Advice & Guidance Articles

08 September 2021

As it stands, sprinklers are not a legal requirement in commercial buildings, and in residential buildings their provision is based on the height of the building and neglects all other factors. Here, FPA Principal Consultant, Dale Kinnersley explains why this approach can leave lives and buildings at risk and must change.

10 July 2023

With their growing prominence, lithium-ion batteries carry a fire safety risk that needs to be considered. It is worth noting that the frequency of fire from lithium-ion batteries is actually very low, but the consequences can be significant. This advice and guidance article details how lithium batteries work, their fire safety risks, why they can catch fire, and methods to minimising risk.

13 July 2023

Fire safety notices are generally issued by fire safety officers from your local fire and rescue authority, if it is deemed that the standard of fire safety measures are inadequate. There are additional circumstances where inspectors from different agencies have different enforcement powers to deal with fire matters, such as during construction work.

04 January 2022

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which covers general fire safety for England and Wales, it is the responsibility of the Responsible Person to appoint competent persons for fire safety functions and to ensure their employees receive adequate training, refresher training and development. This includes fire protection and prevention awareness, elements of the fire triangle, types of fires and relevant fire extinguishing equipment, and how to use the fire equipment effectively.

04 September 2023

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) states that almost all types of premises – unless a single domestic dwelling – must be subject to a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

26 April 2023

A selection of articles are produced exclusively for FPA members and focus on frequently asked technical questions for members to refer to.

13 October 2022

A fire door inspection is a review of the building’s fire doors which determines if they are fit for purpose and compliant with fire safety standards. In the event of a fire, a building’s passive fire protection system plays a vital role in reducing the rate at which fire and smoke spreads throughout the building.

02 March 2023

A DSEAR Risk Assessment is a vital way for duty holders to protect employees, members of the public, and property from the risk of fires or explosions due to dangerous substances, such as extremely flammable gases, highly flammable liquids, oxidising liquids/powders, and combustible dusts, explosive atmospheres, and substances that are corrosive to metals. DSEAR Risk Assessments are a legal requirement in most workplaces, and this article aims to help you clarify who can carry out a DSEAR Risk Assessment for your business.

03 March 2023

A selection of articles are produced exclusively for FPA members and focus on frequently asked technical questions for members to refer to. 

05 May 2023

Automatic fire sprinkler systems are an essential active fire protection measure and research conducted by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) identified that sprinklers worked as intended in 94% of fire incidents in both residential and non-residential buildings and controlled or extinguished fires in 99% of cases.