britannia Fire, the Norfolk-based independent producer of fire extinguishers that has now been in business since the 1970s and, in fact, celebrates its 50^th Anniversary in 2020.

Ongoing product development is very much key for the business and, with this in mind, Andy informs Mark all about the latest thinking in the world of fire suppression. In particular, he addresses with great passion the subject of innovation and how, on occasion, he feels that it can be stifled by standards.

Andy also shares some detail about forthcoming products to be issued by the business which operates in many key verticals, along them transport, healthcare and higher education.

As always, the FSM editorial team once again analyses the latest major news emerging from the fire sector here in the UK.

Listen to the FSM Podcast

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*If there are any specific subjects you would like to see featured in an upcoming Fire Safety Matters Podcast please do contact us. You can do so on Twitter by using the hashtag #FSMPodcast. Alternatively, send an e-mail direct to bsims@westernbusiness.media