The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) has launched its Competence Framework as part of its competency pathway for those who work or are involved in passive fire protection activities.
As the industry trade association explains, the framework aims to provide a benchmark for competence in passive fire protection activities. It brings together content that has been developed by industry groups and ASFP itself, offering a free library of information and resources that can be accessed and used by anyone.
Briefly, the framework covers seven key areas of the industry, representing different domains of a building’s lifecycle:
- Design and specification: Those who design and specify buildings or design the change in use to a building such as an architect or an architectural technician
- Procurement: Those who procure products involved in passive fire protection or specialist contractors to carry out passive fire protection work, such as a quantity surveyor or a procurement specialist
- Selling and distribution: Those involved in putting passive fire protection products on the market, for example, as a manufacturer, or in the supply chain as a distributor or retailer
- Installation: Those involved with installing passive fire protection products and systems in new or existing buildings such as an installer, installation supervisor, or project manager
- Inspection: Those who inspect installations (not necessarily the entire building) for suitability and performance of the passive fire protection such as an internal inspector, external inspector, or certification body inspector
- Maintenance: Those who maintain passive fire protection in existing buildings or add passive fire protection when making changes to a building
- Owner/occupier: Representative of those who control a building, either as the owner or managing agent for a building or leaseholder such as a facilities manager or building manager
The first specialist areas covered by the framework relate to firestopping, with more areas such as ductwork and dampers installation expected soon.
You can find out more about ASFP’s Competence Framework here.