Category: Press Releases

Jigsaw Homes (part of the Jigsaw Group) is one of the largest housing association groups within England, providing more than 34,000 homes across the North West and East Midlands. Chute Fire Certification UK® has inspected, serviced and repaired refuse chutes in several of Jigsaw Homes’ tower blocks, and are now focussing on the hopper door replacement on each floor. Ron Devine, Electrical & Service Contracts Manager, Jigsaw Group has worked with Avene Furness, Director of Chute Fire Certification UK® for the last 12 months in order to ensure that FRA regulations are adhered to in their properties.  “Previously, we repaired the chute fire plates when they were broken. However, the FRA recommendations require us to have a more structured and proactive approach, and this is what Chute Fire Certification UK® has been able to introduce to Jigsaw Homes. We now have all the relevant paperwork giving evidence of the chute’s bi-annual certification to ensure compliance. But what really adds value is the report that they provide. Before we started working with Chute Fire Certification UK®, we didn’t have a clear picture of what the contractor had done. Now we have written and photographic evidence, and you can really tell from the before and after photos exactly what they have done” summarised Devine. One of the findings that Furness and her team bought to Devine’s notice was the fusible links in some of the fire plates that had been installed when the building property was built. These play a vital role in passive fire protection, and need to be inspected, tested and replaced regularly, especially in the environment of a bin room. After working with Chute Fire Certification UK®, Devine has developed a deep understanding of all the elements required to be in place to ensure that any fire is contained until the emergency services arrive. They are now working on a programme to ensure that the hopper doors inside the tower block provide the same level of protection as the E120 Chute Fire Safe Protection System installed by Chute Fire Certification UK® at the bottom of the chute. “Avene is extremely passionate about chutes and won’t let anything slip through the net.  If they say they’ll be there, they are there. We’ve set up a maintenance agreement to make sure we provide the highest level of passive fire safety for all the refuse chutes throughout our estate, and ultimately, our residents” Devine concludes. Furness adds “When we first presented Jigsaw Homes with our Chute Inspection Reports they were quick to take action and chute refurbishment works began immediately. It is clear that the safety of their residents is of paramount importance. I’m not the only member of Chute Fire Certification UK® to be passionate about chutes, our passion is what drives myself and my dedicated team to provide the very best in installation and service every day.”

When Avene Furness-Monks, Director of Chute Fire Certification UK® arrived at the site of the 100th chute she has refurbished this year, she was disappointed and angered to see yet another serious fire risk to the people that lived and worked in the building. The manual shut-off plate had been rigged with metal wires and weights, and the fusible link was broken.  Years of accumulated dirt also meant that the door was not able to operate as designed.  Not only was this a danger to Maintenance staff during bin changeover, but without a fusible link, the blades would have not shut off automatically in the case of a fire. But what angered Furness-Monks the most was the fact that only 6 months earlier, the chute had been certified as fire safe. “Unfortunately, this is a situation we see time and time again.  It really concerns me that unscrupulous contractors can walk into a building and sign off a chute without adhering to British Standards or following the correct procedures” adds Furness-Monks. Chute Fire Certification UK® ensure that all chutes they inspect are signed off by Certified Fire Technicians and refurbished by Qualified Engineers.  For their 100th chute refurbishment, they replaced the bottom of the chute systems with a bespoke Chute Safe Protection System that also enables the safe changeover of bins, as well as complying with all relevant legislation. Furness-Monks has a message for all building owners and their procurement departments. “Please check that the person inspecting and certifying your chute is a Certified Fire Technician.  And make sure they give you a written report and photographic record of their work; as well as evidence of their qualifications before you sign off the job. Because if the worst happens, the final legal responsibility is yours.”

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.

We have just been informed by a customer that a competitor has recently inspected their laundry chute without authorisation; implying that they were a Chute Fire Certification UK® employee.  We have taken the decision to make all of our customers aware of this, because  unfortunately this is an industry where such practices are not unusual.  However, this is where Chute Fire Certification UK® stands apart, as we live by our corporate values of honesty and integrity. It’s easy to check if the technician that arrives on site is one of our Certified Fire Technician or Engineers, because they will show you their Chute Fire Certification UK® documentation, certificates and be in our uniform.  Each chute that we certify is awarded the Chute Fire Certification UK® certificate (shown).  Any other certificate will not signed by one of our Certified Technicians. We thank our customers for their continued loyalty, and look forward to returning it with exceptional customer service, professionalism and full accountability

When Director of Chute Fire Certification UK® Avene Furness-Monks finds a fire plate that has been chained back on laundry or refuse chute, it deepens her resolve to ensure that her Certified Fire Technicians will always deliver the highest standard in fire prevention possible.  Which is why they are now an affiliate member of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM). “When we see a fusible link like that or a fire plate that’s been chained back, we know that the chute hasn’t been serviced properly in years.  These links are designed to break at the first sign of fire and close a fire-proof damper.  This should prevent fire spreading from the bin room, up through the chute, to the floors above” concludes Avene. Tom Hardy, Business Support Manager, IFSM adds “Becoming an affiliate member of the IFSM demonstrates a company-wide professional attitude that we know is really valued by our member’s customers.  It also gives CFCUK international recognition of their competence of conduct and professionalism.” The IFSM promotes reducing the risk from fire, and by checking the integrity of every element of the chute and its surroundings at every inspection, CFCUK are working to deliver on that mission. Further information on our chute inspection services can be found here.  If you would like more information on the work of the IFSM, please click their logo below.

Chute Fire Certification UK® are now working in collaboration with Prism Fire Risk Management Ltd. CFCUK have recently entered into a working relationship with Yorkshire based Prism Fire Risk Management Ltd www.prismsafety.co.uk The Hull based company offer a wide range of fire safety services and work with such clients as York St John University, The Swift Group, Associated British Ports , Coca Cola and St Mungo’s Housing association to name a few. Prism Fire Safety Risk Management also provides national information on fire safety for private landlords, letting agents and property management companies and well as the Association for Project Safety. We think working together will provide a wider exposure of CFCUK and our specialised services and look forward to some major projects in the future.