WITH NEW fire safety legislation demanding a renewed focus on safety in all residential settings, Karen Trigg explains why care home and sheltered housing associations must absolutely prioritise the maintenance of fire doors.

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RECENTLY, AN article authored by Lars Rohde (the Governor of Denmark’s National Bank) was published in The Financial Times and highlighted the fact that a bank’s capital buffer should work much like a sprinkler system. In other words, writes Iain Cox, it exists to ensure a bank can continue to provide credit in times of crisis, much like a sprinkler contains a fire prior to the arrival of the Fire and Rescue Service.

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BACK IN August 2019, a fire started in the roof area of a care home in Crewe, but then spread rapidly and completely destroyed the complex. Seventeen months later, a bedroom fire at another care home in Mobberley was extinguished by an automatic sprinkler system in less than three minutes. According to Iain Cox, this begs the question: ‘With so many vulnerable residents in these buildings, why did one care home have sprinklers and the other didn’t?’

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On Wednesday 3 March from 10.30 am until 11.30 am, Fire Safety Matters ran the latest instalment of the magazine’s ever-popular webinar series, this time around focusing on ‘Protecting High-Rise Residential Buildings from Fire’. Brian Sims reviews the key discussion points that emerged

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Competency-based qualifications have become a talking point in both the fire safety industry and the construction sector following reports issued in the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire. Nic Preston deliberates on how the education and fire safety industries can work together on improving individual competencies and evidencing the professionalism of the sector

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The Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB) has always supported technical competence and absolutely backs the growth of apprenticeship programmes across the UK. Trevor Jenks focuses on why the organisation will continue to do so in times ahead

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National guidance issued by the Government, the Fire and Rescue Services and other important bodies strongly recommends the level of competency within the fire safety industry that practitioners should be striving to attain. Here, Stephen Adams discusses in detail the current competency landscape

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With the COVID-19 pandemic forming the backdrop, Ian Moore explores the importance of online training when it comes to raising the bar on competency and goes on to outline what the future of fire safety training could look like

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Ever since the tragic events at Grenfell Tower, the $64,000 question to be answered is how might the industry solve the myriad safety issues around tall buildings. This question itself poses many further ones and, as Ray Puttock discovers, almost inevitably delivers a multitude of answers

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Minimising the risk to life as a result of a fire involving external wall systems is crucial, yet in cases of buildings containing flats, alternative housing options can place people in worse living conditions or even leave them without accommodation altogether. Such that people can continue to live in relative safety in their own homes, Ken Bullock explains why interim solutions are vital for mitigating the risk

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In the eyes of the law, to what extent do any British or European Standards have to be complied with when it comes to issues of fire safety? With a keen focus on fire sprinkler systems in particular, Stewart Kidd assesses some major court case judgements in a bid to determine the answer

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In the midst of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and with the myriad impacts of Brexit already beginning to be felt, Paul Pope explores some of the key challenges facing the UK’s fire sector and pinpoints various ways in which the latter can ably and determinedly prepare for the future

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Evacuation alert systems are a new type of fire alarm designed for the UK market and described in BS 8629. They’re just one of the many changes being made to the fire safety landscape in the wake of the Grenfell Tower tragedy that occurred on 14 June 2017. Andy Scott evaluates the fine detail

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The Fire Safety Bill had its third reading – offering a chance for members in the House of Lords to make sure the eventual law is effective, workable and without loopholes – on Tuesday 24 November. Just nine days later, Fire Safety Matters ran a webinar in conjunction with Blackhurst Budd Solicitors to unravel the detail underpinning this planned new legislation. Brian Sims reports

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Fire safety requirements for rail networks operating within airports pose a unique set of challenges for design teams and, indeed, demand specific management protocols given what can be large occupancy numbers combined with 24-hour services. Here, Tony Cash reviews the key factors considered for the Terminal Transit System at Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5

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With the word ‘smart’ now appearing in front of almost anything, including speakers, cars, heating systems, televisions and even fridges, what are the criteria that dictate or otherwise certify the use of ‘smart’ as a prefix when applied to the built environment? Ray Puttock airs his views on the matter

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Fires impacting refurbishment projects, such as the catastrophic blaze that broke out at the Notre Dame Cathedral in April last year, remain at the forefront of people’s minds as a direct result of the myriad news headlines they generate. Here, Tony Obadipe outlines the key issues to think about in terms of fire safety regimes for building and refurbishment projects

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Flame resistant, flame retardant, fire resistant, fire retardant. Is there a difference? Which is the correct choice of ‘FR’ for your team? Reece Buchner explains some of the standards and regulations today’s organisations need to be aware of when making their decision on Personal Protective Equipment

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QuadCore technology is an insulation core, self-blended and unique to Kingspan, that delivers the highest performance of any closed cell insulation core across four factors: fire, thermal, environmental and longevity. Here, Tony Ryan examines how its application at a key site in Coventry is helping to safeguard the UK’s Industrial Strategy

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Publication of the draft Building Safety Bill signals the biggest changes to fire safety in 40 years through improved regulations designed to aid the construction industry. Here, Mick Hill explores the importance of providing a ‘golden thread’ of building information by specifying components (including bi-directionally fire-tested riser doors) that offer the highest standards in terms of compliance and performance

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