British Approvals for Fire Equipment (BAFE) officially started operating from its new offices on the campus of the Fire Services College in Moreton-in-Marsh on 1 April, and is already addressing a number of issues head on.
The newly-appointed general manager is Stephen Adams, who has extensive experience as a director and manager in both commercial and not-for-profit organisations. His previous positions include general manager with Thorn Security where he was responsible for fire and security systems, six years as customer relations and marketing director with the British Security Industry Association and, most recently, marketing director of a major Midlands-based security company.
Commenting on his appointment and the new direction for BAFE, Stephen told info4security: “I’ve been aware of BAFE for some time, particularly during my period with the BSIA where I frequently worked in partnership with fire industry trade associations, Government agencies and the industry inspectorates. The BAFE logo has gained a certain prominence in illustrating that a company involved in fire protection takes quality very seriously, choosing the third party certification route which is undoubtedly the most robust way of demonstrating the competency so important under the new fire safety regime.”
Adams continued: “However, this refocusing on the direction of BAFE marks a watershed, providing us with the independence that will enable us to take BAFE forward in representing our constituent member organisations, further strengthening our position and reputation within the fire industry and beyond into the end users of fire protection.”
Third party certification schemes
Joining Stephen in the new management team is Tony Maskens, who moves to BAFE from the Electrical Safety Council. As technical schemes manager, Maskens will be responsible for the third party certification schemes either developed by or adopted by BAFE, ranging from portable fire extinguishers to fire detection and alarms and fixed gaseous extinguishing systems.
Tony’s role at the Electrical Safety Council was to establish an office base and deliver a programme of awareness-raising for the charity across a broad spectrum of Stakeholders throughout Scotland.
Previous experience will also stand him in good stead for his new role with BAFE, as he spent 13 years with the British Standards Institution (BSI) in a variety of different roles.
Maskens explained: “I was involved in the development of a number of schemes at BSI, including the Kitemark scheme enabling electrical contractors to comply with Part P of the Building Regulations. Like Stephen, I have prior experience of BAFE having identified the opportunity, negotiated the agreements and project managed BSI’s entry into the market for the BAFE SP203 fire alarm certification scheme.”
Schemes administration specialist
Completing the line-up of new personnel at BAFE is accounts and schemes administrator Yvonne Williams. Yvonne brings wide-ranging knowledge in finance, Human Resources and administration from a number of different industry sectors, including her most recent position as Human Resources officer for an international water treatment and service group.
In addition to being the first point of contact for general enquiries, Yvonne will be responsible for the day-to-day management and administration of client accounts.
BAFE chairman Phil Toase – the former president of the CFOA and chief executive of the West Yorkshire Fire Service – also spoke about the new structure. “It was important to pull together a team with direct and relevant experience within the fire industry, and we have certainly been able to do that,” he explained. “However, it’s also vital that we have the vision to see BAFE’s potential for growth, and determine how we stimulate that growth. This is certainly a focus for us, and we’re all looking forward to the challenges ahead.”
Finding out more about BAFE
Further details of the operation can be obtained by contacting British Approvals for Fire Equipment, Bridges 2, The Fire Service College, London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0RH (telephone 0844 335 0897, e-mail: info@bafe.org.uk)