WHEN IT comes to investments, fire suppression is the one we hope to never use. All-too-often, it acts like a safety blanket, unseen yet always there: hidden investment policy we hope never to have to cash in. With systems we manage daily, such as heating, air conditioning and lighting, a fault is often noticeable and easy to identify but how do you quickly ascertain an issue with fire safety infrastructure? Adrian Kay investigates.

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THE INTERNET of Things, Artificial Intelligence, connected data, wireless systems and Government guidance are all going to play their part in how fire safety evolves during the remainder of this year and into 2023. Nick Rutter shares his predictions for the sector.

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VISHAL BEDI describes in detail how businesses operating in the fire sector can make efficient and effective use of cloud-based job management software for easy control and governance of their sales, operations and marketing initiatives as they scale upwards.

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ON TUESDAY 29 March at 10.30 am, Fire Safety Matters hosted another webinar in its ongoing CPD series. The focus on this occasion was ‘Flexible Evacuation Solutions to Meet BS 8629’. Brian Sims reviews what was said on the day by subject matter experts from webinar sponsor Advanced and Veritas Fire Support Services.

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THE SUBJECT of competency in relation to fire safety was brought to the fore in the wake of Grenfell Tower and Dame Judith Hackitt’s Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety. Here, Justin Maltby-Smith discusses the importance of confirming competency and individuals’ responsibilities within the ‘golden thread’ of fire safety.

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AS REGULATIONS continue to be enacted restricting the use of Class B firefighting foams containing fluorosurfactants termed per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), all foams containing PFAS will soon become defunct, with aqueous film-forming foams, film-forming fluoroprotein foams and fluoroprotein foams being phased out. Ian Ross describes the regulatory changes ahead, key considerations and the questions that should be asked when planning the transition to F3 foams.

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THE LATEST research involving UK heating engineers has identified a significant increase in the number of dangerous appliances across the nation being installed or poorly maintained due to the repercussions of COVID-19, with many individuals delaying crucial annual servicing. Steve Boggis and Craig Drinkald outline how every area of the industry can work together to ensure the highest standards of protection.

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ON TUESDAY 23 November last year, the Government published the results of a consultation proposing an extension to regulations for smoke and carbon monoxide alarms applicable to all rented properties within England. Andy Speake explains the requirements of the new legislation and outlines how to comply.

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IN ITS role as the UK’s national standards body, the British Standards Institution recently published a new Code of Practice for the fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing multi-storey and multi-occupied residential buildings. Mike Fox examines why the publication of PAS 9980:2022 could be the moment when the Government finally abandoned short-termism in its post-Grenfell approach to legislation and regulation and began to focus instead on long-term outcomes.

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FIRE DOORS are arguably the most important – and most effective – form of passive fire protection within a building. Ensuring that they’re in good working order and well maintained can make all the difference between a safe evacuation procedure and not evacuating at all, as Karen Byard explains.

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SINCE THE beginning of the year, there has been a raft of new announcements from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities on the subject of building safety and, of course, the cladding crisis. Niall Rowan discusses their implications for the construction industry.

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HERE IN the UK, electric buses are driving the charge towards sustainable public transport. However, the use of such vehicles realises a new danger that must be planned for and mitigated. James Mountain focuses on the fire risk posed by Lithium-ion batteries.

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WHEN IT comes to fire safety plans for buildings, where’s the right place to start? Is it a new build construction or a retrofit of an existing one? Whatever the scenario, each safety element has its place and a part to play. Here, Craig Stead focuses on emergency lighting and its importance in relation to overall safety and evacuation planning.

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EVERY FALSE fire alarm is costly, but in a COVID-aware world, there’s now even more pressure on management teams operating in the leisure, retail and hospitality industries to prevent such alarms occurring at their premises. Liam Hunt elaborates on the detail.

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COOKING EQUIPMENT, careless smoking and electrical malfunctions are three of the leading causes of fires in hotels. Aside from the serious threat to life and property posed by genuine fires, Neil Parkin observes why any failure to provide and maintain high-quality fire protection measures can realise other equally dire consequences.

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NEW SOFTWARE solutions will drive the fire safety industry to improve and enhance its offer, writes James Elliott. Those who’ve already embraced these advancements are reaping the rewards, while practitioners joining the ‘digital revolution’ are now questioning why they didn’t make the move sooner.

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AS THE construction industry prepares for the new legislation around fire safety, the sector faces a lengthy journey before it can meet acceptable standards and assure end users that buildings are safe. The good news is that steady progress is being made. Matt Ryan has the detail.

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WHEN PROVIDING safety-critical products, it’s key to understand the difference between quality and reliability. The former shows how a product performs its proper function, while reliability defines how well the product maintains its original level of quality over time through various conditions. As Ryan Pellow outlines, it’s not enough that a product simply works, but also about how many times it will continue to perform.

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WHEN ELECTRICIANS are required to install fire alarm and fire detection systems within domestic premises, it’s often the case that the design of such systems is effectively undertaken by others (for example, manufacturers or housebuilders). Is that the best way forward in terms of meeting British Standards? Tim Benstead investigates.

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EVER SINCE the first wireless-based detection technologies were installed more than 20 years ago, manufacturers have been innovating to convince an often sceptical audience that such systems are at least comparable, and in some ways superior, to their hardwired cousins, as Derrick Hall duly observes.

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The multilayer PCB segment is a big part of our production. In order to support this important segment, we have developed long-standing relationships with a broad factory base. The factories are carefully selected in our sourcing process.

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