Passive fire training could increase your earnings and save lives!
Fire Safety Legislation requires many building owners to take full responsibility for all aspects of fire safety within their premises. Part of the risk assessment process requires them to ensure the fire rating elements of the building structure.
This means that when passive fire seals are used, some sort of quality assurance of their correct use and installation will be required from the tradesperson.
This requirement has been highlighted recently by the tragic events at Lakanal House in Camberwell, and the ensuing national media attention on tower block safety, which uncovered some serious deficiencies in fire safety in multiple occupancy buildings.
This has, of course, refocussed many building owners minds on their responsibilities and many are now seeking a formal certificate of passive fire systems conformity from tradespeople undertaking any work in their buildings.
One route to ensure that you are able to give these assurances is to become NAPFIS accredited. The Nationwide Association of Passive Fire Installers and Specifiers (NAPFIS) gives all tradespersons the ability to self-certify passive fire installations, offering suitable accreditation for the responsible person for their risk assessment file and ongoing fire safety management. In many instances, having this ability can actually help win contracts, and increase potential earnings!
An easy route for an electrical engineer to become a NAPFIS member is to attend a passive fire protection course at the Passive Fire Training Centre, which is based in Dover in Kent. These short 2-day courses will give you a good understanding of what is required to meet all the passive fire protection regulatory requirements for your trade. After completion of the course you will be required to undertake a short questionnaire and can then become a member of NAPFIS. This gives you stationery on which to certificate your own work, allowing you to give certificates to site agents, or building control offices, as required. NAPFIS assessors will then randomly check work, to ensure that products are fitted correctly and that the work continues to comply with best practice standards. Further course details are available from www.pftc.co.uk