FOR LANDLORDS and electrical installers, smoke, heat and carbon monoxide (CO) alarms represent a small part of a given installation’s cost, observes Andy Speake, but their reliability is absolutely critical.

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THERE’S A persistent assumption held by some commentators in the construction sector that a construction product’s individual fire classification will determine how safe a building is going to be. It doesn’t, asserts Simon Storer. New and independent testing conducted on flat roofs beneath rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems shows exactly why.

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THE NEW 16-page report produced by BAFE, the Fire Industry Association (FIA) and the National Security Inspectorate (NSI) reveals that organisations across the UK are struggling to verify the competence of fire safety solution providers, despite growing awareness of their legal responsibilities. In an exclusive Q&A for Fire Safety Matters, Dr Justin Maltby-Smith (CEO of BAFE Holdings), Richard Fogelman (CEO at the NSI) and Martin Watson (interim CEO for the FIA) explain in detail why the sector is calling for Government action and how industry can assist in delivering the solution.

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EVERY YEAR, notes Tom Roche, the Government publishes its fire statistics and, every year, those of us operating in the fire safety sector read them with a mixture of curiosity and concern. Curiosity as they represent an account of where we stand, providing data to help define a picture that’s sadly lacking in many countries. Concern due to the fact that what they increasingly highlight is a picture of elements moving in the wrong direction, particularly so when it comes to industrial premises. The response has not kept pace.

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PUPILS AND teachers returned to school last month, writes the Business Sprinkler Alliance, but a cluster of fire incidents over the summer has left some of them facing an uncertain and disrupted start to the new academic year. A stark reminder, then, that the consequences of a school fire extend far beyond the building itself.

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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?’

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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’?’

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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.”

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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.

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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.

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FOLLOWING THE restructure of the BAFE Group, Dr Justin Maltby-Smith (Group CEO of BAFE Holdings) has spoken exclusively with Fire Safety Matters’ Editor Brian Sims to discuss the thinking behind the new operational model and proceeds to explain how this move will support a broader and more ambitious role for the organisation across the fire and life safety domains.

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PROPOSED UPDATES to Approved Document B would increase the required fire resistance of multi-storey open-sided car park structures to 30 minutes (for those structures of between 5 metres and 18 metres in height) and up to one hour for car parks that rise above 18 metres, writes Tom Roche.

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BS 9792:2025 provides recommendations and example documentation for undertaking and recording fire risk assessments in housing. Here, Dr Peter Wilkinson considers how the new British Standard succeeds PAS 79-2:2020 and supports a more consistent, proportionate and accountable approach towards assessing fire risk in residential buildings.

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TWO RECENT industrial fires have highlighted a shift in the pattern of industrial fire incidents across the UK, suggests Tom Roche. While neither fire involved a large warehouse or major manufacturing complex, the two incidents placed an enormous burden on the Fire and Rescue Services involved, local communities and the wider environment. Both episodes also raise an uncomfortable question about the far larger unprotected facilities standing across the UK.

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THE DEVASTATING fire that took hold at Butlers Farmhouse Cheeses in November 2023 is back in the news again, writes Tom Roche, this time for the official opening of the Lancashire cheesemaker’s gleaming new cheesemaking campus complete with a visit from King Charles III.

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IT HAS been a particularly busy year for the Institute of Fire Safety Managers’ (IFSM) Council and technical team, writes Vicki Swaine, as they continue to work tirelessly behind the scenes, duly engaging with Government departments, sector bodies and industry stakeholders on the issues that matter most to the organisation’s members.

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MAJOR BUILDING failures rarely result from a single mistake, writes CROSS-UK. More often, they arise from a chain of assumptions, omissions and misunderstandings that accumulate over time. One professional assumes another has addressed an issue, responsibilities become blurred and critical information fails to reach the right people.

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THE GOVERNMENT has now published its response to the consultation on the proposed Single Construction Regulator, writes Dr Peter Wilkinson. The response confirms both the direction of travel and the scale of the intended reform. It also harbours important implications for fire engineers, fire risk assessors and the professional institutions that actively support them.

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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.

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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.

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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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