The fire industry faces the same difficulties in educating the built environment as teachers do in engaging children across the country.
According to Wilf Butcher, chief executive officer of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), to successfully enforce fire safety regulations already in place the fire sector ‘must educate’ the construction industry.
“We need to educate the built environment,” he said, calling the attitude towards fire safety standards in regards to maintenance and upkeep of buildings “apathetic” and difficult to engage.
“We are facing the same difficulties that teachers face up and down the country, how do you engage those that need to be educated?”
He was speaking at an all party fire safety and rescue group seminar about the future of industry during a time of austerity.
His thoughts were echoed by other speakers at the event, titled Our Post-Coalition Future for Britain’s Fire Safety, which was held at the Houses of Parliament on Monday.
Dennis Davis, chair of the Federation of British Fire Organisations, used the analogy that the fire industry was standing still at the train station while the construction sector pulled away. He called for open collaboration within the sector. “Construction is moving faster than the fire industry,” he warned.
While we grew up used to boxes, he said, now we have ripped the box apart. He used the recent upgrades seen at Heathrow terminals as an example of changing spaces and a wider net of responsibility. “Structures are getting thinner and flimsier,” he said, “the new world is bigger….collaboration is not a dirty word.”
Brian Robinson, former commissioner for the London Fire Brigade and president of the ASFP, also called for collaboration. “It is now time to look at getting some continuum between the designer, builder, contractor, occupier and ultimately fire authorities and the fire brigade.
“We need a rational framework, making sure risks are managed collaboratively between the fire industry, fire authorities and fire and rescue services.”
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