The Association for Specialist Fire Protection

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection An Association for Specialist Fire Protection CPD Event Understanding the Disciplines of Passive Fire Protection 17 th June 2015 In association with

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection 10.30-10.45 Understanding your legal responsibilities Wilf Butcher, CEO for the Association for Specialist Fire Protection 10.45-11.00 Why is 3rd Party Certification essential? Ian Woodhouse, Director of Certification, IFC Certification Ltd. 11.00-11.15 Compartmentation, fire stopping installation and maintenance Oliver Shaw, Sales Director, FSi 11.15-11.30 Refreshment Break and networking

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection 11.30-11.45 The role of fire doors, and glazing Peter Barker, Senior Consultant Fire, BM TRADA 11.45-12.00 Ducts and Dampers, fire safety inspection Michael Hunter, Technical Manager, Saint-Gobain Isover 12.00-12.15 Structural fire protection, getting the specification right Roger Williams, Global Market Director, Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings 12.15-12.30 Fire Risk Assessment, ensuring that it is suitable and sufficient Niall Rowan, Technical Officer of Association for Specialist Fire Protection 12.30-12.45 Addressing future training in Passive Fire Protection Wilf Butcher, CEO, Association for Specialist Fire Protection 12.45-13.00 Q&A

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection Fire and Your Legal Liability Wilf Butcher, CEO Association for Specialist Fire Protection

The Reality of Fire 2000 years ago life was simple King Herod (74BC-4AD) introduced a law which stated that: Should a man construct a building which falls down and kills another then this man should be slain.

The Reality of Fire Life is a little more complicated today! So just how important are passive fire protection measures in today s building design! Other than fire fighters few of us have had to face the reality of fire and smoke spread!

The Reality of Fire So just how important are passive fire protection measures in today s building design!

The Reality of Fire The answer of course is quite clear, it s essential!

The Reality of Fire The answer starts with the specification

The Reality of Fire Fire damaged buildings can always be rebuilt Their priceless content however will be lost forever Statistically 40% of businesses will be out of business within 12-18 months following a major fire

The Reality of Fire Is designing for or building in an appropriate fire solution simply a matter of determining what is suitable and sufficient?

The Reality of Fire Is designing for or building in an appropriate fire solution simply a matter of determining what is suitable and sufficient? Or is the route to construction a little more complex!

Statutory guidance documents Statutory guidance documents England & Wales Approved Document B 2006 Scotland Technical Handbook B 2010 Northern Ireland Technical Booklet E 2005 Republic of Ireland Technical Guidance Document B 2006 Other codes of practice BS 9999: Fire safety in the design management and use of buildings BS 9991: for residential buildings BS 7974: Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings Department of education BB 100 Design for fire safety in schools Health Technical Memorandum 05 01, 05 02A, 05 02B, 05 03

The Building Regulations Approved Document B: 2006 Lists the requirements for fire resistance of compartment walls and floors, including any steel passing through the compartment wall/floor. Section 10.2 If a fire separating element is to be effective, every joint or imperfection of fit, or opening to allow services to pass through the element, should be adequately protected by sealing or fire-stopping so that the fire resistance of the element is not impaired Section 10.17 In addition to other requirements for fire-stopping, all joints between fire separating elements should be fire stopped, and all openings for pipes,ducts, conduits or cables to pass through any part of a fire separating element should be Kept as few in number as possible Kept as small as possible Fire stopped [which in case of a pipe or duct, should allow thermal movement]

The Building Regulations Technical Guidance Document B: 2006 This can be the reality!

The Building Regulations The England and Wales Building Regulations also state: 3 rd Party Installation Certification ADB 0.20... provide a means of ensuring that installations have been conducted by knowledgeable contractors to appropriate standards, thereby increasing reliability of the anticipated performance in fire

The Building Regulations 3 rd Party Certification is not mandatory!

The Building Regulations Regulation 7 building work shall be carried out with adequate and proper materials which are appropriate for the circumstances in which they are used But is it all not just common sense?

The Building Regulations I think I have made my point!

The Building Regulations Building Regulation 38 Within the Building Regulations there is an expectation that the duties of Building Regulation 38 (previously known as Regulation 16b) will be reliably carried out and the building user/owner will be fully informed of the fire protection provisions in the building he now occupies Regulation 38 requires that, where building work involves the erection or extension of a relevant building, fire safety information shall be given to the responsible person at the completion of the project or when the building or extension is first occupied Appendix G

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The Building Regulations RRO(FS)O Article 17 Maintenance 83. The responsible person must ensure, where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, that the fire precautions are maintained in good working order (see also article 38, about protection of fire-fighters). This includes any facilities which have been provided under Building Regulations, the Housing Act 2004 or other legislation such as local Acts; and including any enactment repealed or revoked by the Order. Risk assessments, as required by article 9, should include references to maintenance.

The responsibility is yours FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY If you are involved in provision of fire protection, at any level, then you share liability for its usefulness and its operation when it s needed in fire, and that liability will still be there in the event of a court case.

The responsibility is yours FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY If it is your responsibility to specify the materials and/or appoint the installation contractor, it is also your responsibility to ensure that they can prove competency for the fire protection materials used, or the works to be carried out. It s no longer simply a duty of care or voluntary it s a legal obligation. Are you competent?

The responsibility is yours FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY If it is your responsibility to manage or install passive fire protection products, materials or systems, it is also your responsibility to ensure that they are fit for purpose i.e. that the manufacturer s fire test and certification evidence fully covers the intended use.

The responsibility is yours FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY It is also your responsibility to ensure that the installer can demonstrate appropriate competency in the installation of the passive fire protection products, materials and systems used. It s no longer simply a duty of care or voluntary it s a legal obligation

The responsibility is yours FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY It is your responsibility to ensure that any installation of, or repair to, passive fire protection is undertaken by those with sufficient competency

The responsibility is yours 14.10 Monitoring FIRE AND YOUR LEGAL LIABILITY The frequency of monitoring activity will be dictated by the building s risk profile. Buildings with hazardous contents, high occupancy levels or high rates of change are examples of a higher risk category. The period between monitoring activities should not, of course, be allowed to exceed any Statutory or Health and Safety Executive guidance minimum. It is important to ensure that all activities within the building that might affect the PFP are monitored and responded to where necessary.

The responsibility is yours Which is why it is essential you ensure that the people or company you employ to carry out the work can PROVE that they are competent

The responsibility is yours Because you should not assume that competency in one discipline will automatically be reflected in another

Fire is a holistic issue Make a start with the two ASFP documents Ensuring Best Practice for Passive Fire Protection in Buildings ASFP Guide to Inspecting Passive Fire Protection for Fire Risk Assessors Find out more on at the ASFP Zone (Stand D179)

A building is for life! The simple fact is that passive fire protection works!

A concluding thought!

To Sum Up What conclusions can we draw from this short presentation? When it comes to fire protection, there s nothing wrong with thinking outside of the box. Provided you understand the consequences of getting it wrong! Questions www.asfp.org.uk