IFE facilitates high-level talks on Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations

Participants from the IFE were joined at the organisation’s Stratford-upon-Avon headquarters by representatives of the Fire Industry Association, the Fire Sector Federation, the Fire Protection Association, the National Fire Chiefs Council, Collaborative Reporting for Safer Structures (CROSS-UK) and the Building Safety Regulator at the Health and Safety Executive.

Recognising the significance of the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the pivotal role the sector can play going forward in terms of making people and buildings safer, those parties involved duly engaged in discussions on how the fire sector can support the Government and industry to respond to the recommendations and, indeed, the wider ramifications of the report itself.

The IFE and its partner organisations reviewed the recommendations put forward by Inquiry Panel chair Sir Martin Moore-Bick and clearly identified opportunities for collaboration. The aim is to ensure that, as an industry, the fire sector instils meaningful change for communities and supports the work of all partners aimed at rebuilding confidence and driving essential reforms.

Attendees unanimously agreed that the need for a collaborative approach towards ensuring that effective fire safety and building regulatory improvements is going to be vital.

Key points for discussion

The discussions took place under three broad headings focused on competence, structure and research.

Competence

*Construction standards: The development of robust and consistent competency frameworks was emphasised, clearly defining the required knowledge and ethical standards for fire and construction professionals

*Competence and professionalism: Establishing clear standards of competence across the sector is crucial for maintaining accountability and consistency across built environments. There must be a focus on defining consequences for non-compliance, ensuring that individuals and organisations conform with the required professional standards

*Professional standards and accreditation: Enhanced promotion of existing registration processes for fire engineers is essential to ensure the maintenance and upholding of professional standards. Expansion in the number of accredited fire engineering programmes is needed at higher education institutions. This is going to be essential for the development of future expertise

Structure

*Building and safety-related regulatory framework: Industry participants expressed concern about the fragmentation of fire safety regulation among multiple Government ministries. It was acknowledged that integrating emergency response capabilities with fire safety strategies is critical for efficiently managing risks, particularly so in complex built environments

*Establishing a central co-ordinating entity: The need for a central co-ordinating unit was raised to act as a collaborative platform for all stakeholders. This would streamline efforts, align objectives and deliver results in a unified approach to address the complexities of standards and regulation

*Communications: There was a unanimous agreement on the need for cohesive communication among leading fire organisations in order to effectively present the sector’s collective efforts and actions transparently to both Government and the sector’s own communities. A unified commitment to responding to the recommendations from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry must be demonstrated

Research

*Innovation in fire safety: There’s a requirement to map out current research avenues and pinpoint those areas in need of innovation. Delegates reached a consensus on developing a common agenda that directs future research towards practical and high-impact areas of fire safety

All participants in the discussions are firmly committed to advancing regulation, enhancing professional competencies and achieving defined shared objectives across the fire sector.

Several collaborative projects were agreed upon. These will be considered at a future round table discussion in the coming months convened to review progress and continue a shared dialogue together.

Invitations will be extended to other key organisations.

*Further information is available online at www.ife.org.uk