Paul Bryant, Kingfell plc, the instructor and a top expert in fire strategies
Hemming Fire launches unique fire strategies workshop
Published: 27 April, 2011
Hemming Fire - the umbrella brand for Fire & Rescue and Industrial Fire Journal – has teamed up with Kingfell plc to create a unique workshop aimed at organisations and personnel with responsibilities for fire strategy in complex buildings.
Everybody talks about fire strategies, but what exactly are they and what can they do for an organisation? When Paul Bryant, CEO of Kingfell, a fire engineering consultancy and contracting company based in London, asked himself this question several years ago, he decided to find out. He then researched concepts from business strategic thinking and applied these to the fire engineering profession, developing a conceptual way of thinking that led to the creation of a new British standard – British Standard PAS 911: 2007.
This Standard introduces a methodology and framework as well as a strategy evaluation toolkit for all personnel responsible for fire, risk, and emergency management. It doesn’t just focus on one single aspect of protecting a building, but combines all elements – e.g. means of escape, fire suppression techniques, and fire safety management – in one concept.
The Standard is unique in that it goes beyond multiple fire prevention approaches, encouraging organizations to take a holistic view of fire safety and fire protection. This is why – together with Fire and Rescue and Industrial Fire Journal – Kingfell has now conveyed the concepts and theory of the PAS 911 standard into a series of practical, comprehensive, CPD-accredited workshops that will be useful for professionals responsible for safety in complex buildings.
Fire safety: legal responsibilities
Although many organisations do assign fire safety responsibilities to an employee, in many cases the responsibilities are not so clearly delegated or – commonly - the person responsible simply lacks the knowledge to create a sound fire strategy based upon the findings of a thorough fire risk assessment.
In a court of law it is the owner of the building or the MD of the company who by default will be held responsible for any breaches of fire safety legislation, and current prosecutions show that people who have been found negligent are paying the price, highlights Paul Bryant. “Some people choose to outsource the fire safety aspects of their business to outside parties, and often their choice is based on the lowest price. However, cheap and cheerful is no guarantee for an optimum fire strategy meeting both legislative and other relevant objectives.
“A fire risk assessment is a key input into a properly developed fire strategy. Some fire risk assessors fail to look at the challenges posed by the individual building, and instead base their assessment on their experience of other buildings they have handled in the past. Others lack the competence or training, and simply tick boxes on a form. This ‘tick box’ approach could cost organisations dearly, because it is the owner of the building, MD of the company, or appointed person, who will be held responsible in a court of law,” explains Paul Bryant.
The solution
The new PAS 911 fire strategies workshops create a new and conceptual way of thinking which combines a consistent approach with an all-encompassing philosophy to fire safety in a building. It also enables the owner to be confident that all relevant fire safety and protection issues have been properly addressed.
PAS 911 provides the framework and guidance to enable the assessor to cover all elements of fire safety and come up with a sound fire strategy. A sound fire strategy consists of several basic elements, explains Paul Bryant. “It is ‘complete’ and it considers all aspects, so none of the basic tiers is left out. It goes far beyond a tick-box approach, because every building is individual with its own unique challenges.
“In summary, people who have completed the workshop will feel that they can think about the whole concept of fire strategies in a different – and practical – way.
Course content
The workshop will provide the delegates with:
- A plan that considers what the true objectives of a fire strategy should be – over and above fire safety legislation.
- A plan that considers all the key factors – not just those that are seen as relevant at that time.
- A plan that follows a methodology.
- A plan that considers present and future needs.
- Full CPD accreditation approved by the UK's RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects).
Venue
Capital Tower 91 Waterloo Road, London (opposite Waterloo Railway Station).
When
1100-1600 October 12th, 2011.
Cost
Payment of £195.00 excluding VAT will be taken by credit card at the time of booking. Cost includes lunch and refreshments.
Organisers
The workshop is jointly organized by Kingfell Consulting in association with Hemming Information Services, the publisher of Fire & Rescue magazine and Industrial Fire Journal.
To sign up
Contact Ann-Marie Knegt at 0044 (0) 1935 374001 / am.knegt@hgluk.com or Lorraine Newman 0044 (0) 1935 374 4010 / l.newman@hgluk.com. Payment can be made by credit card or invoice. If paying by credit card, please have card details ready. Places will be on a first come, first served basis.
