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Fire Prevention
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Fire Engineers Journal
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR FIRE PROFESSIONALS APRIL 2005
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Fire Prevention & Fire Engineers Journal
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© Fire Protection Association 2005
ISSN 1478 3576
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&
CONTENTS
News
3 Latest UK fire statistics •
Fire authorities bid for PFI
money • NFPA report on fire
service response • 133 die in
Dominican jail fire • 28-year
sentence for arsonist
Focus: Current affairs
12 Order in the House
Helen Argyros-Farrell reports
from the Fire Industry Confederation’s
annual seminar
14 Fit for purpose
The Chief Fire Officers’
Association must improve its
performance, says Tom Carroll
Focus: Brigade resources
17 Defining roles
FP& FEJ reports from a recent
forum on training and development
of fire service staff
20 Administrative affairs
Harry Carter discusses the
issues that must be considered
in running a fire department
23 Retaining control
Fire services are being called
on to address the problem of
recruiting retained firefighters.
FP& FEJ reports
27 What a performance
FP& FEJ examines newly issued
guidance for fire authorities in
England on how to improve
performance
31 A leading question
Finding the fire service leaders
of the future depends upon
effective professional development,
says James Broman
35 Safe tactics
Phil Toase on the impact of
integrated risk management
planning in West Yorkshire
38 The missing link
Sean O’Malley explains how
Cleveland Fire Brigade is
integrating risk management
and business planning
Fire Prevention
Fire Engineers Journal
THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR FIRE PROFESSIONALS APRIL 2005
Fire stakeholders are developing plans
to improve the recruitment of retained
firefighters, p.23
Today’s fire service staff must be
committed to training, experience and
self-development, p.31
Risk-based fire engineering, coupled with
structural protection, can deliver costeffective
building solutions, p.46
M.S.I Photography Comstock Images Photodisc Blue
Focus: Risk management
40 Risk venture
Pat Cox discusses the risk
methodologies that can be
used to develop fire safety
strategies for buildings
43 Pharmaceutical thinking
Peter Camp outlines an integrated
approach to fire risk
management in the pharmaceuticals
industry
46 Package of protection
Barbara Lane and Susan Lamont
discuss the role of passive
protection in the context of
fire engineering design
50 Past and present
Graham Ellicott traces the
development of structural
steel protection and
52
compartmentation systems
A stable option
Harry Paviour calls for
54
tighter fire safety regulations
in equine and agricultural
premises
Wild talk
Gary Burnett reports on a
recent conference on tackling
the risk of wildfires
56 Serious hot work fires
1999-2003
Regular pages
Letters 6
IFE Members’ Update 7
IFE Branch news 8
International President’s Desk 10
Statistical information 16
Consultants 53
Products & contracts 58
Calendar 61
Parish Pump 62
Appointments 63, 64 & IBC
Advertisers’ index IBC

2
Ready and able?
The fire and rescue service must ensure that its staff have the
necessary skills and training to deliver the modernisation
agenda, says Rupert Gilbey
SINCE THE influential Bain report – the blueprint for the
modernisation of the fire and rescue service in England and
Wales – was published in December 2002, the change
agenda has largely been directed by the Government. The Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has been the architect
behind the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework, the
move to integrated risk management plans (IRMPs), legislative
changes, the shift to regionalisation and various strategies aimed
at delivering modernisation.
However, in recent months the onus has switched to the role of the
fire and rescue service in taking forward the reform process. This
move was first signalled by Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA)
president, Alan Doig, at the Fire 2004 conference last September,
when he said that, ‘the ball must now pass to the service to
translate the Government’s expectations into sustainable progress.’
Sure enough, as the ODPM withdraws from the modernisation
process, those at the sharp end of the service are beginning to
make real headway in delivering change and are becoming more
enthusiastic about what can be achieved. For example, many
brigades are working well on a regional basis in areas such as the
provision of joint training, whole-time recruitment and the
development of common selection criteria.
Staff involvement
However, both the fire service and the ODPM recognise that, if
modernisation is to be truly successful, fire service staff must be
fully involved in the process. Brigades have made significant
progress so far but, with Year 2 IRMPs being taken forward this
year, many ‘hard’ changes – such as changes to duty systems
and other working practices – lie ahead. Delivering these
changes will only be possible if the service’s workforce takes
ownership of modernisation.
The trouble is that the fire and rescue service is being reshaped to
such a large degree that staff now require new skill sets and more
effective training and development to ensure they can perform. The
head of the ODPM’s fire service effectiveness division, Marie
Winckler, recognised this point at a forum in late-February (see
p.17), when she told fire practitioners that, ‘the service needs a
competent, flexible workforce that is well led, diverse and which
can adapt to new challenges.’ Only then will staff become fully
engaged in the reform process.
It’s not surprising then that steps are being taken to ensure fire
service staff are up to the job. Central to this is the integrated
personal development system (IPDS), due for completion later this
year. IPDS roles are linked to national occupational standards and
national vocational qualifications. IPDS assessment and
development centres are being set up and staff competence will
also be assessed within the workplace.
Also, the ODPM and the Fire Service College are currently
preparing a National Fire and Rescue Service Training and
Development Strategy (see p.18). The draft strategy, which will set
out the principles of a new approach to training and development,
will be sent out for consultation this summer and a final version
issued in October.
FP&FEJ understands that the draft strategy will recommend that
the role of the Fire Service College is expanded so that it becomes
the guardian and assessor of IPDS. The thinking is that the college
will co-ordinate and guide brigades, acting as a facilitator and
source of training and development expertise. The strategy is also
expected to propose a new system of ‘regional Hubs’, to be coordinated
by regional management boards. These will utilise the
best training available within a region for meeting specific training
and development needs.
Much emphasis is also being placed on the need to develop leaders
in the service, who can continue to drive forward modernisation in
the longer-term. Steps are afoot here too. The brigade command
course has now been replaced with a strategic leadership
development programme. A targeted development scheme is also
being prepared which will enable personnel to progress to middle
management. ODPM is also working with CFOA, the Practitioners’
Forum and the Fire Service College to develop a fast-track system
to find future leaders.
Meeting the challenges of modernisation not only means more
training and development for fire service staff, but also for
personnel who will be working in the new network of regional fire
control centres. Control centre staff will need new skills,
particularly since the centres will direct emergency responses to
New Dimension incidents and have a new role involving data
management.
The business of the fire and rescue service is being fundamentally
altered and there are still many problems to be overcome. However,
the signs are positive and the various steps being taken by
stakeholders to improve training and development must be
applauded. But as it takes over the reins of modernisation, the
service must continue to ensure that staff have the skills and
competence to make the vision of a more effective, better
performing service, a reality ❑
Rupert Gilbey is deputy editor of FP&FEJ
FEJ & FP
April 2005

New figures show increase
in fire service call-outs
NEW FIGURES from the
Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister (ODPM) show that
UK brigades attended nearly
1.1m fires and false alarms in
2003 – 10% more than in the
previous year.
According to the figures, the
total number of fires
attended in 2003 increased
by 20% to 621,000. Within
this total, there were 212,800
primary fires (those
involving property, vehicles
and/or casualties) – 3% less
than in the previous year.
The number of secondary
(outdoor) fires rose by 38%,
compared to the previous
year. There were 63,800 fires
April 2005 FEJ & FP
in the home, a fall of 2%
from the 2002 figure.
The number of fire-related
deaths in 2003 increased to
593, 31 more than in 2002.
There were 40 more deaths
from accidental dwelling fires
than a year earlier. The total
number of fire-related
injuries fell by 6% to 15,500.
The number of false fire
alarms attended by brigades
dropped by 1% to 473,000
and, within this category, the
number of malicious false
alarms fell by 13% ❑
Fire Statistics, United
Kingdom 2003 can be
found on the ODPM website,
www.odpm.gov.uk
London firefighters take
industrial action on overtime
MEMBERS OF the Fire
Brigades Union (FBU) in
London have launched a ban
on overtime, in a new dispute
over working arrangements.
The continuous industrial
action started on 18 March
2005. Under the move, FBU
members of London Fire
Brigade will refuse to work
overtime unless they are
already answering emergency
calls from 6pm.
‘Other than continuing their
attendance at an emergency
call past their core hours, no
FBU member in London, up
to and including Station Officer
level, shall perform duties
or activities which attract overtime
or time off in lieu of
overtime,’ said FBU general
secretary, Andy Gilchrist.
Val Shawcross, chair of London
Fire and Emergency Planning
Authority (LFEPA), said
the move would affect the
ability of London Fire Brigade
to respond to incidents. It
would also impact on home
fire risk checks and community
safety work, she added.
The Union has called on
LFEPA to withdraw the link
between sickness absence
control and eligibility for
being considered for shifts of
pre-arranged overtime. Where
shifts of pre-arranged
overtime are offered, the
payment should be enhanced
at weekends to double time,
rather than time-and-a-half.
The FBU also says that
‘hanging on’ at the end of a
shift should be voluntary.
The FBU says industrial
action was a last resort
measure and hopes the
matter will be resolved
shortly. LFEPA says it is
seeking to apply the rates of
pay for overtime agreed with
the Union as part of the
settlement which ended the
long-running pay dispute ❑
Fire authorities to
bid for £150m
PFI investment
THE UK Government has
announced that it will provide
fire and rescue authorities with
a further £150m of investment
under the Private Finance Initiative
(PFI).
Speaking at the Local Government
Association’s annual fire
conference on 16 March
2005, Fire Minister Nick
Raynsford said that fire
authorities in England will be
able to bid for a share of
£150m of PFI credits.
Over the past six years, the PFI
has led to more than £240m
being invested in the fire service.
The money has been used
by fire authorities to purchase
services from private sector
specialists on a long-term
basis. Projects have included
building new fire stations and
providing training facilities.
Fire authorities have been
asked to submit initial expressions
of interest by 31 May
and have until 7 October
2005 to submit indicative bids
for the £150m of credits ❑
Safety by the book
Minister outlines
next
phase of New
Dimension
AROUND 20,000 free bookmarks
telling people how they can protect
themselves from fires in the home
are now available in Westminster
libraries, as part of a London Fire
Brigade fire safety awareness
THE campaign. GOVERNMENT The Be Safe and Sound and
fire campaign, services for will which be banners taking for- are
ward also provided, the next is part phase of a drive of the to
New encourage Dimension people to programme
take up the
this brigade’s year, free through home fire the risk deploy- checks.
ment The initiative of urban was search launched and by res- Val
cue Shawcross, (USAR) chair equipment of London Fire and
high-volume Emergency Planning water Authority, pumps. vice
Speaking
chair Colin
at
Tandy,
a New
and
Dimension
borough
seminar
commander
in
Lee
late
Phillpotts
January,
❑
Fire
NEWS
Chile forest fire
HUNDREDS OF firefighters,
troops and forest rangers tackled a
major fire in the Torres del Paine
National Park in Chile in mid-
February 2005. The blaze, which
was fanned by strong winds, took
two weeks to bring under control.
It destroyed more than 5,500 acres
of the park. A 31-year-old tourist
started the fire accidentally when
he dropped a gas cooker while
camping outside a designated area.
Authorities have estimated that it
will take 10 years for the park to
recover at a cost of more than
£2.6m ❑
High-rise blaze
FOUR PEOPLE died and three
others were injured in a fire in a
high-rise building in the Taiwanese
city of Taichung. The fire spread
through the upper floors of the
25-floor Golden Plaza Tower on
26 February 2005. It reportedly
started in a disco on the 18th floor
at about 4pm. Firefighters took an
hour-and-a-half to extinguish the
blaze. People using the rooftop
restaurant had to be winched to
safety by helicopters. The cause of
the fire is under investigation ❑
Jail for hoaxer
A RETAINED firefighter has been
jailed for a year for making 20 hoax
emergency calls to Derbyshire Fire
and Rescue Service. Appearing at
Derby Crown Court, Andrew
Richardson, 40, initially denied the
charges but later admitted making
the hoax calls. Audio experts found
that Richardson’s voice, recorded
during police interviews, matched
the voice on the emergency calls.
The court heard he made more
than £300 from extra call-out
payments. The hoax calls were
estimated to cost Derbyshire Fire
and Rescue more than £6,000 ❑
CCTV success
A PROJECT by West Midlands
Fire and Rescue Service to install
closed-circuit television cameras
(CCTV) on fire engines in the area
had led to a 47% reduction in
attacks on firefighters. Under the
initiative, fire engines in 16 fire
stations were fitted with the
cameras. Over a one year period,
attacks on firefighters at these
stations dropped from 81 to 43. The
cameras are also used by the brigade
as a training tool, with operations
and exercises being recorded and
used for debriefs. The service is now
considering whether to fit CCTV
on all its fire engines ❑
3

4
NEWS
Malaysian wildfires
THE MALAYSIAN capital, Kuala
Lumpur, was one of the many areas
affected by wildfires that spread across
the country in late February 2005.
The city was blanketed in haze and
visibility at its airport was reported to
have dropped to 1.2 miles. More than
2,000 firefighters tackled hundreds of
wildfires in the states of Kedak,
Kelantan, Pahang, Perak, Johor and
Selangor. In some cases, fires took
hold in peat soil and proved difficult
to put out ❑
Picture the scene
OXFORDSHIRE FIRE and Rescue
Service tackled a fire at a picture
framing shop, which threatened the
lives of occupants in flats above, on
12 March 2005. Two rescue pumps
attended the incident at about
5.30am. The incident commander
found a rapidly developing fire
towards the rear of the ground-floor
shop and requested additional
support. Occupants of the flats above
the shop were alerted by the fire
alarms and evacuated safely. The shop,
which did not have any smoke
detection, was severely damaged.
Investigators concluded that the fire
was started accidentally as a result of
an electrical fault ❑
Fire suppliers
A NEW trade association has been
formed representing companies that
supply products and services to the
UK fire and rescue service. The Fire
and Rescue Suppliers Association
(FIRESA) will come into being in
April 2005, with secretarial support
provided by the Association of
British Fire Trades. It has been set up
in response to changing market
conditions and the national fire service
procurement strategy ❑
Supply companies interested in joining
FIRESA can obtain more information
from David Smith on e-mail:
dsmith@abft.org.uk
Public bravery
TWO MEMBERS of the public have
been presented with Letters of
Commendation for helping the
London Fire Brigade during a serious
fire in Sutton, south London, in 2004.
Ron Champion, 53, and his grandson,
14-year-old Luke Williams, were each
presented with a letter by the Sutton
borough commander in early
February 2005. The award comes after
they rescued two people from a shop
fire in November 2004. Mr
Champion helped the two people to
safety, while his grandson alerted
neighbours ❑
US fire services attend
more non-fire incidents
NEW FIGURES from the
US National Fire Protection
Association (NFPA) for 2003
show that US fire departments
are responding to an
increasing proportion of medical
assistance calls and false
alarms.
According to the figures, fire
departments attended 13.6m
calls for medical assistance
and 2.2m false alarms. About
1.6m calls (7%) were for
actual fires. The number of
medical calls increased by
6% and false alarms by 3%,
compared to the previous
year, while calls to fires
decreased by 6%.
Medical aid calls now account
for 61% of fire department
calls, and false alarms account
for 10%, says the NFPA.
The figures also indicate that
the number of mutual-aid
calls – when a fire department
responds to an emergency in
another department’s area –
increased to 987,000 in 2003,
an 11% rise on the previous
year. In addition, the number
of hazardous material
responses, such as chemical
spills, dropped by 3% to
349,500 ❑
The figures can be accessed
via the NFPA website,
www.nfpa.org
New report on vehicle arson
THE ARSON Control
Forum (ACF) has published a
new report on the relationship
between deliberate vehicle
fires, vehicle abandonment
and other vehicle crime.
Vehicle Fires: Explaining the
Rise in Vehicle Arson examines
related data covering
the period 1998-2002. It
concludes that there is a
stronger link between vehicle
arson and vehicle theft than
previously thought, with over
50% of deliberate vehicle
fires occurring in vehicles
reported stolen.
The primary motivation for
arson in stolen vehicles is
the destruction of forensic
evidence, says the report. In
addition, many vehicles are
set alight as a means of
disposal because they are
unlicensed or untaxed.
The report recommends
that the close co-operation
between police and fire
service and local authorities
– for example, through local
arson reduction initiatives –
must be extended. It also
calls for better data
collection on vehicle identification,
and more
effective steps to monitor
vehicle licensing and
registration ❑
The report is available via
the ACF pages of the Office
of the Deputy Prime
Minister (ODPM) website,
www.odpm.gov.uk, or from
ODPM Publications on
tel: +44 (0)870 1226 236
28-year sentence
for arsonist
AN ARSONIST has been
sentenced to serve at least 28
years in prison for setting a
hostel fire in which four residents
died.
Garry Dudley, 31, started
the fire at the Fairlawn Hotel
in Birmingham, UK, in
April 2004. Birmingham
Crown Court found him
guilty of four charges of
murder and one of arson in
December 2004 and he was
sentenced at the Old Bailey
on 3 March 2005.
The court heard that Dudley,
a resident of the Victorianbuilt
hostel, set the fire
because he was angry and
wanted to be rehoused. The
blaze led to the deaths of fellow
residents Anthony Campbell,
43, Caroline Fry, 46,
Gary Parkes, 42, and Gurmel
Singh, 51, who died of smoke
inhalation after becoming
trapped in their bedrooms ❑
Environmental award
for Merseyside
MERSEYSIDE FIRE and Rescue
Service has become the first fire
service in the UK to achieve certification
for its environmental
management system.
To meet the ISO 14001 standard,
the service set up a support system
to help manage information about
its environmental performance. The
system enables the service to quantify
and reduce its use of energy,
water and waste – for example, by
recycling office paper and tyres, and
using double glazing.
The environmental system is currently
in operation at Merseyside’s
headquarters in Bootle and its safety
training centre in Croxteth. The
service plans to expand the system
to cover all its stations ❑
FEJ & FP
April 2005

Dominican government criticised
after 133 die in prison fire
THE GOVERNMENT of
the Dominican Republic in
the Caribbean is under
pressure to reform its prison
system after at least 133
inmates died in a fire.
The incident happened in a
provincial jail in the eastern
city of Higuey on 7 March
2005. Clashes between rival
gangs of prisoners led to a
riot, with many inmates
setting fire to their wooden
bedding.
The fire spread rapidly and
local fire departments were
unable to control it,
requiring support from
neighbouring areas. Rescuers
were able to save more than
20 people, although they had
difficulty entering the
building because inmates
used rubble and beds to
block the door to the main
April 2005 FEJ & FP
cellblock. Army helicopters
were called in to transport
the injured to hospitals in
the capital, Santa Domingo.
Following the tragedy, the
Government pledged to
investigate the incident and
examine how to improve its
prisons, which have been
repeatedly criticised for
being poorly equipped, overcrowded
and controlled by
gangs ❑
Companies fined after security guard death
TWO COMPANIES were
fined a total of £40,000 after
a security guard suffered fatal
burns when spilt petrol accidentally
ignited in an office
area. The prosecution was
brought by West Yorkshire
Fire and Rescue and the
Health and Safety Executive.
Leeds Crown Court heard that
the incident happened at a
building site in Morley, West
Yorkshire, on 19 February
2002. The fire started in a steel
freight container that had been
modified to form a site office
and a separate storage room.
The security guard inside the
office at the time was severely
burned and was rescued by two
members of the public who
were walking nearby and spotted
the fire. The guard died of
his injuries on 6 March.
The court heard that a 20litre
jerry can and funnel
were used by guards in the
office to refuel a small petrol
engine generator, which
powered lighting and a kettle.
The guard who died had
developed a dangerous practice
of keeping the jerry can
in the office and decanting
the petrol into empty milk
cartons, despite being told
on more than one occasion
to leave the can in the
storeroom.
The joint investigation of the
incident concluded that
vapours from spilt petrol
were ignited by one of a
number of ignition sources
present in the office.
The court heard that the
jerry can should have
been marked ‘petroleum-spirit
highly inflammable’. In addition,
the contractor failed to
notify the fire service that
petrol in a container exceeding
10 litres capacity was being
kept on the site. Furthermore,
no instructions on how to
refuel the generator were given
to security guards and there
were no fire extinguishers in
the office.
The security company,
Dalewell Limited T/A
Guardwell, was fined £25,000
under the Health and Safety
at Work etc Act (HSWA), and
ordered to pay £9,320 costs.
The contractor, Topp &
Holmes Limited, was fined
£15,000 for offences under
the HSWA and the Petroleum
Spirit (Motor Vehicles etc)
Regulations 1929. It was also
ordered to pay £8,182 costs ❑
Orlando Barria/EPA/Empics
NEWS
On the ball
LIVERPOOL FOOTBALL Club’s
under-18 academy squad were put
through their paces when Mersey-
side Fire and Rescue Service invited
them to spend a day at its training
centre. The day gave the team an
insight into the role of a firefighter
and the mental and physical skills
needed. Twelve young people aged
16-20 were given hands-on experience
of fighting fires and carrying
out search and rescue. Discussions
are now in progress about offering
Everton, Tranmere and St Helens
Rugby League academy teams
similar opportunities ❑
Driving risks
A NEW road safety initiative has
been launched by emergency
services in Surrey. Safe Drive, Stay
Alive is a stage production targeted
at 16-17-year-olds. The show,
which was launched on 3 March
2005, aims to raise awareness
among young people of the risks
and dangers associated with
driving. It uses the scenario of a
road traffic accident, tracing the
events leading up to the accident
and the response of emergency
services. The production will be
shown to some 4,000 pupils across
the county in spring 2005 ❑
Green protocol
HEREFORD AND Worcester
Fire and Rescue Service and the
Environment Agency signed a
protocol on 8 March 2005 in a bid
to streamline the emergency
response to incidents in the
county that pose a threat to
the environment. The protocol
formalises the close working
arrangements between the two
organisations. It sets out which
part of an incident each
organisation is responsible for, as
well as covering issues such as
training and funding ❑
Child Safety Week
THE CHILD Accident Prevention
Trust is calling on those who work
with children and families to
become involved in UK Child
Safety Week, taking place in June
2005. The theme of this year’s Week
is Not every accident is a lucky escape.
The Trust aims to get important
safety messages across to children
and parents to prevent accidents
from happening ❑
More information on Child Safety
Week is available from the Trust on
tel: +44 (0)20 7608 7369; or website:
www.capt.org.uk
5

6
Letters
Objective assessments
AS THE marketing manager of a number of trade associations
representing the fire protection industry, I would like to clarify
an area of potential confusion regarding schemes which
provide certification of fire protection products and services.
The British Fire Protection Systems Association (BFPSA), the
Fire Extinguishing Trades Association (FETA) and the
Independent Fire Engineering & Distributors Association
(IFEDA) have all made independent third party certification
mandatory for their members as a benchmark of quality and
performance.
Of the circa 300 fire protection companies who are members
of the respective associations, most have chosen either the
British Approvals for Fire Equipment (BAFE) or Loss
Prevention Certification Board (LPCB) schemes. Those that
have chosen a BAFE scheme can have their work certificated
by an UK Accreditation Service (UKAS) accredited
independent third party certification body, such as the British
Standards Institution, LPCB, National Security Inspectorate,
Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board, or United
Laboratories; the wide choice opening the inspection fees to
healthy competition.
The British Fire Consortium (BFC) has recently tried to emulate
the main trade associations by introducing a ‘certification
scheme’ that is assessed by themselves, offering self-certification,
not UKAS third party independent certification.
I do not wish to derogate the BFC scheme, however, it is
important that users of fire protection systems and services are
aware of the fundamental difference between a self-regulated
scheme – whereby an association sets a standard and polices it
– and schemes administered and policed by independent
UKAS – accredited bodies that have no allegiance, other than
ensuring the highest possible standards are maintained.
With the impending Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order
currently going through the parliamentary process, the changes
in fire safety legislation mean that the role of certification has
never been more important. The Order firmly places
responsibility on the ‘responsible person’ (the person who owns
the premises or business, or the person with control over the
premises, business or activity) to ensure the safety of all the
individuals that person is responsible for. However, that
responsible person may well have no real experience of fire
protection products, so it is vital that they are able to call upon
schemes which have been expressly set up to demonstrate the
competencies of the products and persons involved in the fire
protection process. We believe that third party certification is
the most effective way of fulfilling this, with the independence
of the certifying bodies, a key component.
I trust this helps to overcome any confusion that may exist in
the market between the different schemes currently in
operation and would be happy to elaborate for anybody that
requires further clarification ❑
Terry Martiny, BFPSA/FETA
Please write to: The Editor
Fire Prevention& Fire Engineers Journal
London Road, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0RH
Fax: +44 (0)1608 812501; e-mail: ahayes@thefpa.co.uk
Regionalisation objections
AS A fire safety consultant of 20 years standing, and having been
closely involved in the debacle which the introduction of the
Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 caused, I fear a
similar apprehension at the imminent imposition of change
from the centre, which seems to have been instigated for reasons
other than the benefit of the public or industry.
There are several areas of contention, which seem to highlight that
Whitehall has not learned a thing since the Workplace
Regulations were installed.
The organisations that I deal with have several similar
characteristics. Upon first visiting them they are either totally
unaware of their fire safety responsibilities, or have suddenly just
‘seen the light’ – requiring a ‘rushed job’, based upon cost, to
rectify years of ignorance and neglect – or have procedures in
place but require help. After a period of time with prolonged
assistance, these (sometimes small) companies have put in place
measures at no small expense to comply with the requirements
of the existing legislation.
Also, organisations with sites requiring special attention have in
place special arrangements for rapid response to their specialist
premises, and have an effective working relationship with the local
brigades and with their local control rooms. They are appalled that
their local contacts may be at risk by regionalisation of control
facilities and, having fused close links with competent fire officers
when setting up their fire protection/prevention systems, now fear
these are going to be lost purely for reasons of government policy.
Having had one traumatic experience with the ambulance service
in Yorkshire – when repeated calls for an emergency response only
resulted in a faraway control room ringing back to ask for
directions – I have experienced already the drawbacks to
regionalisation of control rooms. For this experience to be
repeated in the fire service, is unacceptable.
In at least two fire authority regions my clients have been
informed that the frequency of contact for liaison purposes will be
either limited or very infrequent in the future because of the calls
upon manpower requirements. As some clients have found it
difficult to implement the existing regulations, I fear that the
proposed Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order will not effect
the result – from industry strapped for cash – that is imagined by
the ODPM. Industry requires expanded services, not the actions
already demonstrated in Scotland, where control centres are
already to be much reduced for political reasons.
I am in total agreement with the comments of Baroness
Hanham with regard to the regionalisation of the fire service (see
FP&FEJ, August 2004, p.3), with the political interference one
assumes will accompany it. It would appear that the reply by
Lord Rooker for the Government indeed displays policy made
on a whim and out of prejudice. Only the public and industry
will suffer, having to fund the latest government pipe-dream, as
it is an established fact that Government is the only area of
human endeavour which does not consider the consequences of
its activities upon the real world ❑
J Hills BSc (Hons), MA, MInstFE
FEJ & FP
April 2005

THE CLOSING date for receipt of
nominations to the Board of
Directors was 31 March. This
year there are three vacancies; one will
be appointed by the General Assembly
and two will be appointed by voting
members. A ballot may be necessary if
there are more candidates than the
number of vacancies. In this instance,
ballot forms and AGM documentation
will be sent to voting members
towards the end of May.
Interschutz 2005
The Institution of Fire Engineers’ (IFE)
will be exhibiting at Interschutz, Hannover,
Germany on 6-11 June. Institution
staff and members will be present
throughout the event to promote membership
benefits and to network with
international fire professionals. If you
would like to join us in Hall 27, Stand
K47, please contact US membership
chairman, Bill Kehoe, who is co-ordinating
member volunteers on e-mail:
KehoeFD@aol.com
John Judd retires
John Judd retires as Assistant Chief
Fire Officer of Greater Manchester Fire
Service on 30 April 2005. Mr Judd’s
career in the fire and rescue service
spans more than 36 years and he is
well known and respected across the
fire profession, both in the UK and
internationally. Mr Judd will continue
his active role in the Institution. He is
an IFE director and was recently
appointed vice chairman of the Board.
I am sure that members will join with
me in wishing him well for the future.
Fire risk assessment
The British Standards Institution (BSI)
has announced the release of PAS 79:
Fire Risk Assessment. PAS 79 is welcomed
by the Institution’s Fire Risk
Assessors’ Panel which considers
applications to join the Institution’s
Register of Fire Risk Assessors. The
Guidance and a Recommended Methodology
offer a structured approach for
conducting and recording fire risk
assessments. It will provide a good
basis for the responsible person
charged with ensuring adequate fire
precautions in buildings to work from
when UK Government makes major
changes to fire safety legislation in England
and Wales by means of the new
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order.
Information on the Register of Fire Risk
Assessors can be found on the
Institution’s website, www.ife.org.uk,
or by contacting professional
development officer, Rowena Collins,
on e-mail: rowena.collins@ife.org.uk
April 2005 FEJ & FP
IFE
Members’
UPDATE
Ellen Jessett
Chief Executive Officer, IFE
Malaysian Director General retires
Dato HJ Jaafar Sidek Bib HJ Tambi,
Director General of Malaysia’s Fire
and Rescue Department, is to retire.
Jafaar has demonstrated strong
support for the Institution in Malaysia
throughout his 35-year career and
was instrumental in obtaining
government support for the IFE
International Branch Meet in Malaysia
in October 2004.
His efforts have contributed to the
development of the Malaysian Fire
and Rescue Service into a worldclass
organisation. Jaafar has been
succeeded by the new Director General,
Dato Hamzah Bin Abu Bakar,
who took up the post on 13 January
2005.
IFE Examinations
The Institution’s examinations took
place on 10-11 March 2005 and
thanks are extended to all those
members and branches involved for
their support. Please note that exam
administration is now carried out by
Keith Hulbert and Paul Zarucki of
Electronic Equipments Limited (EEL).
Marking commences at the end of
April and results will be posted to
candidates at the end of May/early
June. Candidates are asked not to
telephone the Institution or EEL for
their results as they will not be given
out over the telephone or by e-mail.
Technician and Member grades
On 1 January 2005, changes to the
requirements for admission to the
Technician and Member grades came
into effect. The requirements were
revised to reflect competence-based
Initial Professional Development
criteria. The changes were announced
in 2004 and are fully detailed in the
current Guide to Membership,
available on the Institution’s website,
www.ife.org.uk. All applications
received since 1 January 2005 are
assessed against the revised criteria. If
you completing an application, please
check the website to ensure that you
are following the latest criteria.
IFE membership and IPDS
I am pleased to report that work has
been carried out with respect to crossmapping
the Institution’s initial
professional development requirements
for Technician and Member grades with
the new competence-based role maps
in use within the UK Fire and Rescue
Service. This means that where UK fire
and rescue service personnel are
certified as competent in their particular
role, there will be a reduced requirement
to provide evidence for the IFE’s
Technician and Member grades. Further
information can be obtained from the
IFE’s professional standards officer,
Marianne Ballantyne on e-mail:
marianne.ballantyne@ife.org.uk ❑
Admissions to
membership
Congratulations to the following members, who
were admitted to membership in the period up to
1 March 2005:
Technician
Hamilton, Clive James
Graduate Grade
Bujun, Jaypal Chander, Subhash
Forrest, John Gandhi, Surinder Singh
Hewitt, Mark Hung, Man Kin
Jyoti Prakash, Mishra Kumar, Manish
Lane, Neil David Lown, Martin Stephen
Mackinnon, Alison Faye Nazurally, Mohamed Shakir
Stirling, Ian
Associate Member
Gannon, Mark Lovely, Andrew
Member Grade
Atmaram, Mishra Cheung, Man Yuen
Dineen, Michael Gerard Derek Dinesh, Vasudevan
Dutton, Mark Stephen Egan, Mark James
Haggart, Ross O’Sullivan, Joseph
Seward, Jason
Fellow
Chik, Mo Shui (Roks) Hui, Kam-Chuen (Paul)
O’Sullivan, Kevin
For information on membership and registration,
please contact Marianne Ballantyne on +44 (0)1608
812 584 or e-mail: marianne.ballantyne@ife.org.uk
7

8
Branch news news
FOLLOWING THE success of the
first awards evening held by the
Defence Fire Service (DFS) and
the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE)
in 2004, a second event was held at
the DFS Training School at Manston,
Kent on 13 January 2005. The event
was a huge success and is now set to
become a regular event.
The event recognised the valuable
contribution that DFS personnel have
made over the past year to the fire
service and the Ministry of Defence. A
total of 32 presentations were made.
Chief Officer’s address
In his opening address, DFS Chief Fire
Officer, Bill Holliman said that fire
engineering continues to be a rapidly
developing profession, operating in an
ever-changing arena. He acknowledged
the IFE’s pivotal role in
ensuring that its personnel achieve
the highest standards in fire
engineering, declaring that DFS is
proud to support IFE aims. He said
that the IFE award ceremonies reflect
the professionalism of firefighters and
recognise the fire engineering
knowledge and skills which are a
contributing factor in protecting
people, business and equipment. The
awards reflect the high standards
necessary in the development of
firefighters, their careers and the
achievement of higher academic
professional qualifications, he added.
CFO Holliman explained that the DFS
has fully appreciates how
membership of the IFE can broaden
the professional standing of the fire
service and that it sees membership
of the Institution and the Engineering
Council Division not only as a
personal development goal for
individuals, but also as an
organisational development goal to
be used as an indicator for measuring
both the individual and the
organisation within the wider fire
community.
Defence Fire Service awards
Graham Knight reports from a recent IFE awards ceremony at
the Defence Fire Service
Fire Brigade Long Service and Good
Conduct Medal
Station Officer Alistair Goldie
Sub Officer Jonathon Simms
National Vocational Qualifications (NVQ)
Emergency Fire Services Level 3 NVQ –
Operations in the Community
Firefighter Sandra Owen
Assessor Awards – Learning and
Development NVQ
Temporary Sub Officer Simon Protheroe
Leading Firefighter Paul Hargreaves
Firefighter Jason Crossland
Sergeant Matt Harper MBE
HNC Fire Safety Studies
Divisional Officer Graham Knight
Station Officer Examination Certificate
Sub Officer John Barker
Engineering Council (UK) Registration
as an Engineering Technician
Divisional Officer Graham Knight
Station Officer Alistair Goldie
Temporary Station Officer Dennis Binley
Temporary Station Officer Allan Coles
Temporary Station Officer Russ Neal
Sub Officer Geoff Butler
Sub Officer Trevor Fenn
To assist with this process, CFO
Holliman appointed a DFS/IFE liaison
officer and a deputy – Divisional
Officer Graham Knight and Station
Officer Joe Ruane respectively – to act
as an interface between the fire
service and the Institution. He
explained that this initiative has
resulted in a much greater level of
interest from serving personnel – in
both mainstream membership and
Engineering Council Division
membership. Expressing his pride
towards the 33 DFS personnel who
are now registered as Engineering
Technicians, CFO Holliman closed his
address by commenting on how DFS’s
Presentations
Sub Officer Robert Greystone
Sergeant Matt Harper
Sergeant Andy Kubler
Sub Officer Allan Larnach
Sergeant Andy McDonnell
Sub Officer Keith MacDonald
Sub Officer John Peters
Sub Officer Jon Simms
Sub Officer Ian Souch
Leading Firefighter Martin Head
Firefighter Andrew Bennett
Chief Fire Officer Awards
Introduced to recognise excellence within
the service the awards are split into
4 categories – Chief Officer’s
Commendation for Bravery, Chief
Officer’s Commendation, Chief Officer’s
Certificate of Appreciation and Chief
Officer’s Letter of Appreciation.
Divisional Officer Graham Knight
Station Officer Joseph Ruane
Sub Officer Mark Appleton
Sub Officer Gavin Tiley
Temporary Sub Officer Derek Williams
Assistant Divisional Officer Sim Nex
Station Officer Ian Hoyle
Station Officer Paul Green
Temporary Station Officer Russ Neal (HQ)
Sub Officer Martyn Pollard (Training
School)
relationship with the Institution has
benefited the service by forging new
links and collaborative working, not
only with other fire and rescue services
but also industry and academia. He
pledged his full support and
encouragement to personnel to reach
their personal development goals,
whether they are IFE awards, National
Vocational Qualifications, statutory
examinations or higher academic
qualifications ❑
Graham Knight is the
DFS/IFE Liaison Officer
FEJ & FP
April 2005

ON 10 December 2004 a
Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) was signed
between the New Zealand Fire Service
and the New Zealand Branch of the
Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE).
The MOU, which vows to jointly promote,
encourage and improve fire
extinction, fire prevention and fire
engineering, officially cements the
relationship between the two organisations.
The MOU is more than just
a signed piece of paper it is, in part,
a symbol of how far the New
Zealand Branch of the IFE has come
in its 75-year history.
The past 10 years has seen the
Branch undergo one of its most challenging
periods. In the early 1990s,
with a membership exceeding 800,
the Branch was one of the largest
outside the UK and, in 1993, New
Zealander Graham Wrigley became
the first non-UK International President.
But in the mid-1990s things
suddenly changed.
Fire service reforms and contract
negotiations forced many firefighters
to refocus their energies away from
continuing professional development
(CPD). IFE membership began to fall
and, by 2000, the Branch had dwindled
to less than 200. Meetings and
administration tasks became difficult
as the membership numbers
were just not there.
But, in 2001, the fire service contract
negotiations were settled and
firefighters had time to start refocusing
their energies back towards
CPD. This, combined with the
efforts of a highly motivated group
of councillors, saw the beginning of
a new drive for the Branch.
Building on its strong foundations and
proud history, the Branch re-entered a
period of growth. A seminar about the
Oklahoma Bombing, the first in more
than five years, drew in the crowds. It
was followed by three more successful
seminars in 2002-2004, entitled
September 11, Large Insulated Sandwich
Panels and Hazdent. This year’s
conference, SAFEAIR 2005, will be
held in Auckland on 31 August to 1
September 2005.
April 2005 FEJ & FP
Boost from Fiji
In 2003, membership growth was
boosted even further by the efforts
of past president Peter Menzies.
While travelling to Fiji to teach members
of the Fijian National Fire Authority
about fire safety, fire safety promotion
and fire investigation, he
introduced them to the Institution.
‘We just suggested – as we were
there representing the New Zealand
Branch of the IFE – that anyone who
wanted to join should leave me their
name and address. I thought we
might get two or three,’ he said.
Instead, Mr Menzies returned to New
Zealand with 60 new members wanting
to join the Branch and wishing to
sit preliminary exams. Mr Menzies
explained: ‘The Chief Executive of the
Fire Authority over there had made it
quite clear that anyone wanting promotion
needs to do examinations, so
when we turned up in town offering
examinations, they just grabbed it.’
Last year, New Zealand Branch members
went to Fiji to help its new members
study for their exams and to
provide encouragement and support.
Forty members will sit the exam this
year. Furthermore, interest in the IFE
has now come in from Samoa.
Membership growth
Current New Zealand Branch President,
Murray Binning believes that
enthusiastic recruitment work and
successful seminars have played a
vital role in the gradual rebuilding of
the Branch membership. He
explained: ‘To have 40 new members
from a small country like Fiji sitting the
exams has got to be a world first.
While we have still got a long way to
go, we have seen our membership
grow by 50% in the space of a short
time and that’s just great.’
Support from the New Zealand Fire
Service, strengthened with the signing
of the MOU, is another key factor in
the Branch’s resurgence. Fire Service
Chief Executive and National Commander
Mike Hall has long supported
the Institution – both personally and
financially. Signing the MOU was a
very public way of acknowledging that.
He said: ‘It is a clear indication to the
organisation and the staff that I sup-
FOCUS: OCUS: BRANCH BRANCH
NEWS NEW
New Zealand Branch flourishes
port the Institution of Fire Engineers
and what it represents, and obviously
the learning and gaining of an external
international professional qualification.’
Mr Hall explained that modern training
methods failed to give the IFE exams
the kind of recognition previously
received in New Zealand. He said that
plans are now under way to cross-credit
the fire service and IFE examinations
in order to restore that situation.
Signing the memorandum not only
boosted the Institution's profile in
New Zealand but also sent a strong
message to staff about the value of
gaining an IFE qualification. Mr Hall
declared: ‘I'm pleased at the resurgence
of the Institution in this country
and I certainly support it. I would
certainly encourage all of my staff
who want to progress in the organisation
to look seriously at taking
these external examinations for their
own self improvement.’
Networking benefits
Bill Butzbach, past president from
1994-96, and currently a Fire Region
Manager, said the exams were not
the only positive part of the IFE. Networking
with senior staff and international
members was another huge
bonus for young firefighters, especially
those looking to mentor or to
move up in the organisation. He
explained: ‘The IFE probably contributed
more to my capability of
becoming a senior manager than
anything else.’
Achieving cross-accreditation of
examinations is the Branch’s single
most important goal for 2005, since
the move will not only benefit
firefighters but also act as a
recruitment tool for growing the
Branch.
As the New Zealand Branch moves
into its 76th year, it is once again
looking healthy. The Branch now has
its first business plan and is looking
to secure its first corporate partnerships.
With that kind of support available
– to assist with more seminars
and CPD initiatives – and the continued
enthusiasm from councillors,
2005 looks set to be another great
year for the New Zealand Branch ❑
9

10
IN THIS month’s message, I will continue to discuss the
contents of the membership section of the Institution of Fire
Engineers’ draft strategic plan and to cover the two final
sections of the plan, dealing with resources and the positioning of
the Institution.
Membership growth
One of the key elements of the strategic plan is
the development of a comprehensive membership
recruitment/retention scheme that will provide sustained
growth for the Institution. This will require the Board of
Directors to establish annual goals for membership growth and
to provide tools to each branch that will support a systematic
approach to member recruitment, retention, development and
engagement in branch activities. These membership recruitment
tools will consist of a standard PowerPoint presentation for
branch recruitment activities. The tools will also include best
practice examples from other branches that will assist in the
delivery of a wide variety of professional development activities
and opportunities to members.
The strategic plan encourages ongoing support for the growth
and influence of the Engineering Council Division (ECD), through
activities which clearly identify and promote the benefits of ECD
qualifications. Ongoing professional development activities and
support for the ECD will serve to encourage the educational
advancement and qualifications of members.
The Institution’s continued international growth will be
encouraged by making examinations local in character and
language and legally acceptable, while offering international
equivalency and standards. The plan identifies a need to maintain
a process for the accreditation of local-based examinations with
IFE exams and membership grades, and to establish a system that
will result in quality assurance of professional standards. The plan
will help guide the Institution as it works towards better
integration of qualifications between local and international
engineering institutions worldwide.
The strategic plan also identifies additional ways of providing
member support, by authorising some autonomous branch
activities – in accordance with established procedures – and to
initiate wider Internet-based services to our members. The
Internet can serve as a valuable tool by allowing for international
language access, and providing the ability to host virtual meetings,
enabling a wide contribution and sharing of knowledge.
Resources
The third section of the strategic plan promotes the partnership
of both full-time staff and membership resources to accomplish
the strategic aims of the Institution. This will be achieved through
a series of steps that will identify a prioritised listing of strategic
aims, resulting in the identification and recruitment of appropriate
staff and volunteer resources. Specific staff and volunteers will
then be tasked with accomplishing identified strategic aims. This
process will ultimately provide the Institution with the ability to
streamline its day-to-day business activities and ensure greater
efficiency between the IFE Head Office, members and branches.
The Institution of Fire Engineers
International
President’s Desk
The plan also aims to establish a fair and equitable membership
subscription scheme. This is a critical element of the plan and is
absolutely necessary in order to shift the economic burden from
membership subscriptions to other more balanced income
sources. An activity-based cost analysis will be conducted as the
first step in the process. This will ultimately lead to the
development of an equitable finance plan that allows branches
and groups to provide member support services, programmes
and projects without total reliance on members’ subscriptions. In
order to be successful in this effort, IFE must find additional ways
to increase operating revenue. This may be accomplished through
the development of a marketing plan that can also be handed to
each branch to help them to increase their operating revenue.
The Board and each individual branch must work to establish
strategic alliances with business and fire engineering organisations
within their individual countries, for the purpose of increasing
operating revenue to provide for both existing and new member
services. The marketing plan will identify new external initiatives
that may provide financial support for branch sponsorship and
additional financial support for General Assembly participation, as
well as professional development for individuals.
Positioning of the Institution
The final section of the strategic plan focuses on raising the
visibility and influence of the Institution. This effort will be
accomplished through the establishment of strategic alliances with
academia, fire interests and the wider fire community.
These initiatives will introduce a plan for marketing the fire
engineering profession through the development of professional,
promotional and support materials to assist branches to reach a
wider audience for membership. Implementation of this approach
will result in gaining influence with employers and provide a way
for the IFE to develop better links with government.
The Institution must find better ways to serve its membership,
while at the same time working to increase the visibility and
influence of the organisation in support of its branches across the
world. The development and adoption of the Institution’s
updated strategic plan will provide the Board of Directors, the
General Assembly, individual branches and members with clear
guidance to allow for a continual review of IFE’s approach and
working arrangements. This will ensure that the Institution
remains relevant to the needs of its members and the
communities in which its members serve and operate.
The Board of Directors is scheduled to accept and formally adopt
both the strategic plan and the marketing plan at its meeting in
early April. Next month, I will provide a status report on the
Board’s actions and the next steps in the process ❑
Bill Peterson FIFireE
FEJ & FP
April 2005

Being informed is being in front
Premises information and the Premises Information Box System
PROVIDING EMERGENCY services with reliable
information on building layout, structure and risk
offers significant advantages. This has been recognised
in the recently published BS5588 part 12 ‘Management of
Fire Safety’ Annex Q, and formalised as a recommendation to
provide plans to the fire service.
The Fire Service have characterised an incident as consisting
of three phases with differing information needs:
First response The Golden Hour
Plans, life risk, firefighting equipment and
hazards
Consolidation Building plans – wider scale, structural
information, areas of special operational
need, other risks, fire manual
Recovery Business recovery, salvage
Group Commander, London Fire Brigade, Fire Times, page 35 January 2005
The Premises Information Box System
Once the need for information has been recognised, a system
for providing this information to fire fighters needs to be
identified. The London Fire Brigade had established a need
for a plans box system, and set certain criteria: the system
needed to be simple to use in
fireground conditions, reliable and
available at the point of delivery.
London Fire Brigade initiated the
design of the Premises Information
Box, working with Gerda, to a system
that met these criteria. The
Premises Information Box
harnesses the advantages of
Gerda’s tried and tested lock and key
management technology to allow Fire
Brigade access to on-site plans.
The Premises Information Box also
assists with the risk-based regime of fire
safety management. The process of
drawing up premises information plans
should be part of the wider risk analysis
process, as defined by the AIRMIC Risk
Management Standard:
“This [risk analysis] process allows the
risk to be mapped to the business area
affected, describes the primary control
procedures in place and indicates areas
where the level of risk control investment
might be increased, decreased or
reapportioned.” †
April 2005 FEJ & FP
Benefits for Risk Management
Indeed, the Premises Information Box plans
offer a tool to assist with the identification
of the risk profile of the building.
There is a strong commercial need to
protect vital business equipment or, as the
Business Continuity Institute calls them,
‘Mission Critical Assets’. Even with the
greatest of care, serious fires will probably
also incur some degree of fire fighting
water damage.
Plans that highlight specific equipment or
systems identified as a single point of
failure give fire fighters the opportunity to
The Premises Information Box holds the first responder
information for the ‘Golden Hour’ as A3 plans. It has been
designed so that it can also accommodate the detailed
information that the Fire Service could use as an incident
enters the consolidation and recovery phases. The CD-ROM
pockets on the reverse of the door can provide storage for this
information. Each business/organisation will identify during
the risk assessment process the information specific to their
type of building to provide to the brigade in this way, which
could include:
• Mechanical & Electrical details
• Safety File
• Asbestos Register
• Contingency plans
• Fire Safety Manual
• As fitted drawings
• Structural drawings
• Business Continuity Information
The Premises Information Box provides a uniform, secure
and easily recognisable system for the provision of
information that becomes a focal point for emergency action.
protect or move these during fire fighting
operations.
Folowing the Manchester bombing 1996, a
‘lesson learned’* by business from the
recovery was to ensure that key data is
accessible.
† A Risk Management Standard (© IRM, AIRMIC, ALARM.2002)
* ‘Business As Usual’ Home Office, February 1999, page 10.
For further information contact:
01638 562299
www.premisesinfobox.info
ADVERTORIAL
11

12
FOCUS: OCUS: CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS
ORDER IN THE HOUSE
Helen Argyros-Farrell reports from the Fire Industry
Confederation’s annual seminar in Westminster
THE FIRE Industry Confederation’s (FIC’s) Annual
Westminster seminar, held in the House of Commons
on 24 January, centred on the issues surrounding the
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. The pending Order,
the most fundamental development in fire safety law in
England and Wales for several decades, is designed to replace
current fragmented laws with a coherent system. Prospects
from the bridgehead aimed to discuss the wider implications
of the Fire Safety Order, outlining the new regime, as well as
the benefits and the concerns it raises. For those in
attendance it also offered the opportunity for further debate.
The event, organised by FIC in association with the Business
and Community Safety Forum and the Practitioners’ Forum,
was attended by over 80 delegates from the fire community
and regional fire authorities, as well as various industry
professionals.
Explaining the Order
Following brief introductions by Lord Howie of Troon and
Pamela Castle, chair of the Business and Community Safety
Forum, Andy Jack, head of the Fire Safety Legislation, Fire
Policy Division at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
(ODPM), offered a brief history of the Fire Safety Order. It
aims to provide for safety law and reform, he said, adding
that existing fire law has become ‘burdensome for businesses
and people’.
Mr Jack explained that lawyers, fire safety professionals and
industry professionals, including fire authorities, all agree
that reform is needed. ‘Existing fire laws are concerned with
the escape from buildings, not prevention, and prevention
needs to be addressed,’ he declared. He said that the second
part of the Order is to make the issue of prevention as
important as escape and that, by reducing the number of
fires, it should help make prevention possible, reducing
property damage, and improving the safety of firefighters.
He admitted the reform process has been longer than
anticipated, since it has involved much negotiation to
‘move things forward’. He argued that many Acts of
Parliament have needed to be amended. He said that those
involved in drafting the Order have to make sure that the
law is correct and valid, with legal checks in place at every
stage. Echoing the view held by David Bonnett that the
government should be receptive to opinions and comments
of those involved in fire safety, he urged, ‘The Order has to
be right to help us steer it to a final conclusion.’
However, the time-frame of the draft was a sore point for
several attendees. It prompted a comment from a
representative of Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, who
explained that the service has already ascertained many
difficulties with the Order and will find it awkward to
introduce in the required time-frame, especially if a
conclusive document is not produced soon.
Business impacts
David Bonnett, FIC chair, welcomed delegates and speakers
to the event and aired a view, shared by many, that the new
Order is an integral part of the wider ODPM fire safety
agenda and will play a full part in delivering the Government’s
fire loss reduction targets.
Mr Bonnett argued that independent third-party certification
is the only effective means of demonstrating the competency
of manufacturers, contractors and consultants. This should be
reflected in the guidance documentation which will underpin
the Order, he said, since third-party certification benefits
legislators, enforcers, insurers and end-users.
Mr Bonnett was joined by Mike Wood, chair of the Fire
Safety Development Group and the Passive Fire Protection
Federation, to discuss the Order’s impact on business. Paying
particular attention to identifying competent fire risk
assessors, fire safety products and service providers, Mr
Bonnett began by illustrating the process which a
businessman would have to undertake to comply with the
new Order. He explained that many businesses will be
unaware of the new requirements and unaware that their fire
certificate will no longer be proof of adequate fire safety.
The first hurdle to businesses when producing a fire risk
assessment and fire action plan is to find a ‘competent person’
to carry out the risk assessment. However, Mr Bonnett
questioned how businesses will be sure that the appointed
person or external consultant hired to carry out the
assessment is competent to undertake the required work.
Mr Bonnett explained that the Fire Safety Order, as drafted,
puts the responsibility for fire safety on the designated
‘responsible person’, which in the case of the businessman
makes him, along with any consultant or contractor, liable to
prosecution in the event of post-incident legal proceedings.
He said that, theoretically, anyone can set up in the business
of fire risk assessment, and to safeguard this, a businessman
would have to investigate the competency of the consultant,
and prove that the hired contractors were capable and that all
procedures were carried out fully.
However, he went on to say that the Order does not explain
where to go to for advice and that, ‘it is not strong enough’ on
the definition of contractors, urging the Government to ‘spell
it out in plain English’; ‘show examples’ and ‘name names’. In
addition, he called for the positive and enthusiastic
endorsement of independent third-party certification.
FEJ & FP April 2005

He argued that the Government has ensured that electrical
and gas contractors have a mandatory defined level of
competence, and that this legal requirement should extend
to fire protection contractors and advisors who are
designing, installing or maintaining life-critical systems.
He suggested that contractors should be accredited to
ISO 9001: Quality management systems to prove their
commitment to continuous improvement and competency,
and ongoing auditing should be part of the scheme. ‘The
Government can give more prominence to the importance
of selecting competent contractors in guidance documents
and publicity campaigns,’ he said, stressing that the
Government should not make the guidance documents too
complicated.
Building the future
Echoing David Bonnett’s view of third-party certification,
Mike Wood explored the issues surrounding a manufacturer
and producer of safety products in relation to the Fire Safety
Order. He focused on the duty of the responsible person to
ensure adequate installation of fire safety products and
pleaded that the knowledge, training and competence of
installers should be assessed on a regular basis.
Commenting on how improved fire safety in buildings is a
necessity, he explained that, currently, manufacturers of fire
safety products work to particular standards, obtaining
approvals such as the CE mark and the British Standard
Kite Mark, while building designers/architects work to the
standard set by the Building Regulations 2001, which
covers fire safety in building design. He argued that, while
there is an obligation for all designers and manufacturers to
work to a set standard, installers of fire safety products,
namely the construction industry, are simply required to
follow ‘best practice’.
He further explained that the construction industry is not
easy to police and is not particularly driven by standards.
He told delegates: ‘At Pilkington, we produce and spend
millions on development, product control and quality
but we do not involve ourselves in installation or
construction. We are dependent on the construction
industry to finish the process.’
Referring back to third-party certification, he concluded
that the responsible person needs to be confident that a
fire safety product has not only been installed correctly,
but has been specified and manufactured correctly.
‘Responsibility is linked to a quality chain and not just
limited to one individual,’ he declared.
Down to business
Dennis O’Brien, the Confederation of British Industry’s
(CBI’s) representative on the Business and Community
Safety Forum, offered another perspective on the Fire
Safety Order. He stated that the UK has a good fire safety
record which is important to maintain. However, he
believed there is a need to ascertain and understand the
Order’s impact on small businesses.
Mr O’Brien welcomed the Order but warned that the
accompanying guidance should be non-prescriptive and
clear in its meaning. He called for improvements to the
guidance provided in Approved Document B to the
April 2005 FEJ & FP
FOCUS: OCUS: CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS
Building Regulations of England and Wales. He urged that
the guidance should reflect current building trends and
developments and should ‘ensure that it is seen as guidance
and not a bible’. Mr O’Brien concluded that the Building
Regulations and the Fire Safety Order need to be
complementary, consistent and clear to ensure fire safety
can be delivered throughout the life of the built
environment.
A legal perspective
The issue of what will happen once fire certification has
been removed was the main concern aired by Glyn Evans,
fire safety advisor to the Fire Brigades Union. Mr Evans
believed that, while it is important to maintain fire safety
standards once fire certification is scrapped, it is also
important to ensure that public confidence in the
proposed regulations is maintained. Since onus of
absolute and complete compliance is now placed on the
responsible person under the Fire Safety Order there is a
need to ensure adequate and proper enforcement to
further guarantee public safety.
He said that the Order needs to reflect changes within the
fire and rescue service, in particular the introduction of
integrated risk management plans (IRMPs). He stressed
that firefighter life safety must be an element of
consideration when planning an overall fire safety
strategy.
Professor Rosemary Everton, chair of fire law at the
University of Central Lancashire, continued on the same
theme, emphasising the need for proper enforcement of
the Order and that mechanisms are included to ensure
that authorities will enforce the law. She aired concerns
that the currently drafted Order may lack these
mechanisms, especially with regard to IRMPs, and called
for better guidance on enforcement for local fire
authorities.
She urged for the draft Order to be clear to lawyers,
adding that it is apparent that the Government favours
flexibility over clarity.
Mr Evans, discussed the intricacies of the responsible
persons in multiple occupied buildings and the problems
with deciding where responsibility lies. He argued that,
under the Order, enforcement notices will need to be
issued to responsible persons approved by each
occupier/tenant, as well as to the building’s owner. He
explained that this is a time-consuming system that could
cause delay in dealing with fire safety issues, since fire
authorities will have to deal with each responsible person
on an individual basis.
There were many unanswered questions concerning the
Order, but there was a level of confidence among
delegates that the ODPM will listen to all parties to
ensure adequate answers are given. Pamela Castle summed
up the views of many: ‘The Fire Safety Order is based on
risk management and assessment, with the view that
preventative measures can be taken. It works in the health
and safety arena, so long as all the caveats are there
already, including publicity being in place. Nobody wants
the agenda to be littered with prosecutions’ ❑
13

14
FOCUS: OCUS: CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS
Fit for purpose
The Chief Fire Officers’ Association must
reposition itself if it is to succeed, says incoming
President Tom Carroll
WHEN CHIEF Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA)
members gather for their 2005 Annual General
Meeting at the end of April, they will be asked to
consider a number of changes to the structure of the
Association. According to incoming President Tom Carroll,
these changes are designed to improve the Association’s
performance, repositioning it to ensure it can continue to
provide strong, clear and unequivocal leadership through the
fire service modernisation process.
The change in structure is needed to ensure that CFOA can
continue to deliver, particularly in its role as chair of the
Practitioners’ Forum, says Mr Carroll. ‘CFOA has done
extremely well,’ he declared.
‘This was a completely new area, a completely new Forum
and a completely new environment for us to find ourselves in.
In the 18 months since the Forum has been running, it has
delivered on a large number of issues, particularly through the
task and finish groups that have been set up.’
But it is through the work of the Forum that CFOA
recognised that, if it is going to continue to play a major role,
it will have to modernise. ‘As well as looking outwards, the
Forum has offered a good opportunity for us to look inwards.
‘We are expecting the Forum to deliver on a lot of issues and,
as a result, we recognise that perhaps CFOA is not best
shaped to deliver,’ declares Mr Carroll.
‘We realise that if we are to succeed, we have got to have a far
slimmer operation that can react more quickly.’
The initial proposal is to reduce the size of the Board from the
current 12-18 elected/co-opted directors to seven or eight.
The new board will include the presidential team, as well as
four elected strategic directors, each with specific roles,
responsibilities and duties, encompassing:
• service delivery – operational response
• service delivery – prevention/protection
• service/corporate support
• human resources
‘In the modern day, and with the speed at which we are
wanting to deliver, a board of 17 is not practical,’ states Mr
Carroll. ‘The proposed change is really to make us more
businesslike, and we hope through that to be able to improve
how we deliver our business. We should be able to react
much more quickly.’
Linked to the proposed alterations to the Board, is a revamp
of the presidential team. The proposals will see the level of
commitment required from elected officers reduced from
four to three years, while at the same time ensuring leadership
succession and continuity of approach.
‘In the current structure, the period of commitment needed
for the presidential team, is four years. This is a long time
bearing in mind that we have to do our day job as well,’
says Mr Carroll.
The new proposals will see the post of Immediate Past
President removed from the constitution, allowing an
individual to step down at the end of his/her term of
presidency. The presidential team will consist of a President,
Vice President and Vice President Elect.
A full-time chief executive will also be appointed to work with
the presidential team in ensuring that the Association meets its
business objectives. The new chief executive will have a huge
part to play in formalising business planning and in
encouraging greater membership involvement in the business.
He will also review the Association’s staffing structures and
resource base, to improve the alignment of resources available
to the Association with its business objectives.
Engaging membership
Not only does the CFOA Board want to carry the
membership with it through these changes, but it also wants
to ensure that membership involvement in the Association’s
business will increase substantially. The proposals establish
policy team leaders, working/task groups, lead officers,
secondments, research opportunities and lead spokespersons,
all of which will require more membership involvement in
policy formulation, maintenance and review. A Members’
Sounding Board is also proposed, which will provide an
opportunity for members to contribute to policy
development, review and maintenance.
‘The Sounding Board, which will be chaired by the Vice
President, will allow a large tranche of membership to
comment on what we are doing, how we are doing it and how
we are delivering. There will be more opportunity for
membership involvement, rather than less,’ says Mr Carroll.
The Sounding Board will meet at least four times per year. In
addition, the Annual General Meeting will be replaced with
two conferences, one in the spring and one during the
FEJ & FP April 2005

CFOA’s strategic objectives
In responding to the challenges of reform and
modernisation, CFOA will pursue the following strategic
objectives to ensure that:
1. The fire and rescue service will be measurably
more effective through the influence of the
professional leadership of the Association
CFOA will ensure that:
• the reform agenda is properly implemented in line with
the National Framework, Public Service Agreement
and Best Value performance indicators
• sufficient financial resources are made available to
enable delivery of the expectations of the public
• appropriate quality assurance mechanisms are in place
• priorities are based on professional risk assessment
2. The Association will be recognised by all fire and
rescue stakeholders as the key source for
independent and professional support, leadership
and guidance
CFOA will ensure that:
• senior managers are empowered, trained and
equipped to discharge their personal leadership roles
fully and effectively
• its influence and expertise is readily available and
actively sought by all stakeholders and partners of the
fire and rescue service
• it provides a strong, clear, consistent professional voice
in order to influence public policy formulation and its
delivery
• it publishes professional and technical guidance on key
issues emerging from the reform agenda
3. Senior managers will regard the Association as the
key point of contact for professional support
CFOA will ensure that:
• a professional development network is established
• the availability of an electronic database and forum is
sustained and utilised to the mutual benefit of all
members and other stakeholders
• it provides access to information and research to
stimulate innovation and exchange of best practice,
both within the Association and between partner
organisations
• it provides strong advocacy and a business framework
by the publication of an annual business plan, which
takes account of the corporate risks and key issues
facing fire and rescue services
4. Members of the Association will promote agreed
core values, code of conduct and professional ethics
CFOA will ensure that:
• members of the Association promote and embrace the
fire and rescue service’s core values and the
Association’s Code of Conduct
• the Association and its members act with integrity, in
good faith and in the best interests of the service and
the general public, within a professional code of ethics
April 2005 FEJ & FP
FOCUS: OCUS: CURRENT AFFAIRS AFFAIRS
autumn. These will be more aligned to business issues.
Themed seminars on more practical considerations will also
be run throughout the year.
‘We want to ensure that in taking this bold step we bring the
membership with us,’ explains Mr Carroll. ‘The consultation
exercise that we are going through is the largest we have ever
carried out. It has been welcomed by members and there is
broad support for the proposals, as well as some very welcome
constructive comments that have resulted in a number of new
considerations being taken on board.’
The involvement of other stakeholders is also important to
CFOA. Stakeholder engagement becomes a specific
responsibility of one director. ‘Once we have done our internal
business, I am hopeful that there will be an opportunity in our
conferences for stakeholders to play their part as well,’ declares
Mr Carroll. ‘I think it is particularly important to recognise the
Local Government Association, as our employers, for assisting
us greatly by allowing us to get on with this work. There is, of
course, the major benefit for them of us being able to deliver a
better service as a result of our work in CFOA.’
Strong leadership
But, warns Mr Carroll, the coming year will not be easy: ‘We
have begun to go in a direction and there are demands on us
now where, if there is not strong leadership, we will be
overtaken. Our new strategy is about maintaining and building
on what is already there. As President, I will have to listen to my
Board, to the Sounding Board and the stakeholders.
‘This is not about running a private club; it is about running an
association that wants to position the fire service as a major
player in community safety. Any diversion from that line is one
that is going to damage our ability to progress or gain that
recognition. We need to ensure that we pick our direction,
follow it and that we don’t deviate because we are distracted by
minor issues.’
While declaring that CFOA members have the skills that are
needed to lead the fire and rescue service through the
modernisation process, Mr Carroll recognises that they also
need to see the results.
‘There is a confidence issue,’ he claims. ‘The Association has
got to have confidence that it can deliver and it has to have
confidence in its Board to deliver. We have to work on a needs
basis. We are going to have to specialise and make sure that our
competency is current and that we don’t slip behind. We have
to work with the trend and watch what is happening outside to
ensure we recognise what skills are needed to deliver the goods.’
Mr Carroll is enthusiastic about the challenges he will face
during his presidential year. ‘CFOA’s new strategy is about
improving and enhancing the profile that the Association has
gained and continuing to improve its influence.
‘The proposals aim to ensure that the Association is fit for
purpose and able to meet, not only the expectations and
aspirations of the Government and other stakeholders, but also,
importantly, those of its membership.’ ❑
15

16
STATISTIC TISTICAL AL
INFORMATION
INFORMATION
Compiled by Kay Helm
JUNE 2003 – MAY 2004
Twelve month analysis of
£250,000-plus fires
Number of fires for which reports were received: 145
Total estimated loss in these fires: £166,321,824
Hereford and Worcester Fire Brigade ST
MAY 2004
Total estimated fire damage reported by insurers
caused by the following fires costing £250,000-plus:
£16.8m
1 Engineering, Bord, Hampshire 1 700 000
2 Local/national government,
Blackpool, Lancashire 810 000
8 Hospitality, Birmingham, West Midlands 510 543
14 Hospitality, Babraham, Cambridgeshire 420 000
21 Education, Wrexham, Clywd 750 000
22 Local/national government, Gloucester 900 000
22 Office, Cardiff, South Wales 466 000
22 Hospitality, Rotherham, South Yorkshire 302 000
24 Unknown, London 1 267 821
24 Unknown, London 703 350
24 Unknown, London 300 000
24 Wholesale, London 291 950
25 Local/national government,
Ashton under Lyme, Greater Manchester 4 500 000
26 Retail, Poole, Dorset 1 834 930
26 Unknown, Queniborough, Leicestershire 1 200 000
30 Local/national government,
Royal Leamington Spa, Warwickshrie 488 500
30 Unknown, Birmingham, West Midlands 345 000
Where the £250,000-plus No. of fires Estimated
fires occurred loss £
Education 20 21 570 250
Retail 15 18 949 430
Hospitality 10 4 774 543
Local/national government 6 8 255 500
Engineering 6 5 985 000
Community centre 6 2 828 000
Dwellings 6 2 639 500
Food industry 5 13 645 000
Manufacturer 5 4 913 000
Warehouse 5 2 751 000
Paper and printing industry 3 3 080 000
Timber and furniture industry 3 2 975 000
Motor trade 3 2 891 000
Farms and agricultural industry 3 2 075 000
Sport and recreation 3 2 033 000
Office 3 1 411 000
Factory 3 1 156 000
Hotel 2 9 379 000
Electronics industry 2 5 750 000
Chemical industry 2 2 600 000
Entertainment and leisure 2 1 513 000
Metal industry 2 990 000
Construction industry 2 971 000
Wholesaler 2 591 950
Museum 1 21 500 000
Glass industry 1 3 290 000
Textile and clothing industry 1 745 000
Plastics industry 1 600 000
Place of worship 1 420 000
Care home 1 405 000
Computer industry 1 400 000
Waste and recycling 1 392 480
Leather industry 1 375 000
Unoccupied building 1 250 000
Unknown 16 14 217 171
Total 145 166 321 824
How the £250,000-plus No. of fires Estimated
fires started loss £
Deliberate ignition 59 44 184 280
Electrical 27 28 943 430
Chimney 3 1 414 000
Friction, heat and sparks 2 3 705 000
Fireworks 2 1 150 000
Smoking materials 2 659 000
Gas 1 7 250 000
Spontaneous ignition 1 2 170 000
Cooking 1 700 000
Overheating of machinery 1 270 000
Other known 5 5 551 000
Under investigation 26 57 937 364
Unknown 15 12 387 750
Total 145 166 321 824
FEJ & FP
April 2005

FOCUS: OCUS: BRIGADE BRIGADE
RESOURCES
RESOURCES
Defining roles
The training and development of fire service staff was among
the human resources issues debated at a recent forum.
FP&FEJ reports
MODERNISING THE fire and rescue service and
making communities safer through the
implementation of integrated risk management
plans (IRMPs) can only succeed with the full involvement
of the service’s workforce. However, the changes taking
place within the service – the shake-up of working practices
and procedures, the move towards regional working, the use
of the fire service emergency cover toolkit and other new
technology – means that new skill sets are needed
for personnel.
All of these issues, and the key role of fire
service human resources (HR) practitioners
in managing and supporting the changes,
were discussed at a forum held at the
University of Warwick on 22-23 February.
The event was attended by representatives
of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister
(ODPM), which has been directing the
modernisation agenda, and by managers
and HR practitioners from fire services,
who will be taking over as ODPM
withdraws from the process.
Marie Winckler, head of ODPM’s fire
service effectiveness division, set the scene.
She said the business of the fire service is
being fundamentally changed and that a new
mindset is required. ‘The service needs a
competent, flexible workforce that is well led,
diverse, with a performance management
culture, and which can adapt to new challenges.’
Ensuring competence
Ensuring competence will be achieved through the integrated
personal development system (IPDS), due for completion in
late 2005. ‘There are role maps based on national occupational
standards; national vocational qualifications and development
programmes are available for many IPDS roles, with more
being developed; and competence in the workplace will be
assessed,’ she said. In addition, the ODPM and the Fire
Service College are drafting a National Fire and Rescue Service
Training and Development Strategy for England, due for
consultation in Summer 2005.
Gill McManus of ODPM’s HR modernisation team outlined
some key areas that HR practitioners were involved in:
April 2005 FEJ & FP
Bryan Mullennix/Alamy
• recruitment and selection: The Fire Services
(Appointments and Promotion) (England and Wales)
Regulations have been repealed, giving greater freedom
for recruitment. The introduction of the Disability
Discrimination Act, new national firefighter selection
tests – coming into effect in Spring 2005 – and the onset
of assessment and development centres mean that there is
now a need for greater HR involvement in the
recruitment process
• provision of training, including IPDS:
While it is important that some training is
developed nationally (for example, strategic
management training for senior
personnel), more can be done on a
regional or local basis
• development and progression: The
brigade command course has now been
replaced by the strategic leadership
development programme. A targeted
development scheme to enable
personnel to progress to middle
management is also being prepared, and
IPDS assessment and development
centres are being set up
• discipline: Fire services have revised
their disciplinary procedures now that the
Fire Services (Discipline) Regulations have
been abolished. They must either use
procedures based on Advisory, Conciliation
and Arbitration Service guidance, or the
model procedure set out in the Grey Book.
Discipline covers not only conduct but also work
performance and attendance
• equality and diversity: Fire services, through their regional
management boards (RMBs), must produce an equalities
strategy. This is underpinned by the ODPM’s Diversity
Happens! programme, which gives strategic direction.
Race equality schemes and the Chief Fire Officers’
Association’s (CFOA’s) national equality network are
reinforcing a regional approach
Ms McManus also stressed the need for HR practitioners to cooperate
regionally – for example, on training, procurement and
New Dimension activities – to increase efficiency and
effectiveness. ‘Sharing expertise and resources brings a
consistency of approach and reduces duplication of work.
There is no point in authorities vying with each other,’ she said.
17

18
FOCUS: OCUS: BRIGADE BRIGADE
RESOURCES
RESOURCES
Many delegates at the seminar said that positive progress
had been made in achieving regional efficiencies. Some
regions have appointed HR practitioners for the region,
and brigades are co-operating well in areas such as joint
training, common selection criteria and synchronised
wholetime recruitment.
Those fire services that had a history of good regional cooperation
have made more headway in regional working to
meet modernisation. For example, brigades in the
southeast have been co-operating on training for about
seven years; that continuity has enabled them to develop
effective regional testing centres.
However, delegates also highlighted some problems
regarding regional working. For example:
• some regions are being over-programme-managed,
resulting in difficulties in joining up services at a
regional level
• adjusting to new ways of working is resource intensive
• working regionally takes time, whereas doing it locally
is quicker
• some brigades are constrained from taking more action
by corporate (county council) policies
• many areas of ‘hard change’ have yet to be
implemented, yet some brigades are already struggling
to cope with capacity
Strategic thinkers
Discussions also focused on the types of HR professionals
that are needed in the service. Delegates argued that the
IRMP process requires the HR function in brigades
to be involved in strategic planning. As a result, HR
practitioners need to be strategic thinkers, with leadership
and influencing and skills, and good business
knowledge. Specialists in diversity and employment
relations are also needed.
Delegates also looked at the recruitment of chief officer
and higher principal officer roles. The debate centred on
whether it was necessary for a chief officer to have an
operational background. Many argued that chief officers
rarely attend fires nowadays and that it was more
important for them to have leadership and strategic
management skills. Others said that a chief with a fire
service background would be more accepted by operational
personnel.
There were comments that more focus should be given to
appointing leaders at middle tiers, who can then be fasttracked
through to senior roles. ‘There should be more
investment in appointing middle-management,’ said one
delegate. ‘The chief’s role is not that attractive, compared
to similar-level roles in other companies. But mid-level
positions in the service are very attractive roles.’ ODPM
representatives pointed out that a fast-track system to find
leaders is now being developed in conjunction with CFOA,
the Practitioners’ Forum and the Fire Service College.
Training and development strategy
THE OFFICE of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) has asked the Fire
Service College to develop a National Fire and Rescue Service
Training and Development Strategy for England (which may also be
adopted in Wales). The strategy will be published for consultation this
summer and the final version issued in October.
The proposed strategy will be an overarching strategic document,
setting out the principles of a new approach to training and
development. It will be developed around the principles in the
following four-point plan:
• equal access to better quality training and development
• enabling fire services to meet the challenges of the future
• improving skills that drive down risk to self and community
• gaining Best Value from investment in training and development,
and supporting improvement through comprehensive
performance assessment (see p.27)
The strategy will widen the role of the College, from that of a monopoly
training provider, to one where it can be the guardian and assessor of
the integrated personal development system. This role will involve coordinating
and guiding brigades and acting as a facilitator and source
of training and development expertise. To prevent any ‘conflict of
interest’, a Directorate of Standards and Quality will be created that is
independent from the College’s training programmes.
Recognising the value of collaboration between brigades in the
provision of training, the strategy will also propose ‘regional Hubs’,
co-ordinated by Regional Management Boards. These will utilise the
best facilities available within a region for each specific training and
development need, enabling it to assess and address any issues of
overprovision as necessary in the interests of Best Value.
The strategy will also:
• explore the possibility of obtaining funding from the Learning and
Skills Council to support vocational training and development
• set out an e-learning project, which will be central to achieving
web-based and other distance learning, and help to address
equality and diversity issues linked to flexibility of approach to
developing and training staff
• call for new types of leadership training and development at
various levels. The College will be proposed as a new leadership
centre, which can provide co-ordination, advice, support and
quality assurance, working closely with organisations such as the
Local Government Leadership Centre and the Improvement and
Development Agency
It is expected that an informal advisory group, made up of
stakeholders, will be formed to consider how to take the strategy
forward ❑
Another controversial issue – that of regional fire control
centres – was also debated. Marie Winckler outlined some of
the HR issues involved in the FiReControl project. She
spoke of the need to ‘balance changing business needs with
control staff needs’.
Staff positions in the regional centres will be more high
profile and demanding. The centres will also be data
management centres and will have an important statistical
role that incorporates the fire service emergency cover
toolkit, so new skills will be required for control staff.
FEJ & FP April 2005

She added that a number of senior management
positions are to be made available. ‘Career satisfaction
will be promoted by providing high quality jobs with
enhanced opportunities for career progression. We want
dynamic leaders who like the challenge of change, but
who are also good at consolidating.’ Applications from
outside the service, as well as within, will be encouraged.
She added that posts for the first three regional centres
are due to be advertised shortly and that the locations are
currently being evaluated. Decisions on the number of
staff and the shift patterns will be dependent on the
working arrangements adopted.
Delegates were critical of ODPM’s handling of the
control centre issue. There were concerns that, although
many issues should be left to local discretion, there
should be national terms and conditions for key areas
such as redundancies and staff relocation.
Fire Service College
Attention then switched to the role of the Fire Service
College in providing training and development to
support the modernisation agenda. Gill Newton, the
College’s chief executive, and Maggie Harte, its director
of service delivery, spoke of the need to increase and
improve learning capacity among fire service staff.
‘There are many excellent examples of change and new
working practices across the UK but they are not
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widespread; there are pockets around the country where
services are not doing things right,’ said Ms Newton. In
particular, she said that there was too much investment
in local training centres, and called for a more regional
focus to prevent the overprovision and duplication of
training.
Ms Harte went on to outline the National Fire and
Rescue Service Training and Development Strategy for
England (see box). The strategy, which will be published
in October 2005 and implemented over the next three
years, will enable the College to ‘lose some of its old
baggage and develop a clearer role’. This will include a
central, national role in providing guidance and support
to brigades (for example, on applying IPDS locally);
sharing best practice; policy development; preparing
guidelines on curriculum development; providing
specialist training; and producing development
materials, such as Fire Service Manuals.
Modernisation will continue to place heavy demands on
the HR function of brigades as they continue to get to
grips with IRMPs and changing work practices. What
was clear from the forum is that a mixed picture exists,
with the HR practitioners of many fire services making
progress, while others struggle. The training and
development strategy, currently being drafted, should
help ensure that all brigade personnel have the personal
and organisational management skills needed to
maintain national standards ❑
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Administrative affairs
Harry Carter discusses the issues that must be considered in
running a fire department
There is an the old story which is often used to portray
the negative consequences occasioned by poor
administrative work on the part of any organisation:
For want of a nail, the shoe was lost;
For want of a shoe, the horse was lost;
For want of a horse, the rider was lost;
For want of the rider, the battle was lost;
For want of the battle, the kingdom was lost;
And all of this for the want of a nail.
This fabled story tends to put the importance of
administrative and logistical operations into a clearer
perspective. Fire departments and brigades are much more
than people, apparatus and appliances. There are a whole
host of management issues that must be considered.
Far too many members of the fire service focus their careers
in the technical and operational aspects of service delivery.
They derive great personal satisfaction from the
performance of their tasks. These people are happy
extinguishing fires or undertaking activities to prevent
them. Sadly, one element of departmental operations that is
frequently overlooked involves the creation and use of the
necessary administrative infrastructure needed to widen the
range of operational ventures.
The excitement of fire combat and the satisfaction of
technical excellence come with a price. To continue with a
commitment to operational excellence, there is a need to
create an organisation capable of justifying and
marshalling the resources, both fiscal and logistical,
necessary to be successful.
Job definitions
The accomplishment of protective goals will only occur if
built upon the bedrock of a successful administrative effort.
In order to place the concept of administration in the proper
light, it is essential to define the terms. Administrators and
managers are responsible for defining the organisational
mission, setting the goals and objectives, creating the strategic
plans, and providing the logistical necessities for the human
resources that will do the work of the organisation.
The work of a manager should not be confused with the
tasks performed by a leader. While both types of job are
critical to the success of an organisation, each involves
working in a different way. Far too many people have tended
to lump the concepts of leadership and management into the
same definition. Leadership and management require two
distinctly different skill sets. Managers manage resources and
leaders lead people.
Some people mistakenly lump people with other resources,
such as petrol, in the same organisational pool. Whether the
petrol is ordered by a polite person or a pompous person does
not matter; the petrol does not care who is ordering it so long
as it is ordered in a timely fashion and paid in a prompt
manner. On the other hand, people are infinitely more difficult
to order about. They have feelings, goals, and aspirations, both
within the service and without. Favreau 1 provided one of the
best definitions of leadership. He stated that ‘leadership is the
ability to get something done, by someone else, because he
wants to do it.’ A good leader is able to create an environment
within which people prosper and achieve a buy-in to the vision
and support provided by the leader.
An administrator has the responsibility to create an
organisational framework wherein the goals and aspirations
of the organisation and its members have the necessary
logistical and administrative support to do their job. A lack
of resources will hinder the operation of even the most
highly-motivated organisation. This issue lies at the heart of
management as a field of endeavour. Gratz 2 defines
management as: ‘a dynamic process which effectively utilises
all resources . . . in the achievement of policy and goals
established for the (fire) department’.
Some of the classic descriptions of administration and
management help to define the range of tasks of a
manager. Pfiffner and Sherwood 3 lay out some of the
historical background on administration. They portray
the organisation as a basic series of interactive overlays,
with the human members of the organisation
superimposed over the basic unit of ‘human interaction’.
Within these overlays, a great emphasis is placed upon
the functional aspects of the organisation.
Gratz proposed that all efforts within the parameters of fire
department management fell into four areas: planning,
organising, leading and evaluating.
This article considers only the planning, organising, and
evaluating issues, as well as the tangential issue of budgeting.
Carter and Rausch 4 tell us that ‘a fire department must be
concerned with managing its financial resources effectively
FEJ & FP April 2005

and efficiently’. Therefore, the issue of money needs to be a
part of the planning, organising and evaluating phases of
managerial operation.
How often have you heard the old axiom that those who fail
to plan are actually planning to fail? Failing to plan is much
like starting out on a long journey by car, without the benefit
of having studied a map. Who would ever go on any kind of
long journey without laying out the trip ahead of time? So it
is with an organisation.
Planning ahead
Hopefully the top level management of a fire service will have
created a vision for its future success. That will serve as the
destination of the journey. The plan created for the journey to
that destination will be the map that makes the trip easier. Gratz2 states that planning ‘is nothing more than determining the
department’s objectives and deciding the means by which our
resources (men, money, and material) many be used in the most
effective and economical manner to achieve those objectives’.
Far too many people leave things to chance. Failure to plan is
a disease that members of the fire and emergency service
world must avoid at all costs. The consequences of this
inaction are often tragic and always inefficient and expensive.
According to Gratz: ‘Organisation is a structured method
whereby managers bring together essential resources and
incorporate them into a formalised interrelationship’. After
deciding on a plan, the necessary resources to accomplish the
proposed strategy must be marshalled. Think of the
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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organising function as the structure within which the tasks
will be performed and the goals achieved.
Planning and organising will require integrating the costs of
the operation into a concrete budget. Regardless of the
locale, there will be a budgeting process to operate within.
Carter and Rausch 4 provide a basic approach to budgeting.
Four phases are presented: formulation, transmittal,
approval and management.
The formulation period involves the whole range of fire
department managers, leaders and followers. Past budgets are
reviewed, and brainstorming sessions are held to identify
ideas and needs for the upcoming budget year. Suggestions
should be solicited from every part of the organisation. No
idea is too outlandish during this discovery period. The more
people involved, the better will be the resulting budget.
Furthermore, the more that people feel they helped to create
the plan, the better will be their acceptance of the finished
product. But never ask for ideas and then ridicule them.
There are few better ways to put off talented, thinking staff.
Once everyone’s ideas have been digested, the final budget
must be drafted. There is usually a standard format, but if none
exists, creating a budget sheet would assist in the entire process.
The budget transmittal phase can be very simple or extremely
complex, depending upon the type and size of the
department, and who has the authority to approve the
document. In a small, independent volunteer fire
department, the chief will present the document to the fire
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department at a meeting, and it will be voted upon. In a large
municipal volunteer fire department, or one that receives its
funding from a Board of Fire Commissioners, more steps are
involved. There should be an understanding of:
• who sends the budget forward
• what information will be needed to justify the budgetary
requests
• is enough documentation attached to the budget, just in
case a question arises and no-one from the department is
available to answer the question?
• who might be hiding in the system, waiting to ambush the
fire department’s budget document
• who in the system is a fire department friend and who is
an enemy
It must be possible to provide answers to any questions that
may arise. Never set a budget proposal adrift on the seas of
bureaucracy, hoping that it will ride the tide to the financial
officer’s desk. Stay on top of this process.
At some point, the budget will pass through the approval
phase. It is important to know exactly how the system works.
Somebody has to say yes or no to the request. Hope for the
yes but be prepared for a potential no. Have a plan that will
help you work with less, in case budgetary justifications are
ignored by the treasury. Use the politicians.
Once an approved amount of money is received to operate the
department, the management phase begins. This is the truly
hard part – making do with what has been awarded. If the
award is below the level requested, you will have to make do.
However, being given everything you want can be just as
difficult. You have to live within the means that you specified.
Learning to manage money is vital in running a successful
volunteer fire department. It is an area that can make or break
a fire service administrator.
Measuring the results
The process of evaluation involves measuring results. In fire
service terms, evaluation is the measuring of the results
obtained, against those expected. It is essential to perform this
function if the planning function is to be performed correctly.
Evaluation is a check to see if things turn out in the way that
your plans said that they would. There is nothing worse than
continually producing plans that are never checked for results,
validity or resemblance to the truth or the real world.
The best way to check for results is to build the evaluation
into your plan by using a time line chart in which the tasks
are laid out, responsibilities assigned and points listed in the
order in which results are to be examined. In this way, you can
tell at all times where you are, determine if you are still on
schedule and make mid-course corrections to get back on
schedule. This process takes the form of a task-analysis and
implementation plan, which:
• provides a process that gives a clear picture of what is going
to happen and when it should occur
• identifies responsibility and approval requirements
• estimates required funds and personnel costs
• records decisions
• provides a tracking and evaluation system
It involves:
• the planning group identifying all tasks to be done
• working at this by brainstorming
• listing all tasks identified
• putting them in time-order sequence
• entering them on the form
• getting to work
Someone has to be in charge and that person must possess
three important things if they are to get the job done:
ability; time; and commitment to the project.
Cost and time requirements must be estimated early on. The
more accurate the figures, the better. People, as well as
monetary resources, must be considered. Targets must be
met on time. Time estimates must be agreed prior to the
project, by laying out the necessary dates on the schedule in
chronological order and listing the milestones when, for
instance a commissioner’s or chief’s approval, is needed.
Evaluation points also make good milestones.
Once the entire task analysis and implementation plan is in
place, work through it, in the same way as one would follow
a road map on a long highway trip. It is crucial to evaluate
all of the programmes:
• were income projections too low?
• were growth estimates too low?
• were things beyond your control working against you
• perhaps people who had promised to do things did not
With an on-going evaluation plan, it is possible to monitor
progress and catch problems before they get too far out of
control. It is important to remember that good managers
plans their work and then work to their plans.
A successful fire service organisation must devote time,
effort and talent to each area. The forces of change are
continually at work. Only you can decide whether to chart
a course for your agency or to allow yourself to be blown
thither and yon ❑
Harry R Carter PhD, CFO, MIFireE is secretary of the
US Branch of the Institution of Fire Engineers
References
1. Favreau, D F, Fire service management, Dun-Donnelly Publishing
Company, New York, 1973.
2. Gratz, D B, Fire department management: Scope and method,
Glencoe Press Beverly Hills, CA, 1972.
3. Pfiffner, J M & Sherwood, F P, Administrative behavior,
Prentice-Hall, Inc, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1960
4. Carter, H R & Rausch, Erwin, Management in the Fire Service,
3rd ed., National Fire Protection Association, Quincy, MA, 1998.
5. Carter, H R, Running a volunteer fire department, (Unpublished
manuscript). Adelphia, NJ, 2005.
FEJ & FP April 2005

Retaining CONTROL
M.S.I Photography
Fire services are being called
on to address the problem of
recruiting retained firefighters.
FP& FEJ reports
THE PRACTITIONERS’ Forum, the stakeholder
body for the fire and rescue service in England and
Wales, is in the process of drawing up a plan to
improve recruitment and retention of firefighters on the
retained duty system (RDS). The move comes after a
Government-led review found that the retained system was
‘under-recognised and undervalued’ and that UK fire services
had failed to tackle long-standing problems over the
recruitment and retention of RDS staff.
The review was carried out by a team of fire stakeholders in
2004. Its findings are set out in The Fire and Rescue Service
Retained Duty System. A Review of the Recruitment and
Retention Challenges, published in February 2005.
The report describes the RDS as, ‘a valued, vital element of
the modern fire service.’ Some 30% of firefighters are
employed on the retained system, providing an on-call parttime
service. Retained staff operate 60% of fire appliances; of
the 1,600 fire stations across England and Wales, more than
half are crewed exclusively by RDS personnel.
However, there are profound problems in attracting and
keeping people to work the retained duty pattern. Nationally,
the fire service is about 20% short of complement.
Recruitment problems stem in part from the level of pay, the
lack of development opportunities and the often inflexible
availability system. Given the important role of RDS
April 2005 FEJ & FP
personnel and these long-standing problems, ‘the continuing
lack of effective mechanisms for breaking down barriers is
difficult to justify,’ says the report.
It sets out a number of recommendations to improve the
situation. These involve tackling misconceptions about the
role of retained staff; improving public awareness of the RDS
and its benefits; getting more support from local employers,
so they can encourage staff to sign up for retained duties; and
adopting a more flexible approach to response times.
The report concludes that it should be left to local managers
in individual fire services to deliver the solutions. National,
prescriptive measures, it says, would be unsuitable, since
recruitment and retention challenges vary significantly from
one fire service to another, and even between neighbouring
fire stations.
Review findings
As part of the review, the Office of the Deputy Prime
Minister (ODPM) undertook a survey of the 48 fire services
in England and Wales that employ retained personnel. Many
problems were highlighted: some respondents said that a twotier
service exists, where retained personnel are undervalued
by senior management; others said the ability of retained staff
to take on additional roles is not fully appreciated; there were
also calls for primary employers to be better informed about
the benefits of having retained firefighters on their workforce.
The full review, presented to the Practitioners’ Forum in
2004, found:
• a lack of recognition of the disparity of the challenges that
each fire service faces in recruiting and retaining RDS
personnel. ‘There is no “one size fits all” solution or
national template or prescriptive remedies to deliver
solutions to what may be very specific local problems,’ says
the report
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• fire services had failed to take ownership of the issues or
to fully integrate wholetime and RDS staff into what
conceptually should be seen as a single workforce
• policy on RDS issues was not embedded and
mainstreamed at either national or local level
• fire services rarely worked together on RDS issues and
little encouragement had been given to key stakeholders
to collaborative working within and across regions
• an absence of coherent strategies at national, regional and
local levels to raise the profile of the RDS within
communities
• no co-ordinated, strategic approach to engagement with
businesses to persuade employers to release staff for
retained duties
• stakeholders’ commitment to delivering effective
solutions to the recruitment and retention challenges had
been variable and generally ineffective
Key challenges
The report’s first recommendation concerns terminology
relating to the RDS. ‘The term “retained” has attracted
unwanted cultural baggage within the service and has served
to reinforce perceptions of “difference” or “exclusivity”,’ it
says. Instead, the report proposes that the full term
‘retained duty system
personnel’ should be
adopted when referring
to retained staff.
It moves on to examine
public awareness of
the RDS and the
recruitment process.
‘One of the key
recruitment challenges
is the lack of public
awareness of the
existence of the retained
duty system and its role.
Few services have a
dedicated budget for
advertising RDS, many
perhaps depend too
heavily upon localised,
informal channels to
meet their recruitment
needs,’ says the report.
The report recommends that fire services take a strategic
approach to raising public awareness of the RDS by:
• basing strategy on the requirements identified as part of
their integrated risk management plans (IRMPs)
• ‘ring fencing’ sufficient funding in fire service recruitment
budgets to ensure advertising and recruitment processes
are properly supported
• thinking more broadly about the methods available to fire
services and regional management boards (RMBs)
Another barrier to the recruitment of RDS personnel is the
lack of support from local employers. The review team found
little evidence of meaningful interaction between fire services
and local businesses.
Employers often have a distorted picture of how often RDS
staff could be called away from their place of work to attend
emergencies, says the report. It therefore suggests that fire
services analyse average call-out rates to determine how
many hours per month retained staff will be absent from the
workplace – this information should be given to employers
to enable them to reach an informed decision. Employers
should also be made aware of the benefits of having staff
who are also RDS firefighters – for example, many RDS
personnel acquire transferable skills that may be useful in
their primary place of work.
The report adds that the Business and Community
Safety Forum could have a role in facilitating engagement
between business and the fire service, and that fire
services should engage more with business organisations,
such as the Confederation of British Industry and the
Federation of Small Businesses.
Recruitment campaigns
Recruitment levels could also be raised by implementing
effective advertising and recruitment strategies. Evidence
suggests that locally focused advertising would be more costeffective
and have greater likelihood of success. Fire services
should:
• set clear targets for the reduction of vacancies, based on
the requirements for cover identified in IRMPs
• analyse the demographic make-up of the area around each
retained station, to assess what type of campaign would be
most successful
• critically review campaigns on an ongoing basis
• proactively share information on recruitment issues with
other fire services
Outreach programmes, access courses and positive action
initiatives are essential tools in planning a recruitment
campaign, says the report. In particular, it says that one third
of fire services have not carried out positive action initiatives
for RDS recruitment, but that, ‘these initiatives are to be
encouraged as a vehicle to redress the imbalance in the
diversity of the workforce and to encourage underrepresented
groups to gain access [to the RDS].’
The report also points to restrictive practices in some areas
of the fire service, which may impact on the retention of
RDS staff. The ODPM review found examples where local
difficulties in mixed crewing still needed to be overcome. It
also found wide variations in minimum rider levels,
which prevented retained staff from responding to
incidents. A lack of RDS involvement in policy
development was also identified.
The report recommends that restrictive practices should be
removed to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of
resources. Measures that could be taken include introducing
FEJ & FP April 2005

The report also recommends:
• the provision of flexible
working arrangements that are
more family-friendly – for
example, policies to appeal to
people who could provide
daytime cover while their
•
children are at school
greater flexibility to appoint
RDS staff to a wider range
of roles, including higher
•
management posts. An existing
recruitment problem is the
inability of RDS personnel to
progress to levels beyond
station manager, despite often
having highly transferable skills
from their primary employment
appropriate recognition within
the fire service of the
flexible crewing, risk assessing mobilising arrangements,
trialling first response arrangements, and considering options
to replace the traditional one pump retained fire station to
allow for a wider range of flexible response.
Impact of IRMPs
The IRMP process, which is seeing fire cover provided
according to locally-assessed risks, can have a positive effect
on the recruitment of RDS staff. ‘IRMPs enable new
thinking on levels and methods of response which, with
proper targeting, would maximise effectiveness and utilise
the RDS to greater advantage,’ says the report. A range of
part-time options should be developed so the service can be
tailored to the availability of suitable people, rather than
rejecting them simply because they cannot be available for
extensive hours.
The report also examines the issue of varying response times.
Most fire services, it says, set an attendance time of five
minutes or less for getting to the retained station in response
to an emergency call. IRMPs offer the possibility of
recruiting personnel to the retained system who live and/or
work beyond the traditional limit, where response times
allow for longer attendance times. Consideration should also
be given to the temporary siting of fire appliances near to the
location of personnel.
The report also examines the role of RDS staff in responding
to a terrorist, or New Dimension, incident. It raises concerns
that an estimated 40% of RDS staff have little knowledge of
New Dimension training, even though 70% of fire services
plan to use RDS staff for the initial turnout at a New
Dimension incident. ‘Incident response units require eight
April 2005 FEJ & FP
Other recommendations
contribution and role of the
RDS – a senior HM Fire
Service Inspector should be
appointed national champion
for RDS; each RMB should
appoint a champion; each fire
service should appoint an RDS
officer to act as its retained
liaison officer
• retained staff should become
fully involved in community fire
safety (CFS) work, such as
home fire risk checks and
school visits. At present, nearly
half of RDS personnel have no
involvement in CFS
• a flexible approach to the
delivery of core training
requirements. Applying the
components of the integrated
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personal development system
to RDS staff may require
innovative solutions – for
example, providing training
and development remotely,
locally, or via e-learning –
because of the primary jobs
they hold
• a detailed examination of
alternative remuneration
arrangements and new pension
provisions for RDS staff
• the web-based toolkit,
launched last year by ODPM
to assist fire services in
raising awareness of underrepresented
groups about the
career opportunities on offer,
could be adapted and applied
to RDS issues
support pumps to ensure their efficient operation and in
many areas this support can only come from RDS
personnel,’ says the report. It calls for RDS staff to receive
training on the urban search and rescue and mass
decontamination equipment and procedures provided under
the New Dimension programme. The ability of RDS
personnel to sustain attendance at incidents over a prolonged
period of days or weeks will need to be very carefully
considered, it adds.
Moving forward
In line with the report’s recommendations, the Practitioners’
Forum has set up a task and finish group which will produce
a project plan by summer 2005. The group is looking at how
the recommendations can be converted into workable
solutions – including national, regional and local strategies to
support the delivery of change. In the meantime, says
ODPM, fire services should complete a self-audit against the
review’s recommendations and take action to address any
issues raised.
Modernisation provides fire services with ‘an unprecedented
opportunity’ to build on the strengths of the RDS, says the
report. Up until now, services have failed to tackle the
recruitment and retention problems, but taking forward the
recommendations will enable the service to tap into a wider
pool of potential applicants ❑
Copies of The Fire and Rescue Service Retained Duty
System. A Review of the Recruitment and Retention
Challenges are available, price £15, from ODPM Publications
on tel: 0870 1226 236; e-mail: odpm@twoten.press.net; web:
www.odpm.gov.uk/firerecruitment
25

IMPROVING PERFORMANCE and ensuring value for
money are key aspects of the modernisation of fire and
rescue services in the UK. Since April 2000, fire
authorities have been required under the Local Government
Act 1999 to measure and improve service delivery – the Act
requires authorities to carry out Best Value reviews of their
functions and implement an annual performance plan.
However, the onset of modernisation in 2003 means that
more emphasis is being placed on providing a more effective
and efficient fire service.
Central to this is the comprehensive performance
assessment (CPA) framework being used to evaluate service
delivery in fire services. The Audit Commission is in the
process of assessing fire authorities in England in line with
the CPA – a process that will see each authority given a
rating of excellent, good, fair, weak or poor. The CPA results
will enable individual authorities to review their
improvement priorities and their integrated risk
management plans (IRMPs). Reports on each authority will
be published in August 2005.
With so much riding on the delivery of long-term
improvements in fire authorities, the Office of the Deputy
Prime Minister (ODPM) has published new guidance to
enable authorities to undertake better performance planning.
Guidance on Best Value and performance improvement for fire
and rescue authorities in England sets out how authorities can,
‘secure continuous improvement in service delivery by
focusing on Best Value and performance improvement in the
context of modernisation.’
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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Fire authorities in England have
been issued with new guidance
on how to improve service
delivery and performance.
FP&FEJ reports
The guidance, which replaces earlier Government circulars on
Best Value, builds on the new performance management
framework set out in the Fire and Rescue Service National
Framework. ‘Delivering high quality public services depends
on each local and regional public body being committed to
developing its own capacity to do better; and on central
Government playing its part,’ it says.
Critical evaluation
According to the guidance, evidence indicates that ‘not all
authorities are rigorously and consistently challenging current
performance’, which means that services being delivered may
not meet the public’s needs and reflect value for money.
What a performance
It calls on fire authorities to improve performance by using
Best Value to critically evaluate how they are delivering
service improvements and modernisation. ‘Through
effective Best Value reviews, better performance planning
and robust measurement against performance indicators,
Best Value can help to deliver genuine and long-term
improvements,’ it says. The process can help to reduce
the incidence of fire and the number of fire deaths, and
ensure there is a more effective service that is better
value for money.
The guidance stresses the need for a corporate focus on
service improvement. ‘Fire authority elected members must
own the outcomes that Best Value is designed to support,
and staff at all levels should regard service improvement as
central to their management of resources and delivery of
functions at all stages.’ This is reflected in all the role maps
of the integrated personal development system.
A key part of the Best Value process involves carrying out
penetrating reviews and preparing effective performance
plans. The guidance says that, in conducting reviews,
authorities should:
• challenge why, how and by whom a service is being
provided. Consideration should be given to the widest
possible range of service delivery options, such as
supporting the provision of services from within the
community itself or introducing entirely new approaches
to meet community needs
• compare their current and planned performance against
other fire authorities across a range of relevant indicators,
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taking into account the views of both service users and
potential suppliers. Authorities will be able to benchmark
against others by using voluntary performance indicators
being developed by ODPM
• consult with local stakeholders – including taxpayers, service
users, members of staff, unions and employee associations –
on their experience of local services and their aspirations for
the future
• use fair and open competition wherever necessary as a means
of securing efficient and effective services. The highest
standards are likely to be achieved where there is genuine
competition, choice, and a mixed economy, rather than
where any one supplier dominates the provision of services
Proportionate approach
The guidance explains that authorities should take a
proportionate approach during the review process, focusing on
areas of weakness and those where opportunities could be
exploited. These areas can be identified not only through external
scrutiny, such as the CPA assessment and audits, but also through
internal analysis. It adds that reviews can help where:
• there is a need to improve performance on a strategic or
national priority
• there is evidence that the cost element of a service provision
is significantly out of line with comparable services elsewhere
• significant efficiency savings may be available working
with neighbouring fire authorities, or via a joint review
through the Regional Management Board (RMB), to deliver
common services
• authorities are unclear if a service is still needed or if its
contribution is as effective as it could be
• there is a prima facie case for a new service or new
configuration of an existing service
It may be appropriate, says the guidance, to scope a review jointly
with other fire authorities, particularly where a review is linked to
the objectives being taken forward through RMBs. In addition,
reviews should take account of short- and long-term impacts and
the scope for achieving savings through combining services at a
regional level – for example, in areas such as specialist and
common services, management of human resources, training and
procurement.
Following the Best Value review, an authority should prepare an
annual performance plan. The guidance says that the plan should
not be prepared in isolation from fire authorities’ business
planning and IRMP action plans – the improvement planning
process should be integrated with corporate planning
arrangements.
The plan should be aimed primarily at the authority itself.
‘Elected members and officers with responsibility for delivering
local services need to understand the authority’s improvement
priorities, and how they will be addressed over the coming year.
Not least because they help shape the improvement measures
being introduced.’
The Government is currently in discussion with the Audit
Commission and other stakeholders about the auditing of
performance plans.
Improvement planning roles
ODPM CO-ORDINATES the delivery of the National
Framework, which sets out the national performance
expectations of the service. Bodies that have important
roles in the process are:
• ODPM Fire and Rescue Service Directorate (FRSD),
which leads the process of central government
engagement with authorities on the modernisation
agenda and reporting to ministers on progress
• business change managers, who have been appointed
in all Government offices both to act as an interface
between FRSD and individual fire authorities and regional
management boards on modernisation progress
• the Audit Commission, which is responsible for the
appointment of external auditors to fire authorities. The
Commission will deliver CPA and assess performance
improvement from the CPA baseline. It will also identify
and promote good practice
• HM Fire Service Inspectorate, which is responsible for
supporting effective operational management, in liaison
with fire authorities. It will respond to the outcomes of
the first CPA of fire authorities, and work to identify and
promote good practice
According to the guidance, each fire authority should ensure
there is clarity on how ODPM will liaise with the authority to
support its improvement plans and how the Audit Commission
will assess performance change under CPA.
Post-CPA procedure
Business change managers will, through ODPM, meet with each
authority after its CPA assessment to discuss issues, and agree
actions and an ongoing liaison process. It is also expected that
meetings will be held at a regional level with each RMB to
discuss progress. Meetings will be prioritised, so those authorities
graded as poor or weak under CPA will come first.
Those fire authorities that are seen to be high performing under
CPA – rated as excellent or good – will be offered freedoms and
flexibilities so they can be more innovative in how they deliver
services. However, those authorities that CPA finds to be
performing poorly will be required to develop and implement a
recovery plan, in discussion with ODPM, to restore an acceptable
level of performance quickly and effectively.
The package of freedoms and flexibilities will enable highperforming
authorities to propose and negotiate projects they
would like to take forward, based on their local circumstances and
capacity. This will also enable ODPM to capture good practice.
The type of projects might include:
• negotiating greater involvement of partners in innovative
approaches to arson reduction work
• providing a one-stop shop for safety advice to the
community, in conjunction with health/social services and
other partners
• taking forward projects to prevent avoidable injuries in the
home with local health services
Authorities that CPA finds are performing poorly – either overall
or in particular service areas – will be required to make the
FEJ & FP April 2005

necessary improvements. Authorities are expected to draw up
recovery plans to consider alternative ways by which services
might be improved and delivered. They will be encouraged to
seek help, and funding may be made available for this purpose,
says the guidance.
However, where it is not possible for an acceptable and timely
recovery plan to be agreed, the Government will be able to use
intervention powers granted under the Local Government Act.
The guidance sets out the Local Government Intervention
Protocol, which can be used for this purpose, explaining that,
‘Any use of intervention powers in these circumstances would be
proportionate, evidence-based and normally in consultation
with the authority.’
If an authority’s failure persists, and there is a serious risk of harm
or financial loss, then urgent intervention by the Secretary of State
might become necessary. This will only happen in exceptional
cases, where an authority could reasonably be expected to be
aware of the problem and has failed to take adequate action. The
Secretary of State could direct the authority to take certain actions
within a specified time period – for example, preparing a recovery
plan, taking consultancy advice, appointing interim management,
or putting a function out to tender.
Employment issues
The guidance also covers issues relating to employment and
contracts, the idea being that Best Value and service delivery
should not be undermined by poor employment practices. These
issues have been incorporated into the guidance after a
Spark Detection Systems
Prevent Filter Fires and Dust Explosions
• Extinguish sparks and embers
without interrupting production
• Improve plant safety and reduce
insurance risk
• Prevent plant downtime and protect
production volumes
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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Government review of Best Value, carried out in 2003, raised
concerns that some providers who had a poor approach to
workforce matters were still winning work from local authorities
and thereby jeopardising the quality of services.
‘All contractors to local authorities should have employment
practices that will secure high quality delivery throughout the life
of a contract’, says the guidance. ‘The quality of a workforce
transferred to a provider in an outsourcing exercise should be
enhanced and undermined during the period of the contract.’
The guidance refers to Government measures to ensure that the
terms and conditions of transferred staff are better protected, and
fairness for new joiners taken on to work on service contracts
beside transferred workforces. It also outlines how workforce
issues should be taken into account in local government
tendering in matters relating to Best Value, as well as the
common principles of good procurement.
The results of each fire authority’s CPA – due to be made
available in August 2005 – will provide a rounded view of the
performance of authorities and an early warning of any
weaknesses to be addressed. It seems likely that the assessments
will show mixed results and that most authorities will need to
continue driving forward performance improvements in line
with modernisation ❑
ODPM Circular 09/2004, Guidance on Best Value and
performance improvement for fire and rescue authorities in
England is available from the ODPM website, www.odpm.gov.uk,
or from The Stationary Office on tel: 0870 600 5522; web:
book.orders@tso.co.uk
GreCon Limited, 4 Bridge View, Stepney Lane
Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 6PN
Tel: 0191 230 0660 Fax: 0191 230 3669 Web: www.grecon.de
29

IN ORDER to be effective, leaders must combine
reflections from lessons learned, with awareness of where
their organisation is now and where it is heading, to
create a vision for navigating the road ahead. This principle
is very pertinent to the process of officer development
within the fire service.
A seasoned chief fire officer, especially in the USA, may reflect
on the tortuous nature of the route taken to reach officer
status, with a degree of dismay at the detours encountered
along the way. Such an officer would also likely feel
trepidation about the dearth of aspiring officers prepared to
steer the fire service into the future.
However, this situation has improved with the publication in
December 2003 of the International Association of Fire
Chiefs (IAFC) Officer Development Handbook (ODH). The
handbook charts the professional development roadmap for
officer competency. It identifies how to manage issues and
difficulties that may arise, thereby enabling the officer to
perform more efficiently and to lead more successfully.
Today’s fire and emergency service leaders know that we must
develop our successors. To do less would diminish our
credentials as leaders. More to the point, failing to prepare
our successors for leadership sets them up to fail both
themselves and their communities. This is the motive behind
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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fire service leaders defining the process of professional
development, for marking the route toward leadership as well
as officer status.
Professional development is a never-ending journey, not a
destination. Do not stop or try to stand still in this process.
You must move forward – learning, practicing, changing, and
improving – or you will slip backward. Just as the muscles of
the human body soon atrophy if not used, so too will your
capacity for leadership, unless you have a plan and the selfdiscipline
to fulfill each goal required.
Historical problem
The lack of a defined course for professional development,
especially for fire officers in the US has long been recognised.
As early as 1966, this issue drew international attention. It
was a key component at the first Wingspread Conference —
Statements of National Significance to the Fire Problem in the
United States. This conference convened top fire service
leaders on four occasions at ten-year intervals. Each event
emphasised the need to map out a course to develop effective
fire service leaders.
Finding the fire service leaders of the future depends upon
effective professional development, says James Broman
Comstock Images
A leading question
The report on the 1966 Wingspread conference said that, all
too often, ‘success is largely dependent upon the calibre of
leadership of the individual fire chiefs, and there is no
assurance that this progress will continue when there is a
change of leadership.’
The report also points out the ineffective fire service practice
of promoting personnel into higher ranks before training or
trying to educate them so they can fulfill their new
responsibilities. This practice of on-the-job training, rather
than systematic skills building and preparation, is in direct
contrast to the methodologies employed by other professions.
‘The career of the fire executive must be systematic and
deliberate,’ it concluded.
Since 1966, Wingspread events have continued to highlight
the problem and to call for improvements. The report on the
1976 conference stated that ‘A means of deliberate and
systematic development of all fire service personnel through
the executive level is still needed. There is an educational void
near the top.’ The report from Wingspread in 1986 concluded
that, ‘Professional development in the fire service has made
significant strides, but improvement is still needed.’
The report on the fourth Wingspread conference, held in
1996, stated that: ‘To move successfully into the future, the
fire service needs leaders capable of developing and
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32
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managing their organisations in dramatically changed
environments.’ On the subject of education and training, it
said that, ‘Fire service managers must increase their
professional standing in order to remain credible to
community policymakers and the public. This
professionalism should be grounded firmly in an integrated
system of nationally recognised and/or certified education
and training.’
Motivation
Progress in this area has certainly been made, but much
remains to be accomplished. The involvement and action by
chief fire officers, in developing a thoughtful professional
development plan and in providing commitment, is
imperative.
Prospective officers are encouraged to carefully consider
their motivation for seeking advancement. They should ask
such questions as:
• do I want to have a greater influence on your work
environment?
• do I have an interest in the challenges of leadership?
• do I value status within the organisation?
• am I interested in higher levels of compensation?
• do I have a personal commitment to public service?
All these possibilities and more are available through
professional development and advancement, but they
require significant investment of time, energy and money.
Each step or progression in rank comes with challenges and
complexity – officers must be aware of this fact and ready to
deal with it. They should hold discussions with incumbent
officers on how best to meet challenges, but also recognise
that each person’s experience is unique. Knowing what you
want and need in your work and career is vital. Remember
the oft-quoted axiom from Don Quixote, ‘Make it thy
business to know thyself, which is the
most difficult lesson in the world.’
The IAFC defines professional
development as, ‘the planned,
progressive lifelong process of
education, training, self-development
and experience.’ The ODH is set out
according to these four elements.
The first two elements – education
and training – are especially vital.
They form the basis of a nationally
recognised model for fire service
professional development (see Figure
1). This model clearly illustrates the
importance of both education and
training. It also reflects the fact that
emergency response training activities
are more prevalent during the initial
career years, while organisational skills
develop when officers undertake more
education-based activities.
Figure 1: The role of education and training
Progress in training and education is measured through
credentials – for example, certifications, designations,
academic degrees, diplomas, licenses, certificates,
transcripts, and continuing education units. The ODH
focuses mainly on fire service certification(s), Chief Fire
Officer Designation (CFOD) and academic transcripts. The
objective is not the credential, but rather the knowledge,
skill or ability to which the credential attests. The credential
documents achievements and is an essential component.
As officers progress beyond the managing fire officer level,
the nature of the work and the career preparation becomes
more subjective. In response to the unique nature of this
work, CFOD has emerged as an effective credential for
those at the administrative fire officer and executive fire
officer levels. CFOD is a relative newcomer to this process
and is the result of many years of work by the IAFC to
recognise qualified chief officers.
The Commission on Chief Fire Officer Designation and its
parent organisation, the Commission on Fire Accreditation
International, guide the CFOD process. The process
employs a portfolio approach, whereby the aspiring chief
officer can plan, track and present professional development
accomplishments for peer assessment.
The ODH emphasises that officers should have, ‘the
knowledge and skills necessary to be successful in
supervisory, management, administrative and executive
positions.’ Professional development is not solely about
certifications and degrees. These benchmarks are useful in
documenting achievements in training and education. As
such, they may be predictors of the likelihood that the
recipient possesses the requisite knowledge and skills. The
content of the learning experience is of greater import. The
ODH focuses on key elements and targeted learning
outcomes. The contents are, however, organised consistent
with typical certification and degree programmes.
FEJ & FP April 2005

The third element, experience, should be self-evident. It is
tied to those work experiences that are important to
fostering the mastery of basic skills, including
communication skills, and instilling self-confidence in the
officer’s ability to assess, and improve, situations.
Self-development
The final element, self development, is more subjective. It
deals with awareness, personal attributes and attitudes,
which are individually developed and refined. It results from
how an officer has grown, matured and evolved over time. It
depends upon physical, mental and emotional health
and is typically driven by the individual’s values. Officers
are encouraged to foster development in this area
through seminars, self-study, being mentored and
similar experiences.
Identifying and engaging a mentor can also be important. A
successful mentor guides and coaches an officer through his
development experience and growth. A good mentor does
not tell you what to do but rather gives you options,
challenges you to see the ‘big picture’, encourages, identifies
areas for improvement, and helps you refine your skills.
Over the course of time, an officer may have several people
who, at different times and in different ways, serve as
mentors; people who have ‘been there, done that’ and are
willing to share their experiences. With those resources
available, officers can draw upon their wisdom and
experience to shape their own skills and style as a leader. It
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must also be remembered that those who will follow officers
are in need of the same support. Be ready to invest when the
opportunity presents itself. The mentor can benefit as much
from the relationship as the protégé.
Continued growth
The initial achievements of training, education and
experience are vital and are covered in detail in the ODH.
The IAFC also recognises that, in the spirit of the definition
of professional development, the process is lifelong.
Therefore, the initial achievement is not sufficient to meet
the challenges of our profession. There must also be a system
to enable each of us to continue the growth and
development of our knowledge, skills and abilities, to
multiply them.
Personnel, whatever the stage of their career, are encouraged
to incorporate systematic and deliberate professional
development in their career. Whether involvement is
through full-time employment or volunteer service, the
challenges of today’s fire service demand that staff are
committed to training, education, experience and selfdevelopment
❑
James Broman is chief fire officer of the
Lacey Washington Fire District, chair of the IAFC’s
Professional Development Committee and a member of
the IFE USA Branch
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Safe tactics
Phil Toase describes the impact of integrated risk management
planning in West Yorkshire
WEST YORKSHIRE Fire and Rescue Authority
(WYFRA) has produced two integrated risk
management plans (IRMPs), in line with
government guidance. The first covered the period from
1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005; the second plan, approved
by the Authority in October 2004, will be implemented
from 1 April 2005.
The Authority has made significant progress in benefiting from
the opportunities afforded by IRMP and the abolition of the
outdated national standards. Its IRMPs are being used to
correct the imbalance that had developed between the effort
made to prevent fires from happening in the first place and the
efforts made to resolve incidents which had already occurred.
Accompanying any reductions in operational response has been
a massive reinforcement of the community fire safety effort,
with more staff than ever before dedicated to targeting at-risk
sections with community education initiatives (see Table 1).
The Audit Commission was tasked with assessing the
progress of each fire authority in implementing the
modernisation of the fire service, in line with the changes
outlined in the national pay agreement and subsequent
White Paper, Our Fire and Rescue Service. It independently
validated the processes WYFRA applied in producing both of
its IRMPs. A report outlining the results of the Audit
Commission’s phase two pay verification study was presented
to the WYFRA in July 2004. The report findings suggest that
WYFRA has fully embraced the modernisation agenda and
has delivered, locally, the intended benefits (including
savings) of the various national changes. The report stated:
April 2005 FEJ & FP
• the Authority has a solid foundation in the preparation of
the IRMP and has complied with the prescribed guidance
and timetables
• the Authority has demonstrated a wide knowledge of the
principles of risk assessment and a willingness to develop
its approach into future years
• the Authority has effective processes for identifying
existing and potential risks to the community and
integrating this into action plans for both prevention and
intervention work
• the changes introduced by the IRMP are now beginning
to make a difference on the ground
Year 3 considerations
WYFRA took delivery of the fire service emergency cover
(FSEC) toolkit in March 2004 and since then a great deal of
work has been carried out to customise the toolkit and
populate it with local data. It was anticipated that the
toolkit would be used to inform proposals that would
form the Year 3 IRMP Action Plan. However, early results
and outcomes from the toolkit are disappointing, since
they do not appear to reflect the actual distribution of
dwelling fire incidents.
For example, the model shows areas where dwelling fire
deaths are predicted to be above average, or well above
average, but where in fact there are few, if any, dwelling fires.
Equally, there are areas which are categorised as below and
well below average, which do experience a high concentration
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Table 1: Year 1 and 2 Action Plans
IRMP 1 (2004/05) Action Plan Progress Comment
1. Implement an automatic fire alarm (AFA) reduction strategy Phased implementation commenced 1 April 2004 Introduce a risk-based flexible response to
and revised predetermined attendance (PDA) policy calls generated by AFA systems and to PDAs
2. Provision of additional resources in south and east Leeds to Implemented 5 April 2004 An additional appliance provided to cover
cover the peak activity period the peak activity period, staffed by personnel
on pre-arranged overtime
3. Change the crewing system at Holmfirth and Skelmanthorpe Implemented 5 April 2004 Crewing system changed at each station
and provide an area support vehicle from nucleus to retained duty system
4. Introduce a co-responder scheme Negotiations are ongoing with the Ambulance Trust
5. Removal of the second whole-time pump from Shipley fire Implemented 5 April 2004 Station reduced from two pumps to one pump
station whole-time station
6. Provision of additional resources in Bradford to cover the Implemented 5 April 2004 An additional pumping appliance provided to
peak activity period cover the peak activity period, staffed by
personnel on pre-arranged overtime
7. Relocation of prime-mover vehicles from Rothwell and Huddersfield to Mirfield implemented 5 April 2004 Two of the six prime-movers relocated to
Huddersfield to Mirfield and Featherstone Featherstone – awaiting modifications to station retained stations and crewed by personnel
building working the retained duty system
8. Conduct review of flexible duty system (FDS) and area FDS – Stage 1 implemented 1 January 2005 Resulted in a reduction in the number of
supervisory arrangements FDS – Stage 2 review commenced 1 October 2004 officers required on the FDS and changes to the
rota system, providing improved availability of
officers in the core period during the working
week
9. Review of the provision and use of aerial appliances Review completed and implemented Aerial appliance fleet rationalised from seven to
five (three constantly crewed and two dual
crewed with a pump)
10. Provide two operational support units Ossett – implemented 4 May 2004 Provision of additional technical rescue,
Bingley – implemented 1 July 2004 hazardous materials and incident command
support and managerial and supervisory
capability
IRMP 2 (2005/06) Action Plan Progress Comment
1. Implement the integrated community fire safety strategy Level 1 to be implemented from 1 April 2005 Level 1 - countywide strategy to carry out in
Level 2 commenced 1 February 2005 excess of 30,000 targeted home fire safety
checks per year.
Level 2 - specific risk reduction initiatives within
areas affected by proposals made in the IRMP
2. Trial of strategic standby/reserve at three stations To be implemented after 1 April 2005 Flexible use of staff at three multi-pump hours
stations will make available 25,000 staff per year for risk reduction and training activities
3. Change the crewing system at Slaithwaite fire station Phased implementation from 1 April 2005 Duty system will change from whole-time to
retained
4. Change the crewing system at Todmorden fire station To be implemented after 1 April 2005 Duty system will change from whole-time to day
crewing
5. Removal of the second appliance from Batley fire station To be implemented after 1 April 2005 Station reduced from a two pump to one pump
whole-time station
6. Provision of two further operational support units To be implemented after 1 April 2005 Provision of additional technical rescue,
hazardous materials and incident command
support and managerial and supervisory
capability
7. Undertake a specific risk reduction initiative in Hemsworth To be implemented after 1 April 2005 Specific risk reduction initiatives will be carried
out in this relatively high activity retained station
area
of dwelling fire incidents, many of which result in casualties
or the need to carry out rescues. The problem appears, on the
surface, to be one of insufficient sophistication in the model
in its treatment of deprivation.
Unfortunately, therefore, the toolkit outcomes are
insufficiently robust to allow officers to use them as the basis
for developing valid and reliable risk reduction and resource
re-allocation strategies to present to the Authority at this
time. As a result, the same risk assessment methodology
which was used effectively to produce the Year 1 and 2 plans
will be used to produce the Year 3 plan.
Initial work to produce the Year 3 Action Plan has
commenced. Data to inform the risk assessment process has
been updated to reflect the latest operational activity. Data
FEJ & FP April 2005

elating to 1999 has been dropped and incident data for
2004 has been included. This up-to-date incident data,
collated over the last five years, will be used to produce a risk
matrix and will inform proposals to be presented to the
Authority in the Year 3 Action Plan.
Cross-functional meetings have been held to assess the work
required to produce the plan. Following the broad discussions
in these planning meetings, a number of options for Year 3
are being considered. The detailed work to develop these
ideas into firm proposals has not yet been concluded.
Operational activity trends
A comparison of operational activity data for 2003 and 2004 has
been undertaken. This work highlighted a considerable
reduction in activity levels in 2004, compared to 2003, for all
incident types across the brigade area. Some stations experienced
significant reductions for particular incident types, exemplified
by reduced activity levels in the two busiest station areas in the
brigade, which can be directly linked to specific risk reduction
activities in those locations. Prominent among these are the
Arson Task Force – a joint police and fire service initiative
operating in the Killingbeck area of East Leeds – and the Regen
2000 initiative, operating within an area of Bradford. Both areas
have historically had a significant problem with arson-related
crime, particularly car fires and anti-social behaviour.
The following key statistics are worthy of note:
• there was a 16.8% reduction in the number of incidents
attended in 2004 compared to 2003. Some stations
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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experienced a significant reduction; for example,
incidents fell by 45% in Slaithwaite, 28% in Castleford,
26% in Idle, 23.7% in Halifax, and 19.9% in Garforth
• all stations attended fewer incidents in 2004 compared
to 2003
• property and vehicle fires reduced by 21%. Many
stations had significant reductions: for example,
Castleford 43%, Stanks 36.7%, Idle 34%, Gipton 29%
• car fires reduced very significantly, 33% overall across
the county. Some stations experienced a huge reduction,
notably Gipton, where incidents fell from 773 in 2003
to 439 in 2004, a 43% reduction
• secondary fires (refuse, refuse containers and grass etc)
reduced by a third across the brigade area. Again some
stations experienced very significant reductions in
activity levels, notably Huddersfield and Gipton. In
Huddersfield, the number of secondary fires fell from
1161 to 634 – a 45% reduction – and in Gipton the
number fell from 1526 to 1029 – a 33% reduction
These activity trends will be taken into account when
creating the risk profiles for each station and developing
proposals for the Year 3 Action Plan ❑
Phil Toase CBE is Chief Fire Officer of
West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service
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The missing link
Sean O’Malley describes how Cleveland Fire Brigade is integrating
risk management into its business planning processes
RISK MANAGEMENT has not traditionaly been
recognised as a high priority area of work for the fire
service. However, this has changed with the
introduction of integrated risk management and the
implementation of annual action plans.
Initially, integrated risk management planning focused on
prevention, protection and response, the evaluation of
effectiveness and the need to provide value for money. But
it goes beyond these issues. True integrated risk
management planning penetrates into how fire and rescue
services manage their business and is gaining recognition as
being an important managerial tool, in terms of ensuring
service provision and in providing effective management.
Integrated risk management plans (IRMPs) must consider
how services can provide effective and efficient service
delivery; abide by financial regulations; develop
opportunities and mitigate anticipated threats; ensure
corporate governance is adequate and maintained; and
ensure that the service can continue during major
interruptions to business continuity.
Most UK fire and rescue services, including Cleveland, are
using the fire service emergency cover (FSEC) toolkit to
assess the community risks within their respective areas. But
Cleveland Fire Authority is taking the philosophy a step
further, embedding the principles of risk management
within the organisation’s business processes.
Risk management is providing the link between business
planning, performance management and the organisation’s
mission and corporate objectives. The Authority has
identified the benefits of electronic systems to assist in the
process of risk management and in the recording of
processes. Good initial feedback has been received from the
Improvement and Development Agency and the Audit
Commission, during the first comprehensive performance
assessment inspection, carried out this year.
Cleveland Fire Brigade is a member of Association of Local
Authority Risk Managers (ALARM) and has found the
assistance of the association invaluable in the development,
recognition and embedding of risk management within the
organisation. ALARM has provided training to middle
managers, section and departmental heads (including
station and district managers). The organisation has also
adopted the ALARM risk management toolkit, Risk
Managed, as a suitable process for integrating risk
management into the business planning process. Similarly,
Cleveland Fire Authority’s risk register follows the risk
management guidance provided by ALARM.
Practical application
Business plans need to be underpinned with reasoning and
have clear links to how risks are identified and managed.
Efficient risk management processes should supply clearly
identifiable stepping-stones to navigate staff through any
opportunities and barriers to innovation.
One of the major barriers to adopting a recognisable risk
management processes is that managers often perceive the
processes to be laborious and time consuming. This can detract
from the managerial function. However, it is difficult to
remove risk management from effective management, so the
process needs to be streamlined and available to all managers,
regardless of their level of responsibility.
FEJ & FP April 2005

To aid this, Cleveland Fire Brigade has developed a
relationship with software company, Top Solutions (UK)
Limited. The company has provided a risk management
template to enable fire service staff to identify, assess,
control and evaluate risks associated with action plans and
objectives, thus adding clarity, accessibility and the facility
for audit to the process. Using information from various
sources, including the FSEC toolkit, managers are able to
use the process to benefit the business at operational,
tactical and strategic levels.
It is expected that by the middle of 2005, Cleveland’s
system will have been developed and populated with risk
assessments and action plans from station managers,
departmental heads and strategic managers. Different kinds
of access will allow the process to be audited via a system
audit trail, which will identify when any part of a risk
assessment or action plan has been altered:
• different sections of the organisation will be able to
compile their respective risk register, which aligns to
their business plan and ultimately the corporate aims
and mission
• central control of the ‘corporate’ risk register can be
maintained with an immediately available status report,
while maintaining currency
• performance against objectives can be managed by the
control of the resulting action plans, where action plans
and work streams are required
• operational risk assessments can be provided for offstation
training, community activities and even visits to
brigade premises by community groups – such as
schools – who require it as part of their particular
governance requirements
• business or service continuity arrangements in the event
of a major incident in terms of impact assessments and
mission critical activities can be put in place
Overall, the process is adaptable and facilitates the risk
management function of an effective manager in directing
actions to overcome barriers to objectives and developing
opportunities, while providing evidence of compliance with
legal and audit requirements. Therefore, true risk
management allows business planning to be outcomefocused
and, in terms of the fire and rescue service, the
overall outcome is making the community safer ❑
Sean O’Malley is an integrated risk manager
in the Quality Risk Management Section of
Cleveland Fire Brigade
For more information on the Association of Local Authority
Risk Managers, the National Forum for Risk Management in
the Public Sector, the ALARM Risk Managed toolkit and
training, visit www.alarm-uk.com
For more information on Top Solutions (UK) Limited visit
website, www.topsolutions.co.uk, or call Mike Peet on +44
(0)1229 812713
April 2005 FEJ & FP
FOCUS: OCUS: BRIGADE BRIGADE
RESOURCES
RESOURCES
THE UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH
FIRE SAFETY ENGINEERING GROUP
Winner Queen’s Anniversary Prize for Evacuation Research
Announcing two opportunities this year to update skills and learn
more about fire and evacuation modelling. Suitable for fire safety
engineers, fire brigade officers and all those concerned with
computational fire engineering and its role in demonstrating
compliance with fire safety regulations.
APRIL/MAY Two 5-day short courses
• Principles and Practice of Evacuation Modelling –
4-8 April 2005 (IFE accredited 35 hours CPD).
• Principles and Practice of Fire Modelling –
16-20 May 2005 (IFE accredited 38 hours CPD).
Costs from £999 for a single short course which may contribute to
part of a Masters programme. Discounts for applicants sponsored
by the Fire Brigade and for early registration. Cost includes limited
free licence to SMARTFIRE/EXODUS software.
Courses take place at the Greenwich Maritime Campus, London, UK.
Note: There will be an opportunity to participate in these courses in
distance learning mode, via live web broadcast and recorded lectures, for
a cost of £300 (tutorial sessions not available in this mode). See Website
for details.
For full details, call Mrs F Barkshire on
+44 (0)20 8331 8706, fax +44 (0)20 8331 8925,
e-mail: f.barkshire@gre.ac.uk or
visit our website at http://fseg.gre.ac.uk
39

40
Pat Cox discusses the
risk-based methodologies
that can be used to
develop sound fire safety
strategies for buildings
SINCE 1989, the UK has been moving steadily towards
a less prescriptive and more risk-based approach to fire
and life safety. This is partly driven by European health
and safety directives, and partly by the desire to be more
flexible in the application of fire and life safety standards.
The concept of fire risk assessment has a long and well proven
record in the insurance industry and in fire safety enforcement.
However, there is frequently confusion among non-fire
engineers as to the difference between a ‘hazard’ and a ‘risk’. In
order to use any risk assessment methodology effectively, it is
essential that the distinction is clearly understood.
A fire hazard is a physical situation which will result in the
destruction of property or the death or injury of people by
means of fire. Risk is the likelihood, chance or probability
that a dangerous or hazardous event will occur. This
definition of risk may be expressed as:
Risk = Expected frequency of hazard x Severity of consequences
Thus a risk is the opportunity or likelihood that an event will
arise if certain hazards are present. For example, if there are
combustible or flammable materials present, and there is the
potential for ignition to occur, the risk arises that a fire could
result. Fire risk assessment is therefore an estimation of the
likelihood that a fire will occur.
When this concept is applied to buildings in which a fire
engineering solution has been developed to protect the
occupants and contents, the practitioner must be able to take
account of a wide range of matters to reach a supportable
estimation of the risk present.
The assessor should select a method that allows him to take a
holistic view of the whole building, its systems and its
contents. Several such methodologies have been developed in
the last 20 years, such as those detailed in the International
Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) guidance on the fire
performance of design concepts and the assessment and
verification of mathematical fire models. There are also Euro
Norms in draft and several national standards.
Risk-based approach
Fire risk assessment has become the norm in the UK over the
last ten years, as it has moved away from the prescriptive
code-based approach, to more risk-appropriate solutions. The
prescriptive approach frequently resulted in inappropriately
demanding provisions for quite low-risk occupancies, greatly
increasing the cost of fire protection and safety.
Many different techniques are now in use, including:
• narrative methods, which are reliant on codes of practice,
standards and guidance
Risk venture
• checklist schemes, such as those produced for employers
by the Fire Protection Association
• points schemes, such as the Gretener Method used
by insurers, Dow and Mond indexes and standards of
fire cover
• benchmarks and balances, typically as set out in the
healthcare standard HTM 86: Fire risk assessment in
hospitals (1994)
• stochastic methods, which take account of the ‘changes of
state’ occurring during the fire progression
• logic diagrams typified by ‘The Method’, DD 240-1:
1997: Fire safety engineering in buildings: Guide to the
application of fire safety engineering principles (replaced by
BS 7974: 2004) and the ISO systems
A risk-based approach allows the occupier or user of a building
to adopt a strategy which best suits the operation and the
actual risk. It also allows the occupier/user to take account of
special features or services within the building which may
increase or decrease the risk. It has implications for the
enforcement agencies, since it requires an extremely
FEJ & FP April 2005

professional approach and understanding of the process of risk
assessment on the part of the enforcer in assessing the
adequacy of the owner/occupier’s assessment and provisions.
The more complex the building and operation to be assessed,
the more essential it is to have all the necessary knowledge and
experience to enable the assessor to form accurate judgments.
Probabilistic assessment
The increasing use of fire engineered solutions in large
buildings requires some tools which allow the effectiveness of
solutions to be assessed. A fire risk assessment must take
account of the systems, the structure, the contents, the use
and operational activities, and the overall management of the
building and the systems. This can be done in a number of
different ways, including the use of fire modelling and
probabilistic assessment methods, such as those set out in PD
7974-7: 2003: Application of fire safety engineering principles to
the design of buildings – Probabilistic risk assessment.
The PD 7974 approach uses event trees to illustrate the
outcomes from a series of formula-based calculations. The
data is taken from tables, based upon statistical data collected
over an extended period from a variety of sources, including
fire damage reports and fire experimentation. This is further
refined in the approach adopted in the soon-to-be-published
DD 9999: Fire safety design and management, which focuses
on life safety in case of fire and takes account of human
behaviour, systems and system maintenance, management
and construction.
In the DD 9999 approach, it is possible to extend travel
distances and reduce stair and exit widths, provided the
appropriate systems are in place. Thus, in a sprinklerprotected
office, it would be possible to extend travel
distances to up to 90m indirect travel. This is obviously an
extreme example, but it is theoretically possible if the
building is in the lowest life risk category, fully sprinklered,
fitted with an automatic fire detection and alarm system, and
meets several other criteria as well.
The system uses an approach based upon the formation of a
risk profile for the building and its various occupancies. This
takes account of:
• occupant characteristics – office/sleeping risk/industrial
process, etc
• predictive fire growth rate – an assessment of the fuel load
and the behaviour of the fuels present
• the construction methods and materials
• the geometry of spaces, particularly height and volume
• the provision of fire alarm and detection systems
• the provision of sprinklers
• the provision of smoke ventilation systems
• the provision of passive fire protection for load bearing and
other key elements of the structure
• the compartmentation of the structure, particularly in
regard to staircases, shafts and any protected routes for
escape purposes
April 2005 FEJ & FP
FOCUS: OCUS: RISK MANAGEMENT
MAN GEMENT
Figure 1: Predicted fire growth and spread – the ‘I’ curve
A representation of a predicted fire growth and spread from
a compartment of origin to the rest of the building,
assuming no intervention. The vertical axis represents the
likelihood that an established fire will go to full
compartment involvement; the horizontal axis provides an
estimate of the time that will elapse in that process.
If there are sufficient gains from the assessment, the designer
may be able to put forward a case for acceptance by building
control and fire authorities of extended travel distances and a
reduction in the number of staircases to be provided or the
width of staircases and escape routes.
A number of computer programs are currently in
development to enable fire officers to carry out a rapid
assessment, based upon the data contained in DD 9999.
These programs will simplify the task of manually drawing
down data from tables and carrying out the calculations
needed to assess some aspects, particularly those involving
time/temperature and smoke release rates.
Evaluation methodology
The Building Fire Performance Evaluation Methodology has
been developed by the Fire Service College, in conjunction
with Worcester Polytechnic Institute in Massachusetts,
USA, over a period of years. It has its origins in a 1972
survey of the Military Records Centre in Overland,
Missouri, USA. The methodology from the survey was
rather dramatically validated by the occurrence of a
deliberately set fire in the building six months later – which
performed exactly as predicted.
The methodology used has been developed and refined to
allow the user to assess – using knowledge, experience and
skill – the likely fire size and the probable spread from the
compartment of origin. It is unique in that it does not seek
to identify a source of ignition, but assumes that a state of
‘established burning’ has occurred.
The methodology requires the user to take account of and
assess:
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• the fire load in each compartment and select the worst
case
• the likely growth and spread, given the contiguity of fuel
packages, the compartment geometry and the
ventilation
• the likelihood of detection by either automatic or
manual means
• the presence of automatic suppression systems
• the manual intervention of either the occupants or the
fire service
• the performance of the compartment walls, doors and
floor structures
• the path by which the fire may spread to other
compartments
The result may be presented as a graph (see Figure 1), with
an estimate of probability of development and spread on the
vertical axis and an estimate of time on the horizontal axis.
The primary strength of this system is that, since it requires
a holistic view of the entire building, its use, its contents and
the occupants, it enables a user to identify very rapidly areas
where a fire may jeopardise the escape of persons from fire,
or a small event may destroy a vital system or function of a
business. Due to the way it is represented in graphic form, it
is also easily understood by non-practitioners.
Strategic planning
The concept of risk assessment is now being applied to the
allocation of resources for firefighting. As part of the
integrated risk management planning process, UK fire
services are required to carry out an exercise in risk-assessing
their protected areas and determining whether or not the
resources are in the correct place, in terms of the life safety
risks they are expected to protect. This requires that a
determination is made as to whether or not the location of
stations and men is correct for daytime, night-time and
weekend periods.
Most fire deaths occur in the private homes of the socially
deprived, the elderly or the infirm. Traditionally, fire stations
have been located where they provide protection to areas of
high daytime life risk, yet deaths occur mainly at night. It is
part of this ongoing process to ascertain whether or not the
night-time cover to some areas can be reduced and reallocated
to the ‘dormitory’ areas.
Even in those areas considered to be high daytime risks, the
risk-based approach to fire safety and prevention is driving the
reduction of fire risk by improving housekeeping and risk
reduction strategies. This has enabled a review of the
predetermined attendances to those premises where
significant risk reduction has been identified.
Enforcing authority inspectors have a dual purpose in
inspecting and assessing the efficacy of the provisions. They
must ensure that neither public safety nor firefighter safety
will be jeopardised by the provisions. Feedback from these
inspections should be used to adjust attendance requirements
and possibly pre-emergency planning, so that special risks do
not become a danger to firefighters. This requires a high
degree of understanding of the behaviour of fire in any
structure and the behaviour, or likely behaviour, of the
combination of structure and the materials within it.
Flexibility or recipe for failure?
In the hands of properly trained and experienced fire safety
professionals risk assessments based on fire behaviour,
probability and an understanding of the behaviour of
construction systems, combinations of materials and the
human factors, will produce sound fire safety strategies. In the
hands of people who are not fully competent in this field
there is a danger that the outcomes will not be a good
reflection of the actual risk. In order for this to work
effectively, the fire service enforcing officer has to be a fully
trained and competent inspector, with a sound understanding
of fire behaviour, firefighting, fire protection and the hazards
likely to give rise to changing risks. They must also have a very
sound grasp of the need for a holistic approach to risk
assessment – one which requires that they also understand
construction and structural weaknesses and strengths.
Life and fire protection measures should be flexible. They
should be reviewed every time there is any change to process,
structures or materials used. Reduced or increased staffing
must also trigger a review and all significant findings must be
addressed. Managers must accept that they cannot simply
alter layouts, change partitions or uses without taking full
account of the impact this will have on the life and fire safety
measures and systems. There is also a need to ensure that
every member of staff is fully cogniscent of the importance of
adhering strictly to the safe working systems, maintenance
and defect reporting procedures.
Properly conducted, properly managed and properly used,
fire risk assessment can and does produce workable and safe
strategies for workplaces and many other occupancies. In a
large majority of applications, it is a recipe for success,
however, there will also be a small group who abuse it and
bring about failures. Enforcers need to be able to identify
these premises and police them strictly. This means that the
enforcing authority needs officers who are qualified and
competent to carry out reviews of existing assessments and to
conduct a full fire safety risk assessment when necessary.
Fire risk assessment and the evaluation of the outcomes of a
firms’ assessment, requires a degree of ‘opinion’. If this
opinion is challenged in a court of law, it is likely that the
professional standing of the fire service inspector will be
challenged if they are not able to prove their professional
qualification to give opinion evidence in court. Fire service
investigators face a similar problem. There are ways of
addressing this, but it does require the deployment of
personnel with recognised technical expertise, qualification
and experience ❑
P G Cox BSc, MA, MIFireE, ASAESI is group
manager/senior tutor at the Fire Service College’s
Community Safety Support Centre
FEJ & FP April 2005

Pharmaceutical
thinking
Peter Camp outlines an example of an integrated approach to fire
risk management in the pharmaceuticals industry
PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY AstraZeneca has
more than 60,000 employees worldwide, with 30
manufacturing sites in 20 countries, 11 major research
and development sites in seven countries and sales in over
100 countries.
The company operates facilities to cover the complete life
cycle of a pharmaceutical, from discovery and development,
through to bulk chemical manufacture of active ingredients,
formulation of medicines, packing, distribution and sales.
This means there are a diverse range of working
environments, including high-risk areas for chemical
manufacture, highly business-critical areas, such as sterile
production facilities, warehousing, offices, and support assets,
such as restaurants and sports facilities. Most people that use
the sites are awake and alert people, but there are clinical trials
facilities, where people come and stay, which present a
sleeping risk.
All of the occupancies identified above must be assessed
against many different criteria, such as the risk to people,
assets, the business and the environment. The company was
faced with the prospect of producing many guides on
managing the various fire risks. This would have resulted in a
matrix of guides for all of the different situations, which
would have been complex and may have led to an unclear
understanding of risks and management systems.
April 2005 FEJ & FP
The company instead considered applying risk management
principles across the diverse portfolio of assets. An
examination of risk in general, and safety, health and
environmental (SHE) risks in particular, within the business
indicated that there were a number of common threads
throughout the processes. This led to the development
and adoption of an integrated approach to managing
risk in the company.
IRM framework
The theory underpinning the development of the integrated
risk management (IRM) approach goes as follows:
• a process is necessary but one that is too complicated
results in poor understanding and therefore poor
management
• minimise bureaucracy but maintain control – the size and
geographical extent of the business means it is not easy to
apply direct central control, but control is still required
within the process
• risk management responsibility must rest locally with
appropriate support, assurance mechanisms and
governance from central functions
• robust and mature processes mitigate risk – management
effectiveness and risk mitigation are linked
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• accountabilities must be defined – people must be
accountable and understand their accountabilities and
responsibilities
• the process must be practical, flexible to encourage
innovation, simple to understand and apply, and have
widespread applicability
It quickly became clear that this framework could be applied
to fire risk management, with some development of the
specific issues relating to fire, and would have the advantage
of consistency with the company risk management
methodology.
Taking fire as a separate risk, and indeed separating any
specialist area of risk assessment and management from the
overall scheme, causes problems in integrating solutions. By
separating fire from overall risk assessment, people often
apply different levels of risk tolerance to different identified
risks. This can result in inconsistent, or even inappropriate,
measures being applied for different risks. The risk assessment
process needs to be consistent, with someone having an
overview, while specialists are used in some of the specific
assessments which feed into the overall process.
The key issues to good fire risk assessment are a robust but
flexible framework, and competent facilitation of assessment.
Competence is clearly difficult to define but experience
indicates that, so long as the people doing the assessment are
competent, the result should be valuable. Although it is
difficult up front to determine if an assessor is competent, it
is often easier to determine that the output has come from a
competent assessment.
Assessment process
The generic AstraZeneca risk model can be applied to fire,
with more specific detail in each box as shown in Figure 1.
This is similar to the Health and Safety Executive’s five steps
to risk assessment, and many other risk assessment models.
The model consists of a process of Understand, Identify,
Assess and Manage, with a feedback loop to ensure that no
part of the process adversely affects another. The Review box
ensures that the assessment and resulting output remain ‘alive’
with changes in the asset or the business environment, or
organisational changes. In addition, for this model to work, a
common risk language is necessary to ensure understanding
across functions and worldwide, and a common
understanding of the company culture and values is needed
for consistency.
The key area is the Understand step. Without first making
sure that this is clear to everyone, assessments can go off track.
It is a common shortcoming in assessments to identify a
problem and immediately try to apply a mitigation measure.
Understand: For the assessment to be widely applicable, there
needs to be an understanding of its scope, the relevant
boundaries and interactions of the study (physical,
operational, etc) and how they may change with future
developments. This ensures that everyone understands what
is included and what is not, so there are no gaps in fire risk
management overall. A review of who or what may be harmed
Understand
❖ Context
Business critically
- Current
- Future
Damage and harm potential
- Plant
- Activity
- People
- Environment
- Business/reputation
Acceptability criteria
❖ Fire and associated mechanisms or
damage
❖ Boundaries (business and technical)
Interactions
Business development plans
Site development plans
Manage
❖ Where possible eliminate hazard
❖ Minimise hazard
❖ Minimise risk
Likelihood
Consequence
❖ Mitigate
❖ Implement procedures
❖ Communicate (what has been done)
❖ Train
❖ Maintain
❖ Audit
Figure 1: Generic risk model
RISK LANGUAGE
Review
Measure
Monitor
Learn
Manage change
Communicate – good practice
CULTURE AND
VALUES
Identify
❖ Threats
To personnel
To business
❖ Hazards
Combustibles and flammables
Ignition sources
❖ Previous experience
Existing assets
Corporate knowledge
Industry experience
Assess
❖ Consequences
Impacts
Benefits
❖ Likelihood
❖ Test acceptability
(Toolbox)
is necessary, as well as what can be considered acceptable in
the context of the particular assessment. Finally, there should
be an understanding of how fire may inflict harm to ensure
that all processes are understood. For example, heat, smoke,
water and other extinguishing media could all cause harm
Identify: There are many standard methods for identifying
the threats and these should be applied to get a consistent
approach. In the company’s IRM risk model, this box
contains opportunities that can be identified from the activity
or asset under consideration. For fire, it is difficult to see any
direct opportunities, but we should keep in sight the
opportunity provided by the activity under consideration to
ensure that any measures taken to protect it are proportional
and do not adversely affect the activity
Assess: There are many standard assessment tools and
methodologies available, but the key aspect is objective
assessment of likelihood of fire, as well as consequence, rather
than the subjective opinions often used. The assessment needs
to take account of smaller events which are more likely to
occur, as well as large but uncommon events
Manage: Once a fire risk assessment has been carried out,
appropriate management systems can be put in place to
address them. This is where the occupancy type is likely to
have a greater effect on the decisions. The standard inherent
SHE principles to eliminate, avoid and control risks are
recommended. The key issues include training and
communication to ensure that the protection measures put
FEJ & FP April 2005

in place, and the reasons for them, are understood, used
correctly and maintained appropriately. A separate
document is being developed to help people through the
process of identifying appropriate protection solutions to
the fire risks they have identified
Once the assessment has been undertaken, it is necessary to
record the findings. It is also useful to summarise the key
risks identified, the SHE philosophies, the protection
measures implemented, and the reasoning behind those
measures for the life cycle of an asset or activity. The
document, The Basis of SHE, lives with the asset and is
updated in line with any changes. It forms the basis of
maintenance activities, training, change management and
responses to enquiries from regulating authorities.
An example of a possible SHE philosophy regarding fire
could be: ‘Personnel will be protected from the effects
of fire through evacuation’. The SHE control measures to
achieve this philosophy would include: a fire detection
and alarm system; adequate evacuation routes; training
and information; and an evacuation plan, including
testing the plan.
Assurance and governance
Devolution of accountability and responsibility for risk
management requires a robust process for assurance and
governance. The greatest impact of the risk-based approach
on AstraZeneca’s assurance processes has been a shift from
‘fire safety’ to ‘fire risk’ auditing, with a greater emphasis on
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• Training guidance on operating the various extinguishers
• A demonstration of the ‘wet chemical’ extinguisher on a deep fat fryer
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FOCUS: OCUS: RISK MANAGEMENT
MAN GEMENT
management control and processes, rather than just installed
equipment. In-depth audits are undertaken where necessary
to look at physical implementation of protection, but the
assurance comes from the assessment of the understanding,
identification and management of the risks. The Basis of SHE
also helps sites to demonstrate the effectiveness of their risk
management processes.
The use of an overall risk management process applied to fire
risk management has a number of benefits:
• it is applicable to all situations – this is essential given the
wide variety of occupancies and activities in the company
• it is simple, flexible, robust and practical
• by having one ‘watermark’ framework for all risk
management, people feel confident and comfortable with
its application
Fire is a risk like any other risk and should be assessed in a
consistent manner. Fires start and develop in a consistent way,
no matter what the occupancy, and so risks from fire can be
identified and assessed in the same way for all occupancies.
The management systems put in place may vary for different
occupancies but this can be approached in a similar manner,
enabling one unified, consistent approach to fire risk
management across a diverse organisation ❑
Peter Camp is a senior fire engineer at AstraZeneca
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45

46
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Package of PROTECTION
PASSIVE FIRE protection (PFP) has long played an
important role in achieving the fire performance of
structural steelwork in buildings. It is used in low-,
medium- and high-rise buildings of various occupancy types
to achieve fire-resistance ratings for prescriptive design.
In the future, however, it is hoped that a risk-based approach
to fire resistance design, coupled with robust structural fire
design, will become more acceptable. For example, where the
risk of a severe fire and structural collapse is shown to be very
small, the need for passive PFP could be reduced. But should
the risk of a fire be high, more fire protection and structural
detailing will be required for the building design. This
concept is something that forms the basis of BS EN 1991:
2002: Eurocode 1: Actions on structures: Part 1-2: General
actions – Actions on structures exposed to fire1 , although it is
expected to be revised for the UK market, due to concerns
with the risk factors proposed. The major next step required
is therefore a study and quantification of suitable risk factors
for structural fire design.
Since there have been no major structural frame failures
resulting from fire recorded in recent times, the standard fireresistance
test methods are considered effective for design
requirements and important for comparative assessments of
different products. However, there is growing belief that real
structural fire response is a significant concern for any
structural design, and that complying only with code-based
fire ratings may not necessarily mean that damage – or even
collapse – can be prevented in a real fire.
Photodisc Blue
For low- and medium-rise buildings with low-risk
occupancy types, this may mean reduced fireproofing
ratings or partial protection schemes may be acceptable.
However, for high-rise or high-fire-risk occupancies,
increased fire ratings and changes to the structural design
may be needed. After the Broadgate fire 2 , and the resulting
research programme at Cardington 3 , there is now a far
better understanding of real structural response to fire, plus
validated numerical tools to assist designers.
Arup Fire’s approach to structural fire engineering is based
on non-linear analysis of a structure to a series of fire
exposures, agreed with the stakeholders on a project-byproject
basis. The non-linear analysis – developed with the
University of Edinburgh as a result of the new
understanding from the Cardington frame fire tests and
subsequent structural fire modelling 1 – allows engineers to
investigate the strengths and weaknesses in a structural
Dr Barbara Lane and Dr Susan Lamont discuss the role of
passive protection for structural steel in the context of risk-based
fire engineering design
design. Where necessary, changes are made to the structural
design for normal temperatures to improve the response to
elevated temperatures. Specific detailing can then be
developed to increase the likelihood of a robust reaction in
fire. This results in a life safety solution for building
occupants and firefighters that is not solely reliant on
traditional fire ratings or sprinkler operation. The intent is
therefore to reduce life safety risks.
By using this method, high temperatures on a structure can
be treated in a manner similar to other loading conditions,
such as wind or seismic loads. It also allows engineers to take
advantage of alternative load paths in a real structure, which
are not considered in prescriptive design. This approach
means the consequence of heating effects can be quantified
and therefore incorporated in a risk based fire-engineering
design. Suitable mitigating measures can then be developed to
reduce unacceptable risks.
Improving building efficiency
Modern construction also has an impact. The construction
industry is continuously striving to improve efficiency in
tall building construction and maximise commercial
rentable floor space by limiting floor to ceiling heights and
having large, column-free spaces, while aiming to achieve
robust fire resistance.
Long-span composite truss systems or cellular steel beams
are becoming increasingly common in commercial office
FEJ & FP April 2005

uildings in the UK. As with all other forms of
construction, their fire resistance is established on the basis
of the standard furnace testing of short unrestrained beam
sections, typically 4.5m long, and therefore much shorter
than the 12-18m spans commonly built in practice. The
structural fire resistance of long-span floor systems has
therefore not yet been quantified in a real fire, but such
systems are currently assumed to be conservative in design,
based on the single element fire testing approach.
The standard furnace test does not give engineers a reliable
representation of the risk to life or property, since structural
performance is not quantified in full scale. Structural
modelling does allow a full-scale assessment. Understanding
the real structural fire response is critical to a risk-based
assessment of building performance. Relying on standard
small-scale furnace tests may mean several structural fire
mechanisms are hidden, and therefore the risk is hidden.
Robustness of the construction, including the fire
protection material, has a key role in how well a structure
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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Cost implications of passive protection
THE APPLICATION of PFP to steelwork has implications
for all involved in a building project. There are a number
of pros and cons for each stakeholder. Fire engineers are
often employed to assess fire-resistance ratings to
optimise the level of PFP to be applied.
Steelwork fabricator: The cost of the steel frame
increases and lead-time for the steelwork to arrive on site
increases if off-site intumescent is used. Handling
steelwork coated in intumescent paint and delivering it to
site has to be controlled to limit damage to the paintwork
and limit time on site repairing the damaged areas. A
significant advantage is that the thickness of intumescent
applied to the steelwork can be quality-controlled by the
fabricator off site.
Contractor: The contractor has to factor in the
application of PFP to the building works schedule and
his labour costs, plus interference with adjoining
properties. If spray- or board-type protection is used
then this can delay other site operations. Off-site
intumescent is a better option because it arrives on site
already applied to the steel members, but the plates and
bolts on each connection need to be cleaned, primed
and coated in intumescent on site.
Architect: The architect is responsible for specifying fire
protection products for steel but the increasing use of
cellular beams means this is falling outside their domain.
The aesthetics of the finished product is normally an issue
for architects. Spray coatings need to be hidden above
ceilings or similar. Boarding can be decorated or hidden.
Thin film intumescents with a fire-resistance rating of up
to about 90 minutes will provide a paint-like finish, but
many architects are still worried about the ‘orange-peel’
effect that was common a few years ago, when
intumescent was applied thickly in a number of layers.
Client: The ultimate disadvantage for the client is the
added cost to the overall project. The typical cost of
PFP is about £10-12/m2 of structural steel5. This can
be higher for off-site intumescents but costing
information is not straightforward.
Approver: Passive fire protection has a long history of
providing adequate safety, so approvers tend to be
comfortable with this prescriptive solution. A new trend,
particularly in the UK and China, is local authorities’
increasing desire to understand the real structural
response to fire, whether or not the structure has been
designed with code-compliant ratings and associated
protection.
Insurer: Insurers view fire protection favourably but
have concerns with ongoing maintenance of systems.
Advanced structural fire analysis, where the structural
performance is quantified, means comparisons
between fully protected buildings and a partially
protected building solution can be created. This allows
structural fire engineers to illustrate the damage which
occurs in each situation. Insurers that approve fireengineered
solutions involving unprotected secondary
steelwork are generally satisfied with this partially
protected approach because it means ongoing
maintenance of the protection material is no longer a
governing factor. Instead, the structural system has
been modified to cope with the effects of fire.
Structural engineer: Until recently, the structural
engineer has had a limited role to play in specifying fire
protection to steel, where systems like the increasingly
popular long-span cellular beams can be fire
engineered by the structural engineer using proprietary
software.
will perform in a fire. The robustness of the fire protection
material could be considered as a risk factor associated with
achieving a particular fire resistance.
Maintenance is one of the key issues with regard to
ensuring robustness. Spray coatings are notoriously
frangible and are knocked when people move internal
finishes and furnishings around as the building is
refurbished over its lifetime or additional kit is added in
ceiling and floor voids. Boarding is more robust but is
reliant on the fixings being installed in accordance with
manufacturers’ guidance. The protection offered by
intumescent products will also be reduced by damage but
is somewhat self-healing when it intumesces.
Fire resistance is entirely dependent on good application and
maintenance and this is something that is very rarely
factored into fire engineered designs. The most robust
solution is a bare steel frame that has been designed for the
loads experienced during a fire, where the steel has inherent
fire resistance and is not reliant on PFP or its maintenance.
47

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Traditionally, prescriptive fire-resistance periods for
buildings have been graded, based on the height of the
building (consequence of collapse) and the occupancy type
(risk of fire activation and ease of escape). The timeequivalent
approach in BE EN 1991-1-2: 2002, which is a
performance-based method used to define the fireresistance
period of a particular building based on the
characteristics of the fire compartment (window openings,
floor area, height, boundary wall linings), also considers
risk, albeit in a simplistic manner. The method allows
engineers to apply factors to the characteristic fire load to
take into account the risk of fire and the benefits of
different firefighting measures.
BS EN 1991 does not take into account the potential
impact of the height of the building, should the framework
fail. This has not been formally justified. It does include a
factor for the risk of fire, related to the maximum
compartment floor area. In general, the risk factors are
derived from research carried out in Europe under the
auspices of the natural fire safety concept4 . There is
therefore a strong reliance on firefighter intervention and
reduced fire ratings. This approach has yet to be adopted in
the UK and would require some serious justification before
it could be considered acceptable.
Neither the tabulated prescriptive approach in Approved
Document B to the Building Regulations in England and
Wales nor the time-equivalent approach consider all of the
risks associated with fire-resistance design.
Risk-based approach
The following items could all be considered in a risk-based
approach when designing the fire resistance of a steel frame:
• the probability of expected fire sizes and their impact on
the structure – fire sizes will be dependent on the
provision of sprinklers, smoke control, firefighting
equipment and detection systems
• the footprint of the building – amount of fire load and
ignition sources
• the height of the building – consequence of structural
failure
• proximity to surrounding buildings/businesses –
consequence of structural failure
• the occupancy type – for example, is there a sleeping risk
or other reason for means of escape to be delayed?
• whether the structure has been designed to account for
the forces generated during a fire, such as restrained
thermal expansion
• the type of fire protection proposed related to its
robustness
• the type of construction – for example, composite steel
frame
• details of construction – for example, ductility of
connections
The industry needs to move away from reducing the fire
load assumed in a time-equivalent approach or post-
flashover fire calculation, which only reduces the duration
of the fire. Instead a thorough risk assessment should be
conducted to permit suitable probabilities to be assigned
to the variables, defining possible fires and probabilities of
failure assigned to different construction types. These
probabilities should be compared with predefined
performance criteria.
Enhanced structural design
The criteria could be met by enhancing the structural
design for fire, installing sprinklers or using fire
protection. For instance, in a high-rise office with longspan
beams, the consequence of failure is high and
therefore the structural response to fire should be
quantified and considered in the structural design
process. It is usual for high-rise buildings to be
sprinklered, therefore the benefit of this should be
considered in a probabilistic risk assessment.
Alternatively, a highly robust fire protection material
could provide additional protection and strength to the
structural design in lieu of sprinklers, in parallel with
specific structural detailing for a fire.
By combining quantitative understanding of structural
performance in fire, the robustness of specific
fireproofing materials, with a risk assessment of the
building type, occupancy and construction form, a more
appropriate package of cost-effective safety measures
could be created for modern building designs. The
reliance on fireproofing would then be explicitly defined
as a governing factor in the design, and the
accompanying ongoing maintenance and care necessary
to sustain this design factor would form the basis of any
future risk assessment – such as those carried out by
employers. Alternatively, where a design was shown to be
independent of structural fire protection or only partially
reliant on it, this could also form the basis of
acceptable design ❑
Dr Barbara Lane is associate director and Dr Susan
Lamont is a senior engineer at Arup Fire
References
1.BS EN 1991: 2002: Eurocode 1: Actions on structures: Part
1.2: General actions – Actions on structures exposed to fire
2.Structural fire engineering, Investigation of Broadgate
Phase 8 Fire, Technical report, Steel Construction
Institute, June 1991
3.Kirby, B.R., British Steel data on the Cardington fire
tests, Technical report, British Steel, 2000.
4.Schleich J.B. and Cajot L-G., Competitive steel buildings
through natural fire safety concept, RPS Report no. 32,
1999.
5.Dowling J., Fire protection costs for structural steelwork,
New Steel Construction, Volume 11, Issue 5, 2004.
FEJ & FP April 2005

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Past and present
Graham Ellicott examines how early passive protection systems
evolved into today’s modern structural steel protection and
compartmentation systems
IN 1722, inventor David Hartley was granted, what is
believed to be, the first patent in England for a purposedesigned
passive fire protection system. It detailed a system
of metal plates separated by sand. This was installed in many
houses to prevent the spread of fire from one floor to another.
Thus, the first fire compartmentation system was developed.
In 1791, a group of leading London architects formed a club
known as the Associated Architects. A year later, they decided
to ascertain if a ‘practicable and not expensive means might be
devised, which will confine a fire to one room in a house’.
Leading architect Henry Holland allowed them to carry out
experimental research at two new houses in Hans Place,
London. The group evaluated several systems, which were to be
the precursors of modern-day passive fire protection products.
The group’s findings were published in a pamphlet entitled
Resolutions of the Associated Architects; with the report of a
committee appointed to consider the causes of the frequent
fires, and the best means of preventing the like in future. In
the document, Holland discussed five methods of prevention.
These included the Earl of Stanhope’s ‘stucco’ to prevent the
passage of fire through ceilings and floors; Henry Wood’s
liquid for fireproofing timber; and another of Hartley’s ideas,
which involved the nailing of very thin wrought-iron sheets
around timber joists.
Early experiments
The group’s experiments included the lighting of fires in
protected rooms, as well as below the staircases. The
pamphlet describes these experiments in graphic detail and
discusses the evolution of the ideas that were derived from
them. The Associated Architects recommended all of the fire
protection methods that were evaluated. The Duke of
Bedford, who paid for the printing of the pamphlet, specified
that these fire protection techniques should be used in new
houses built on his estate. However, only Hartley’s fire plates
were used widely, mainly by Henry Holland and by James
Wyatt, another well-known architect of the period.
These early prototype systems were the forerunners of today’s
board encasement products, cementitious coatings and thinfilm
fire-resistive coatings. Since this early research, a variety
of systems have evolved which can preserve the structure and
the integrity of a building’s compartmentation.
One type of modern product is that used to protect structural
steel frames. Cementitious products – based on gypsum or
Portland cement binders – are normally applied by low
pressure spray techniques to the profile of the steel section to be
protected. These materials contain low-density aggregates and
rheological aids to help the application characteristics. They
provide fire protection for steel in two ways: the first being via
the ‘cooling effect’, since the trapped moisture (physically and
chemically bound) evaporates as the temperature of the
surrounding fire increases. Once all the moisture has turned to
steam, the product then behaves as a thermal insulation
material. Low density mineral and synthetic aggregates are used
in these products, since they are efficient in allowing the steam
to escape, while denser materials might impede its progress and
cause the product to spall.
Casing systems and firestopping
Board and casing systems composed of various materials,
such as ceramic wool, mineral wool, fire-resistant
plasterboard, calcium silicate and vermiculite, are also used
to provide fire protection to steel. These products provide
fire protection to steel in much the same way as the
cementitious products and are dry fixed around the steel
using clip, pin, noggin and screw systems.
Intumescent coatings are the third generic type of fire
protection for structural steel. These products derive their name
from the Latin verb ‘tumescere’, which means to begin to swell.
In a fire situation, these thin-film products swell up to form a
char which protects the steel, due to its insulating properties.
Using various types of industrial coating equipment, these
materials are applied as a thin film and are often available in a
range of colours, so that the designer can achieve his aesthetic
needs, as well as those of fire protection on visible steel.
In conjunction with the Fire Test Study Group and the Steel
Construction Institute, the Association for Specialist Fire
Protection (ASFP) publishes Fire Protection for Structural Steel
in Buildings. Currently in its third edition, this publication is
also known as the ‘Yellow Book’ and is recognised as the
industry guide to testing and product approval. The Yellow
Book contains third-party reviews of test reports and
assessments for passive fire protection products.
It is also interesting to see what types of products ‘descended’
from the Earl of Stanhope’s ‘stucco’ and how they are used to
maintain the level of compartmentation fire protection.
The major formed in-situ materials are mortars, sealants and
mastics. Mortars are gypsum or cementitious powders that are
blended with inorganic fillers to provide a fireproof mix, which
can be used to fill horizontal or vertical holes. These products
are mixed with water and used as normal cement mortar mixes.
In some cases, these materials may be load bearing.
FEJ & FP April 2005

There is widespread use of plastic pipes in buildings. In a fire
situation, these pipes will melt and the resulting hole will
allow smoke and flame to pass through. To counteract the
problem, two types of firestopping and penetration sealing
products are available: those that are supplied ready-to-fit and
those that are formed in situ. These products are fixed to the
wall or ceiling around the pipe. In the event of a fire, the
intumescent material creates pressure in the collar and
squeezes the pipe, thereby filling the hole.
Coated mineral wool batts are cut to form the main part of a
structure to fill a hole, through which cables, pipes, or ducts
may pass. They would usually be used in conjunction with
other materials (such as pipe wraps and some of the formed in
situ products) and are manufactured from mineral wool and
coated with intumescent or ablative fire-resisting materials.
Flexible gap seals are products with a fire-retardant foam core
bonded to intumescent paper, which can be compressed into a
gap. In a fire situation, the intumescent swells to keep the gap
closed.
Sealants and mastics, supplied in tubes for use with gun
applicators, are single- or multi-pack systems with organic,
inorganic or intumescent fillers. These products are based
upon binders such as acrylic, polysulphide or silicone.
The ASFP issued the second edition of Fire Stopping and
Penetration Seals for the Construction Industry, also known as
the ‘Red Book’, in October 2004. This document is similar
in concept to the Yellow Book, but deals with products that
are designed to maintain the fire performance of fire-rated
compartment walls.
Installation
In Henry Holland’s time, the quality of workmanship had not
been addressed in a systematic way. In the 21st century, the
use of modern sophisticated products can be undermined by
poor quality installation and can, in a fire situation, lead to
premature collapse of a building. This, in turn, could threaten
the lives of the occupants and the firefighters. Thus, it is
imperative that contractors, who have appropriate credentials
for the work, install passive fire protection products fully in
accordance with manufacturers’ instructions.
Third-party accreditation schemes are in operation for
installers of passive fire protection. The ASFP fully supports
these initiatives, since they ensure that the installing
companies and their operatives have the required level of
expertise to properly carry out the job.
Passive fire protection has come a long way since the days of
David Hartley. Nowadays, there is a wide range of materials
that, when properly installed, will solve the fire protection
problems that specifiers and building owners have to contend
with on a day-to-day basis ❑
Graham Ellicott is chief executive of the
Association for Specialist Fire Protection
ASFP documents can be downloaded free from website:
www.asfp.org.uk
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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Fireproof equine establishments or farms do not exist.
However, careful building design and refurbishment of
existing buildings, including day-to-day fire safety
management and on-going fire safety practices, are the best
ways of minimising fire risks. USA statistics3 show that 95%
of US fires in equine establishments are caused by the careless
disposal of smoking materials. Faulty electrical systems are
also a major cause of those fires.
Those witnessing a barn fire, particularly where trapped
horses are involved, describe a terrifying and traumatic
experience waiting for the fire brigade’s arrival. In some rural
areas in the UK, stable owners can expect to wait up to 30
minutes for the first fire engine to reach the incident.
However, under integrated risk management planning,
A stable option
Harry Paviour calls for tighter fire safety regulations in equine and
agricultural premises
THE UK’S farming industry has declined over the last
two decades for numerous reasons. A report by the
Department for the Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (DEFRA) 1 for 2002-03 showed that 56% of
England’s 60,400 farmers had to diversify to stay in the
industry. As a result, former farm buildings have been
converted, for example, into stables to accommodate horses,
ponies and donkeys.
Yet despite the increase in building development in these
areas, and proven fire risks, there is only a limited amount of
guidance available on fire safety standards for conventional
farm buildings. There is very little, if any, in-depth
information on how to understand and comply with the
statutory fire safety requirements for farmers and licensed
commercial stables. The Building Regulations and
BS: 5502-20: 1990: Buildings and structures for agriculture.
Code of practice for general design considerations only provide
those designing, constructing and occupying farm buildings
with a general indication of the types of fire safety standards
to apply.
During 1989-19932 , the UK fire service attended over 10,000
incidents where agricultural animals, excluding poultry, were
victims of fires. Of these fires, 569 resulted in the death of
one or more animal. The total number of animal fatalities in
these fires was over 49,000 – predominantly horses, cattle,
sheep and pigs. The figure for the loss of poultry due to fire
over this period was 100,000-plus.
Although the standard of residential and commercial building
fire protection has seen many advances in the last 20-25 years,
the provision of fire protection in agricultural and equine
establishments has been seen as either too difficult to enforce,
due to the harsh environments, or restricted by other animal
housing requirements.
Empics
attendance times and the number and type of fire appliances
sent initially to an incident is likely to change, not necessarily
for the better.
Rapid fire development
Protecting a horse stall/stable or animal establishment is not
the same as protecting a home or business. In a stable, a
horse is housed in highly flammable, dry bedding material,
often straw. Understanding the effects of a fire in the first 5
minutes of a barn fire, is crucial to developing better fire
safety in these buildings.
Burning straw reaches up to 149°C within 1-5 minutes of
ignition. It can develop as much or more heat as burning
petrol. A flat surface straw fire, developed from a spark, a
flying burning ember, a lighted match, or another small
ignition source, will take 2-3 minutes to burn an area 3m in
diameter3 – compared to the average horse box stall of 3-5m2 .
Once the fire spreads to 1.3m in diameter, it is likely that a
horse will be injured. By the time the fire has spread to 1.9m
in diameter, the horse’s lungs will be seared. With a 2.8m
diameter fire, the horse will start to suffocate. When the fire
has grown to 3.1m in diameter, the horse will be dead.
For a horse to survive relatively unharmed, the animal must
be removed from the burning stall within the first 30 seconds
of a fire starting. Early detection of a fire and a pre-planned
response for quick rescue is key. Just as important is a proactive,
watertight approach to fire safety in these
establishments.
The agricultural industry argues that implementing fire safety
procedures would be too cost prohibitive. In most cases,
owners of stables have failed to fully understand the need to
consider fire protection as a business priority.
FEJ & FP April 2005

Many stables specialise in different aspects of equestrian
interests, such as riding facilities for the disabled, or running
retired animal sanctuaries. Others are commercial, providing
working horses, stud stables, riding and/or livery services.
Currently, livery stables are not subject to any fire legislation
controls, (however, the Government is presently reviewing
the need to extend legislation to cover the licensing of such
premises) leaving a small percentage of larger stables
operating in either commercial enterprises – for example,
polo playing or horse racing – or military establishments,
such as the Ministry of Defence equine division. A very large
percentage of UK stables are quite small in size. A large
number of stables will be for private use, usually
accommodating five horses, or less. The exact number of
private stables throughout the UK is not known, but they do
outweigh the known number of licensed commercial stables
and equine establishments.
Fire safety precautions
In most cases, information on complying with standards and
legislation will not apply to private venture establishments,
yet fires in private stables are not uncommon. If operators of
private stables adopt some of the standards and
recommendations needed to comply with legislation, they
will be seen as applying a ‘best practice’ approach.
Owners of smaller stables tend to believe they are less vulnerable
to fire than the larger licensed stables, but they too should
embrace fire safety precautions. While vehicles, horse tack or
other equine equipment can all be replaced after a fire, replacing
a horse has more sentiment, regardless of its commercial value.
Proprietors must not only protect the lives of employees and
animals, but also protect against the loss or damage to
property and other assets by fire. Compliance with legislation
and licenses is not definitive in preventing a fire occurring, it
is only part of managing the fire risk. Those that operate
agricultural and equine establishments must have a sound fire
safety culture with strong fire safety management procedures
in place. If developers of new or existing equestrian
establishments incorporate standard Building Regulation
practices – using fire detection, automatic extinguishing
options and effective fire risk management – serious fires in
equestrian establishments will be a thing of the past ❑
Harry Paviour is an instructor at the Fire Service College
and fire advisor to the British Horse Society
Copies of Guidelines for Fire Safety in Equine and
Agricultural premises, ISBN 0-900226-69-2, are available,
priced £32.50, from the British Horse Society (www.bhs.org.uk)
References
1. Dub’e S., Diversity reaps £100m, The Western Mail,
County Farming Supplement, 2004.
2. Chief Fire Officers’ Association, Farm Fires, Animals, Fire
fatalities, Parliamentary Monitoring, Hansard, 1995.
3. Davis, B., Fire the Dread of all Horsemen,
www.bayequest.info/horsetalk/fire.htm, 2001.
April 2005 FEJ & FP
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A multi-disciplinary team, with scientific,
engineering, insurance and fire service
backgrounds, capable of offering consultancy in
all aspects of fire safety.
74 Crooksbury Road, Runfold, Farnham, Surrey GU10 1QD
Telephone: 01252 783484 • Fax: 01252 342341
53

54
FOCUS: OCUS: RISK MANAGEMENT
MAN GEMENT
AT THE request of HM Fire Service Inspectorate for
Scotland, and in response to the high number of
wildland fires in the summer of 2003, a conference
was held in 5 October 2004 in Aberdeen. The conference,
supported by the Scottish Executive, attracted a broad range
of delegates, including representatives of brigades,
manufacturers of fire-related products, educational
establishments and the land management community. Its aim
was to discuss the immediate challenges facing land
management and fire agencies, and to provide a basis for the
establishment of a strategic-level group to give focus to
wildfire issues at a national level.
Councillor Karen Freel, convener of the Grampian Fire Board,
welcomed delegates, exhibitors and speakers to the event, and
spoke of the high activity levels that Grampian Fire and Rescue
Service had faced in dealing with the 2003 wildfires. Councillor
Freel also indicated the pressures placed upon a semi-rural fire
authority in attending these incidents while, at the same time,
maintaining readiness for ‘normal’ fire service activities.
HM Chief Inspector of Fire Services for Scotland, Jeff Ord,
gave the opening address and discussed the potential increase
in wildfire incidents. He highlighted the possible effects of
climatological changes, saying that the shorter and hotter
summers and wetter winters provided ideal conditions for
this type of incident. He also stressed the need to establish
partnerships in order to develop cohesive strategies for
tackling future wildfires.
Mr Ord indicated that membership of international groups,
such as the International Technical Committee for the
Prevention and Extinction of Fire (CTIF) Forest Fires
Commission, the United Nations Economic Commission for
Europe/Food and Agriculture Organisation and the Global
Wildland Fire Network, had already allowed Scotland to
become influential in the international arena in this policy area.
Mark Jones, of Grampian Fire and Rescue Service, argued
that forest and grass fires may have to be given a higher
Collaborative working to tackle
the risk of wildfires was a key
theme at a recent conference
held in Scotland.
Gary Burnett reports
WILD TALK
priority in risk planning, indicating that they too
constituted ‘property’ in the broadest sense. He referred to
Climate change: review of levels of protection offered by flood
prevention schemes, a research report published by the
Scottish Executive in 2003 which, although conducted for
the purposes of considering flooding scenarios, also
provided models that indicated drier and hotter springs and
summers which can create conditions for wildfires.
Higher priority
In addition, this presentation highlighted the current position
in the UK and focused on the topic of public expectation,
highlighting the international situation in terms of the
potential effects of wildfires on public health and the global
environment, including:
• social attitudes towards the use of fire as a land
management tool, and the apparent reluctance of society
to accept this
• the demographic effects upon wildfire attitudes
• the likely effects of climate change in terms of frequency
and severity of fires
• the economic factors that impinge upon policy
development in this field
Mr Jones outlined a need for further research and datacapture
to be carried out to enable informed discussions,
coupled with open debate at strategic level to enable the
establishment of a national focus on the issue.
Michael Bruce from the Glen Tanar Estate, Aberdeenshire,
explained how some of the current land-use policies and
economic forces were leading to reduced levels of grazing and
consequently were creating an accumulation of fuels,
especially in the uplands. He indicated that high fuel-loads
lead to higher rates of fire spread and higher fire intensities,
creating wildfires that are difficult, dangerous and expensive
to extinguish. Mr Bruce also highlighted the benefits of
FEJ & FP April 2005

collaborative working or mutual-aid schemes, which enable a
sharing of resources, specialist equipment, skills and
experience.
Dr Johann Goldammer of the Global Fire Monitoring Centre
in Freiburg, Germany outlined the global organisations and
groups that exist for tackling wildland fires. He explained that,
as land management intensity diminishes, the frequency and
intensity of wildfires will increase in the future. He also
stressed that single nations in isolation were unlikely to be
capable of effectively tackling the range of prevalent problems.
Dr Goldammer gave an account of the work undertaken by
the Global Fire Monitoring Centre and demonstrated the
extent and effect of several fires in various parts of the world,
including the UK, in 2003. He also explained the benefits of
graphical imaging and statistical analysis in determining the
extent of fire damage and fire spread.
The importance of wildfires as an international problem was
also stressed by Trond Rane, Chief Fire Officer of Sarpsborg
Fire Service, Norway, who went on to give a detailed account
of the work and activities of the CTIF, which he currently
chairs. Its aim is to establish a structural, organisational,
training and equipment requirement for each country’s
operational firefighters.
Practical issues
In discussing the problems and practical difficulties
encountered in fighting wildfires, Jim Fraser, a commander
from Lothian and Borders Fire Brigade, gave a practitioner’s
view. He highlighted the fact that public access to rural areas
has greatly increased, and will probably continue to do so as
more people undertake countryside leisure pursuits.
Mr Fraser also outlined the command and control and
operational considerations that encompass fire service
operations at wildfire incidents, including dynamic risk
assessment, personal protection, environmental issues, the use
of air support and joint partnership working.
In order to fully address the range of challenges arising from
woodland fires, said Mr Fraser, a national strategy based upon
greater inter-agency co-operation and training must be
established. He also highlighted the need for integration of
pre-planning information, investment in appropriate
equipment and the use of integrated risk management plans
(IRMPs) to set a strategic direction that balances prevention
and intervention.
Trevor Johnson of Highland and Islands Fire Brigade gave a
comprehensive account of the advantages and challenges
faced in establishing and maintaining effective fire
partnerships between the fire service and the land
management community. Mr Johnson alluded to the
potential financial effects of wildfire incidents in Scotland,
giving an estimated loss of around £10m per annum within
his own fire authority area. He asked the question: if this loss
was sustained to property in the traditional sense, would there
be a more visible response?
He explained that Highlands and Islands’ partnerships
involved much pre-planning. Information on landowners is
April 2005 FEJ & FP
FOCUS: OCUS: RISK MANAGEMENT
MAN GEMENT
held within the command and control centre, and financial
authority for the use of resources, such as a helicopter, is
generally approved prior to an incident occurring.
Effective partnerships
David Dalziel, Deputy Firemaster of Grampian Fire and
Rescue, spoke of the influence of the Local Government
(Scotland) Act 2003. He indicated that the desire for
community planning could be met in some circumstances by
engagement with muir-burning landowners, with the
possibility that some form of partnership could be created
between fire authorities and landowners.
Collaborative working and partnerships to tackle wildfires
were shown to align well with the IRMP approach. Placing
particular emphasis on implications for wildfire response
levels, prioritisation of call types and risks to fire crews, he
argued that the use of data, historical information and
mapping would ensure that an evidential, risk-based approach
is taken, allowing full analysis of all risks. The increasing
amenity use of woodland and increased access by the public
was also highlighted as significant in risk planning.
Alistair Laing of PDG Helicopters strongly promoted the use
of helicopters for wildfire incidents, but said that the views of
helicopter operators were not usually foremost in the minds
of fire agencies. He explained the often contentious issue of
helicopter availability and hire, and argued for linkage
between prediction of peak fire conditions and possible
helicopter stand-by arrangements.
Ian Moses, personal protection manager of Grampian Fire
and Rescue, gave an informative account of the challenges
faced in providing suitable clothing protection to crews
engaged in rural firefighting. He identified reluctance from
brigades to invest in alternative protective clothing for what
may be a seasonal and intermittent event. Mr Moses added
that, given their high thermal barrier status, full structural
firefighting garments were not appropriate for wildfire
circumstances. He spoke of the approach adopted by his own
organisation, in which crews likely to be involved in wildfires
had been provided with specially designed suits.
The conference then heard again from Jeff Ord, who summed
up the day and brought the focus to three main points:
• the proposal to form the national working group
• the need for a national wildfire strategy
• the need to maintain the UK’s engagement with
international activities and committees
The inaugural meeting of the strategic group was held in
Aberdeen on 8 December 2004 ❑
Gary Burnett is a training officer with
Grampian Fire and Rescue Service
A range of presentations is available from Grampian Fire and
Rescue Service’s website, www.grampianfirebrigade.co.uk.
Details of the work of the group will be published on
the Scottish Fire Service Inspectorate website at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Justice/Fire/15130/1018
55

56
STATIS TISTICS: TICS: HOT HOT
WORK WORK
Serious hot work fires
Statistics compiled by Kay Helm
1999-2003
The Fire Protection Association reports on the incidence of serious hot work fires (those
involving fatalities or causing losses of £100,000-plus) in 1999-2003
Place of origin and time of serious hot work fires
1999 – 2003
Place of origin Day (06:00-17:59) Night (18:00-05:59) Total
No. of fires Estimated loss £ No. of fires Estimated loss £ No. of fires Estimated loss £
Roof space 15 8 516 549 2 830 000 19* 9 831 549
Store/stockroom 4 5 615 000 - - 4 5 615 000
Production/maintenance area 2 405 000 2 1 222 000 4 1 627 000
Workshop 1 220 000 2 730 000 3 950 000
Classroom/lecture room 1 1 000 000 - - 1 1 000 000
Unoccupied 1 750 000 - - 1 750 000
Ward/sick bay 1 500 000 - - 1 500 000
Paint shop - - 1 210 000 1 210 000
Assembly hall - - - - 1 125 000
Living room/dining room - - 1 119 878 1 119 878
Unknown 2 290 000 1 100 000 3 390 000
Other 1 550 000 1 1 250 000 2 1 800 000
Total 28 17 846 549 10 4 461 878 41* 22 918 427
*This figure includes details of fires that occurred at an unknown time
Comparison of serious hot work fires with all serious fires
1999 – 2003
Year 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003
No. of serious hot work fires 10 4 10 12 5
Total losses due to serious hot work fires £ 6 065 865 1 327 500 3 938 878 10 736 184 850 000
Total no. of all serious fires 346 334 353 346 310
Total losses for all serious fires £ 186 099 883 155 124 725 173 406 472 201 002 775 178 834 350
No. of serious hot work fires as a % of
all serious fires 2.9% 1.2% 2.8% 3.5% 1.6%
Losses due to serious hot work fires as a
% of losses for all serious fires 3.3% 0.9% 2.3% 5.3% 0.5%
These figures were reviewed in January 2005 and the annual totals updated. This may result in slight differences from previously published figures
FEJ & FP
April 2005

Serious hot work fires by occupancy
1999 – 2003
Number of records for which reports were received: 41
Total estimated loss in these fires: £22.9m
Occupancy No. of fires Estimated loss £
Education 5 4 746 000
Agricultural industry 5 1 779 878
Dwellings 3 1 010 000
Timber and furniture industry 3 695 000
Plastics industry 2 4 280 000
Place of worship 2 2 190 184
Multiple occupancy 2 1 117 000
Textile and clothing industry 2 395 000
Sport and recreation 2 235 000
Retail 1 1 650 000
Hospitality 1 1 250 000
Metal industry 1 618 000
Healthcare 1 500 000
Entertainment and leisure
industry 1 300 000
Museum 1 300 000
Laundry 1 270 000
Engineering industry 1 220 000
Hotel 1 182 865
Warehouse 1 180 000
Building under refurbishment/
conversion 1 174 000
Local/national government 1 172 500
Food and drink industry 1 135 000
Camping/caravan site 1 118 000
Unknown 1 400 000
Total 41 22 918 427
Supposed cause of serious hot
work fires
1999 – 2003
Supposed cause No. of fires Estimated loss £
Hot work not specified 32 19 035 549
LPG blowlamp 4 1 588 000
LPG space heating appliance 3 794 878
LPG cutting equipment 2 1 500 000
Total 41 22 918 427
April 2005 FEJ & FP
STATIS TISTICS: TICS: HOT HOT
WORK WORK
Serious hot work fires causing
losses of £250,000-plus or causing
three or more fatalities during
1999 – 2003
Number of records for which reports were received: 20
Total estimated loss in these fires: £19.6m
Date
1999
February
Occupancy/location Estimated loss £
10
March
Metal industry, Birmingham, West Midlands 618 000
23 Textile and clothing industry,
June
Bradford, West Yorkshire 265 000
10 Multiple occupancy, Glasgow, Strathclyde 922 000
30
August
Agricultural industry, Algakirk, Lincolnshire 1 200 000
3 Retail, Birmingham, West Midlands 1 650 000
14 Timber and furniture industry,
October
Troon, Strathclyde 300 000
14 Education, Kingswood, Gloucestershire 700 000
2000
February
24
March
Healthcare, Cambridge 500 000
1 Plastics industry,
West Bromwich, West Midlands 530 000
2001
June
1
August
Unknown, Wigan, Greater Manchester 400 000
1 Education, Norwich, Norfolk 1 000 000
22 Entertainment and leisure industry,
Beverley, Humberside 300 000
31 Laundry, Sowerby Bridge, West Yorkshire 270 000
September
24 Dwelling, Guildford, Surrey 750 000
November
15 Education, Shifnal, Shropshire 550 000
2002
January
28
April
Education, Bo’ness, Lothian and Borders 2 250 000
5
August
Museum, Derby 300 000
5 Place of worship, Glasgow, Strathclyde 2 069 184
September
18 Hospitality, Cardiff, South Glamorgan 1 250 000
November
22 Plastics industry, Tipton, West Midlands 3 750 000
57

58
PRODUCTS& CONTRACTS
New brochures
KIDDE HAS
launched a new
set of brochures
on its new range
of fire door
hardware. The
brochures offer
guidance to
specifiers and
designers of
buildings to help
them choose
suitable products
to meet the requirements of the Disability
Discrimination Act 1995 and BS 8300: 2001:
Design of buildings and their approaches to
meet the needs of disabled people. Code of
practice.
Products featured include intumescent fire and
smoke seals, digital locks, signage, door
closers and the Quantum power-assisted, lowenergy
swing door operator that gives users
total freedom from manual door operation.
To order a brochure please visit the company’s
website or contact the number below ❑
Kidde Fire Protection Services
+44 (0)1582 413 694
www.kiddefps.com
Royal exit
COOPER
LIGHTING and
Security has
introduced an
improved
version of its
JSB Royalux
edge-lit exit
sign. The new
sign, used in
hotels,
reception
areas,
boardrooms
and theatres,
retains its
familiar bevelled design and meets the latest
EN 1838 emergency lighting requirements.
Available in a high-lustre brass or chromeplated
finish, the new sign is supplied with
suspension chains and tubes as standard,
providing the user with a choice of fittings.
The sign uses an 8W T5 fluorescent lamp and
is available in maintained, non-maintained and
central-system slave versions ❑
Cooper Lighting and Security Limited
+44 (0)1302 321 541
www.cooper-ls.com
Full speed ahead
ALTON COLLEGE in Hampshire has installed a
new fire alarm using Pirelli’s new FP FIREFIX
system and FP200 Gold cable.
The new system enables users to rapidly fix one
or two cables at once, using red or white FP
FIREFIX clips, reducing labour costs by saving
installation time.
David Sawyer, director of Baudelaire, the
electrical contractor on the project, was so
impressed with the system he is planning to
use it on future projects. He said: ‘I fitted 80
clips in half-an-hour. With traditional methods
I would have only fitted 30’ ❑
Pirelli Cables Limited
+44 (0)23 8029 5029
www.pirelli.co.uk
Contractor scheme
EUROBOND LAMINATES has appointed the first
contractors to its Performa Specialist Contractor
Scheme.
Gloucester-based ISD – a cold store technology
and composite firewall installer – and
Lancashire-based David Ball Projects – which
specialises in the design and installation of
composite firewalls – have followed Eurobond’s
Code of Practice and have demonstrated their
ability to undertake and complete passive fire
protection works to a high quality.
The scheme included the successful completion
of an installer training program aimed at
ensuring high standards of workmanship and
attention to detail ❑
Eurobond Laminates Limited
+44 (0)290 77 66 77
www.eurobond.co.uk
Motoring on
ABB HAS launched a new range of motors for
smoke venting applications. The motors have a
dual-purpose certification and can be used for
standard ventilation, as well as for mitigating
the development of fires in industrial and public
buildings, tunnels, closed or underground
public spaces.
Complying with the new European standard
EN 12101: Part 3: 2002: Smoke and heat
control system. Specification for powered
smoke and heat exhaust ventilators, which will
become mandatory in new installations from
1 April 2005, the motors can withstand up to
400°C for two hours ❑
ABB Limited
+44 (0)161 438 3204
www.abb.com
Top hat
THE NEW
HPS6100
Firefighting
helmet from
Draeger
features a hard,
heat-resistant
outer shell and
soft, fireproof
interior. A
modern
suspension
system – made from non-flammable, washable
Nomex material – makes the helmet
lightweight. It is available in a range of different
colours.
Ideal for use in industrial, chemical and
domestic firefighting applications where
flashovers, high temperatures and chemicals
may be present, the strong, dual shell
construction incorporates a fibre-glass
strengthened plastic outer shell which is
resistant to heat, chemicals and UV radiation.
Easily adjusted to suit different head sizes, it
comes with a wide range of accessories ❑
Draeger Safety UK Limited
+44 (0)1670 352 891
www.draeger-safety.co.uk
ALL THE INFORMATION AS SUPPLIED BY THE MANUFACTURERS OF THE PRODUCTS FEATURED
FEJ & FP
April 2005

Care home care
THE NATIONAL
Care Homes
Association
(NCHA) has
condemned
the illegal
practice of
‘wedged open’
bedroom
doors. NCHA
has endorsed
DORGARD, as
an easy and
cost-effective
way of legally
holding open
fire-doors into the rooms of care home
residents.
DORGARD, designed and manufactured by
Fireco, holds doors opens – allowing freedom of
access – but automatically releases them on
hearing a fire alarm,.
Retrofitted within minutes, DORGARD does not
require any wiring, enabling occupiers to remain
undisturbed during its installation ❑
Fireco Limited
+44 (0)1273 624 054
www.dorgard.com
Bright alarm
April 2005 FEJ & FP
Cleaning up
FOSSE LIQUITROL is offering free on-site
assessments in spill prevention and control,
pending the enforcement of the Control of
Pollution (Oil Storage) (England) Regulations
2001, which come into force on
1 September 2005.
For companies, in particular those that store oils,
fuels, chemicals or other hazardous materials,
an assessment offers practical solutions and
recommendations to support ISO 14001
applications and insurance requirements. In
addition, it can offer cost-effective solutions to
minimise health and safety risks to workers and
can help prevent environmental damage,
including large fines and clean up costs in the
event of an accidental spill ❑
Fosse Liquitrol
+44 (0)870 224 7843
www.fosseliquitrol.com
THE NEW EZ-242 Professional Smoke Alarm from
FireAngel is a hard-wired smoke alarm that can be
installed into existing lighting circuits, thus reducing
installation time and costs.
A patented light switch test and silence technology
enables nuisance alarms to be silenced by flicking
an existing light switch on-and-off three times,
reducing the temptation to disable the alarm by
other means.
The product was developed in response to recent
amendments to the Building Regulations in England
and Wales and changes to BS 5839: Part 9: 2003:
Fire detection and alarm systems for buildings. Code
of practice for the design, installation, commissioning
and maintenance of emergency voice communication
systems, which advise that mains-powered smoke
alarms with battery back-ups, could be installed into
frequently-used lighting circuits.
Previous guidance advised that mains-powered alarms
should be installed within a dedicated fuse on the
consumer panel. It is believed the new amendments
will force homeowners – who have previously stopped
unwanted nuisance alarms from cooking fumes by
flicking trip switches off – to turn their alarms back on,
since their lights will not work ❑
FireAngel Limited
+44 (0)24 7623 6600
state@fireangel.co.uk
PRODUCTS& CONTRACTS
New guidance
CHUBB FIRE has
launched a
guide to the
new Chief Fire
Officers’
Association
policy on fire
and rescue
services’
response to
remotely
monitored fire
alarm systems.
The guide
articulates the policy aims and objectives, and
the timelines for its implementation. In
addition, it explores the three new ‘attendance
levels’ that will be introduced and explains
what a business should do if it is offered a
reduced level of response.
CFOA’s policy aims to combat the number of
false alarms generated by remotely monitored
fire alarm systems, which currently represents
43% of all calls made to the UK fire and rescue
service ❑
Chubb Fire
0800 321 666 (UK only)
www.chubb.co.uk/cfoapolicy
Fixed up
KENT FIRE and Rescue Service has reappointed
South East Coachworks Limited to
repair a range of their equipment, following the
company’s successful repair of the brigades
demountable emergency unit last year.
The company is currently undertaking various
repair tasks on a full range of the brigade’s
vehicles from utility to pump and water tenders.
The range of work includes accident repair, as
well as the modification and improvement of
equipment racks, sliders, ladders and pumps.
Conveniently located off the M2 motorway in
Kent, the company has workshops suitable for
large public service vehicles and offers a
collection and delivery service ❑
South East Coachworks Limited
+44 (0)1795 534 888
www.southeastcoachworks.co.uk
ALL THE INFORMATION AS SUPPLIED BY THE MANUFACTURERS OF THE PRODUCTS FEATURED
59

Diary of events
APRIL
4-6
FIRE SERVICE COLLEGE,
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Airport Fire Summit
This two-day course explores the business
critical aspects of risk management. It will
include demonstrations, case studies and
the opportunity for delegates to witness a
live fire.
Contact:
russ@firestrategy.fsnet.co.uk
+44 (0)7951 190576
4-8
UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH
Principles and practice of
evacuation modelling
This four-day course will appeal to fire safety
engineers, fire brigade officers and those
concerned with computational fire
engineering in respect of fire safety
regulations. Accredited by the Institution of
Fire Engineers, the course offers 35 CPD
hours.
Contact: Francoise Barkshire
f.barkshire@gre.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 8331 8706
9-10
RAF MANSTON, KENT
IFE Weekend Conference
Hosted by Divisional Officer Graham Knight,
and fellow members of the Defence Fire
Service, the 2005 Institution of Fire
Engineers’ conference is a forum for
discussing key issues relating to fire
engineering. This year’s agenda includes a
review of research activity and a discussion
of issues related to fire investigation and fire
risk assessment.
Contact:
www.ife.org.uk
11-14
UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Fire science and fire investigation
course
This four-day course, run by the School of
Engineering and Electronics Fire Safety
Engineering Group, is organised by the
Office of Lifelong Learning. It includes a
wide range of guest speakers, from fire
industry professionals to a forensic science
investigation team, and offers an exam
option accredited by the Institution of Fire
Engineers.
Contact:
+44 (0)131 650 5724
www.lifelong.ed.ac.uk
April 2005 FEJ & FP
12
LONDON
Developing the role of fire
engineering
The valuable role of the fire engineer in the
construction industry will be the main theme
of this conference. Organised by Emap, the
event offers a unique opportunity to hear
from the National Institute of Standards and
Technology in the USA who will present the
findings of their investigation into the World
Trade Center disaster.
Contact:
+44 (0)20 7505 6044
www.nce-fireengineering.co.uk
19
BRE, WATFORD
Fire research: Current trends and
future perspectives – a
Combustion Institute event
The spring meeting of the Combustion
Institute is co-sponsored by the Building
Research Establishment and includes guest
speakers representing the fire industry,
including Dr Cath Reynolds, Head of the Fire
Statistics and Research Division of the Office
of the Deputy Prime Minister.
Contact:
Jose Torero, University of Edinburgh
+44 (0)131 650 5723
j.torero@ed.ac.uk
MAY
9-11
LAS VEGAS, USA
Airport Fire-Rescue USA – 2nd
International ARFF Conference
and Exhibition
Contact: W Mulcahey
+1(914) 962 5185
www.aviationfirejournal.com
10-11
OXFORD AIRPORT
Airborne Response Conference
and Exhibition
Contact:
+44 (0)20 8822 6919
info@airborneresponse.com
www.airborneresponse.com
11-12
HEATHROW
49 CFR – US Dangerous Goods
Regulations
Contact:
+44 (0)20 8349 4434
info@petereast.com
16-19
NEC, BIRMINGHAM
International Fire Expo
Contact:
www.fire-expo.co.uk
16-20
UNIVERSITY OF GREENWICH
Principles and practice of
evacuation modelling
Contact:
Francoise Barkshire
f.barkshire@gre.ac.uk
+44 (0)20 8331 8706
17-19
NEC, BIRMINGHAM
GPT&T Exhibition – Adding value
to glass
Contact:
www.gptexhibition.com
25-28
TRENCIN, SLOVAKIA
FIRECO 2005 – 6th international
conference and exhibition
Contact:
Ms Zuzana Drobna
+421 24859 3540
nishazz@pteu.roburnet.sk
drobna@pteu.roburnet.sk
JUNE
1
WHITEHALL, LONDON
IFE Rasbash Lecture
Contact:
www.ife.org.uk
28-30
BRUNEL UNIVERSITY, MIDDLESEX
8th Inter-agency fire and arson
investigation conference
Contact:
Ken Taylor
+44 (0)20 8577 4147
gacoursebookings@aol.com
JULY
20-22
UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
IFE Annual General Meeting,
Conference and Exhibition
Contact:
+44 (0)1608 812 580
61

62
Parish Pump
NEWS FOR FPA MEMBERS
Parish Pump
NEWS FOR FPA MEMBERS
New New
members member
The Fire Protection Association (FPA) is pleased to
welcome the following companies as new members:
A Class Alarms, London
ATCO Qualcast Limited, Stowmarket, Suffolk
British Nuclear Group, Warrington, Yorkshire
BWH Offshore Limited, Cranbrook, Kent
DD Management Limited, Onchan, Isle of Man
Fire Retardant Services, Ivybridge, Devon
Insurance Risk Assessment Services, Rochester, Kent
Invicta Fire, Rochester, Kent
MJ Gleeson Group, Sutton, Surrey
Quadra BEC Limited, Stroud, Gloucestershire
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Trust, London
Risk Management, Hucclecote, Gloucestershire
RJS Management Services, Hinckley, Leicestershire
Schloetter, Pershore, Worcestershire
Strathallan School, Perth
Stroud and Swindon Building Society, Stroud, Gloucestershire
Tetra Consulting Limited, London
The Works Bursar, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
International Fire Expo 2005
This year’s International Fire Expo will be held at
Birmingham NEC, Halls 17 and 18, on 16-19 May. With
over 18,000 recorded visitors attending the 2003 event
and a record number of exhibitors lined up for 2005, the
show is a must for anyone with an interest in fire safety
matters. The Fire Protection Association will be
exhibiting at stand G20 in Hall 17 – please drop by to
visit us.
Readers of the journal wishing to attend the 2005 event
and who would like to receive a free visitor pass
should send their contact details to e-mail:
marketing@thefpa.co.uk. Members who register before
the event will save £20.00. Pre-registering for
International Fire Expo 2005 also provides free entrance
to a number of other exhibitions which will be running
alongside the event. These include IFSEC, Safety and
Health Expo and The Facilities Show.
For further information on International Fire Expo 2005,
please visit website, www.fire-expo.co.uk
New Recommendations
The FPA has recently published four new documents
within its Recommendations series, which provides
authoritative loss prevention guidance for industrial and
commercial processes and systems. The documents
have been developed under the Insurers’ Fire Research
Strategy (InFiReS) funding scheme.
RC8: Recommendations
for the storage, use and
handling of common
industrial gases in
cylinders including LPG,
addresses the fire and
explosion hazards of
common industrial gases
in cylinders and bottles
containing liquefied
petroleum gas (LPG).
RC11: Recommendations
for the use of fork-lift
trucks, provides guidance
on the safe operation of fork-lift trucks, including
recommendations specific to appliances powered by
diesel, battery and LPG. There is also a section on the
use of fork-lift trucks in hazardous atmospheres.
RC17: Recommendations for fire safety in shrinkwrapping
processes, presents measures for fire safety
in the heat-shrinking of film plastics for the packaging of
various goods and materials. In addition to general
guidance, the publication gives advice on the location
and ventilation of shrink-wrapping equipment, safe
operation and fire extinguishment.
RC30: Recommendations for the selection of electrical
and non-electrical equipment for use in atmospheres
containing flammable and explosive gases or vapous,
provides sections on electrical and non-electrical
equipment. These are followed by guidance on
temperature classification, gas grouping, hazardous
area zones, IP ratings, maintenance, wiring and cables.
The Recommendations are available from the FPA,
priced £7.25 for members, or £8.50 for non-members.
To place an order, please tel: +44 (0)1608 812 500, or
e-mail: sales@thefpa.co.uk.
FEJ & FP
April 2005

Putting Enfield First
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Fire Safety Advisor
£27,495 - £29,730 pro-rata (Pay award pending) plus
essential car user allowance.
A relocation allowance is available (subject to
eligibility criteria).
Flexible working hours negotiable up to 36 hours per week
Based in Enfield, Middlesex.
A vacancy has arisen for a Fire Safety Adviser within the Council Health and
Safety Unit of the London Borough of Enfield. Enfield is one of London’s
largest Boroughs, with more than 270,000 residents and over 6,000 acres of
open space and parkland.
We are looking for an experienced Fire Safety Advisor to join our small team
of motivated safety professionals, based at the Civic Centre in Enfield Town.
Assisting in the development and provision of a high quality, proactive
business-driven health and safety service you will meet the diverse needs of
the Council. You will work with the Corporate Safety Manager to provide a
strategic and operational fire safety service to all Council Departments and
their wide range of premises (including: schools, offices, depots, residential
care homes, domestic social housing, historic buildings, a farm and a theatre).
Your duties will also include monitoring of the Council Fire Equipment
Maintenance contract and carrying out Fire Safety Training.
You will have proven experience of advising on fire safety issues in either a
large multi-site organisation, or an organisation that advises the premises
owners/occupiers. An ability to deal persuasively with senior management,
staff, external organisations and the various companies with whom the
Council contracts will also be an essential part of the role.
A recognised fire safety qualification is required, and ideally the CFPA Europe
Diploma in Fire Safety Management, LPC Fire Safety Management Diploma or
equivalent. You will also need a full valid driving licence and access to
personal transport to travel around the borough.
In return we can offer you up to 32 days paid holiday per year (plus Bank
Holidays), flexible working arrangements and an excellent pension scheme.
The Council Health and Safety Unit is accredited to ISO 9001:2000.
For an informal discussion about the post, please call Garry Fisher,
Corporate Safety Manager, on 020 8379 3696, or email him at
garry.fisher@enfield.gov.uk
• Ref: SSU/17/FP.
• Closing date for returned applications: 5pm, Friday 29th April 2005.
• For information about the benefits of working for Enfield and to
download an application pack, please visit our website at
www.enfield.gov.uk. Please note our preferred method of
communication is electronically, therefore wherever possible we
encourage the submission of application by email. Alternatively you
can telephone our recruitment line on 020 8379 4709 to request an
application pack by post. A textphone (minicom) is provided for those
with a hearing or speech impairment on 020 8379 4419.
An equal opportunity employer.
April 2005 FEJ & FP
Appointments
FIRE ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS
Vacancies in London, Dublin and Edinburgh
Jeremy Gardner Associates is one of Europe’s leading Fire
Engineering consultancy firms. We are responsible for fire
engineering for many of the largest and most complex
building projects in the UK, Ireland and Internationally.
As a result of continued growth we are recruiting fire engineers,
at Graduate level and above, for our London, Dublin
and Edinburgh offices. Applicants will be BEng or MSc
qualified fire engineers with a strong technical background
and excellent communication skills. Ideally candidates will
have experience of fire modelling and development of
innovative fire engineering solutions.
If you are looking for a demanding technical challenge in a
dynamic successful consultancy we would like to meet
you. Salary and career prospects are excellent.
Please email your CV to recruitment@jgafire.com or by post
Jeremy Gardner Associates
9 Risborough Street
London
SE1 OHF
Phone: 020 7202 8484
63

64
National Britannia is the
market leader in providing the
highest quality Risk
Management consultancy to
an expanding range of Blue
Chip client’s. Many of these
clients are in the property
sector. These solutions are
delivered through innovative
management systems.
We need an expert in fire
safety to undertake site visits,
prepare reports and provide
training. Our core activities
are risk assessments and
audits for health & safety,
water safety and fire safety;
we also provide a wide variety
of training courses.
Appointments
FIRE SAFETY CONSULTANT
(Home Based located London or Southern Counties)
We are seeking a keen fire safety professional
Responsibilities include:
❖ Undertake fire risk assessments in a variety of industry sectors, including DSEAR when appropriate
❖ Prepare Risk Management systems, often using web-enabled delivery.
❖ Deliver fire safety training
❖ Work flexibly, and be prepared to travel throughout the UK from time to time (limited overnight stays
away from home will be required)
Key attributes and knowledge
❖ Excellent audit and risk assessment skills
❖ Good organisational ability, self-motivation, and outstanding communication skills
❖ An ex-Fire Officer or Building Control Officer background would be an advantage, and membership of
the FPA essential
❖ Ideally qualified to NEBOSH Certificate or equivalent & IOSH membership
❖ Sound knowledge of the Microsoft package, and drawing packages
In return we will provide:
❖ Excellent salary (which is dependant upon skills and experience)
❖ Company car or substantial car allowance
❖ Comprehensive support and training.
Please e mail your CV with a covering letter stating your salary details and quoting Ref:SS133 to Group Staff Support at:
National Britannia Group Ltd, Britannia House, Caerphilly Business Park, Caerphilly CF83 3GG
Tel: 029 2085 2852. E-mail: recruitment@natbrit.com
Corus Fire Engineering is an established multi-disciplinary consultancy business within the Corus Group,
providing specialist services in fire risk assessments and fire safety strategies for buildings and civil
engineering structures in the UK and abroad.
Due to demands by an increasing portfolio of clients, we are seeking to employ additional high calibre
Engineers in a range of disciplines.
Investing in the best
Structural Engineer Ref: 380
With a first degree in Structural Engineering, you will need at least three
years’ experience gained in a consultancy and/or post graduate studies
working in numerical modelling of structures and building components in fire.
Fire Engineer Ref: 381
With a first degree in Engineering or a relevant physical science, you
will need to have spent at least three years in developing smoke
strategies using CFD analytical tools and evacuation models.
Fire Engineer Ref: 382
You will have a first degree in Fire Engineering and at least three years’
experience of working in a consultancy environment, developing fire
safety strategies for new and refurbished buildings.
Fire Risk Specialist Ref: 383
A member of the Institution of Fire Engineers, you will have at least
five years’ experience of working in a risk engineering field, conducting
fire risk assessments in commercial and industrial buildings. Specialist
knowledge in dealing with hazardous manufacturing processes would
be an advantage.
Chartered Surveyor Ref: 384
You will need to have a first degree in Building Science or a similar
qualification and have at least seven years’ experience of working in a
building control environment, responsible for reviewing major projects
and concentrating on fire safety issues.
All positions require a high level of technical knowledge in the particular area of expertise. You will be responsible for delivering solutions to clients
at the highest level and therefore good communication skills (verbal and written), team working and the ability to respond to tight timescales are
important qualities. You will be based in offices at Corus Technical Centre in Rotherham, South Yorkshire although there will be vacancies for
Fire Risk Specialists based in South Wales. In return, you will be provided with an attractive remuneration package including bonus, pension and
healthcare schemes. Relocation assistance will be available where appropriate.
For further information on any of the above positions, please call Dr Brian Kirby on 01709 825316 or to find out more about the business visit:
www.thefireengineers.com
To apply, please forward your full CV and current salary details by email, quoting the appropriate reference number, to:
careers.coruscandi@corusgroup.com or post to the HR Service Centre, Corus Construction & Industrial, PO Box 1, Brigg Road,
Scunthorpe DN16 1BP. Alternatively, you can call 01724 404569 to request an application form.
Corus is an equal opportunities employer www.corusconstructionandindustrial.com
FEJ & FP
April 2005

Senior Fire Safety/Health and Safety Consultants
London (City)
Attractive salary and large company benefits
The RPS Group is the leading health, safety, planning and
environmental consultancy in Europe, with around 3000 employees
and 70 offices worldwide.Our London City office offers a wide
range of fire safety, health and safety, occupational hygiene,
contaminated land and other environmental services to private and
public sector clients.
We are recruiting Fire Safety/Health and Safety Consultants to
work within our Environmental Building Audit team.You will be
responsible for providing our clients with fire risk assessments,
health and safety audits and technical advice.Our clients are
located throughout the UK but predominantly in the
southeastern area.
It is desirable that you have a local authority fire service
background and ideally have spent several years in a fire safety unit.
visit us at www.rpsgroup.com/hsed
To advertise in
FP& FEJ
please contact:
Wendy Otway
Publishing & Exhibition Services
The Old Coach Station
38 Preston Street
Faversham
Kent ME13 8PE
Tel: +44 (0)1795 538 792
Fax: +44 (0)871 433 5043
Mobile: +44(0)7791 067 433
E-mail: wendy.otway@PExS.net
Appointments
Experience of working in a consultancy or commercial
environment is desirable but not essential.You should have
in-depth knowledge of current legislation and a recognised fire
related qualification.
Preference will be given to applicants who also have a recognised
Health and Safety qualification (NEBOSH Certificate, Diploma or
equivalent) and experience of undertaking health and safety audits
and risk assessments.
To apply please send your CV and a brief covering letter to:
mouldr@rpsplc.co.uk or post to:
Richard Mould, RPS Group plc,
85 Milton Park, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire OX14 4RY
Tel: 01235 438155
Health, Safety and Environment
ADVERTISERS’ INDEX
Astroflame 51
British Approvals Service for Electric Cables OBC
C S Todd and Associates Limited 53
Chiltern International Fire Limited 53
Chubb Fire 53
Corus Fire Engineering 64
Enfield Council 63
Fire Angel IFC
Fire UK 53
Gerda Security Products Limited 11
Grecon Limited 29
Interschutz 33
Jeremy Gardner Associates 63
Linde Gas UK 19
National Britannia Limited 64
RPS Group plc IBC
Thomas Williams Group 21
Top Solutions 39
University of Greenwich 39
Printed in Great Britain by Headley Brothers Ltd The Invicta Press Ashford Kent and London

FIRE/E/UK V2 100703
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Tel: 01908 267300 Fax: 01908 267255
e-mail: mail@basec.org.uk
web site: www.basec.org.uk