TRAINING AND EDUCATION
Fire dampers can be located in difficult-to-access locations, making inspection and maintenance more challenging.
Humberside Fire & Rescue Service went on. He said: “The Fire Safety managers who had previously been with a fire service had a high level of knowledge regarding operations and the communication side of things, and knew what to expect during a fire incident. They were thus well able to effectively manage a fire should one occur. Latterly, I found myself dealing with a much younger clientele – in terms of Fire Safety managers / officers. These tended to be very well educated, and had all the necessary information and tools at their disposal. It was just that lack of actual on-site experience that could occasionally result in communication problems.”
Good back-up Fortunately, Richard Parker-Wood acknowledged, most Fire Safety managers had the greater experience and knowledge of a Fire Safety adviser to call on. He explained: “Fire Safety advisers in NHS Trusts typically deal with the technical, policy, and practical issues, and are in control of elements including fire risk assessments, staff training, development, and implementation packages. I would expect the Fire Safety adviser to have sound technical knowledge around the key guidance and legislation and its application. Indeed, a Fire Safety manager doesn’t necessarily need to have comprehensive fire safety competencies, provided they have access to suitable fire safety advice around them, which is where the Fire Safety adviser comes in.” Here I switched focus by asking Richard
Parker-Wood about PPL Training’s reasons for recruiting him. He said: “PPL had undertaken research into some of the most prevalent fire safety-related issues, and of course IHEEM had issued some safety bulletins on topics including fire / smoke dampers and fire doors. The company felt there was an opportunity – in fact almost an obligation – to begin offering courses on some of the key fire safety issues, and Gary Cooper had identified this as part of his future vision for the business. Coincidentally, I had reached a
Unscrewing a fire damper hatch.
point where it was time to move on, and the importance of fire safety training really resonated with me. I felt I had the passion to bring it to life as a trainer.”
Fitting out Richard Parker-Wood took up his new role at PPL around the same time that the company began fitting out Unit 8 with classrooms on the first floor, and the practical training area on the ground floor. It began offering fire safety training courses last April. I asked him about some of the key facilities within the practical training area. He said: “PPL’s aim – as in all our buildings – was to create an environment where delegates could handle all the major components they would encounter in a real building. Starting with fire doors, the practical training area features a range of fire doors with different fire resistance ratings and smoke stopping capabilities, and a variety of glazing systems, plus some of the associated hardware and components. There are doors with excellent structural integrity, and some damaged and worn doors which would not be fit for purpose
in a large hospital. There is also a range of motorised and mechanical fire and smoke dampers, with different methods of operation as regards the fusible links, and examples of both good and poor fitting and operation. We also have examples of fire-stopping – from the very good to the very bad, to clearly demonstrate to delegates good and bad practice in the fire-stopping of pipes, cables, or anything else that they will encounter.”. Richard Parker-Wood’s experience was
that firestopping wasn’t always done well. I asked him who the onus falls on to ensure that it is undertaken to a high standard. He said: “I would say it’s the responsibility of everyone involved – from initial design, all the way through to installation and sign-off. Any fire-stopping put into a building should be inspected at more than one stage to ensure that it is ‘suitable and sufficient’.”
Fire safety training courses I next asked him to detail some of the key fire safety training courses PPL Training is already offering. He said: “The range of courses will be continuously expanded,
PPL says it offers ‘unique’ teaching aids, such as this cross-section of a fire door. January 2023 Health Estate Journal 35
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