This year’s FIREX InfoZone programme, organised and managed by the Fire Protection Association (FPA), has been announced!
Sessions will run across the 16-18 May, with an exclusive executive summary of the Independent Review into Construction Product Testing to be given by co-author, Paul Morrell OBE.
Paul Morrell OBE will speak for the first time at FIREX about the Independent Review into Construction Product Testing he co-authored
The Independent Review, published on 20 April, was led by Paul Morrell and Anneliese Day KC. It was designed to identify any potential weaknesses in the system to make recommendations for improvement.
At FIREX, Morrell will speak publicly for the first time about the report and its findings, which Dame Judith Hackitt has said “marks a major step forward” in mapping and improving upon the current regime.
Paul’s talk will take place on Wednesday 17 May (14:15-15:15) at the FPA InfoZone Theatre at FIREX in London’s ExCeL.
Testing, fire risk assessments, compartmentation debates and mental health all on the agenda
Presentations and debates covering key topics in fire safety will take place at the FPA InfoZone Theatre throughout the three days of FIREX.
The agenda kicks off at 10:30 on Tuesday 16 May with a discussion around mental health and diversity in the fire and rescue service, as the panel asks – Is enough being done to support professionals?
This will be followed by a panel debate exploring what the future of fire testing looks like, as Tom Gilbert, Chris Miles and Simon Ince will all offer their insight. Later on that afternoon, sprinklers, fire risk assessment competency and electric vehicle fire risks will feature.
On Wednesday, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) will host a session on the issue of compartmentation. The ASFP and FPA have come together to offer a first for FIREX visitors, with technical experts provides arguments for and against common compartmentation challenges found. The four debates – taking place between 11:15-13:00 – will cover:
“My building is less than three years old – surely the compartmentation will be fine?”- “Compartmentation offers a low-level of protection, only sufficient to allow escape of occupants and after that is achieved it is redundant”
- “Relying on construction workers and tradespeople to work on previously installed compartmentation will always undermine its effectiveness”
- “My building is so old it will be prohibitively expensive to ever provide effective compartmentation”
“My building is less than three years old – surely the compartmentation will be fine?”Meanwhile, later on Dr Jim Glockling will ask how the sustainability and fire safety disciplines can work together in the built environment.
Finally, on Thursday 18 May, The FPA’s Deputy Managing Director, Howard Passey will present on the proposed changes to Approved Document B of the Building Regulations to kick things off in the morning.
There will also be a presentation on how cloud services are changing the fire industry, as well as a session on raising awareness of arson – one of the biggest causes of fire in premises.
