The Fire Sector Federation has published a new Industry Benchmark Standard for Fire Risk Assessors to provide practical guidance for assessors who want to understand the application of fire risk assessment across a range of buildings.
The aim is to support the delivery of comparable standards across the sector. The standard has been developed by the Federation’s Fire Risk Assessors Working Group and identifies criteria reflecting individual competency at three distinct core levels, Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced. It offers increasing levels of skill, knowledge, experience and behaviour to form a competency-based progression route for fire risk assessors, spanning a clear career pathway for individuals from entry through continuing personal development to the highest levels of competency achievable.
It is unique in that it also seeks to match the three core levels of competency to the fire risk presented in three general types of buildings.
Dennis Davis, Executive Officer at the Fire Sector Federation, who leads the working group said:
“This Benchmark Standard has been developed by the Federation’s Fire Risk Assessors Working Group to expand and complement our previous work on competency. It supports the need for a systematic assessment of fire risk followed by the implementation of recommended appropriate controls, mitigation and continuous management of fire safety.
“Our aim is to raise the professional status of the important work undertaken by fire risk assessors. We also wish to engage with all those proficient assessors, operating without formal or recognised competency assurances, to help them seek appropriate independent accreditation.
The document is available to download here: https://www.firesectorfederation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/FSF_FRA_BenmarkStandard_Dec2022-Version1-1-1.pdf
The work undertaken by the Federation’s working group will shortly move on into a new phase of development through BSI’s new Competence in the Built Environment Committee CPB/1 to create a British Standard Code of Practice.