fig leaves

The newsletter of the Fire Information Group UK (FIG UK)

www.figuk.org.uk

No. 48
March 2014

Edited by Sheila Pantry, OBE
Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
www.sheilapantry.com

This Newsletter contains:

• News from around the World
• Diary of Events
• Summary of the FIG UK Meeting held on 12 March 2014
• Dates of Next Meetings

FIG UK website www.figuk.org.uk … please help to promote FIG UK whenever you can … Make a link from your website!

News items from around the world

26 March 2014 – SAR (Search And Rescue) to Resuscitation – a “Floodfighters Lifesaving” Conference.

North Terminal, New Harbour Road. Poole, Dorset, United Kingdom

Professional Rescue is an independent company, advancing the best practice of flood and water rescue and emergency management for a safer world. www.flood-fighters.com

Our Aims: “SAR to Resuscitation” will communicate the latest position on flood and water rescue tactics to stakeholder target audiences. Our key aim is to share understanding, information and learning. For many years the UK’s Fire and Rescue Services have worked with Fire Department and Emergency Management professionals from the US to develop flood response and water rescue principles. These vital tactics are put into practice to save many many lives e.g. during the UK’s devastating summer floods of 2007 and subsequent floods including 2012 and this year’s Hurricane Xaver.

Continuing this learning association, we have invited speakers including Deputy Chief Jeff Dulin, Mr Jeff Cardwell from Charlotte North Carolina and Deputy Chief John Esposito from ‘New York Fire Department’ to attend with other unique SAR and medical experts to hold the Conference on the South Coast, date: 26 March 2014.

Our target audience includes all members of first responders and lifesavers e.g. Fire and Police services, SLS GB, RNLI, MCA and HM Coastguard, Ministry of Defence’s RN and RAF, Mountain Rescue, all terrestrial search and rescue teams, all Civil Contingency Category Responders, all government organisations and NGOs – all LRF and RRF members and all stakeholders and actors within the private sector etc. and ALL involved with water and flood rescue in UK, Europe and elsewhere.

Our aim is to make the conference as inclusive as possible to facilitate attendance by first responders, speakers and organisations that have to work from limited budgets in these challenging times.

Key focus: “water and flood rescue strategies involves complex risks and the consequences of decision making to all those involved. Much has been achieved, however threats to the lives of our citizens from drowning continue and that from flooding is arguably growing, due to climatic change, together with the threats to those who respond to resolve events. Therefore we clearly need to continue to share understanding, information and learning, to identify best practice and strategies.”

Our pre-eminent speakers will cover such topics as “2013, 60 years on from 1953 – Lethal storms and sea surge, how are we doing in flood rescue response?” and “Hurricane ‘Superstorm’ Sandy, the deadliest storm” and intended to include:

Prof. Michael J. Tipton – SLS GB Technical Advisor, University of Portsmouth. Dr Patrick Morgan – medical advisor to Surf Lifesaving GB, Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI) and the International Drowning Research commission. Secretary member of the International Lifesaving Society (ILS) Medical Committee. Professor Joost J. L. M. Bierens, MD, PhD, MCDM Professor in Emergency Medicine, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Member of the International Lifesaving Society (ILS) Medical Committee; Dr. Bas Kolen, PhD – HKV Consultants and the Free University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; with Deputy Chief Fire Officer Roy Harold, Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service and Chair CFOA UK Water Working Group.

Emergency Services: Themes in Planning, Response and Recovery (ES14)

Call for Proposals for a Day Conference to be held at Nottingham Conference Centre on 11 November 2014

The biennial Emergency Services Conference – hosted by the Emergency Services Research Unit at Nottingham Trent University is coming around again. The conference is also supported by the International Journal of Emergency Services.

You are invited to submit proposals for oral and poster presentations of your current research in any area related to the Emergency Services.

The Conference seeks to increase our theoretical and empirical understanding of emergencies and their management. It aims to achieve this through the presentation and discussion of contemporary research projects focussing on this field. It also aims to highlight the implications of study findings for future policy and practice. It is our aim to provide a supportive environment for discussing research processes and findings, (including work in progress) and publishing opportunities for those who may be new researchers in the field (including practitioners and postgraduates on Masters and Doctoral programmes).

The call for papers is deliberately wide and aims to appeal to researchers and practitioners engaged across the broad spectrum of emergency service related research. This includes academics, members of the emergency services, emergency planners and disaster managers, risk managers, those working in community safety and recovery, and members of those organisations which conduct research, supply and work with these professionals.

We look forward to receiving your applications – and to another stimulating and friendly Conference.

Please do not hesitate to email me if you require any more information.

Dr. Jeff Goatcher, Senior Lecturer in Social Theory, Division of Sociology
Course Leader MA Sociology, Associate Director Emergency Services Research Unit
Nottingham Trent University, Burton Street, Nottingham NG1 4BU | Direct Line: 0115 848 5622 | Chaucer 3105

Contact jeffrey.goatcher@ntu.ac.uk for details of how to submit your application.

Firefighting at risk from funding cuts in England and Wales

Fire authorities across England and Wales are at “crisis point” as government funding cuts have left them unable to respond to national emergencies, local authorities have warned. The Local Government Association (LGA), which represents councils in England and Wales, said fire authorities are starting the new financial year with a third less cash from central government than four years ago. And a further 10 per cent cut has been earmarked for 2015/16 – forcing councils to make more “tough decisions.”

LGA’s fire services management committee chair Kay Hammond warned that further funding cuts could impact heavily on the ability of the 46 fire services in England and Wales to perform effectively.

She said LGA’s modelling “shows that further funding cuts in 2015/16 and beyond could start to impact on their ability to deliver this effective firefighting, rescue operations and community safety. The reality is that fire services are reaching the limit of efficiency savings and the next few years will be very challenging for them all.” She said: “If fire and rescue services are expected to keep playing a key role in national resilience, then they must be given the funding to do so effectively.”

FBU general secretary Matt Wrack commented: “The LGA are right to say that fire and rescue services must be given the funding to play a key, continued role in national resilience. But it’s clear that across the country cuts are already slowing emergency response times, impacting on critical services and endangering lives.” He added: “All of us working in fire and rescue and local government must stand together to save fire and rescue services and convince central government to provide adequate funding for brigades.”

• FBU news release
• LGA news release and report

Emergency Planning in a New Age of Uncertainty: Building the Nation’s Resilience to Flooding

To be held in Central London on Tuesday, 1 April 2014

Key Speaker: Steve Merrett, Senior Advisor, Flood and Coastal Risk Management, Environment Agency

Currently, there are 5.2 million properties at risk of flooding in England alone, with a further 357,000 vulnerable properties in Wales.

The Government published the National Flood Emergency Framework in October 2013 followed soon after by the Lead Government Department Plan, setting out the Government’s strategic approach to plan for and respond to flooding. In addition, Defra is expected to spend over £2 billion on flooding and coastal erosion. However, according to an Efra Select Committee report (January 2014), ‘massive’ and ongoing cuts to the budget of Defra will mean its ability to respond to emergencies is in danger.

With the spectre of flooding hanging over more and more local communities, this timely symposium provides an invaluable opportunity to discuss how the latest measures can be implemented effectively. The symposium will explore how to improve, not only local resilience to flooding, but also how to develop a more robust general contingency and emergency planning framework.

For further details about the symposium, please refer to the enclosed event brochure. Do feel free to circulate this information to relevant colleagues within your organisation.

In the meantime, to ensure your organisation is represented, please book online or complete and return the attached registration form at your earliest convenience in order to secure your delegate place(s).

Martina Cicakova, Public Policy Exchange | Tel: 0845 606 1535 | Fax: 0845 606 1539 | Event Details

Annual Conference: Fire Related Research and Developments (Re14)

To be held at the Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, Thursday, 13 November 2014

Call for Proposals

The Institution of Fire Engineers and The Fire Service College are pleased to announce details of this annual conference and to invite papers for inclusion in plenary, parallel or poster sessions. Are you or your colleagues engaged in an innovative project, research and/or development in a fire-related field? We wish to hear from individuals, Fire and Rescue Authorities and other organisations looking to showcase best practice, initiative and cutting edge research. Our conference attracts a wide audience from across the Emergency Services, the Fire Industry, Research Communities and other private or public sectors interested in the latest fire-related issues, developments and concerns. We welcome a broad range of backgrounds and professional approaches including technical, engineering, legal, social, psychological, economic, operational, national and international perspectives. This gives our conference its distinctive multi-disciplinary and multi-agency flavour.

Benefits of attending this event include the opportunity to:

• be informed about the latest developments in research and best practice and learn from a range of approaches and perspectives on key topical issues
• profile and discuss your work by giving a presentation – in person or by poster
• informally discuss project-related issues and problems with others actively engaged in research and development work
• meet and network with a range of professionals from across fire-related communities
• receive an award of CPD hours by the IFE
• discuss opportunities for further professional development with representatives from the professional bodies such as the IFE.

We are now inviting anyone interested in presenting at the conference to submit a short summary of their work (complete or in progress) using the attached proforma by Friday 2nd May 2014.

Presentations may focus on any field of interest to the Fire and Emergency Response and Management community. This might include (but is not restricted to) projects focussing on: technical and fire engineering research; audit analysis, leadership issues, effective evaluation methods; multi-agency initiatives, partnership working, governance, employment relations, fire research statistics; integrated risk management planning; the application of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order; civil protection & disaster management; professional training and development…..etc.

In considering submissions, we will take account of the following:

• Applications can only be considered if submitted using the attached proforma and must include the details requested and in the format stated
• This is will be a mixed audience of Fire Service professionals together with people from other sectors, emergency services and industrial and academic research. Presenters should take account of this and make allowances for differences in background knowledge.
• It is our experience that papers achieve the most impact if they focus on a well defined problem and discuss issues such as methodology, results &/or the evaluation of a particular project or innovation. We look for presentations that are relevant, authentic and original.
• We particularly encourage students and those in the initial stages of projects to present their work in progress, even if results are not yet available. In this way they may benefit from valuable and supportive feedback from more experienced researchers and practitioners at the conference. A number of our presenters return to present results at subsequent conferences.
• While the conference provides an environment of support (particularly for new researchers and those with work-in-progress), research methodologies, ideas and findings will be subject to challenge/constructive peer review as befits academic meetings of this kind. Presenters must be prepared to justify their research –methods, evidence, analysis and conclusions – to an expert audience. There may be challenge and criticism and while we expect all participants to be restrained and courteous, we wish to create a forum for lively discourse.

As many submissions as possible will be included. Speakers will be invited to present short papers (typically 20 minutes with 5 minutes for questions though longer slots may be offered) in plenary or parallel sessions. Poster presentations are also welcome. If there is considerable interest in submitting papers, it may be necessary to make a selection of speakers and to offer space in the poster session to anyone not offered a speaking slot.

Submitting Your Proposal

Please use the proforma available to submit a short summary about your research and your presentation (please use this format only; do not send whole papers or theses). The completed form should be sent by email to the Programme Co-ordinator, Dr Anne Eyre. We are happy to discuss possible topics informally prior to submission. Please feel free to contact the Programme Co-ordinator for advice or further information. Dr Anne Eyre. Email: anne.eyre@traumatraining.com. Tel: +44(0)2476-505262.

Registration Costs and Booking Process

Presenters will be offered a reduced fee for attending the event. The presenter registration fee is £75 + VAT (speaking slots) and £115 + VAT (poster presenters). Prospective presenters will be notified of their selection after the deadline when a draft programme will be issued. At this stage presenters will be required to complete the presenter and poster presenter registration form and pay the registration fee in advance in order to confirm their place on the programme. Unconfirmed slots will be offered to standby presenters. Information for delegates, including details of the conference programme and registration procedure, will be made available during the summer.

Launch of Bid Process and publication of Consultation Response on £75 million Fire and Rescue Authority Transformation Funds for 2015/16

The bidding process for the £75 million Fire Transformation Funds opened on the 5 March 2014. Fire and rescue authorities are invited to prepare and submit their proposals. In parallel with this, the Department also published its response to the six-week consultation on the bid process design.

The closing dates for bids are:

• 4 June 2014 for individual fire and rescue authority bids.
• 17 June 2014 for syndicated bids with more than two fire and rescue authorities/other bodies.

Competitive Bidding

The government’s 2013 spending round announced £75 million of funds for 2015-16 to be made available to fire and rescue authorities on a bid-for basis. The £75 million consists of £30 million of resource funding to support transformational change together with a £45 million capital fire efficiency incentive fund. There will be no separate ‘capital grant’ for 2015-16. The funds are to deliver the types of transformative change identified by the Government in its Spending Round 2013 document, as well as opportunities identified by the independent review of the sector Facing the Future, in particular:

• encouraging greater collaboration including with other emergency services;
• improving local accountability;
• increasing on-call arrangements;
• prioritising prevention and protection; and
• promoting asset transformation/other efficiencies.

Projects will be assessed against high-level assessment criteria of:

• value for money (40%);
• transformation fund policy alignment (40%); and
• project deliverability, focusing on good project management (20%).

Guidance on the full range of bidding process criteria can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-and-rescue-authority-transformation-funds-for-2015-to-2016-bids

Fire and rescue authorities are encouraged to submit funding proposals.

The closing date for small, medium and large scale lot schemes is 4 June 2014. The closing date for bids involving more than two fire and rescue authorities is 17 June 2014. Successful bidders will be announced in autumn 2014 and grant funding will be payable in April 2015.

Events

1-3 April 2014 – Fire and Emergency Middle East
Abu Dhabi, UAE
Contact: www.femexpo.com

2 April 2014 – Fire Industry Manufacturers’ Expo
Warwick, UK
Contact: Fire Industry Manufacturers | Tel: +44 (0)20 3166 5002 | www.fia.uk.com

10 April 2014 – DSEAR Compliance for Managers and Supervisors
HSL, Buxton, UK
Contact: Training Unit, HSL, Buxton, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1298 218806 | Email: training@hsl.gsi.gov.uk | www.hsl.gov.uk/health-and-safety-training-courses

14-17 April 2014 – 20th Moscow International Exhibition Protection, Security and Fire Safety
Moscow, VVC, Pavilion No. 75, Russia
Contact: Tel: +44 (0)207 596 5170 | www.mips.ru

14-18 April 2014 – Radiation Safety Officer Training for Laboratory Professionals
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Contact: Peter Bretton, Harvard School of Public Health | Tel: ++1 617 432 2041 | Email: pbretton@hsph.harvard.edu | https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/programs/radiation-safety-officer-training

24-25 April 2014 – 5th International Conference on the History of Occupational and Environmental Health
Rotterdam, Netherlands
Contact: Organised by the Erasmus University of Rotterdam and the Arnold Leuftink Foundation, the Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands | Email: history2014@yellowfactory.org
Abstracts are due before February 1st, 2014. Current abstracts, already submitted in spring 2013 will be acknowledged by the Local Organizing Committee before January 1st, 2014.
The conclusions of this conference will be presented and discussed in the 31st International Conference on Occupational Health of the ICOH that is scheduled for May 31 - June 5, 2015 in Seoul, Korea. A further pathway will be discussed there.

28-30 April 2014 – Safety and Security Asia 2014
Singapore, Asia
Contact: www.safetysecurityasia.com.sg

29-30 April 2014 – Copenhagen Conference Global on good practices in construction
Øksnehallen, Copenhagen, Denmark

30 April 2014 – IOSH Middle East Annual Conference
Yas Viceroy Hotel on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi
Contact: IOSH | Tel: +44 (0)116 257 3378 | Email: events@iosh.co.uk

5-9 May 2014 – Guidelines for Laboratory Design: Health and Safety Considerations
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Contact: Peter Bretton, Harvard School of Public Health | Tel: ++1 617 432 2041 | Email: pbretton@hsph.harvard.edu | https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe/programs/guidelines-for-laboratory-design

5-9 May 2014 – Occupational Skin Diseases
Scandic Neptun, Bergen, Norway
Contact: Siv Jansson, Course coordinator, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland | Tel: +358 30 474 2488 | Fax: +358 30 474 2497 | Mobile: +358 43 8241 696 | Email: siv.jansson@ttl.fi | https://niva.org/courses

6-9 May 2014 – P601 LEV Examination and Training
Preston, UK
Contact: Bill Cassells, Oxyl8 Consultants | Tel: 0845 867 7360 | www.oxyl8.com

7 May 2014 – HSL Stair Assessment
Buxton, UK
Contact: Training Unit, HSL, Buxton, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1298 218806 | Email: training@hsl.gsi.gov.uk | https://www.hsl.gov.uk/health-and-safety-training-courses/stair-assessment

7-8 May 2014 – Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Conference 2014
Suntec, Singapore
Contact: www.singaporewshconference.sg

7-9 May 2014 – Hazard 24: IChemE Flagship Process Safety Conference
Edinburgh, UK
Contact: IChemE | Tel: +44 (0)1788 534489 | Email: conferences@icheme.org | www.icheme.org/events

12-15 May 2014 – Maritime Occupational Medicine, Exposures and Health Effects at Sea
Hotel Marienlyst, Helsingør, Denmark
Contact: Katja Pekkarinen, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland | Tel: +358 30 474 2498 | Mobile: +358 43 824 1698 | Email: katja.pekkarinen@ttl.fi | https://niva.org/courses

19-21 May 2014 – Effective Risk Communication: Theory, Tools, and Practical Skills for Communicating about Risk
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Contact: Peter Bretton, Harvard School of Public Health | Tel: ++1 617 432 2041 | Email: pbretton@hsph.harvard.edu | https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe

19-22 May 2014 – Occupational Hygiene and the New European Chemical Legislation
Conference Hotel Sannäs Manor, Porvoo, Finland
Contact: Siv Jansson, Course coordinator, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland | Tel: +358 30 474 2488 | Mobile: +358 43 824 1696 | Email: siv.jansson@ttl.fi | https://niva.org/courses

19-23 May 2014 – Working Hours and Health
Majvik Congress Hotel, Kirkkonummi, Finland
Contact: Annika Bärlund, NIVA, Topeliuksenkatu 41 a A, FI-00250 Helsinki, Finland | annika.barlund@ttl.fi | https://niva.org/courses

20-21 May 2014 – Fire Sprinkler International
London, UK
Contact: Tel: +44 (0)1795 530111 | www.firesprinklerinternational.com

21-23 May 2014 – 12th International Conference on Occupational Risk Prevention (ORP2014)
Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya, Zaragoza, Spain
Contact: www.prevencionintegral.com/en/congresos/orp-2014/home

22-23 May 2014 – IFSEC Istanbul
Istanbul, Turkey
Contact: +44 (0)207 921 8057 | http://www.ifsec-istanbul.com

27-30 May 2014 – Second International Conference on Radiation and Dosimetry in Various Fields of Research (RAD 2014)
University of Nis, Serbia
Contact: Goran Ristic, Conference Chairman | Faculty of Electronic Engineering, University of Nis, 14 Aleksandra Medvedeva, 18000 Niš, Serbia | Tel: +381 18 529 329 | Fax: 381 18 588 339 | Email: rad2014@elfak.rs | www.apl.elfak.rs | www.rad2014.elfak.rs

31 May - 5 June 2014 – AIHce 2014 + Stewardship Evolution & Journey to a Safer Tomorrow
San Antonio, Texas, USA
Contact: AIHCE – American Industrial Hygiene Association, 3141 Fairview Park Drive, Suite 777, Falls Church, VA 22042, USA | Tel: +1 703-849-8888 | Fax +1 703-207-3561 | www.aihce2014.org

9-12 June 2014 – Ethical Issues in Global Health Research: Blending Cultures, Building Capacity, and Bolstering Collaboration
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Contact: Peter Bretton, Harvard School of Public Health | Tel: ++1 617 432 2041 | Email: pbretton@hsph.harvard.edu | https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/ecpe

11 June 2014 – Updating “Mind the Gap” in Fire Information 2014
Imperial Hotel, Russell Square, London, UK
Contact: Fire Information Group UK (FIG UK): Sheila Pantry OBE, Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd, 85 The Meadows, Todwick, Sheffield S26 1JG, UK | Tel: +44 (0)1909 771024 | Email: sp@sheilapantry.com

12-14 June 2014 – Occupational Safety and Health in a Rapidly Changing Work Environment in Africa
Nairobi, Kenya
Contact: Organized by: African Regional Association of Occupational Health
Sponsored & supported by: Directorate of Occupational Safety and Health Services in Kenya; Kenya Occupational Health and Safety Association; South African Society of Occupational Medicine.
Contact: ARAOH Interim Secretariat PO Box 32 Silverton 0127 Republic of South Africa | Tel: +27 (0) 12 803 7418 | Fax: + 27 (0) 11 5075085 | Email: info@araoh.org | www.araoh.org

15-19 June 2014 – 21st World Petroleum Congress 2014
Moscow, Russia
Contact: https://www.21wpc.com

17-18 June 2014 – IOSH Conference 2014
ExCel, London, UK
This event will coincide for the very first time with Safety & Health Expo, and the Protection and Management Series.
Contact: IOSH | Tel: +44 (0)116 257 3378 | Email: events@iosh.co.uk | https://iosh.com/events

17-19 June 2014 – FIREX International
Excel, London, UK
Contact: +44 (0)207 921 5000 | www.firex.co.uk

17-20 June 2014 – 9th International Conference on Workplace Bullying and Harassment – Promoting dignity and justice at work
Milan, Italy
Contact: Ms. Daniela Fano, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Italy | Tel: +39 02 50320146 | Fax: +39 02 55035304 | Email: ergonomia@unimi.it | http://www.bullying2014.unimi.it/

24-27 June 2014 – EPICOH 2014 – 24th International Conference on Epidemiology in Occupational Health
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Contact: Organized by SC: Epidemiology in Occupational Health, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics 1603 W. Taylor Street, (MC 923) Room 978a, Chicago, USA | Tel: +1 312 355 3692 | Email: lstayner@uic.edu | http://epicoh2014.uic.edu

ABBREVIATED Minutes of the FIG UK Meeting held on Wednesday, 12 March 2014 held at Burgoyne Management Ltd, Half Moon Court, Bartholomew Close, London

Present:

Sheila Pantry OBE	Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
Sally Walsh	Burgoyne Management Ltd
Julie Farrugia	West Midlands Fire and Rescue Service
Nigel Herring	Bureau Veritas UK Ltd
Ian Jerome	London Metropolitan University
Peter Mansi	Fire Investigations (UK) LLP
Paula McCrudden	Hawkins and Associates
Penny Morgan
Nick Fry	International Fire Consultants (IFC)
Owain Thompson	Kent Fire and Rescue Service
David Wales	Kent Fire and Rescue Service

Apologies:

Marian Bodian	Building Research Establishment (BRE)
David Lane	Lane, Jeffries & Associates (LJA)
Jane Thurgood	Fire Protection Association (FPA)
Alyson Warner	DCLG
Roger Berrett	Dr Roger Berrett Associates
Jackie Green	Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Information Support
Colin Walker	ILEC Fire Safety Manager (see 7.2)
Richard Hall	Firebreak Wales

1. Welcome

Sheila welcomed everyone and thanked Sally for hosting the meeting at Burgoyne Management Ltd.

2. Apologies

See above.

3. Minutes

Minutes of the last meeting held on 11 September 2013 at Burgoyne Management Ltd, Half Moon Court, Bartholomew Close, London. These were accepted.

4. Matters arising not covered in the Agenda

1. Ian Jerome updated on The London Metropolitan University’s custodianship of The Women’s Library (TWL) and confirmed that it has all been moved to London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), Houghton Street, London WC2A 2AE, UK and was now open for access. LSE Library is now managing The Women’s Library Reading Room service following the transfer of ownership from London Metropolitan University in January 2013.

   (The Women’s Library @ LSE is Europe’s largest collection of material relating to the lives of women and is a key part of British heritage. Objects related to the suffrage movement within the collection are already internationally recognised and The Women’s Library @ LSE is committed to further enhancing the profile and reputation of this exceptional collection).

   MU still responsible for the TUC library in North London.

2. Product recalls databases / web sites

   This topic introduced by Nigel was discussed at the March 2013 meeting where it was decided that as a first step it would be useful to have a list of known Product Recall databases / websites listed on the FIG UK website. Members are requested to send in any known such databases/websites to Sheila who will ensure that they are added to the FIG UK website.

5. Accounts

1. The FIG UK Bank Account was presented by Sally Walsh – FIG UK Treasurer and Membership officer.

2. Further to the discussion at the April 2013 meeting when it was agreed that no membership fee should be levied from 2014 – it has now been agreed by the Membership that FIG UK should reinstate the Membership Subscription fees for 2014 which should be £20.00 per year as previously. Sally is now sending Invoices to all members.

   ACTION: All Members

6. 2014 FIG UK Seminar

2014 FIG UK Seminar Mind the Gap in fire information: update 2014 to be held on Wednesday, 11 June 2014 at the Imperial Hotel, London starting at 13.15.

6a. Further to discussions on 29 January 2014 meeting prior to the New Year lunch Sheila has since contacted various speakers and presented the final programme. There was now just one speaker yet to finally confirm.

6b. Sponsorships

To-date on the 12 March 2014 the following sponsorships had been received for which FIG UK is extremely grateful:

• Fire Protection Association (FPA)
• Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd
• Burgoynes Management Ltd
• International Fire Consultants Ltd (IFC Ltd)
• Lane, Jefferies & Associates Ltd

There was discussion on the funding of the Seminar.

ACTION: Help on the Seminar day has been offered by a number of FIG UK members.

7. Membership and New Recruits

7.1 Sheila urged all FIG UK members to try and encourage new people to join FIG UK which will widen the scope of interests and backgrounds.

7.2 Colin Walker ILEC Fire Safety Manager has resigned as a Member as he is unable to attend meetings.

7.3 We welcome new member, Andy Wade of First Forensics.

8. Round Table Discussion (Includes emailed comments/news)

Julie Farrugia, West Midlands FRS reported that she is fighting to save the Information Services and Library.

Sally Walsh, Burgoynes Management Ltd reported that she is much more relaxed as her large database project has finished.

Jackie Green, Information Support Officer, Beds FRS sent notes to the effect that she is involved with the service intranet and is part of management.

This led to a round table discussion started by Nigel suggesting ‘Why not have a privatised information service for brigades which can be supported by selling back the information as needed?” Comments made by those present:

Sheila noted that some Universities are not providing for their students and staff fire and related information even though they are running fire related courses. This can be seen by checking the Universities information centre/library websites. Elsewhere students received lecture notes with relevance to passing exams but no training on how to keep up to date post training.

Ian said that the London IFE branch has been re-activated to give support for members taking exams.

Penny raised concerns over how to deal with multi-occupancy particularly where the use is changing from offices to retail and domestic. This is a very short sighted approach to both community safety and fire safety.

Sheila reported that the FPA has a new editor who is starting to do different things with the Fire Risk Management magazine.

Penny offered to put material together from FIG UK if it was felt appropriate.

Nick commented that there are definite pockets of anti-fire safety not just from consultants but local authorities which can be summed up by the clichés ‘post code lottery’ and ‘historical trend’.

Sheila added that Gavin Sayer from DCLG will touch on some of these areas in his contribution to our Summer Seminar. General information can be crucial.

Nigel Herring, Bureau Veritas UK reported that Bureau Veritas has won a five year contract to provide training to the London Fire Brigade. Be very aware that BV is international and deals with a large range of activities.

Ian Jerome, London Metropolitan University gave information on

1. The Universities Safety and Health Association (USHA) Specialist Fire Group 2014 annual conference which will be held 3-4 June 2014 at Portsmouth University Business Centre, bookings now being taken. Go to www.usha-fireconference.org.uk There is an early bird discount saving of 18% and USHA has negotiated a discounted accommodation rate with Portsmouth University

   He also announced the forthcoming USHA Spring Conference ‘Doing more with less: adapting to the changing needs of Higher Education’ 2-3 April 2014 Watford Hilton Hotel, Hertfordshire, UK

   The seminar is themed around Student sleeping accommodation.

   There will be presentations by:

   • David Crowder – lead fire investigator at the Building Research Establishment
   • Brian Martin from the Government Building Control & Fire Safety at the Department of Communities and Local Government
   • Wilf Butcher, CEO of ASFP
   • Lucia Otoyo from London South Bank
   • Lisa Von-Schlippe from the London School of Economics

   Please note this event is for USHA Members only.

   Please refer to the Events Calendar for conferences etc details.

2. USHA has produced a list of a number of useful documents see www.usha.org.uk/member-resources/guidance-documents
   This list includes the Health and Safety Executive report The use of Nanomaterials in UK Universities: An overview of occupational health and safety see www.hse.gov.uk/nanotechnology/nano-survey.pdf

3. The Universities Safety and Health Association (USHA) is an organisation for the promotion of safety and health in higher education. Membership is primarily open to higher education institutions both in the UK and from overseas. Membership is also available to research institutions and related organisations upon request. The Association was formed in 1972 and has grown over the years to its current cohort of 155 Universities in the UK and 6 overseas.
   USHA also offers membership of additional Specialist groups e.g. Fire Safety. Full details on www.usha.org.uk/about-usha/about-us

4. University Fire Officers want to make contacts nationwide and have asked USHA to produce a register of members, The London Metropolitan University Vice Chancellor is retiring, Ian still doing risk assessments on Metropolitan University buildings. Penny commented that a common approach to both domestic and industrial fires as exemplified in universities would have world wide applications.

Penny Morgan reported that she has now retired from consultancy work but wished to remain a member of FIG UK.

Jane Thurgood, FPA sent in the following report which was read out by Sheila to the meeting:

• FPA has relocated! Still on the FSC site, but now within the main Reception block (upstairs between Reception and Muster Bay – for those familiar with the site!). Working really well for us – great for morale and for team working.
• Two FPA membership events (free to members) are booked so far: 31 March in York, and 17 June at Firex. The York event has limited capacity and is filling up. Please email membership@thefpa.co.uk to find out more and book a slot. It’s highly likely that there will be another one in October at the Fire Summit location (will be M25 somewhere)
• FPA due to have a big presence at FIREX again this year (ExCeL 16-18 June) – with a packed seminar programme on the stand. All info will be on the website closer to the time.
• Another open day for the Fire Lab (Blockley, nr Moreton) is coming up (Friday 25 April). No spaces left for the morning slot, but still some for the afternoon available. Email dlouks@thefpa.co.uk for further info.
• Re-launching FPA, RISCAuthority and FRM websites – should be May/June.
• New FPA Logbook published, including an interactive PDF version that enables recording and saving on shared drives.
• FPA has launched a new suite of regulated qualifications for fire risk management in residential properties (jointly with NSHFSG, FSF and CFOA).
• Practical Sprinkler System Training now available at the Fire Lab.
• New RC7 Recommendations for Hot Work available on the RISCAuthority site, incorporating an interactive hot work permit.
• 2014 LPC Sprinkler Rules release should be out with subscribers within the next week or two. Incorporates a new TB: TB234 Protection of High Hazard Storage
• Fire Risk Management becoming a much livelier forum for debate. Letters page re-introduced, and more columns, comment pieces etc on their way. The new website will be a further boost. Submissions and letters always very welcome – please email frm@thefpa.co.uk and editorial programme is here: http://www.frmjournal.com/filemanager/root/site_assets/frm_editorial_programme_2014.pdf
• We are always looking for interesting and informative speakers for our membership events and also our Consultants’ conferences. We have a Risk Management Services surveyors’ conference on 3 April, and looking specifically for speakers on the fire side – anybody interested?!

David Wales and Owain Thompson, Kent FRS reported:

1. There is a reorganisation in Kent with a new commissioning and social marketing model being developed for prevention activity. There have been a number of national reports of incidents involving e-cigarettes and their USB chargers.

2. David and Owain have attended a number of fire related research events which have been very interesting and the source of a wide range of new information and contacts, including Interflam held last year in Windsor. David has sent information on 2 forthcoming conferences to Sheila these being Emergency Services: Themes in Planning, Response and Recovery (ES14) on Tuesday 11th November in Nottingham, and RE14 (fire related research) event at the Fire service College on 13 November.

3. David provided an update on the human behaviour in accidental dwelling fires project (now called LIFEBID) and reported that funding had been secured through the Knowledge Transfer Partnership scheme to develop the work in conjunction with the University of Greenwich under the direction of Professor Ed Galea. The funding is for a period of 3 years commencing 01 May 2013 during the course of which an e-survey will be developed for use by members of the public who experience a fire. The survey will record details of their actions, motivations and related information in line with the agreed key research questions to build a detailed picture of a period of a fire about which little is known. The project has been adopted by CFOA and through the imminent creation of a National Advisory Board, the input of wider stakeholders from other sectors will be sought and captured.

   The work to date has been presented at a number of conferences and through trade and academic publications including the “International Journal for Emergency Services” and “Fire and Materials” (scheduled for later in 2014) publications.

   David and Owain will send a more detailed project summary as a separate update in due course but further information can be found at the website below (please use the links to the top right of the page for additional information). Please note that this is not fully up to date as a new site is nearing completion in conjunction with the University of Greenwich.

   www.kent.fire-uk.org/your_safety/fire_safety/investigation__research/human_behaviour_in_fire_study.aspx

4. Kent with support from South East Fire and Rescue Service colleagues and Canterbury Christ Church University are also continuing with their electrical fires research project. A funding bid is being prepared to support the next phase of this work to include the analysis of data from other fire and rescue services and a paper detailing the wider environment and issues in relation to electrical fires.

   This led to a discussion on how to publicise the topics raised by Kent’s research.

   Owain and David stated that Kent FRS is aiming its findings at Fire and Materials or a new journal dealing with fire service matters. There is a need for all the different disciplines to get access to relevant information. Kent FRS is looking at their final report covering electrical fires and human factors – some will be presented at Interflam.

Pete Mansi FI (UK) proud and delighted to inform the meeting that next month he will be the first non-American President of the International Association of Arson Investigators which has 65 chapters (branches) Their magazine would be a good vehicle but is only available to the membership. Not as US centric as once now that Australia, Bulgaria, Ireland, Finland, Italy, France and Taiwan have joined as members.

Nick Fry announced that the International Fire Consultants Ltd (IFC Ltd) Director Graham Wiles had very kindly agreed to be a sponsor to the FIG UK Seminar 2014. IFC logo to be used in the advertising and will be forwarded to Sheila.

IFCC Certification has just got UCAS Accreditation for their Fire Risk Assessor certification scheme (IFCC 0099). The scheme puts candidates through rigorous testing and assessments with those demonstrating competency, attaining certification. Slow take up at present and may have to wait 5 years because the £50 a half day FRA still available. There is a cost involved which they hope to avoid but Third Party Certification Schemes await a disaster, followed by subsequent legislation making fire risk assessors attain certification, before high levels of qualification are likely to be adopted.

Paula McCrudden, Hawkins and Associates Ltd Reminded that Hawkins have recently moved premises on the same Science Park site – address is Miller House, 120 Cambridge Science Park, Milton Road, Cambridge CB4 0FZ. For details see https://www.hawkins.biz

Sheila Pantry, Sheila Pantry Associates Ltd reports that her organisation’s electronic collections of information OSH UPDATE + FIRE www.oshupdate.com continues to rapidly expand. The collection has totally over 1,114,000 records and over 87,000 full text documents. Arguably one of the biggest collections of fire, fire related, safety, health, hygiene, chemicals, environment information in the world. These items are from authoritative and validated worldwide sources include reports, standards, research reports, journal articles, conference proceedings, all the relevant UK and European legislation on health, safety, fire, chemical and related subjects, advice and guidance and much more. These long established collections are used by individuals, government bodies, organisations, institutes and universities/ and many others around the world. Free of charge, no obligation 15 day trials available see www.sheilapantry.com/interest

Members and other readers are reminded that a huge portal of validated and authoritative fire and occupational health and safety websites are brought together under both countries and subject listings in the free of charge OSHWORLD www.oshworld.com which also has a huge diary of worldwide events, editorials, Focus articles and a constant stream of worldwide news.

Sheila thanks the many people for their wonderful messages of congratulations upon her receiving the International Institution of Occupational Safety and Health Lifetime Achievement Award towards the end of 2013 at the Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, London.

AOB

Various topics discussed.

Future Meetings

Wednesday 11 June 2014 – FIG UK Seminar at the Imperial Hotel

Wednesday, 10 September 2014 – FIG UK meeting to be held at Bureau Veritas London – starting at 12.45 with light lunch. Reminder and Agenda etc will be circulated nearer to the date.

Meeting closed at 4.10 pm.