The survey was issued to all large landlords (ie those owning 1,000 or more units of social stock), small landlords (those owning fewer than 1,000 units of social stock) who reported previously that they were responsible for relevant buildings and any landlord who had not responded to any previous surveys.

Of the 17,258 relevant buildings reported, 2,078 were identified as having a life-critical fire safety defect relating to the external wall system. Over 99.8% of all relevant reported buildings have had a fire risk assessment carried out on-site. 1,593 relevant buildings (ie 76.7%) are expected to be remediated within the next five years.

Remediation works are complete for a further 6.7% (139) of buildings that are awaiting confirmation from a building works assessment. Of the 2,889 buildings identified as having life-critical fire safety defects since June 2017, 811 (28.1%) have been remediated (or are now completed and awaiting a new building works assessment).

The Regulator of Social Housing will continue to monitor the performance of social landlords in remediating 11 metre-plus tall buildings and the progress they’re making against their plans.

Work “must continue at pace”

Will Perry, director of strategy at the Regulator of Social Housing, explained: “Tenants’ homes should be safe, secure and free from fire safety risks. While landlords are making progress in addressing dangerous cladding and other fire safety defects, this work must continue at pace.”

Perry continued: “We expect Boards and councillors to ensure that risks are effectively managed and remediation plans are delivered promptly. Through ongoing monitoring, inspections and engagement, we will continue to hold landlords to account and keep a strong focus on tenant safety.”

The data referred to in this publication were reported in the Q1 2026-2027 survey, which ran from 23 June to 21 July 2026, with data being reported as at 30 June 2026.

Most relevant buildings reported (ie 83.1%) have been assessed to have no outstanding or historic external wall system-related life-critical fire safety defects in any building works assessment since 14 June 2017.

Life-critical fire safety defects are defined as defects, shrinkages, faults or other failings in a building that give rise to fire safety risks identified by a fire risk appraisal of external wall construction or a fire risk assessment (or equivalent) undertaken to industry standards.

The Regulator of Social Housing advises caution in interpreting changes in data over time as they may be influenced by a change in the number of reported buildings and their assessment status at each quarter end.

Single source

The National Remediation System administered by Homes England is now the single source for building-level data for all relevant buildings over 11 metres, replacing the previous requirement for providers to submit the Building Level Survey alongside their fire risk assessment.

Collection of the Q1 2026-2027 Fire Remediation Survey figures coincided with the ongoing data collection at the building level into the National Remediation System. Landlords have been asked to input data into the National Remediation System, which may impact on figures in the fire remediation survey as data is subjected to increased review.

Following the Q2 2026-2027 survey, the Fire Remediation Survey will move to a six-monthly collection and publication. As such, the subsequent Fire Remediation Survey will be realised in Q4 2026-2027.

The new publication directly reflects the rapidly evolving regulatory landscape surrounding PFAS-containing firefighting foams and supports today’s organisations in adopting Best Practice throughout the disposal process.

The guidance has been developed for manufacturers, service companies, installers, maintenance providers, end users and waste management specialists involved in the handling of firefighting foams. It covers both fluorinated and fluorine-free foam media, including AFFF, FFFP, fluorine-free foams (F3), Class A and Class F foams as well as wetting agents and water additives.

As environmental legislation continues to tighten across Europe, the guidance explains the applicable standards and legislation governing foam disposal, including European fire protection standards, waste legislation and the latest restrictions on PFAS substances. It proceeds to outline practical measures for handling, storage, transport and disposal, thereby helping organisations to minimise environmental impact, while in parallel maintaining compliance.

A central message of the publication is that all firefighting foam should be regarded as potentially hazardous unless proven otherwise. The guidance emphasises that uncontrolled discharge to land, drains or watercourses must be avoided and that disposal should only be carried out through authorised hazardous waste routes.

Preferred disposal method

For PFAS-containing foams, high-temperature incineration at licensed facilities remains the preferred (and, in many cases, mandatory) disposal method.

The document provides practical recommendations for servicing and maintenance activities, including the containment of foam during testing, appropriate storage and transport arrangements and the recovery of waste foam from both portable extinguishers and fixed suppression systems.

Further, the new guidance encourages organisations to transition to fluorine-free foams where appropriate, remove legacy PFAS stocks and adopt closed-loop recovery systems in order to prevent environmental releases.

The guidance concludes with a simple, but important principle that underpins the entire document: all firefighting foam should be fully contained, treated as potentially hazardous and disposed of through authorised hazardous waste processes in accordance with European standards and environmental legislation.

*Euralarm’s ‘Guideline on Disposal of Firefighting Foam Media (UK and Europe)’ is available online

For most passive fire protection teams, proving it still means digging through text threads, paper sign-off sheets and undated photographs in a bid to reconstruct a timeline that should never have needed reconstructing. The install was compliant. The record just wasn’t built to answer the question on demand. As such, a routine ‘ask’ turns into hours of administration work or, worse still, a dispute.

Onetrace exists to close that gap and grew out of this exact trade. It was founded by a former fire protection company owner who lost a set of drawings on a live project and decided to digitise the process rather than risk such a scenario happening again.

That origin shows in the product: Onetrace isn’t a main contractor’s project system with fire stopping bolted on. It’s not a generic QA tool stretched to fit, either. It’s built around how passive fire teams actually evidence work.

The ‘mechanics’ are straightforward, which is precisely the point. Site teams work directly from the drawings, pinning photos, forms and approvals to the exact location as the job progresses: specification, penetration, seal type. That builds a time-stamped and connected record as the work happens, not after it.

There’s no separate reconciliation step and no reconstruction from memory. When a client, a Tier 1 or an assessor asks for evidence, one click turns that record into a branded and client-ready PDF or Excel report, sorted and ready rather than assembled under pressure.

It’s the same core record whether the job is fire protection, fire stopping, drylining, roofing, façade work, M&E, plumbing, electrical or specialist maintenance. Something that’s used by everyone: from single-site fire stopping specialists to multi-trade enterprises working across the UK.

Case Study: CLM Fireproofing

CLM Fireproofing – itself a £37 million passive fire protection specialist running simultaneous projects across commercial, residential, public sector, social housing, healthcare and defence projects – moved from carbon paper to digital years ago, but still found its systems slow, disconnected and manual, with management spending weekends building spreadsheets just to understand project productivity.

Subsequent to adopting Onetrace as its ‘single source of truth’, the business reported a 50% reduction in administration work and reporting time. As operations manager Heather Eldridge stated: “We have most definitely halved the amount of time we’re spending on discrepancy identification.”

An evidenced, structured record doesn’t just satisfy the compliance ‘ask’ when someone comes checking. It also gives back precious hours to management: hours that used to go into chasing, formatting and reconciling instead of running the business. One record, doing two jobs: proving compliance and cutting administration tasks.

For passive fire protection teams who live under audit pressure on a daily basis, that’s the shift worth making. Stop treating evidencing as a task you take on after the install and start treating it as something the install produces on its own.

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

**Fire Protection Contractors: Digitising Compliance and Quality Assurance

A BSc (Honours) graduate in the subject of Fire Safety and Management, Alison is a Fellow of the International Institute of Risk and Safety Management and also a Member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers. Having worked at property risk consultancy Marsh McLennan and then as a risk engineer at AIG, Alison joined the Ocado Group in late 2021.

As global head of fire safety risk management, Alison leads strategic programmes designed to integrate fire safety risk into wider operational resilience planning across international operations. The focus is very much on delivering structured and scalable frameworks that strengthen asset protection, support business continuity and enable sustainable organisational change.

In conversation with Brian, Alison concentrates on several important topics, among them the sustainability agenda and the drive to promote and realise careers for more females in the fire sector.

Having graduated in Business Studies at De Montfort University, Michael Mansfield worked in account management roles at both Lyreco UK and the TFC Group LLP. Joining asecos back in June 2024, Michael has since brought over 15 years’ worth of experience to bear in developing first-class working relationships with the company’s customer base.

On this occasion, Michael examines the fire safety-related risks posed by lithium-ion batteries and the overriding importance of product testing.

News analysis

Once again, Brian and Mark review some of the key news stories in the sector. There’s a concentration on the updated version of PAS 9980 from the British Standards Institution, the campaign underpinning Fire Door Safety Week 2026, the recent Group restructure at BAFE and the opening of registrations for the inaugural edition of Fire Safety Matters Live Scotland.

Listen to the Fire Safety Matters Podcast

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*If there are any specific subjects you would like to see featured in an upcoming Fire Safety Matters Podcast please do contact us. You can do so on X (formerly Twitter) by using the hashtag #FSMPodcast. Alternatively, send an e-mail direct to [email protected]

The survey, carried out to mark the launch of the British Woodworking Federation’s Fire Door Safety Week campaign – running under the headline ‘Check It, Close It: Protection Starts at the Door’ – found that 38% of Gen Z respondents aged from 18 to 29 feel safe when a fire door is wedged open. Meanwhile, almost three in every ten (ie 29%) also believe that fire doors can be safely wedged open if smoke alarms are present in the building.

In truth, a fire door will only protect people when it’s correctly installed, properly maintained and, importantly, closed. However, the survey findings suggest that many younger adults don’t fully understand this, which could put them at risk in the event of a fire.

While smoke alarms provide a warning sign for building occupants, fire doors are designed to slow the spread of fire and toxic smoke and protect escape routes. If a fire door is wedged open, fire and smoke can spread through a building and potentially compromise escape routes, which allow occupants to evacuate and Emergency Services personnel to enter the premises.

When considering the role of a fire door, 78% of ‘Baby Boomers’ (ie those aged from 62 to 80) and 93% of the ‘Silent Generation’ (people aged over 81) understand that fire doors are designed to slow the spread of fire and smoke and help people to escape a building. Such understanding is significantly lower among the Gen Z grouping, with only 40% of them stating that they understand the role of a fire door.

Despite this, younger adults are paying attention to fire doors in the buildings they use. Almost two-thirds (63%) of Gen Z respondents say they notice where fire doors are located when entering an unfamiliar building, while 59% notice the condition of such doors. This provides a firm foundation for further education around how to identify fire doors correctly and understand the crucial role they play in protecting building occupants.

Fire door education

When considering sources of fire door education, 33% of Gen Z respondents to the survey cite social media compared to other generations where the focus is on workplace training. With a rise in misinformation on social platforms, the findings clearly highlight the importance of providing younger audiences with clear and accurate information from reputable sources on how to recognise a fire door, what it’s designed to do and why it must remain closed.

The need for education is further highlighted by research identifying misconceptions around how fire doors can be identified, with 21% of those Gen Z and Millennials (ie those aged from 30 to 45) surveyed believing that a fire door is simply a door painted red and 22% of Gen Z respondents believing that a fire door is a door painted with fire-resistant paint.  

Helen Hewitt, CEO of the British Woodworking Federation, said: “The fact that more than one-in-three Gen Z adults feel safe when a fire door is wedged open is deeply concerning and creates a dangerous false sense of protection. Any wedged-open fire door cannot fulfil its life-saving role. Fire doors are designed to hold back the spread of fire and smoke, protecting emergency escape routes in order to give occupants vital time to escape and the Emergency Services time to enter a building.”

Hewitt continued: “Fire doors are not ordinary doors and should never be held or wedged open for convenience without using a correctly installed automatic door closer. Only a correctly installed, maintained and, importantly, closed fire door can stop the spread of smoke and fire.”

Further, Hewitt observed: “It’s clear that greater awareness and education is needed so that people of all ages recognise fire doors are a crucial part of the wider system of passive fire protection. By sharing accurate information and increasing visibility on the role of fire doors, we can turn recognition into understanding and action that will improve fire door safety.”

Knowledge gap

The knowledge gap also extends to what people should do when they spot a potential problem with a fire door. Almost half (48%) of Gen Z respondents believe a damaged fire door should be reported, while 45% suggest that poor maintenance of fire safety measures is a concern in public buildings.   

However, when asked why they might not report an issue relating to a fire door, respondents identified a lack of knowledge to spot a problem, uncertainty over who needs to know about the issue and assuming someone else would deal with it as the main barriers.

Insufficient knowledge is the leading barrier for Gen Z (29%) and Millennials (27%), while ‘Baby Boomers’ (30%) and the ‘Silent Generation’ (67%) are most likely to say they would not know who to contact. For Gen X, the most common barrier is assuming someone else will deal with the problem (27%).

Damage, missing components and poor maintenance can all prevent a fire door from working as intended. In the event of a fire outbreak, the consequences can be life changing. Taken together, these survey findings underline the need for greater education on fire doors, how to spot maintenance issues and, what’s more, how to report them for remediation.   

Positively, 79% of the individuals who took part in the survey believe that those responsible for installing and maintaining fire doors should have specialist qualifications or accreditations to demonstrate their skills and competence. This suggests strong public support for fire door installation and maintenance being carried out by appropriately skilled and competent professionals.

Immediate reporting

Helen Hewitt stated: “Building occupants and users should never assume that someone else will raise a concern about a fire door’s condition. Leaving a damaged, obstructed or otherwise poorly maintained fire door unreported could mean the difference between life and death in the event of a fire.”   

In addition, Hewitt explained: “If something looks wrong with a fire door – whether it’s damaged, wedged open or obstructed – then report it immediately and follow up until it’s fixed. Building owners and ‘Responsible Persons’ can help with encouraging a proactive fire safety reporting environment by making reporting processes for their properties clear, accessible and visible.”  

According to Hewitt, fire door safety depends on everyone playing their role – from building users spotting and reporting issues to landlords, building owners and ‘Responsible Persons’ ensuring competent individuals with the correct skills, knowledge and experience complete remediation work.

Supported by the British Woodworking Federation Fire Door Alliance, Fire Door Safety Week was launched by the British Woodworking Federation in 2013 to improve awareness and understanding of the vital role that fire doors play in protecting life and property and to promote industry Best Practice across all building types. This year’s survey findings underline the importance of helping people to move beyond noticing fire doors towards an understanding of how they work, why they must remain closed and what action to take if there’s a problem of any kind.

*Further information is available online at www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk

Photo: Health and Safety Executive

Pearson, aged 37 and a father-of-four from Dudley, was working for Fire Protection Recycling Limited at the Pearsall Drive site when the incident happened on 7 March 2023. Pearson had been processing powder fire extinguishers, which were at the end of their serviceable life. While Pearson was working on a cartridge-type fire extinguisher, there had a sudden release of pressure and the extinguisher exploded, striking him in the head. Post-incident, the fire extinguisher was found embedded in the ceiling of the workroom.

Subsequently, Pearson was treated at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital for his injuries, but despite the best efforts of medical staff, he sadly died on 8 March, leaving behind his fiancée Rachelle, siblings John and Cheryl and his four children.

Investigation process

An investigation process conducted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) found that Fire Protection Recycling Limited had failed to ensure the health, safety and welfare of its employees while at work and while they were recycling these types of fire extinguishers.

The company had failed to conduct a suitable and sufficient risk assessment and their systems of work for processing these types of fire extinguishers were not suitable. The business did not have proper storage arrangements in place for old extinguishers waiting for processing and there wasn’t a suitable restraint system for containing fire extinguishers when they were being discharged in order to prevent them from ejecting dangerous parts.

The HSE states that employers must provide plant and systems of work which are, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risks to health.

Guilty plea

Fire Protection Recycling Limited of Pearsall Drive, Oldbury in the West Midlands pleaded guilty to breaching Section 2(1) of the Health and Safety at Work, etc Act 1974. On 14 September at Birmingham Magistrates’ Court, the company was fined £40,000 and ordered to pay £17,034.25 in costs.

HSE inspector Heather Campbell said: “Our thoughts are with the family of Craig Pearson, a young father of four. He should have returned home safely to his family at the end of his working day, but because of the failings of Fire Protection Recycling Limited, he did not.”

Campbell added: “I hope the sentence handed down leaves companies in no doubt that we will not hesitate to take action against those businesses that fail to protect their employees.”

The HSE prosecution case was brought forward by HSE enforcement lawyer Matthew Reynolds and paralegal officer Lynne Thomas.

Developed by the FIA’s Aspirating Task Group under the direction of the Fire Detection and Alarms Council, the new edition brings together the latest industry knowledge, FIA-sponsored research, evolving technologies and developments in fire detection standards. The end result is a substantially updated technical resource specifically designed to support professionals in the specification, design, installation, commissioning and application of ASD systems.

A major focus of the 2026 edition is the application of ASD within challenging and complex environments. In particular, and reflecting on the findings of an FIA-sponsored research project, recommendations for the protection of warehouses with high-rack storage have been expanded with the introduction of a new warehouse design and risk assessment spreadsheet/template. This provides designers with an additional tool to support the assessment and development of ASD solutions in warehouse applications.

Revision of BS 5839-1

The Code of Practice also brings ASD guidance into alignment with the latest revision of BS 5839-1, published back in April 2025, while incorporating the FIA’s guidance on Fire Detection in High Airflow Environments. Recommendations for the use of ASD within lifts have been reviewed in consideration of European Codes, with particular attention given to multilevel detection and accessibility.

The areas of testing and system verification have also received significant attention. Site testing methods have been reviewed, including the extension of the paper bin test to make it suitable for Class B and Class A testing in high areas, thereby providing further guidance for demonstrating system performance in demanding applications.

Beyond these major revisions, the 2026 edition expands its technical coverage across a range of important areas. It provides additional advice on in-cabinet detection and the flammability of sampling pipework, introduces a new section examining options for multi-sensors within ASD, updates information on product standards and CE and UKCA marking requirements and provides greater clarification around concepts such as coincidence and redundancy.

Significant technical update

Taken together, these changes make the FIA’s ASD Code of Practice 2026 a significant technical update for the ASD sector. For designers, consultants, specifiers, manufacturers, installers, commissioning technicians and other fire safety professionals, the Code of Practice provides an up-to-date reference for understanding and applying ASD technology across both established and increasingly complex applications.

Informed by industry expertise and experience, and building on recent research and the latest standards, the FIA’s ASD Code of Practice 2026 provides a unique and well-respected repository of information and guidance on Best Practice and important considerations when deploying ASD systems.

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

Last December, the Government announced in the Single Construction Regulator prospectus that it will publish a new strategy for the built environment professions, trades and occupations in 2027.

In responding to the Government’s Call for Evidence on the new strategy that was flagged in May, the CIC made several observations.

To support reform of the sector, Government must ensure that there’s an incentive for professionals to put themselves under rules of ethics, professional conduct and Continuing Professional Development. In many disciplines, there are a significant number of individuals working in the sector outside of any relevant professional institution or discipline.

The CIC has set out a Plan of Actions needed to strengthen professional standards, reinforce public trust and raise standards of governance and professional competence in the built environment sector. CIC members have done (and continue to do) a huge amount around improving competence and are keen to work with Government to deliver the reforms that the sector needs.

Regulation and oversight

Regulation and oversight must be proportionate and co-designed with industry in order to be robust. Government itself has a huge role to play in both working with the professional bodies and bringing about broader behavioural change through procurement, prompt payment, enforcement of existing rules and engaging in a practical way beyond the role of legislator and regulator.

As the built environment sector’s biggest client and with a pipeline of hundreds of billions of pounds’ worth of work over the next decade, there’s plenty that can be done within the current system that would make a transformational change.

The building stock will be used by future generations and needs to play its part in order to provide a robust defence against overheating, flooding, wildfires and other climate-linked events. This will lead to a wider discussion over what’s considered ‘safety-critical’.

A strategy focused narrowly on fire and structural engineering and Building Control professionals will miss the gaps that most affect flood risk, overheating and the success of energy saving measures (including retrofit). Addressing this within Government’s vision will help to protect consumers and the UK’s safety and national security in addition to reducing pressure on public services.

AI: opportunities and challenges 

The CIC re-emphasised the call it made in the Single Construction Regulator prospectus consultation for Government to work with industry on the opportunities and challenges of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data interoperability and to help break down the barriers to collaboration (including poor legacy data, cost, poor cyber security, limited digital skills and insufficient clarity over data ownership).

Graham Watts OBE (CEO at the CIC) commented: “The professional institutions have continued to make improvements in their competence requirements for members, both in terms of their initial qualification and their ongoing development, but there are many people working in professional occupations that deliberately remain outside of the formal professional body network.”

Watts continued: “Whatever the Government chooses to do in relation to professional regulation, it absolutely must ensure that standards are raised across the sector and not just for those who already submit themselves to the requirements of the professional institutions. Government must build on the change that has already been made.”

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

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service was made aware that parts of Watson’s premises (located on Roslin Road in Bournemouth) were being used as a holiday let following a complaint made by a member of the public who had stayed there and harboured concerns regarding a number of alleged on-site fire safety failings.

Fire safety inspectors from Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service holds the legal power to enter a premises if attending officers believe it’s necessary to do so in order to enforce the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and can ‘require any person having responsibilities in relation to any premises’ to afford them such assistance.

Despite repeated attempts to gain entry to the premises in order to conduct an inspection, Watson refused to co-operate with Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service and permit access.

Sentencing took place at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court on 11 September after the trial went ahead in the absence of the defendant, who had failed to attend. Watson had also failed to attend earlier hearings.

Failure to comply

Elizabeth Jean Watson was ordered to pay a fine of £1,100, a victim surcharge of £440 and prosecution costs of £21,750.13 following a finding of guilt at Weymouth Magistrates’ Court after ‘failing, without reasonable excuse, to comply with any requirements imposed by a (fire safety) inspector’ contrary to Article 32(2)(e) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Tom Huntley, fire safety prosecution manager for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “To ensure the community is protected from the risk of death or serious injury in the event of a fire, it’s vital that our inspectors are able to carry out inspections and audits of commercial premises.”

Huntley added: “Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service will seek to work with the community to mitigate the risks of fire where feasible. For this purpose, we may require entry to properties and the assistance of ‘Responsible Persons’, as set out in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Any refusal to provide assistance can be an offence, as is the case here, and Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service will pursue prosecution action through the courts where it’s appropriate – and in the public interest – to do so.”

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

Photo: Ollie Rudkin Photography/National Fire Chiefs Council

Fire sector and Government leaders from more than 60 nations gathered in central London for three days of discussions on some of the most significant challenges facing Fire and Rescue Services: from climate-related disasters and emerging hazards through to major incident response and firefighter Health and Safety and well-being.

A recurring message throughout Congress was that no single country or Fire and Rescue Service has all the answers. As risks become increasingly shared across borders, learning from major incidents and emerging threats elsewhere can help services strengthen their own preparedness and response.

The importance of learning and acting before lives are lost was also brought into focus by powerful testimony from individuals that were affected by Aberfan, Hillsborough, the Manchester Arena terrorist attack and the Grenfell Tower fire. Contributors challenged Fire and Rescue sector leaders to recognise that the failures which contribute to major disasters can begin long before an emergency unfolds. They urged leaders to listen when concerns are raised, confront failings within their own organisations and act before tragedy forces change.

For UK Fire and Rescue Services, the World Fire Congress provided a rare opportunity to hear directly from countries responding to shared and emerging risks in different circumstances and at different scales, while contributing UK expertise and experience to the international discussion.

Challenging assumptions

Phil Garrigan, chair of the NFCC, said: “Across the past three days, we’ve shared knowledge, challenged assumptions and held honest conversations about some of the most significant issues facing Fire and Rescue Services around the world. The true success of Congress will not be measured by what was said in London. It will be measured by what we do next.”

On that note, Garrigan continued: “Our responsibility now is to turn learning into action, maintain the relationships forged here and continue working together across borders so that we’re better prepared for the challenges ahead and stronger in our support of the communities we serve.”

Addressing delegates, Baroness Blake of Leeds CBE (Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Resilience) reflected on the increasingly extreme challenges facing Fire and Rescue Services around the world and the importance of countries working together to confront shared threats and keep their communities safe.

Baroness Blake said: “I’m delighted that London hosted the second edition of the World Fire Congress. The event could not have come at a more pivotal time, following on as it did in the wake of the response of our brave firefighters to one of the most challenging wildfire seasons on record.”

Further, Baroness Blake commented: “Collaboration is critical. It was so valuable to hear from our international partners about the threats they’re facing, share the expertise of our Fire and Rescue Services and consider how we can best work together to tackle future challenges.”

In conclusion, Baroness Blake observed: “Following the devastating wildfires over the summer, we must work together to ensure that we have a Fire and Rescue Service which is able to tackle the growing risk of fires in view of the potential for hotter and drier summers in the future.”

Communities of Practice

The work of Congress will continue beyond London 2026 through the World Fire Congress Communities of Practice, providing a route for Fire and Rescue Services and the Emergency Services in general to share evidence, research and operational learning throughout the two years between Congress editions and maintain the international relationships already developed.

Congress concluded with the reaffirmation and signing of the World Fire Congress Statement of Founding Principles, setting out the shared purpose and principles that will continue to guide its work.

The United Arab Emirates formally accepted the handover as host of the next World Fire Congress scheduled for 2028, continuing the international collaboration established in Washington in 2024 and strengthened in London.

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