This change establishes the Confederation as a unified voice for the sector, strengthening governance and simplifying its structure.

Chair John Spencer describes the past year as one of “purpose, intent and growing confidence,” with the Confederation increasingly recognised as a trusted body bringing together expertise from across a historically fragmented sector.

Executive Director, Steve McGuirk notes that the Confederation is now “an increasingly influential organisation, supporting sector wide collaboration that is shaping policy.

As the building safety landscape continues to evolve, the Confederation’s role will remain focused on bringing organisations together, supporting collective insight, and helping the sector navigate complex and emerging risks.

Read the full report here:

https://firesectorconfederation.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/FSC-ANNUAL-REPORT.pdf

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Fire risk assessors perform a critical role in ensuring fire safety. Fire risk assessments help ensure hazards are identified and the right fire precautions delivered to keep people safe in the buildings where they live, work, and visit. At present, Responsible Persons (usually the owner or landlord) can undertake their own fire risk assessments or may appoint someone, known as a fire risk assessor, to assist them in doing so.  The consultation is looking at strengthening standards, ensuring those who conduct assessments have the proper competencies and capabilities to do so.

The consultation is also an important step in delivering Recommendation 26 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry’s Phase 2 report, in response to which Government committed to establish a mandatory certification system for fire risk assessors.

Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy, Samantha Dixon said: “Fire risk assessors play a vital role keeping our communities safe from fires.

“I would strongly encourage you to respond to this consultation, to help us introduce the right measures to make sure we have consistent competency across the profession.”   

The consultation seeks views on proposals relating to:

• defining the role of fire risk assessors and their protected assistance duties.
• considering the Responsible Person’s ability to conduct their own assessments.
• developing a competency framework and standards, with robust methods of verifying competence.
• establishing clear career pathways, through proposals for apprenticeships and a proficient workers scheme.
• providing appropriate regulatory powers and ensuring effective implementation of measures.

The consultation launched today and will run for 12 weeks, closing on 18 June. The consultation can be found here – Fire risk assessors profession – GOV.UK

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The report, What is the Cost of Fires in Schools, finds that six to seven school fires occur every week, damaging classrooms, displacing pupils, and disrupting communities. Over a 30‑year period, the likelihood of a secondary school experiencing a fire reaches 70%.

NFSN’s analysis shows the average cost of a school fire is £282,200, with total annual losses reaching £126 million. These figures exclude the wider human and social impacts, including trauma, lost coursework, and the disruption faced by vulnerable pupils.

Government data cited in the report shows that each lost day of education reduces a child’s future lifetime earnings by £750. The research concludes that in secondary schools, a single day of closure is enough to justify the cost of installing sprinklers.

The evidence on sprinkler performance is equally clear: over 97% of school fires occur in buildings without sprinklers, while systems that activate are 98% effective at extinguishing or controlling fires.

Terry McDermott, QFSM, MA, Secretary , National Fire Sprinkler Network, said: “Every week, schools are impacted by fire and every closure harms children’s learning and community stability. Sprinklers work, they are cost‑effective, and they prevent devastation. Protecting schools is not optional, it is essential.”

NFSN is urging government and education authorities to strengthen regulations and ensure sprinklers are included as standard in all new and refurbished school buildings.

For more information visit www.nfsn.uk

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The past year has been transformative. Achieving charity status marked more than an administrative milestone; it signalled our commitment to operating as a permanent, sustainable institution serving the public good. The establishment of our new governance frameworks, and regulatory compliance with HMRC demonstrates the professional foundation upon which we’re building our future work.

Perhaps most gratifying has been the response from our members and partners. When we asked for patience and support during our development phase, the sector responded with both financial backing and constructive engagement. 

The launch of our new website represents a tangible expression of our mission. More than a digital presence, it serves as a portal into the fire safety system itself—a place where specialist networks converge, knowledge is shared, and collaboration flourishes. Our Knowledge Hub exemplifies this approach, providing a home for focused expertise while connecting existing professional networks to a wider audience.

Innovation in coordination has defined our progress. The Fire Consultations Network, expertly led by Simon Gibbins, has filled a gap that many didn’t realise existed. For the first time, organisations across the sector can coordinate their responses to national consultations, ensuring both individual voices are heard and collective wisdom is captured. With over 100 participants this network demonstrates the appetite for structured collaboration.

The inaugural National Fire Safety Congress in June exceeded expectations. Bringing together 50 delegates from across fire, building, products, insurance sectors, and regulators, it proved that neutral convening power can unlock frank, solution-oriented dialogue. The feedback was clear: the sector needs a catalyst and coordinator and the Confederation is uniquely positioned to serve that role. The second Congress next Spring promises to build on this momentum.

Looking ahead, our evolution of the Advisory Council into a permanent Fire Futures Thinking Group represents strategic ambition matched with practical necessity. With the Building Safety Act, Grenfell recommendations, technological disruption, climate risks, and demographic shifts all converging, the sector needs systematic foresight. This won’t be consultant-heavy or academic; it will harness the considerable expertise already within our community to produce actionable intelligence through biennial Fire Futures Reports.

Our relationship with the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fire and Rescue has deepened, creating valuable alignment between parliamentary oversight and sector expertise. This connection ensures that fire safety knowledge informs the legislative process effectively, while maintaining appropriate governance boundaries.

Regular meetings with MHCLG, OPSS, and the Building Safety Regulator have become established rhythms, building the trust necessary for a system convener. These relationships enable honest dialogue and ensure our members stay informed about regulatory developments.

As we approach 2026, the Fire Sector Confederation has moved beyond establishing itself to demonstrating its value. We’re not replacing regulators or professions—we’re operating in the gaps between them, helping the fire safety system see itself clearly, remember its history, and align its authorities around shared purpose.

The terrible fires in Hong Kong and Murcia remind us why this work matters. The complexity of the socio-technical system and the wicked nature of fire safety demand collaborative, forward-thinking approaches. Together, we’re building the infrastructure to meet those challenges.

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The sponsorship reinforces the Confederation’s commitment to advancing fire safety standards, promoting industry collaboration, and supporting the professional development of fire safety practitioners across the sector.

The BSI Fire Safety Conference 2026 brings together the most influential voices in fire safety, including regulators, standards leaders, and frontline practitioners. The event will address critical topics such as building and residential safety, product compliance and testing, competency frameworks, and the digital “golden thread” of fire safety information.

Steve McGuirk, Executive Director at the Fire Sector Confederation. “The BSI Fire Safety Conference provides an invaluable platform for knowledge exchange and collaboration across our sector. As we navigate evolving regulations and standards, events like this are essential for ensuring that fire safety professionals have the tools, insights, and connections they need to protect lives and property.”

The conference will feature updates from the Building Safety Regulator, developments in key British Standards including BS 9994 and BS 9996, and insights from the National Fire Chiefs Council, among other leading organisations. 

The Confederation’s sponsorship reflects the organisation’s ongoing dedication to supporting initiatives that advance fire safety knowledge, promote best practices, and foster a culture of continuous improvement throughout the built environment sector.

For more information about the BSI Fire Safety Conference 2026 or to register, visit https://pages.bsigroup.com/l/35972/2025-10-15/3t99wkv

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The statement was produced by the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel, which was established in April 2025 following recommendations in the Phase 2 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. The Inquiry called for fire engineering to become a regulated profession and for clear standards to be established for practitioners.

Beyond defining core competencies, the Panel examined the broader professional landscape, including education, roles, responsibilities, conduct, experience and skills requirements.

The Panel acknowledged the devastating loss of life at Grenfell Tower and the tragedy’s continuing impact on society as the foundation for its work. Rather than prescribing detailed standards, the statement aims to present a vision for the regulated profession, guide future regulatory bodies and education providers, and encourage the sector to strengthen its competencies and ethics ahead of legal requirements.

Stakeholder engagement revealed broad consensus that the approach is both sensible and urgently needed, though challenging to implement. The Panel recognised that fulfilling the statement’s intent alongside the Inquiry’s wider recommendations will be a long-term undertaking requiring careful phasing.

The government has published a Next Steps document alongside the statement outlining how it plans to implement these changes which is available at: https://bit.ly/3KQh1xe

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The intellectual foundation of the Fire Chain can be found in the work of Professor Brian Meacham, whose socio-technical systems (STS) framework explains the interplay of technical, organisational, and societal factors that shape safety outcomes. The Confederation’s prospectus and eight-point plan draw heavily on this perspective, translating academic theory into practical steps for reform.

Meacham’s research shows that fire safety cannot be reduced to technical devices alone. Detectors, suppression systems, and evacuation strategies are necessary but sit within a wider ecosystem of organisations, markets, laws, and societal expectations. He distinguishes three interdependent subsystems:

– Primary Work Systems – technologies and processes embedded in buildings.
– Organisational Systems – regulators, fire and rescue services, housing providers, insurers, and professional bodies.
– Macrosocial Systems – government policies, legal traditions, economic incentives, and public trust.

Risk, therefore, is not purely statistical but socially constructed, shaped by how communities and governments judge what levels of danger are tolerable. This is why technically sound solutions can still fail if trust, transparency, or accountability are absent. Grenfell tragically demonstrated how weaknesses in product testing, oversight, competence, and resident engagement compounded one another.

The Fire Chain functions as a tool for aligning these subsystems. It acknowledges that safety is secured only when technical measures, professional practice, regulation, and public confidence are joined into a coherent whole.

The Confederation is the bridge across this fragmented landscape. In the past, stakeholders operated in silos, with conversations sporadic and disconnected. The Fire Chain seeks to replace this with durable structures of shared knowledge, common standards, and joint accountability.

By convening fire and rescue services, the construction and product sectors, insurers, academia, regulators, and communities, the Confederation provides the coordinating function that has long been missing. As a charity, it is explicitly committed to the public interest, reinvesting resources into initiatives that build resilience rather than sectional advantage.

The Confederation’s eight-point plan translates socio-technical thinking into action. Each priority aligns with Meacham’s framework:

1. Stakeholder Engagement – diverse voices in decision-making.
2. System Accountability – transparency and shared responsibility.
3. Skills & Workforce – higher competence standards.
4. Legislation & Compliance – evidence-based, socially informed regulation.
5. Fire Engineering & Risk Management – integrating technical solutions with policy and market frameworks.
6. Standards Promotion – robust standards to prevent systemic breakdown.
7. Fire Research – a connected ecosystem for continuous improvement.
8. Fire Resilience – stronger capacity to anticipate and adapt.

Each element represents a link in the Fire Chain; the system’s strength depends on their alignment.

To operationalise the Fire Chain, the Confederation has created Special Knowledge Networks– safe forums where experts collaborate on challenges from heritage protection to embedding resident voices. These embody the socio-technical principle that solutions must integrate technical, organisational, and societal dimensions.

In parallel, the Fire Congress now serves as a national platform for structured debate, early engagement with government policy, and collective problem-solving. It reflects Meacham’s “analytic-deliberative” process, where technical analysis meets political, legal, and community perspectives to produce decisions that are both robust and legitimate.

The Grenfell Inquiry exposed the weaknesses of the UK’s fire safety system. If Grenfell revealed the problem, the Fire Chain offers a way forward. By embedding socio-technical thinking into its strategy, the Confederation is creating an architecture for reform that is both academically rigorous and practically grounded.

The challenge is immense. Yet with the Fire Chain as its guiding framework, the Confederation has laid the foundation for a safer, more transparent, and more resilient future for fire safety in the UK.

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The new British Standard establishes, for the first time, a clear and consistent framework for assessing the competence of individual fire risk assessors. Developed through wide industry collaboration and public consultation with alignment to BS 8670-1:2024, the Code of Practice sets out the skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviours expected of professionals working at three progressive levels:

• Foundation – New entrants and those assessing simple premises, such as small offices or shops.
• Intermediate – Those assessors requiring greater experience, responsible for medium complexity buildings such as public venues or mid-rise residential properties.
• Advanced – Highly experienced professionals working on complex, high-risk buildings including hospitals, residential towers, and large public spaces.

By providing a structured, transparent, and verifiable set of criteria, the standard offers clarity for assessors, duty holders, regulators, and professional bodies. It supports consistent practice, career development and lays the foundation for the profession’s future regulation.

The move comes at a critical time as the UK’s Building Safer Future reforms—driven by the Building Safety Act 2022, Fire Safety Act 2021, and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022—continue to reshape the construction and fire safety landscape. The government has previously signalled its intention to require independent, third-party certification of fire risk assessor competence, further reinforcing the likelihood of a regulated profession.

Building Safety Minister, Alex Norris, welcomed the Standard’s publication, saying:

“The introduction of this new standard marks a significant step forward in the collective effort to make buildings safer for residents. By improving safety and accountability, it helps ensure that a tragedy like Grenfell is never repeated, and it reflects a clear commitment to implementing the Inquiry’s recommendations.

A clear and consistent benchmark for fire risk assessors will help to raise standards of competency across the profession and I’m grateful to the British Standards Institution and all committee members involved in making this happen.”

A Fire Sector Confederation-led working group, in collaboration with regulators, government and industry stakeholders, played a key role in shaping BS 8674. It follows years of work to raise professional standards and support the need to build capacity and capability within the fire risk assessor profession.

Dennis Davis, Competence Director at the Fire Sector Confederation, added:

“The publication of BS 8674 is a significant achievement for the profession and a vital step towards building a safer future. It gives all stakeholders confidence that competence can now be clearly demonstrated against a professional framework capable of independent verification.”

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The group is chaired by Paul Brunt, Fire Safety Manager at Manchester United Football Club, and aims to bring together a range of stakeholders, including The Sports Grounds Safety Authority (SGSA), fire safety officers, fire equipment suppliers, fire safety expertise service providers, sports ground authorities and local authorities to share knowledge and expertise that will prevent fires and enhance safety at sports grounds. 

The new initiative follows several months of planning by Fire Sector Confederation Executive Director, Steve McGuirk with Paul Brunt and Tim Burgin of the SGSA. 

Steve McGuirk said: “We are delighted that this special interest network is now up and running, providing a unique platform for professionals with an interest in sports ground safety to come together to focus on developing guidance, influencing standards and improving communication to prevent fires in sports venues. The work of our special interest networks drives the agenda for the National Fire Safety Strategy Board and the Fire Congress helping to inform and shape policy.”

Paul Brunt added: “This is an important milestone in our drive to improving fire safety across all sports grounds in the UK and I am honoured to be the inaugural chair.  The initial response has been incredibly positive with enthusiastic participation from football, rugby and cricket clubs across the country. It is a unique platform to share best practice and tackle challenges collaboratively so that we ultimately inform the best possible safety standards.”

Tim Burgin commented: “The formation of this group of stakeholders will play a significant role in the review of fire safety in sports grounds prompted by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.  It brings together experts from across the country whose collaboration will be potentially significant in shaping the new Green Guide.”

Participation in the group includes representation to date from a wide range of stakeholders including representatives from Premier and EFL league football grounds, rugby union and rugby league grounds, horseracing grounds, cricket stadia, industry representatives and government advisors on fire safety.

The group will continue to meet on a regular basis and any potential stakeholders with an interest in participating should email: admin@firesectorconfederation.co.uk

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These were published yesterday (31^st January 2024) and are now operational:

• MOR service start page Submit a mandatory occurrence notice and report – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• MOR guidance Submitting mandatory occurrence notices and reports – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• MOR system guidance Operating a mandatory occurrence reporting system – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Updated contact us start page (including Complaints) Contact the Building Safety Regulator – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

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