One year on from the publication of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 2 report and its 58 recommendations, Local Authority Building Control (LABC) has introduced its ‘Fire Engineering Principles’ course in direct response to recommendation 18: “That the Government, working in collaboration with industry and professional bodies, encourage the development of courses in the principles of fire engineering for construction professionals and members of the Fire and Rescue Services as part of their Continuing Professional Development.”

The course has been created in collaboration with specialists in fire engineering from the University of Edinburgh, CROSS-UK, the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Smoke Control Association, as well as fire engineering consultancies PartB, OFR Consultants, Design Fire Consultants and The Fire Surgery. Delivered via 11 half-day virtual workshops, it covers a range of topics including an introduction to design, smoke ventilation, structural fire engineering, building legislation and British Standards.

Competence and accountability

Lorna Stimpson, CEO of LABC, stated: “We brought together leading experts who’ve helped us to develop and deliver practical training designed to equip professionals with the knowledge to assess and challenge fire engineering strategies and that’s reflective of real-world demands and current Best Practice. With a continued emphasis on competence, accountability and cultural change, this training provides a clear pathway to meet regulatory demands and lead improvements in building safety.”

This latest offering from LABC adds to its existing suite of award-winning training courses created specifically for the wider construction industry including ‘Safety at Sports Grounds and Other Events’, ‘Building Regulation Compliance’, ‘Building Regulation Application’ and ‘Building Regulation Inspections’.

*The Fire Engineering Principles course starts on 5 December. Those unable to make this particular course can register their interest for future courses scheduled for 2026. Visit bit.ly/fire-engineering-principles and www.labc.co.uk for additional information

The case was brought forward after fire safety officers were carrying out their statutory duties to assess and enforce fire safety standards at the premises. The individual refused to provide the essential information required to evaluate compliance with fire safety regulations: information that’s legally required to ensure adequate measures are in place in order to protect life. This refusal meant the officers were unable to complete an inspection.

Following legal proceedings initiated in 2024 and an appeal at Huntingdon Law Courts in July, the individual was found to be in breach of fire safety law and issued with a fine totalling upwards of £4,700.

Station Commander Jeff Whitlam, one of Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire protection managers, said: “We welcome this judgement as it sends a clear message to businesses owners across the county. While we will always work hard to support local businesses and the public and promote fire safety, we will not tolerate deliberate obstruction of fire safety enforcement. The law is in place to protect lives. Those who refuse to co-operate with our inspecting officers put people and premises at risk.”

Whitlam added: “The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 grants us the authority to request specific information and any failure to comply is a criminal offence. We urge all ‘Responsible Persons’ and business operators to fully understand their obligations under fire safety law and co-operate fully with any inspections or requests made by authorised officers.”

The annual FIRE Conference is developed and run by the Institution of Fire Engineers, the Fire Protection Association, the National Fire Chiefs Council and the Fire Sector Confederation and brings together key voices from the UK and international fire communities to explore and define the future of fire safety policy and practice.

PartB is an award-winning team of fire engineering specialists who work across the UK to resolve complex fire safety issues. Harbouring decades of combined experience, the PartB team members ensure that commercial, residential and corporate spaces meet current fire safety regulations.

Jamie Davis, PartB’s chief technical officer, commented: “We’re proud to sponsor the FIRE Conference. This event is instrumental in bringing organisations and people together to discuss how we can deliver better and workable fire safety solutions. The importance of future-proofing the built environment is highly significant to us and reflected in our growing consultancy services. Our most recent engineering-backed expansion, PartB Fire Testing, has been delivered in partnership with the Fire Protection Association.”

In a joint statement, the conference organising team added: “We’re delighted to welcome PartB as our Headline Sponsor. The company’s support will help us to deliver a dynamic and thought-provoking event that supports professional development and sector-wide collaboration.”

Built environment: future-proofing

Centred on the theme of ‘Future-Proofing Our Built Environment’, this year’s conference programme features high-impact plenary sessions, including reflections on key learnings from public inquiries such as Grenfell, as well as an international Case Study on the Moss Landing battery fire.

One panel session is set to examine the growing threat of wildfires across rural and urban interfaces and the potential for ultra-early detection technologies to mitigate emerging risks, while a second panel discussion explores how insights from other disciplines can strengthen fire engineering’s role in shaping a safer, smarter and more sustainable built environment.

Breakout sessions are going to provide more focused discussion on core topics. ‘What does successful residential engagement look like?’ is one theme. Sector experts will explore award-winning approaches to working with residents.

As part of this, Andy Fry (strategy, performance improvement and governance expert at tenant engagement specialist TPAS) will share national insights and Best Practice, while Nick Lacey (building safety manager at Wolverhampton Homes) is going to highlight recognised engagement initiatives. Importantly, resident Louise Lynch offers a vital first-hand perspective on what meaningful engagement feels like in practice.

Fire risk assessments

The ‘Competency in fire risk assessment’ session is sponsored by Consort Insurance and explores the current landscape of fire risk assessment qualifications, the challenges around defining and measuring competency and the steps needed to ensure consistent and high-quality practice across the sector.

‘Building safety challenges’ witnesses speakers unpacking the evolving regulatory landscape under the Building Safety Act 2022, with a keen focus on Gateways 2 and 3, while also providing an update on the latest revisions to PAS 9980, the Code of Practice for the fire risk appraisal of external wall systems.

*Tickets for the FIRE Conference 2025 are on sale online, with physical and virtual attendance options starting from £100+VAT. All delegates receive access to on-demand session recordings post-event, along with Continuing Professional Development hours

Sentencing of Khalique Choudhury took place at Oxford Crown Court on 15 September 2025 following conviction at Oxford Magistrates’ Court on 24 July.

Fire safety inspectors from Oxfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service visited the premises in March last year. They found that Choudhury had failed to ensure there was an adequate fire risk assessment in place, failed to protect escape routes in case of fire and also failed to provide a working fire detection and alarm system.

Prohibition Notice

The restaurant was operating on the ground floor and had bedrooms provided for staff accommodation above on the first floor.

A fire safety audit was conducted under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and inspectors found that the premises were so dangerous that they were left with no alternative but to prohibit the use of the building for sleeping purposes until safety measures were improved.

As a consequence, the inspectors ordered the immediate removal of the occupants of the bedrooms on safety grounds by use of a Prohibition Notice.

Choudhury pleaded guilty to four charges under the fire safety legislation and was duly fined. He was also ordered to pay a total of £6,284 in costs.

Level playing field

Councillor Jenny Hannaby, Oxfordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Community Services and Safety, said: “The majority of Oxfordshire businesses operate to the highest standards, rightly protecting their customers, staff and their livelihoods. I’m very grateful to the inspecting officers in this case who are out there every day not only to protect the public, but to ensure that those businesses following the rules can compete on a level playing field.”

Jody Kerman, head of Oxfordshire County Council’s Prevention, Protection and Trading Standards teams, added: “Our fire safety inspectors are finding an increasing number of businesses with sleeping accommodation above, where no fire safety measures have been implemented. Business owners have a legal duty to put fire safety measures in place. As this case shows, we will not hesitate to take action to ensure the safety of occupants, residents and customers alike.”

They cite one recent project where an unqualified multi-trade contractor installed ductwork with serious safety flaws, creating health risks and fire hazards. Both trade bodies fear that, rather than being an isolated example, this may be the ‘tip of the iceberg’.

Nathan Wood, chair of BESA’s London and South East region, said: “We are still seeing specifications being value-engineered to the maximum and many construction trades being squeezed on price. The result is that non-competent multi-trade outfits are undercutting professional ventilation installers and thermal insulation contractors.”

The faulty installation cited featured poorly insulated ducting, which created condensation and mould growth.

Wood added: “Condensation can quickly allow mould to germinate within 24 to 48 hours. This mould growth then produces spores which spread to other damp areas, multiplying the issues.”

Awaab’s Law

This is exactly the kind of problem that the forthcoming Awaab’s Law is designed to prevent. Due to come into force in October, it’s named after two-year-old Awaab Ishak, who died following prolonged exposure to mould in his Rochdale home.

Awaab’s Law will set strict deadlines for landlords to investigate and fix damp and mould, but its impact depends upon the competence of those carrying out the work. Without properly trained and accredited contractors, the law risks becoming a box-ticking exercise rather than a safeguard for residents’ health.

Wood said: “This is a colossal change in legislation. Preparation starts with organisations verifying both the competence of their skilled trade workers and the organisational capabilities of the specialist sub-contractors they employ.”

Insulation board

The risks extend far beyond mould. Chris Ridge, technical director at TICA, highlighted the incorrect use of flammable rigid insulation board on the project.

Ridge noted: “The board in question is a polyisocyanurate (PIR) board that’s not certified for use with ductwork. In fact, the Euroclass reaction to fire for this product will be either Euroclass E or Euroclass F.”

Euroclass E indicates a high contribution to fire, while Euroclass F signifies a material with little or no resistance to fire.

TICA has repeatedly called for PIR boards to be banned from internal duct applications, first of all back in 2022 and then again in 2024.

Multiple dangers

Ridge added: “It’s frustrating to see such flammable products still being used on internally located ductwork. A competent thermal insulation specialist would know better, but a non-competent multi-trade contractor may not.”

In conclusion, Ridge observed: “If the client had verified the organisational capabilities of the contractor rather than reward on price and convenience, this would not have happened. In this case, the appointment of a non-competent multi-trade organisation has led to multiple dangers.”

BESA and TICA have jointly stressed that clients must verify competence and organisational capability before appointing contractors for safety-critical building services work.

*Further information is available online at www.thebesa.com

IFEDA was founded back in 1989 to provide an independent representative body of fire trade companies, providing them with nationally recognised training services and access to key technical information concerning the industry.

Membership of this fire sector Trade Association is based on the democratic principle of ‘one member, one vote’, with everyone (irrespective of company size or turnover) being treated equally and paying the same subscription.

Promoting nationally recognised quality standards and procedures within the fire safety industry is achieved through:

*helping members achieve and maintain a quality system in accordance with BS EN ISO 9001:2015 in line with the requirements of the appropriate BAFE Scheme

*helping members to operate the appropriate BAFE Scheme(s) requiring the licensing of all service personnel (eg SP101 for fire extinguisher servicing and SP203 for fire alarms)

*providing communication on key legislative changes and other industry-related news

*providing members with a bank of data of technical memos and other relevant industry information

*providing training courses to keep members up-to-date on certificated qualifications (including BAFE recognised training courses) wherein fire extinguisher training remains of paramount importance

Tangible benefits

“Membership of IFEDA offers far more than just a name on a register,” asserted Simon Lyons, the organisation’s national general manager. “It provides companies and individuals with tangible benefits that support professional growth, business credibility and technical excellence.

According to Lyons, one of the key advantages of IFEDA membership is the credibility it brings. “IFEDA is recognised across the industry as a trusted authority on fire safety standards,” asserted Lyons. “When a company displays the IFEDA logo, it reassures clients, insurers and regulatory bodies that the business adheres to Best Practice and operates to the highest professional standards. This recognition often affords members a competitive edge when tendering for contracts or seeking to expand their client base.”

IFEDA is well known for its high-quality training programmes, which cover a wide range of fire protection systems: from fire extinguishers to dry risers and on again to hose reels and fire alarms. Membership gives companies access to these accredited training courses at discounted rates, ensuring that their members of staff are not only competent, but also compliant with the latest British Standards and legislation. Ongoing training helps businesses to maintain technical excellence, reduce risk and demonstrate a clear commitment to safety.

Guidance on standards and compliance

The fire industry is highly regulated, of course, and remaining up-to-date with evolving standards can be a challenge. IFEDA provides its members with expert advice, updates on British and European Standards and practical guidance on how to remain compliant. Lyons noted: “This proactive support helps members to avoid costly mistakes, ensures that systems are tested and maintained correctly and provides peace of mind that operations are always conducted within legal requirements.”

Further, membership of IFEDA connects businesses with a community of like-minded professionals and companies across the UK. This network offers opportunities to share knowledge, collaborate on projects and build valuable partnerships. “Regular meetings, events and conferences allow members to engage with industry leaders, suppliers and regulators,” stated Lyons.

Beyond networking, IFEDA also provides general business support, from advice on contracts through to guidance on customer service, thereby helping members to strengthen their operations.

As an established Trade Association, IFEDA represents its members’ interests at the national and international levels. It engages with Government departments, standards committees and other regulatory bodies to ensure the voice of the independent fire industry is heard. “Members benefit from being part of a collective that influences policy, shapes standards and champions the importance of professional fire protection services,” affirmed Lyons.

Commitment to quality and safety

Ultimately, joining IFEDA demonstrates a company’s commitment to quality, safety and professionalism. “Membership is not just about receiving benefits,” commented Lyons. “It’s also about contributing to raising standards across the fire industry. By becoming a member, businesses show that they’re serious about protecting lives and property, which strengthens trust with customers and stakeholders alike.”

*Further information is available online at https://ifeda.org

On opening the session in Parliament, Baroness Taylor asked for an outline of the Building Safety Regulator’s achievement to date and whether or not building safety has indeed witnessed a general improvement.

“The whole system is completely new,” affirmed White, “and brings in the hard stop at Gateway Two. In terms of successes, we’ve established a regulator from nothing. Circa 400 people are now part of the operation or supporting the regulator from within the Health and Safety Executive. Planning Gateway One has been very successful. We’ve also established the regulation of the Building Control profession. Over 4,200 individuals have been registered as Building Control inspectors. Further, we’re beginning to inspect both public and private sector Building Control providers.”

Referencing Planning Gateway One, which was established back in 2021 and whereby local authorities send in submitted plans for high-rise buildings for the regulator to review and comment on in relation to fire strategies, White mentioned that (initially) circa 58% of all applications submitted were being rejected. “Now,” said White, “we’re only having to comment on around 17% of applications. That’s still too high. We want that figure to be at the 10% mark. We’re meeting Service Level Agreements almost 100% of the time.”

Gateway Two has presented a big challenge for industry. More design work now needs to be done to demonstrate compliance with the Building Regulations. Quite a few applications have been rejected over time due to insufficient demonstrations that fire and structural safety issues have been thoroughly addressed.

Delays in approvals

Lord Gilbert asked a key question in terms of what has led to the delays in approvals. According to Chris Griffin-McTiernan, co-ordination of all the parties involved (ie Fire and Rescue Services, local authorities and private sector partners) has proved to be something of a stumbling block at times.

“The number of hours we were spending on assessing applications was significantly higher than we had anticipated,” affirmed Griffin-McTiernan. “We expected a higher level of compliance with the initial applications. We now try and assess Gateway Two and Gateway Three at the same time. There was a perfect storm at the start of the last financial year as well in terms of responding to particular buildings.”

Part of that perfect storm was engendered by the collapse of two Building Control providers, which then engendered the transference of 50 partially completed construction projects to the Building Safety Regulator with no accompanying documentation.

Last year, the output on decisions being made was around 50 per month. The latest data (taken from August this year) shows the completion of 209 decisions in that particular month. An impressive uptick, then. That said, circa 40% of applications are still being rejected at the validation stage due to them lacking basic documentation on measures such as smoke detectors. Some have lacked assurances that external wall systems will resist fire.

Communication issues

Lord Udny-Lister focused on communication with the Building Safety Regulator, a subject which has been raised by several inquiry participants in previous sessions. “We are told that people find it very difficult to speak to the regulator, and when they do they receive a standardised response. What can be done to correct this?”

In response, Philip White noted: “This time last year, communication between the applicant and the regulator was not what it should have been. It was sub-optimal. We accept that and it happened for a number of reasons. We determined to fix that situation.”

What has actually been done in this area was elaborated upon by Griffin-McTiernan. He talked of investment in dedicated case officer support and the recruitment of account managers that can then provide applicants with a dedicated person with whom they can speak directly.

Griffin-McTiernan stated that there are very few applications that don’t require three, four or five requests for more information. 50% of existing building applications haven’t been meeting the standards set out in law for fire safety. “A common issue is around modelling, particularly focusing on smoke. Details of fire barriers in external cladding have been missing. Some examples have shown a lack of smoke detector provision in flats.”

Griffin-McTiernan continued: “The Building Safety Act requires transformation in the industry in terms of how buildings are designed. It requires upfront investment in knowing all of the necessary detail before a spade is put in the ground.” Adding to that point, Philip White said: “Culture change takes time. A draft guide on culture change has been produced.”

Building Control inspectors

White went on to state that the landscape has been “very challenging” for Building Control inspectors across the last few years. The Grenfell Tower Inquiry was heavily critical of Building Control. Then there was the need to establish regulation for the profession from scratch. Circa 30% of candidates were failing the established competence tests first time around.

“The flip side is that Building Control is now a regulated profession,” explained White. “The status of the inspection role will be enhanced.”

Four fire engines attended Silverwood House at Balby Bridge in Doncaster on 1 July after the alarm was raised at 10.05 pm in relation to a chip pan fire that had started inside a flat on the eleventh floor.

The heat generated from the fire activated the sprinkler system, automatically raised the alarm with the Fire and Rescue Service and extinguished the fire before firefighters arrived at the scene.

The end result was that only minor damage was sustained to the kitchen area, while one individual was able to be led to safety by the attending firefighters.

Decision to be applauded

Roger Brason, sprinkler advocate at the South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, stated: “We’ve championed the use of sprinklers, particularly in high-rise buildings, for quite some time now, so we’re delighted that all of the blocks in Doncaster have them.”

Brason continued: “The decision by St Ledger Homes of Doncaster, in collaboration with Doncaster Council and ourselves, to install sprinklers within this residential block of flats should be applauded. These devices not only help to protect life, but also help to protect property. In most cases, they will extinguish a fire completely and prevent it from spreading any further.”

The incident comes after a recent report – underpinned by a survey conducted by Optimal Economics and commissioned by the National Fire Chiefs Council and the National Fire Sprinkler Network – showed that sprinkler systems are 99% efficient in extinguishing or controlling a fire and 94% efficient in their ability to operate.

Despite such a compelling narrative, there’s no statutory legislation for the retrofitting of sprinklers within purpose-built blocks of flats.

Photograph: Business Sprinkler Alliance

According to reports, 53 residents were evacuated after the fire took hold and spread rapidly through the residential building located in Bro, North West of Stockholm. Thankfully, no-one was injured, yet the fire was a predictable scenario. Despite the outcome, the building is claimed to comply with the country’s national Building Regulations. Once again, we are left with an uncomfortable outcome: predictable fire behaviour, total building loss and significant disruption to many lives.

Earlier in the year, I watched a presentation on work conducted by the Netherlands Institute of Public Safety (NIPV) that was based on a series of fires that had spread more extensively than anticipated. Fires had penetrated building fabrics, rendering the structures unusable. These spreading fires displaced multiple people from their homes. Again, it was claimed that the buildings involved were compliant with regulations. The image from Stockholm would not have been out of place in the presentation.

Sadly, these fires align with recent fires seen in the UK. On 1 June, a fire spread into the timber frame of a low-rise residential block in Andover, Hampshire, duly destroying 19 flats. In a similar fire four years earlier, 19 families were displaced when a fire destroyed a block of flats in Arborfield, Berkshire. Both fire scenarios were readily foreseeable, but the outcome led to complete loss of the accommodation.

This is not about construction techniques. It’s about outcomes. Once again, both buildings were claimed to be compliant with the relevant UK Building Regulations at the time of the build.

Unacceptable outcomes

From Stockholm to Andover, the story is the same. A foreseeable fire leading to the total loss of a building followed by a claim that this is a regulatory success. Put simply, this doesn’t pass the smell test. Why are these fire incidents labelled as ‘successes’?

This definition of success is focused on life safety as the essential outcome we would expect. I agree. After all, it’s one of the prime jobs of Government to protect its citizens. However, I’m not sure that allowing a building to be completely lost once that’s achieved is an acceptable outcome in all cases. It’s too narrow a view and overlooks the wider social impact from the trauma experienced by residents to the financial costs of rebuilding, the burden placed on local services and the environmental impact of demolition and reconstruction.

The challenge is not just technical. It’s also cultural. Are we willing to redefine what success means when it comes to fire to acknowledge resilience? Or is it simply easier and cheaper to accept total building loss as the price that Governments believe society is willing to pay?

From conversations across Europe, it’s clear that expectations are shifting. People increasingly assume their homes – and, by extension, their lives – are protected by more than a narrow reading of the minimum. There’s an underlying expectation of buildings to be resilient. Claiming victory because lives were spared can be appropriate when dealing with a major fire. However, a modest fire that grows to make a whole building unusable leads to confusion over what regulations deliver as outcomes.

The narrative of ‘success’ feels like a regulatory sleight of hand. More have the belief that they should account not just for evacuation, but also for the preservation of buildings.

Combination of techniques

A better outcome is possible through a combination of techniques. We know that systems such as sprinklers can drastically reduce the scale and impact of fires. We know that designing for resilience is not only technically achievable, but already proven by specific actors in other sectors, such as logistics and industrial premises. We need the expansion of that thinking to reach places where the impacts are felt across broader groups and the local community impacts are greater.

At the Business Sprinkler Alliance, we continue to advocate for a more holistic view of fire safety and one that values protection of life, property and continuity. The examples from the UK, Sweden and the Netherlands all point to the same conclusion: now is the time to raise the bar and start building multi-family homes genuinely offering that resilience.

*Further information on the Business Sprinkler Alliance can be accessed online at www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org

Ledgerton-Lynch harbours over twenty-five years’ experience as an Editor and leader in the fire sector, serving as Editor of FIRE magazine since 2000 and as Editor of International Fire Professional (the journal of the Institution of Fire Engineers) since 2012. He founded (and has since hosted) the Excellence in Fire and Emergency Awards back in 2014.

As chair of the Board of Trustees of The Fire Fighters Charity from 2016-2020, Ledgerton-Lynch was the first non-Fire and Rescue Service Trustee to lead the charity and is currently a Trustee of the Fire Service Research and Training Trust and a member of the Advisory Council at the Fire Sector Confederation.

In June 2023, Ledgerton-Lynch received an OBE for services to The Fire Fighters Charity and fire safety in general.

In recent years, Ledgerton-Lynch has worked closely with the FIA in a number of areas and is a valued contributor towards the Trade Association’s position of raising the bar on professionalism.

Delivery and influence

FIA CEO Ian Moore OBE commented: “The FIA has experience a fantastic few years, all the while building in scale and also emboldening its reputation among many stakeholders. It’s the largest and strongest fire Trade Association in Europe, with the training regime, membership depth and technical delivery all at the highest levels.”

Moore continued: “With our new Centre of Excellence for fire safety in Northwich and the implementation of our digital transformation platforms to increase efficiency happening this year, we are well positioned to continue our growth and represent our members in raising the bar on professionalism in our industry. Andrew is an exciting addition to our team. His knowledge and passion for fire safety will be instrumental in our delivery and influence. I’m really looking forward to working with him.”

Ledgerton-Lynch responded: “I’m excited to join this great organisation that has been so influential in promoting the highest standards in fire safety. Having worked alongside many key people within the organisation for a number of years, I appreciate the depth of understanding, high level of expertise and unswerving commitment to the membership. I look forward to working with an outstanding team that’s underpinned by a proven track record of excellence as we continue the journey to develop skills, knowledge and influence.”

*Further information is available online at www.fia.uk.com