Assembly Point Podcast

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2024 Summer Series - Balancing environmental goals and fire safety

Date Added

28 June 2024

Duration

40 Minutes

In the first episode of the FPA’s 2024 podcast series, George Edwardes, Technical Director at the FPA is joined by Dr Gavin Dunn, Managing Director at the FPA; and Eoin O’Loughlin, Associate Fire Safety Engineer at Arup, to discuss the implications of the zero carbon agenda for fire safety in the built environment.

With emerging new technologies, techniques and materials, and with many designers and construction professionals moving towards low carbon materials such as timber, George, Gavin, and Eoin discuss how to achieve high fire performance whilst reducing environmental impact. The panel also look at how, as an industry, we can address the growing gap between statutory guidance and social aspirations for sustainable buildings, including by re-using existing structures.

2024 Summer Series - Cladding remediation: the insurer perspective

Date Added

16 August 2024

Duration

25 Minutes

Listen to the penultimate episode of Assembly Point’s Summer Series as George Edwardes, Technical Director at the FPA welcomes Louise Clark, Policy Adviser at ABI to discuss the current landscape of cladding remediation from an insurer’s perspective.

George and Louise explore the need for a holistic approach to building design and construction that involves insurers early on to understand the insurance implications of material selection, the importance of resilience in the face of climate change, proactive risk management, and educating building occupants on maintenance. They also consider the role of regulation and enforcement, and ABI’s efforts to improve the availability of insurance for higher risk residential buildings through their Fire Safety Reinsurance Facility.

2024 Summer Series - Construction products: fire resistance testing as a route to compliance

Date Added

19 July 2024

Duration

49 Minutes

Listen to the latest episode of Assembly Point as George Edwardes, Technical Director at the FPA is joined by Chris Miles, Commercial Director at the FPA; and Tom Gilbert, CEO at CLM Group to discuss some of the current challenges in the world of fire resistance testing and assessment methods.

The panel explore the importance of fire resistance testing and assessment methods, in particular the need for valid supporting test data, challenges in assessing complex construction designs, and the need for additional capacity in product testing. They also debate the potential impact of removing the national classifications (BS 476 series), the validity of 476 testing for fire doors, and the challenges of ensuring quality and trust in fire risk assessments. Their conversation highlights the need for improved regulations, testing capacity, and industry collaboration to provide appropriate fire safety in construction.

2024 Summer Series - Fire smoke toxicity – exploring the impacts

Date Added

30 August 2024

Duration

32 Minutes

As the Summer Series of Assembly Point draws to a close, host George Edwardes, Technical Director at the FPA is joined by Dr Joanna Cloy, Senior Project Manager at environmental charity Fidra; and Professor Richard Hull, Professor of Chemistry and Fire Science at the University of Central Lancashire to discuss the toxic impacts of smoke, focusing on chemical flame retardants in household goods.
  
Dr Joanna Cloy and Professor Richard Hull highlight that these retardants, particularly in upholstered furniture, can be harmful to human and environmental health, causing issues like neurotoxicity and carcinogenesis. They draw focus to the need for government action, industry collaboration, and public awareness to address the challenges posed by chemical flame retardants.

The panel debate whether current regulations support improved life safety and discuss how these need to be updated to reflect modern fire scenarios. They also explore achieving net zero whilst ensuring fire safety is not compromised, emphasising the importance of the circular economy and chemical transparency in the future.

2024 Summer Series - The Evolving Role of AI in Fire Safety

Date Added

02 August 2024

Duration

40 Minutes

Listen to the latest episode of Assembly Point as George Edwardes, Technical Director at the FPA welcomes Adam Sanders, Technical Director of RiskBase; and Peter Thomas, Host of the My Safety Tech podcast and Founder of MySafetyConsultant.io, to discuss what the continuing development of artificial intelligence (AI) could mean for the fire safety industry.

The panel discuss the potential of AI, data availability, upskilling professionals, and addressing the risks associated with incorporating AI applications into fire safety; emphasising the need for consistent data collection and sharing, integrating AI with human expertise, and improving fire safety beyond human capabilities. Together they explore the potential for creating a digital twin of a building, a more consistent approach to fire safety standards, contextualised information, and risk-proportionate solutions.

Series 1 Episode 1 - Fire Safety Reform: What's Next?

Date Added

18 February 2021

Duration

38 Minutes

In our first episode we talk to Jim Fitzpatrick - former Fire Minister and Chair of FIRE AID - to discuss fire policy in the UK, and the impact incidents like Grenfell have had in how we approach fire safety.

Series 1 Episode 10 - 75 Years in Fire Safety: What Has Changed?

Date Added

09 December 2021

Duration

43 Minutes

In the final episode of series 1 of our Assembly Point podcast, Howard Passey, Director of Operations at the FPA, marks the Fire Protection Association’s 75th anniversary by talking to Peter Caplehorn, Chief Executive of the Construction Products Association; Adrian Dobson, Secretary of the RIBA EAG; and Dennis Davis, Executive Officer of the Fire Sector Federation. The panel discuss the FPA’s own milestones and its work over the past 75 years, the turning points in fire safety in the UK, and what they hope to see in the next 75 years.

Series 1 Episode 2 - Know Your Building

Date Added

18 March 2021

Duration

43 Minutes

In this episode, we talk to Sofie Hooper, Head of Policy at the IWFM about the role of the Building Safety Manager and what facilities managers will have to do to take on the newly regulated role. 

Series 1 Episode 3 - What About Asset Protection

Date Added

15 April 2021

Duration

36 Minutes

For episode 3, we're joined by Sarah Brodie, Policy Adviser at the ABI and explore the need to protect an organisations' phisical assets alongside the need for life protection.

Series 1 Episode 4 - Building a Solid Foundation in Fire Safety

Date Added

20 May 2021

Duration

45 Minutes

In this episode, we're joined by Jane Duncan OBE, chair of the expert panel on fire safety at the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA). Jane discusses how Grenfell was a ‘turning point’ for building safety, and she and Howard explore how architects, construction teams and building owners can work together to understand and prioritise fire safety from the very start of a project.

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