[ Focus: Fire and security ] Howard Passey, education and training director, Fire Protection Association
Meeting the requirements Current fire safety legislation places the responsibility for ensuring fire safety on a premises in a number of ways. For example, the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) that applies in England and Wales, places a duty on any person who has an obligation in relation to the repair of anything in or on a premises. What this means in real terms is that any person involved in the installation, design and maintenance of fire detection and alarm, emergency lighting, or other system that has a bearing on the safety off those at work on or in a premises, may be held legally responsible for the work they undertake, and may, if found to be at fault, face prosecution.
This was brought sharply into focus in
December 2010 when a fire alarm system contractor pleaded guilty to two charges of failing to maintain a fire detection and alarm system at a care home in Trafford, Greater Manchester, and failing to inform the owners of the deficiencies in the system. He was convicted under the RRFSO, and fined £5,000 and ordered to pay £6,000 costs. Magistrates heard that, following a fire at the
care home in May 2009, enforcement officers commissioned a specialist examination of the fire alarm panel and among the deficiencies found were: n A blown fuse overridden with a piece of wire; n An electronic component suspended between two terminal bocks instead of being attached to the circuit board;
n An alarm silence/fault warning buzzer missing from the circuit board; and
n The fault warning light on the front face of the panel had been almost covered by paint. According to the prosecution, the contractor, an
electrician who had taken over the maintenance of the system in 2006, had issued several annual certificates of worthiness to the care home owner. Fire alarm and emergency lighting systems
are not always necessarily seen as an integral component of an overall fire safety package. However, the installation of fire detection and alarm systems is a growing business activity, and systems are found increasingly across a diverse range of commercial, industrial and domestic premises in the UK. Additionally, a competent electrical company – often the firm that has completed the mains wiring on the project – is usually tasked with the supply and installation of these types of systems.
Training
It is essential, therefore, that electrical installation firms have adequate knowledge of the design, fitting, commissioning and, where appropriate, servicing and maintenance requirements of the relevant standard for the system they supply, fit and maintain. For example, they would need to be aware that the requirements relating to power supplies for fire alarm panels are different to those for most other apparatus. Recognising the potential for problems for contractors, a partnership between the ECA, FSA and Fire Protection Association (FPA) led to the launch in 2008 of a new suite of courses under the ‘fire detection and alarm systems and emergency lighting’ umbrella. This hugely popular modular suite of courses offers a number of training pathways that cover: n Fire detection and alarms systems for the workplace;
n Fire detection and alarms systems for dwellings; and
n Emergency lighting.
Each pathway starts with a core module, which covers the basic subject matter, and includes relevant legislation and guidance. Learners undergoing the training courses are then able to select pathway modules that best suit their competency requirements, resulting in a training pathway suited to their specific needs. Modules include courses in design, installation, commissioning and servicing; courses for complex or simple premises; and courses for workplaces or domestic dwellings. The training has been matched against:
n The National Occupational Standards in Systems;
n Relevant British standards; n SP203 for Fire Detection and Alarm Systems; n Relevant legislation and guidance; and n A sector competence matrix agreed by sector employers.
Qualifications All of these courses have received external accreditation from Edexcel, and successful delegates can, by combining course modules with work-based assignments, achieve a BTEC award at Level 2, 3 or 4 in any individual discipline. The modules can also be grouped together to achieve a full BTEC Level 3 Award or Level 4 Certificate. Such an approach enables delegates to confirm to clients, employers, regulatory and certification bodies. the level and breadth of their competence.
n To obtain more information on FPA/FSA/ ECA courses, email
training@thefpa.co.uk or call 01608 812500. Alternatively, visit the FPA website at
www.thefpa.co.uk or ECA website at
www.eca.co.uk/training
It is essential that electrical installation firms have adequate knowledge of the design, fitting, commissioning, servicing and maintenance requirements
January 2012 ECA Today 55
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