Fire Safety in Schools 2016

Fire Safety in Schools 2016

This is a free event hosted by NKM Fire Protection Ltd, a Kent-based company that specialises in the design, installation and maintenance of fire detection systems.

Fire safety is one of the many issues that must be addressed by schools to minimise the risk of injury or death to students, staff or the public.

But unlike most of the other safety concerns fire has the potential to injure or kill large numbers of people very quickly.

All aspects of fire safety are now covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Our purpose on the day will be to flag up regulations, responsibilities, implications and potential difficulties facing schools and signpost solutions to ensure they comply with the Order.

This event will be of particular interest to estates and facilities managers, business managers, bursars, governors and head teachers – anyone who is responsible for ensuring a safe environment for students, staff and the general public in and around their school.

Contributors include fire industry professionals and solution providers.

NKM has a great deal of experience working with private and state schools, academies and local councils in Kent and throughout the South East.

Other contributors will include:

  • BB7 (Fire safety consultants and fire risk assessors)
  • EMS (award winning manufacturers of wireless fire alarm systems)
  • Hochiki Europe (who manufacture FireScape intelligent, energy efficient emergency lighting)
  • PCH Associates (specialists in obtaining CIF funding from the DfE/EFA for projects such as Fire Safety and Compliance Works, including fire alarms, emergency lighting, compartmentalisation)

Topics covered include:

Fire safety legislation, fire risk management and fire risk assessments, design, installation and maintenance of fire alarm systems, wireless fire alarms, refuge systems, the latest amendments to BS 5266 (emergency lighting requirements), security in education premises, CIF funding…

Our aim is to inform, educate and entertain. 

There will also be the opportunity for you to network, share your experiences, raise concerns and ask questions.  Plus there’s lunch.

10am registration for a 10:30am start.  Lunch 12:15. Finish around 3pm.

To update you…

We are pleased to announce that we will be joined on 17th by Paul Roberts, Estates and Safety Manager for The Kemnal Academies Trust.

As you will probably be aware, a devastating fire ripped through Selsey Academy (one of The Kemnal Academies Trust’s schools near Chichester) in August of this year, just two weeks before the end of the summer holidays, causing huge disruption to the start of the academic year for over 400 students.

Paul has agreed to come along to share his experiences and give an insight into how events have impacted on the Trust, the challenges they have faced, how they has dealt with them, what lessons they have learned and what changes they have made or may make in the future.   Should be interesting.

Phil Walford of C-TEC will also be joining us to talk about refuge systems.

The DCLG guidance Fire Safety Risk Assessment – Educational Premises recommends that refuge areas should be taken into account when considering escape routes for those with impaired mobility.  A refuge system is a communication system that assists fire fighters in the orderly evacuation of disabled or mobility impaired people from refuge areas during emergencies.  Phil will tell you all you need to know.

Our other guest contributors:

Ben Bradford
Ben is founder and MD of BB7.  Among his many contributions, he has chaired the Fire Industry Associations (FIA) Professional Standards Working Group for many years and also sits on both the Fire Engineering and Fire Risk Assessment Councils.

Ben is also a board member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (Building Control) Professional Group Board. As the principle author of PAS 7: 2013 Fire Risk Management System Specification; for and on behalf of British Standards Institution, he takes a keen interest in Strategic Fire Risk Management.

In 2016 Ben has been voted by IFSEC Global to be among the IFSEC 40 most influential people in fire and security at number 5.

Ray Puttock
Ray is Director of Marketing at EMS, manufacturers of wireless and hybrid fire detection solutions.  He is a prolific writer and a regular speaker on wireless technology.  Using hands on experience of fire design and application, Ray’s knowledge provides a real understanding of how to promote fire safety and to ensure key messages reach the correct audience.

Ray has been involved with the fire industry for nearly 25 years working with companies such as ADT and Gent as well as smaller independent specialists.

Active within the FIA as a member of the Marketing and Exports Groups, Ray is also keen in encouraging new talent and lectures to schools and colleges about marketing as a career.

Phil Walford

Phil is the South East Fire Account Manager for C-TEC, a role he has held for the last 5 years which forms part of his near 30 years working in the Fire Alarm Industry.

Phil has a background in Technical Support prior to working in direct sales and consequently has a wealth of technical knowledge not only on C-TECs  range of Life Safety Products, but also many associated products including Apollo Fire Detectors where he spent 22 years. Phils’ Technical & Sales Roles have seen him travel to Europe, The USA, The Middle East and Latin America.

Since joining C-TEC in 2011, his product knowledge has expanded to cover Call and Staff Attack Systems, Emergency Voice, Induction Loops, Power Supplies, as well as C-TEC’s ever expanding package of Fire Alarm products.

Ian Watts
Ian is Emergency Lighting Manager at Hochiki Europe.  His expertise in all things lighting can be applied to design advice, training and presenting.

Ian lectures on the ICEL competent engineer course and advanced maintenance and testing course.  He also sits on BS 5266 part 1 as the independent industry expert on new technologies and contributed to the latest 2016 update of the Standard.

In July 2016, Ian was co-opted onto CEN 169 working group 3, which specifies the luminous requirements for emergency lighting systems.  This group wrote the European Standard EN 1838 and influences development of International Standards updates and revisions.

Sarah Jeffery
Sarah has recently graduated with first class honours from the University of Portsmouth in Criminology and Forensic Studies. Sarah, with an interest in human security, focused her undergraduate thesis on the manifestation of human trafficking in the UK and the developing legal responses to the problem.

Since graduating Sarah has begun as a Graduate Security Consultant for BB7, directing her attention to the relationship between security and fire engineering in schools and how security engineering can be utilised in educational premises.

Darren Clerkin of PCH Associates will also be there to outline CIF funding from the DfE/EFA.

PCH Associates LTD is a building consultancy specialising in the Education and Sports & Leisure sectors.

PCH are expert in a number of funding application streams that benefit education clients including the following:

• Condition Improvement Fund (CIF)
• LCVAP (for Diocesan Schools)
• Football Foundation/ RFU Grants
• Sport England Grants
• Salix Energy Efficiency Loans


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