RiskXtraDecember2018

Thankfully, those taking the installation
qualification can rest assured in the knowledge
that they’ll be able to both meet and exceed the
standard, providing employers with quality
technicians and the customers of installation
companies with greater confidence in the level of
skill that they’re purchasing.
Qualification structure
There are four units to complete in order to become
qualified, and each has a range of topic areas that
are taught in detail from a syllabus set by the FIA’s
Awarding Organisation (ie the examination body).
(1) Foundation Course
(2) Health and Safety
(3) Environmental
(4) Advanced Installer
Although these courses are numbered 1-4 in
this list, it’s important to note that this is just a
suggested order of study. The learner must study
the Foundation Course first and then the remaining
three units of the qualification can be studied in
any desired order of preference.
After passing all four units, the learner will then
be awarded the FIA Awarding Organisation’s Level
3 in Fire Detection and Alarm Installation, Theory
and Regulatory Requirements.
“In a nutshell, EN 16763 lays out a Europe-wide benchmark of
quality that should be expected and maintained throughout
the industry. It sets out all the prerequisites for the levels of
skill, knowledge and education that should be expected”
(8) System Design (according to the requirements
of BS 5839)
(9) Explosive Environments
(10) False Alarms and Unwanted Fire Signals
Health and Safety
The eight areas of study necessary for this unit are
as follows:
(1) Health and Safety Legislation
(2) Manual Handling
(3) Working at Heights
(4) Lone Workers
(5) Provision and Use of Work Equipment
Foundation course
This unit is the first unit to be studied on the
qualification pathway. The Foundation in Fire
Detection and Alarms is a two-day intensive course
and runs throughout the year at locations across
the UK. Training is delivered by professionals
within the fire industry who have a background of
both training and extensive technical expertise.
Instruction is delivered in class through means of
PowerPoint presentation and a course handbook.
As the name ‘Foundation’ suggests, this course
covers a broad base of knowledge that will prepare
learners to undertake further fire detection and
alarm courses. There are ten areas within the
syllabus and all of these are assessed.
Throughout the course, all of the areas are
covered by the trainer. More extensive notes are
available in the course Handbook, which is given to
learners on the first day of study.
The ten areas of study are as follows:
(1) Legislation
(2) Standards, Codes of Practice, Guidance and
Technical Notes
(3) Working with Third Parties
(4) Documentation
(5) Fire Events
(6) Passive protection
(7) Fire Detection and Alarm System Technology
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