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Train and educate to reduce the risk to safety, says Fire Aware
The fire safety sector is currently facing
significant shortages of qualified staff, made worse by the need for specialist
skills to manage the new legislation introduced under the Building Safety Act.
The move to heighten awareness of the importance of
fire safety training from Fire Aware comes after the National Fire Chiefs
Council (NFCC) recently reported that there are fewer than 30 fully competent
fire engineers in the English Fire and Rescue Services. Fire safety and
building protection staff make up just 2.7 per cent of the fire and rescue
service workforce in England, it added.
The growing number of Fire Aware Educators -
members of the organization with specialist skill sets in all aspects of fire
safety - offer a range of training and guidance for the supply chain still
navigating the new regulatory regime changes.
Fire Aware offers a wide training provision that
also services those who are not connected to a particular specialism, but still
carry a duty of care. This could be anyone from landlords and those working in
the hospitality sector, to facility managers and care home staff.
Gavin Skelly, CEO of Fire Aware, said: “Working in
this industry is a vocation, not a job, and should be treated as such. We need
to attract more skilled specialists to help improve risk assessments and help
with fire prevention methods. But we need to capture within the organization
those who are outside fire safety but still carry a responsibility. All parts
of the supply chain must work with the same vocational approach, not just those
who are qualified to do so.
“The legislation being introduced is robust and
also quite complex. The guidance and support we offer will help navigate the
relevant parts for our members and for anyone else wishing to tap onto this
knowledge and intelligence.”
Fire Aware members specifically provide training courses
relating to fire safety and management relevant for designers, main
contractors, domestic trades, material suppliers, building management, hotel
and leisure, commercial and private landlords and local authorities.
The expanding industry body is leading the way by
focusing on the moral responsibility of all those working in the fire safety
supply chain including designers, developers, asset owners, managers and other
stakeholders.
It aims to change the culture of the built
environment sector by introducing a moral code of conduct via a series of
charters designed to influence how member companies behave in upholding their
duty of care.
Fire Aware is a recognised membership body serving
the built environment and related sectors with a common aim to work and trade
responsibly to all best practice standards in the interests of the safety of
the general public.
About Fire
Aware:
Created to heighten awareness of fire safety responsibilities in the
built environment, Fire Aware membership groups include local authorities,
private developers, asset owners, designers, main contractors, sub-contractors,
manufacturers, suppliers, landlords and building operators. For more
information see www.fireaware.org, email info@fireaware.org or tel 07516 371153.
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