Wilf Butcher CEO Association for Specialist Fire Protection Risk Assessor Day 5th July 2010.pdf ·...

So What is Wrong with the System?(Apathy, Ignorance and Denial in Fire Protection)

Wilf Butcher

CEO

Association for Specialist Fire Protection

Pioneering fire protection through innovation and professionalism

Presentation Format

• What is the Association for Specialist Fire Protection?

• Is the system working?

• Can Building Control do any more?

• Where do we go from here?

The ASFP - A brief background history

The Association ofSpecialist Fire Protectionwas formed in 1975 toencourage, finance andundertake research andexperimental work inmany forms of ‘Built-in’Passive Fire Protection(PFP)

Who is the Association made up of?

A broad spectrum of the PFP industry which includes:

– Product manufacturers

– Product installers

– Product testing authorities

– Assessment consultants and

– Other affiliated bodies

Industry guidance

Extensive information, free to download on the ASFP Website

The ASFP’s new website offers comprehensive technical support to both members and industry at large.

ASFP’s support services What are they designed to achieve?

www.asfp.org.uk

RED BOOK

Fire stopping & penetration seals for the construction industry

3rd EditionThe Association for Specialist fire protection

Fire & smoke resisting dampers

GREY BOOK

The Association for Specialist fire protection

Fire retardant coatings for The construction industry

ORANGE BOOK


Fire resisting non load-bearingpartitions

PURPLE BOOK


YELLOW BOOK

Fire protection forstructural steel in buildings

4th EditionThe Association for Specialist fire protection

BLUE BOOK

Fire resisting ductwork

2nd Edition


Colour books

ASFP’s support services

In the last three and a half years the number of document downloads has grown to 44,500

ASFP’s support services

Industry guidance

BWF support services

Is the system working?

?

2000 years ago life was simple

King Herod (74BC-4AD)introduced a law which statedthat:

‘Should a man construct abuilding which falls down andkills another then this manshould be slain ’.

Life is a little more complicated today!

• Approved Documents

• Building Regulations such as 7 & 16B

• CDM Regulations

• BS 9999

• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

• The Construction Products Regulation

• Etc, etc.....................

So just how important are passive fire protection measures in today’s building design!

Few of us have had to face the reality of fire and smoke spread!

The answer of course is quite clearly – essential!

The reality of fire

Fire damaged buildingscan always be rebuilt

Their priceless contenthowever will be lostforever

Statistically 40% of businesses will be out of business

within 12-18 months following a major fire

Question

How often do you walkinto a building and askyourself the question,how adequate are thepassive fire protectionmeasures in thisbuilding?

When are you responsible?

Should you own thebuilding however oryou are responsible forits design ormaintenance, then thestory is somewhatdifferent

The need to understand the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005,

effective since October, 2006 is essential

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

Under the RRFSO, Fire Certificates for buildings are no longer issuedand the ‘Responsible Person’ is now personally accountable for firesafety

But how well does the Responsible Person

understand the onus of responsibility placed

on him or her?

Fire Protection Measures

Fire protection is never onesingle issue but rather amixture of both ‘active’ and‘passive’ measures that cometogether to achieve an overallsolution

For Example

• Fire Detection

• Extinguisher Systems

• Sprinkler / Mist Systems

• Signage

• Structural Fire Protection

• Fire Containment

• Flame Retardancy

• Evacuation Procedures

Common Conceptions…….

• Wood Burns

• Structural steel does not collapse in a fire

• Concrete is fireproof

• Holes are a general maintenance issue

• There is always time!

………Or are they Misconceptions!

So is it all Working!

On the surface, yes

But what is to be found when you dig beneath

the surface!


The Association of British Insurers (ABI) latest figures on firelosses in the UK show fire damage up by some 16% to £1.3Billion - a record high!

So should we not at least raise the question of, why?


At the turn of last decade the ASFP completed a detailedthree-year ‘Partners in Innovation’ project, partly funded bythe then Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and theDepartment of Trade & Industry, where independent researchon fire safety provisions in a wide variety of nominated typesof buildings was collected.


The research repeatedly showed that the reliability of firecompartment walls and barriers was a real issue.

In some complex buildings, detailed drawings were missing andoccupants had no knowledge of the location of essentialdefences such as compartment walls


A high percentage of compartment walls were either defective,through poorly installed fire stopping of penetrating servicesystems, or invalidated by incompetent maintenance


Or worse no fire protection measures at all!


And in many cases measures are assumed to be in place!


Even when all looks correct......

........Is it?


The findings of the reportwere supplied togovernment as an officialreport and led directly tothe publication of the ASFP‘Best Practice’ document


Much has been made in recent times of the fact that disasters such as the Lakanal House fire in Camberwell could have been avoided by much tighter Building Regulations, and most within the fire industry would share this view.


However, it is arguably just astrue to state that ifappropriate fire protectionmeasures are installedcorrectly, in accordance withthe guidance of the currentBuilding Regulations, thenboth the human and financialcost would be considerablylessened.

Is it just a question of ignorance?

Ignorance can manifest itself in one of two ways; eitheras a lack of knowledge, or worse as a wilful neglect orrefusal to acquire knowledge to which one should beduty bound.


It might be argued that the demise of the Clerk of Works issymptomatic of how, piece by piece, we have stripped awayour systems to deliver excellence of works in buildings.......

......and the view is oftenexpressed that theintroduction of competitivebidding between localauthorities and approvedinspector bodies has onlymade matters worse!


All too often when deficiencies come to light one can expect tohear the retort;

‘Well Building Control has passed it off’

Even though the intent of Building Control is to check designsagainst regulations, and not to carry out detailed checks oninstalled works


This is squarely the duty of the person carrying out the work,who often contrary to what he may think, can be prosecuted.


So is government local or national doing anything about this veryissue?

There is no doubt that Government clearly expects that theduties of Building Regulation 16B will be reliably carried out andthe building user/owner will be fully informed of the fireprotection provisions in the building he now occupies

‘Regulation 16B 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’

Refer to Appendix G: Fire safety Information


It is also expected andassumed that suchprovisions will still applyafter many years throughsubsequent fire riskassessments to ensurethat appropriate fireprotection measures willcontinue to perform

Or will they?


With BS 9999 there is an expected level of fire safety management by which the suitability of a solution can be assessed and there is a fundamental assumption that the building will remain managed throughout its lifetime.

Or will they?


If the evidence placed in front ofmany ASFP members who witnessmalpractice or inadequate passivefire protection on an almost dailybasis is anything to go by then thecourts should be overflowing!


The journey from the architect’s initial design to occupancy bythe building owner or tenant is one loaded with opportunity forerror compounded on error, so let’s take a little risk basedjourney from the cradle of a design to its grave

Risk Point 1

The architect specifiesthe requirement forand type of passivefire protectionrequired to satisfy theregulatory needs forhis building design.

Risk Point 1

Architects know thatRegulation 16B isimportant, but these daysthey do not always go, orare not allowed by thecontract to go, onto thebuilding site to checkwork.

Risk Point 1

If the building is to be designed utilising a fire engineeringapproach then the required passive fire protection may alreadybe calculated to a minimum

Question

How well does the fire engineer communicate with the structural engineer?

Risk Point 2

Under a duty of care in accordance with current CDM regulationsthe main contractor must appoint a ‘competent’ installer to carryout the fire protection works.

Are you competent?

Risk Point 2

Given that there is no legalrequirement for him toappoint a 3rd PartyCertificated installer he mayfeel free to interpretcompetency as he sees fit,based on the boundaries ofhis knowledge of fireprotection

Risk Point 2

Or as is often more likely to be the case, through reliance on theinformation given to him by the contractor he wishes to appoint.

Risk Point 2

In a market where price is everything, selective hearing on whatis an appropriate solution may well prove to be the order of theday.

xx

Risk Point 3

Often, defects are caused by mixed trade contracts whereaccountability is lacking, or when follow-on trades causedamage to the excellent work they inherit.

Most frequently, the subsequent addition of new services, ITcables included, directly damage the fire stopping provisionsoriginally provided.

Risk Point 3

Unless such damage is picked up and made good in acompetent way then the fire performance of thebuilding will not be fit for purpose.

x

Risk Point 4

If the final building inspection processdoes not identify any failing in thepassive fire protection measures (andremember that at this stage many suchareas will be concealed frominspection), ............

Risk Point 4

........then in accordance withRegulation 16B of the BuildingRegulations the passive fire protectionprovision details will be passed ontothe owner of the building as fit forpurpose.

Risk Point 5

Under the Regulatory Reform (FireSafety) Order 2005 the owner of thebuilding, as the ‘Responsible Person’now takes on the ownership ofliability for the fire safety of all thosewithin his building and will appoint a‘Competent Person’ to ensure thatan appropriate Risk Assessment ismade and maintained for hisbuilding.

Risk Point 5

If he does not feel competent for this to be handled in househe will seek external guidance.

However without appropriate knowledge will he be in aposition to judge the competency of those he decides toemploy?

Risk Point 5

Risk Point 6

As matters stand at present there are no qualifications requiredto become Risk Assessor.

Therefore without the appropriate knowledge andobservational skills it is highly likely that deficient,inappropriate or missing passive fire protection measures willgo undetected.

So are we in denial?

Lets make a comparison

When you take delivery of a newcar, do you give much thought tothe process of manufacture orhow it was inspected beforedelivery?


Would you ask yourself the question, ‘I assume they put somebrakes in it’ or ‘is this steering wheel connected correctly’ orperhaps more ‘importantly will my family be safe in this vehicle?’


If you think that way about a car why should the same rules notapply to the fire protection measures installed in a building?

All the risks are the same, get it wrong and you run the risk ofkilling or seriously injuring its occupants or at best ruining thelives of those that depend on it.


It simply is not good enough to state that measures

exist to ensure against incompetent workmanship and

that all in the chain of events will take ownership of

their responsibilities, utilising properly qualified

people and proper independent audit.

Whatever the method of fire protection, active or passive

Can Building Control do any more?

Building Control is an essential if not pivotal element of theconstruction process

Often the last opportunity to identify missing or incorrectinstallation

All Building Control officers and Approved Inspectors must keepup to date with essential knowledge on fire protection

Four thoughts to end on?

Thought one

In the case of fire ‘It does what is says on the tin’ does not initself always apply!

Is important to recognisethat performance resultsawarded are a function ofthe system under test ANDthe substrate to which it isapplied, surrounds or fitsbetween.


Thought two

‘Ad-hoc’ tests – May not always be appropriate!

Unless the condition on site is equal to or less onerous than thesituation to which the ad-hoc test was based then the testevidence has no validity.

If in any doubt seek advice from the test/certification authoritythat undertook the test


Thought three

With an eye to the future

In our drive toward zero carbon living, sustainable constructionand the increasing use of fire engineered solutions.

A sustainable building is NOT ‘sustainable’

if it is razed to the ground by fire!


Thought Four

Fire protection is an holistic process

Remember - the successful introduction of the car safety airbagdid not justify the removal of seat belts!

Where do we go from here?

Questions to consider:

Should 3rd Party Certification become mandatory?

Is there a need to introduce a ‘permit to occupy’?

Are the current Building Regulations tough enough?

Where do we go from here?

Seek out codes of practice and technical guidance for the ASFP and BWF websites

Ensure that those that install passive fire protection are 3rd Party Certificated utilising products and systems with verified test evidence

If in doubt seek advice from the ASFP/BWF or an ASFP/BWF contractor / manufacturer

Wilf Butcher

Chief Executive Officer

Association for Specialist Fire Protection

Kingsley House Ganders Business Park Kingsley Bordon Hampshire GU35 9LU

ASFP Office Tel: +44 (0)1420 471612 Home Office: +44(0)1252 641787

Fax: +44 (0)1420 471611 Mobile: 07914 354788

E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.asfp.org.uk

Pioneering fire protection through innovation and professionalism

This PowerPoint presentation is the copyright of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.asfp.org.uk/

Wilf Butcher CEO Association for Specialist Fire Protection Risk Assessor Day 5th July 2010.pdf ·...

Documents

Transcript of Wilf Butcher CEO Association for Specialist Fire Protection Risk Assessor Day 5th July 2010.pdf ·...