SSAIB and FIA join forces over certification

The innovative project is available for the next six months and has been set up to aid more SSAIB registered firms that want to become third-party certified for the BAFE SP-203 scheme and support a growth in delivering best practice in the fire industry.

Those firms that decide to apply will be granted a 12-month probationary membership with the FIA, which will allow them to have access to the FIA’s comprehensive training. This will, in turn, help them to prepare for their SSAIB audit – as it will ensure that they know what is required of them to meet the requirements of the scheme and that they are also working to the industry standard.

SSAIB chief executive Alex Carmichael feels that the initiative provides a host of benefits for those firms looking to branch out into fire detection and alarms, he said: “This is a great opportunity for firms looking to branch out into fire detection and alarms certification and I hope that anyone interested goes ahead and applies for the initiative – as the wealth of knowledge that the FIA can pass on will definitely help towards understanding what is needed to meet the standards and gain certification.

“We look forward to working closely with the FIA over the coming months and I’d like to thank them for partnering up with us and offering to help our firms increase their scope of certification.”

Boasting over 700 members, the FIA pride themselves on shaping standards and influencing legislation and offer unrivalled technical publications – as well as being the prime technical resource for the fire industry. FIA membership manager Chris Tilley was also quick to point out the benefits of the partnership, which has been born out of a “long-standing friendship”.

Tilley said: “The FIA and SSAIB have a long-standing friendship and - as a result - we have been looking for ways in which we can work together to improve the services currently offered to SSAIB security customers who are also engaged with fire detection and alarms, but are not yet third-party certified; with the overall aim of raising the game across the industry.

“The FIA are willing to help with this by offering 12 months probationary membership for any company who signs up with SSAIB on the BAFE SP203-1 scheme. For anyone who would like further guidance on this, we can also offer the consultancy services of our compliance manager Kevin Stearns through our ‘Route to Certification’ scheme. 

“We hope SSAIB-registered firms will take this opportunity to be part of something bigger - as we all strive to raise the standards and professionalism of the fire industry.”

Any existing firms looking to register for the joint venture between SSAIB and the FIA are asked to contact FIA membership manager Chris Tilley at ctilley@fia.uk.com and quote the reference SSAIB1.