RiskUKOctober2017

Qualifications: The Future of Fire
Detection and Alarm Practitioners
What’s the future for
those working in the
fire detection and
alarms sector? Given
that staring into a
crystal ball will likely
not help in finding the
answer, Martin
Duggan analyses the
facts and looks at the
reasons why there’s a
growing trend towards
both the need for
professional
qualifications in this
sector and also a
requirement to upskill
and grow the market
through the provision
of quality services
Martin Duggan:
General Manager at the Fire
Industry Association
64
www.risk-uk.com
Here in the UK, the problem at present is
that there’s no ‘upfront’ legal requirement
for a formal qualification in the fire
detection profession. Technically speaking,
there’s nothing to stop anyone, however
unqualified they may be, from commissioning a
fire alarm system.
To make matters worse, that applies whether
the unqualified individual is installing or
designing a system for a small office, a nuclear
power station or even a large hospital, where
the risks could be exponential if matters are not
handled properly. It’s likely that only after a
disaster has played out would poor
workmanship be discovered, which means that
many ‘problems’ remain undetected.
Currently, the only necessity is written into
the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005,
which states that the individual must be
“competent” – but the definition is vague. The
best we have is in the guidance documents
which state the following: “A person with
sufficient training and experience or knowledge
and other qualities to enable him/her to
properly assist in undertaking the preventative
and protective measures.”
The fire detection and alarm industry has a
‘company’ competency benchmark, specifically
the third party certification schemes: BAFE
SP203-1 or LPS 1014. These are supported –
again somewhat vaguely, it must be said –
within the guidance documents by the
statement that: “Third party certification
schemes for fire protection products and
related services are an effective means to
providing the fullest possible assurances,
offering a level of quality, reliability and safety
that non-certificated products may lack.”
Each scheme is different, but essentially each
one provides an independent audit of a
company to help prove quality and competency.
Part of the inspection process is to look at staff
and how they’re trained and selected.
These schemes are generally very good and
the audits strong, which is precisely why the
Fire Industry Association (FIA) has always
supported them and made them the criteria for
membership acceptance.
A qualification should raise the competence
bar to a new level and provide an extra layer of
knowledge and expertise. Not only will it help
to bolster an individual technician’s credentials,
but will also afford companies a competitive
advantage, and especially so if they can
demonstrate that all of their technicians are
qualified. This would provide for a much easier
check within the company scheme inspections.
Purchasing decisions
Consumers and purchasers in today’s world are
more and more savvy, often placing more effort
into finding out what sort of service they’ll
receive and at what price. They’re also starting
to fully understand their responsibilities and
are looking at how they can mitigate risk.
While price alone might lead the way on
some purchasing decisions, that isn’t always
the case. Many discerning purchasers will look
to discover if they’re receiving a good level of
service for their money.
This is where EN 16763: 2017 Services for Fire
Safety Systems and Security Systems is useful.
Although not mandatory, it helps to set out
minimum education requirements for staff in
the industry. EN 16763 clearly defines the level
of education those working in the fire and
security services industries should have at their
disposal. According to EN 16763, those working
within fire detection and alarm services should
hold a Level 3 qualification on the European
Qualifications Framework.
To assist those companies in preparation for
adopting this standard, and to further improve
the level of training available for service
technicians, the FIA has worked to develop four
new qualifications in the field of fire detection
and alarms aimed at the four main job roles
within the fire detection and alarm services
sector. These four roles are the designer,
installer, maintainer and commissioner.
The new qualifications are one stage higher
than those mentioned in the European
Qualifications Framework (as a UK Level 3 is the
equivalent of a European Level 4, and the
European Standard calls for Level 3) and
equivalent to an A-Level within the UK.
Method of differentiation
Why did the FIA become involved? We provide a
service to our members and they want to
increase the knowledge and understanding of
their workforce and new recruits. They wish to
differentiate themselves from the ‘cowboys’.
Also, the FIA is a not-for-profit organisation
so any money made either goes back into
training and development or research.