Knowing when to say ‘no’
The government’s response to The Hackitt review has shown that ‘in too many cases people who should be accountable for fire safety have failed in their duties’. And this was a key theme in the lecture by Chris Auger from BAFE at Fire Safety North yesterday, who asked the question ‘Is your Contractor compliant?’ This is an issue very close to my heart, and one of the key reasons that I set up Chute Fire Certification UK®. I am shocked and angered at the levels of incompetence that I encounter on a daily basis when inspecting and servicing laundry and refuse chutes that have been left unsafe by other contracting companies. The full recommendations of the +Hackitt review will take some time to fully implement, but immediate actions can be taken by individuals. One of BAFE’s key points was to ensure that fire risks were assessed with specialists in their field. This was also repeated in the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) AGM that I attended later in the afternoon. Laundry and refuse chutes aren’t glamorous, but they are what motivate me every morning, and what I work late into the night for; to ensure that our team of Certified Fire Technicians are applying the highest levels of professionalism in this field. We already work side-by-side with the construction and maintenance industry to share our specialist knowledge of chutes, even before it becomes written in law. Our focus in this area means that we can look in the mirror and know that we are leaving every site with a chute that is fire safe – to help residents and staff be safe and feel safe in their homes or places of work in high-rise buildings.
