From 1 June, the FIA will be providing online examinations to give fire professionals more choice on how they wish to sit their exams for their qualifications.
The FIA believes that fire professionals from across the country will welcome the online examination route, allowing them to complete industry-recognised qualifications remotely. The Association says that the decision to offer this came from listening to its members and the wider industry.
From 1 June online exams will be provided where required for training, while full requirements to take the exams will be published in due course. Those who have taken training online and are due an exam are set to be notified about available dates, and delegates who had resit exams cancelled since the beginning of April will also be contacted.
At present, the online exams are only for the FIA’s range of qualifications, which are the following:
The FIA has received feedback from the industry regarding the online exams. Ben Grimble, Fire Alarm and Extinguisher Engineer, M&G Fire Protection (Essex) Ltd, said: “After waiting to rebook my exam with the FIA, I was lucky to have the chance to help them trial their new online examination for the BS 5839-1 Fundamentals qualification. I would recommend using the FIA’s new exciting online course and examination if you cannot attend the class. Another benefit is that it lets you do the course at your own pace and take the exam without having to travel. I found that it is essential to read and revise the BS-5839-1 before the exam.”
Steven Middleton, Director, M&G Fire Protection (Essex) Ltd: “As Director of M&G Fire Protection (Essex) Ltd we have used the FIA training services for several years, the training has always been to a very high standard, we have now had staff pass the Level 3 Fundamentals conversion course, the Level 3 Fundamentals course and are pleased to have our engineer Ben Grimble to be the first engineer in the UK to pass the online examination.
“In this changing world, it is vital that every company and organisation changes its practices to suit the working practices put upon by this pandemic, by enabling engineers to remote learn and also pass an accredited exam through modern technology is great news and enables us as a company to continue to progress with our training programme.
“With the support of the FIA and the technology used, Ben has said that he found the online exam to be a great benefit as it eliminates the stress and tiredness caused by travelling and is far less stressful taking the exam in the comfort of his own home rather than a classroom-type scenario. Both Ben and the company are delighted that he has achieved the same Level 3 accredited exam as his work colleagues who completed the classroom-based exam.
“All of us at M&G Fire Protection would like to congratulate Ben and the FIA for this positive step forward and would highly recommend the course and exam to other engineers whether working or on Furlough at present.”
Be sure to keep your eyes out for more information on online examinations on our social media channels and our website.
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