With his background as a chartered building engineer, newly appointed FPA Managing Director Dr Gavin Dunn has highlighted the challenges being posed to the built environment sector by the need to address climate change.
Speaking to Fire & Risk Management, he said: “As we drive towards net zero, the imperative to decarbonise is increasingly driving business decisions, and this holds true for the built environment sector. This focus on the environmental impact and energy performance of the buildings we live and work in are a step change from the past, and with this comes a changing risk profile that the fire safety sector simply must be aware of.
“The introduction of new practices and materials to meet net zero goals mean taking risks that have not been taken before. The go-to technologies for decarbonisation tend to burn well – new high-performance insulation materials, lightweight construction technologies including a wider use of timber, and high-performance building energy systems – such as solar panels, thermal or battery storage, and the much wider use heat pumps and refrigeration technology. Should there be a fire event, having this technology present in a building not only increases the risk of fire, but brings further issues around the release of potential toxic effluents. Any fire will release the embodied carbon of that building into the atmosphere, therefore fire safety is a critical part of sustainability as well as safety.
“The importance of enacting net zero plans within the built environment is now well known and we have the knowledge as to how this can be achieved. It is vital, however, that we now learn how to do this safely and efficiently.”
As part of the FPA’s remit to improve the fire safety awareness of this important topic, Gavin will be opening this year’s FPA Spring Seminar on ‘Fire Safety and Sustainability of the Built Environment’ taking place on Wednesday 17 April at Chicago Booth’s London Conference Centre and online. Bringing advice and guidance from a variety of external industry experts, including three of the FPA’s technical consultants, Howard Passey, George Edwardes, and Chris Miles, this seminar aims to support businesses to maintain best practice fire safety management in light of changing sustainability requirements.
Sessions will cover modernising construction and what this means for the built environment and fire safety, legislative changes and competence requirements, fire risks and mitigation options when working with wood, managing fire risks when improving the energy performance of a building,?lithium-ion battery fire safety, and the question of affordability of sustainability for building owners.
This content will be beneficial to anyone involved in the built environment and fire safety sectors, including building owners, responsible persons, fire risk assessors and fire safety managers, contractors, designers, and insurers.
To book a place on the Spring Seminar, visit https://FPAspringseminar2024.eventbrite.co.uk