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Adam Bannister is a contributor to IFSEC Global, having been in the role of Editor from 2014 through to November 2019. Adam also had stints as a journalist at cybersecurity publication, The Daily Swig, and as Managing Editor at Dynamis Online Media Group.
December 20, 2017

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2017 in review

Our most-read fire safety articles of 2017

The year 2017 was the year the government finally started listening to the fire industry’s countless recommendations for improving fire safety in the UK.

Inevitably, and tragically, it took the worst fire in living memory to focus minds.

Decades of falling fire deaths had bred complacency, but the events of 14 June changed everything.

Naturally, from June onwards, Grenfell, its aftermath and the myriad problems it has exposed (to the wider public – many in the fire industry were already aware of them) have been the main focus and among the most read articles.

With the Grenfell inquiry and Dame Judith Hackitt’s report on building regulations concluding next year, 2018 is sure to be momentous too. Let’s hope the authorities and all stakeholders in fire safety make the right choices to keep further tragedies to a minimum.

Merry Christmas from IFSEC Global and thank you for your support and input.

 January

 Young family found dead following farm cottage blaze
The bodies of a seven-year-old boy and his parents were found in the charred ruins of a house devastated by fire near Reigate.

February

Finally: A fire-safety standard that defines ‘competence’ – now we need a qualification
Martin Harvey, Head of European Regulatory Affairs, Tyco International, on how the new standard, EN 16763 ‘Services for Fire Safety and Security Systems’, focuses purely on service delivery.

March

Headphones explode mid-flight causing facial burns – and 5 other electrical items that turned out to be fire hazards
A plane passenger who suffered burns to her face after her battery-powered headphones caught fire was the latest in a long line of victims of exploding electrical equipment.

 April

The shocking skills shortage in the fire industry in numbers
Whether you blame a lack of formal qualifications, a UK culture that many think undervalues engineering as a profession, or New Labour’s obsession with boosting numbers of non-vocational university degrees, we’re reaching crisis point in engineering skills, as this FIA infographic demonstrated.

May

FIA launches fire detection and alarm engineering qualifications
The Fire Industry Association (FIA) officially launched its new qualifications in fire detection and alarms at FIREX 2017.

 June

Grenfell: councils and social landlords have ignored our warnings for years
Hannah Mansell, Passive Fire Protection Forum chair and spokesperson for the BWF’s Fire Door Safety Week campaign, recounted the catalogue of fire safety failures she has witnessed in high rise buildings and how the industry’s warnings have fallen on “deaf ears”.

July

Grenfell fallout: the 10 questions that need answers

We suggested 10 of the most pressing questions that needed satisfactory answers if councils, the government, the construction industry and the fire sector could together prevent similar tragedies happening.

August

Architect says sprinkler installation at Glasgow hospital was used as an excuse to flout other building standards
An architect who helped design Scotland’s largest hospital warned that corners were cut in the construction of the 14-storey complex in the name of keeping costs down.

September

Watch: The consequences of badly specified and fitted fire doors – plus 5 tips for getting it right
This video demonstrates how badly an incorrectly specified and installed fire door performs during a fire. Produced by the BWF Certifire Fire Door Scheme, it shows footage of a live fire door test, pitting a fully compliant fire door against a badly fitted equivalent.

October

The Fire Safety Order has failed: Fudged investigations and lessons not learned in 10 years of the landmark legislation
It’s been 10 years since the “the worst British hotel fire for 50 years” and the overhaul of UK fire safety laws. Alan Cox considered the major fires since and revealed details of his undercover inspection of hotels with the BBC.

November

RIBA calls for repeal of fire safety order
Echoing the sentiments of October’s most read story, the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) called for The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO) to be disposed of, and the “reintroduction of mandatory fire certificates for designated premises, based on independent inspections by the fire brigades.”

December

Hotel fire safety: 11 tips for protecting guests and property
Marking its 25th anniversary, Vulcan Fire Training put together an infographic detailing 11 tips for protecting guests and property in hotels.

Most read/watched content of the year

10. Top 50 influencers in security & fire 2017: Fire safety

9. RIBA calls for repeal of fire safety order

8. Architect says sprinkler installation at Glasgow hospital was used as an excuse to flout other building standards

7. A rogue’s gallery of fire doors unworthy of the name (and perfectly good ones rendered useless)

6. Grenfell: councils and social landlords have ignored our warnings for years

5. A rough guide to fire extinguisher servicing and the service-free model

4. Fire extinguishers: your legal obligations

3. The interactive fire door: the essential visual guide to meeting your legal obligations

2. The Fire Safety Order has failed: Fudged investigations and lessons not learned in 10 years of the landmark legislation

1. Grenfell fallout: the 10 questions that need answers

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