IFSA Response to DLUC Consultation on Amendments to ADB – Proposals to Remove BS476 Tests from Regulations

The UK Government proposes to substantially amend Approved Document B from a fire safety perspective, specifically by removing the national classification system for construction products and requiring relevant testing to the British Standard version of the European Standard. The effect will be to remove all BS 476 tests, including fire resistance, from National Regulations.

IFSA believes that this could have hugely detrimental consequences for those companies that have already registered their product ranges to existing BS 476 standards, necessitating a very time consuming and costly revalidation to the European standards.

The fundamental basis of our concerns is the removal from Approved Document B of the national classifications for fire resistance, with a 12 months transition period, which we believe would be too short a time to allow the industry to adapt to the changes.

Some companies have accumulated test evidence against British Standards over decades and if this were rendered unusable by the changes then significant re-investment in testing would be required to permit those scopes to be maintained. The number of Fire Resistance tests required would increase dramatically following the amendment, and since it can take up to 6 months to book a fire resistance test (or longer for some types of test), and fire resistance test reports taking up to a further 6 months before they are issued then 12 months would be insufficient time given the volume of tests required.

For many products the European Classification route to market is not in place, and for some bespoke systems, e.g. architectural and specialist door assemblies, this route is unlikely to ever be in place.

National classification is the requirement for a level of fire resistance, for example, 30 minutes integrity performance, which can be achieved by means of test or Technical Assessment in accordance with the Passive Fire Protection Forum (PFPF): ‘Guide to Undertaking Technical Assessments of Fire Performance of Construction Products Based on Fire Test Evidence, 2021, Industry Standard Procedure’.

It is IFSA’s view that if the proposed amendment to Approved Document B proceeds then :

  • a transition period of 10 years would be a reasonable time frame in order to allow for the increased quantity of testing required
  • the requirement for additional tests would be a significant investment in testing, and while this may be a manageable cost for a large business, it may well an unsustainable expense for small or medium enterprises.
  • relying entirely on the European classification would not allow the types of bespoke designs currently produced by British architects to be used in prestigious buildings in the UK, as it is not designed to be used for Technical Assessments; if these were no longer permitted the UK bespoke fire door industry would largely disappear
  • the existing performance related route should be maintained and that the wording chosen should allow for the continued use of Technical Assessments in accordance with the PFPF Guide based upon fire resistance periods

IFSA has submitted this view as part of the consultation process.

For further information in relation to IFSA’s activities please contact the association (email: contactus@ifsa.org.uk; website: www.ifsa.org.uk).

IFSA Welcomes Firestop Manufacturing to its Membership

The Intumescent Fire Seals Association is pleased to admit FIRESTOP MANUFACTURING LTD as a new member.

Operating for over 25 years, the Dorchester-based company manufactures a comprehensive range of Certifire-accredited intumescent products for fire doors.

IFSA’s chairman Jim Kelly commented on the induction, “Firestop Manufacturing are well established in the industry and will be an asset to our association, adding their views to IFSA’s ongoing efforts to improve standards in the passive fire protection sector”.

For further information in relation to IFSA’s activities please contact the association (email: contactus@ifsa.org.uk; website: www.ifsa.org.uk).

IFSA Welcomes Vanquish Hardware Protection to its Membership

The Intumescent Fire Seals Association is pleased to welcome VANQUISH HARDWARE PROTECTION into its membership.

Based in Downton, Wiltshire, Vanquish is a leading manufacturer of high-quality intumescent products for fire door hardware protection, with over 30 years standing in the industry and enjoying third party accreditation from International Fire Consultants.

IFSA chairman Jim Kelly commented on the induction, “We are pleased to welcome Vanquish Hardware to the IFSA family and we look forward to their contributing to the association’s ongoing efforts in developing fire safety standards for the UK passive fire protection industry, with the aim of saving lives”.

For further information in relation to IFSA’s activities please contact the association (email: contactus@ifsa.org.uk; website: www.ifsa.org.uk).

Amendments to ADB – Proposals to Remove BS476 Tests from Regulations

The UK Government has recently issued proposals to substantially amend Approved Document B from a fire safety perspective. The proposed changes include:

  1. to recommend Sprinklers in new Care Homes, regardless of building height;
  2. removal of the national classification system for construction products (BS 476 series) – including Class 0 – and a requirement for relevant construction products to be tested to the British Standard version of the European Standard.
  3. to introduce a threshold whereby residential buildings above 30 metres in height should be designed and built with 2 staircases;

The effect of this will be to remove all BS 476 tests from National Regulations, and this includes fire resistance. IFSA believes that the consequences of this could be hugely detrimental for companies who have already registered their product ranges to the existing BS 476 standards, necessitating a very time consuming and highly costly revalidation to the European standards.

We are to formulating a response to the UK Government to express our deep concerns as to the proposals and to press for a reconsideration of the position.

The deadline for responses is 17th March 2023.

For further information in relation to IFSA’s activities please contact the association (email: contactus@ifsa.org.uk; website: www.ifsa.org.uk).

IFSA Marks Four Decades of Developing Standards for Passive Fire Protection Systems

The association’s quarterly members’ meeting in May provided a suitable platform for the staging of IFSA’s 40th anniversary commemorations.

Attendees to the event included representatives from member companies; and guests who had made significant contributions to IFSA’s past activities, or who represented related trade associations involved in passive fire protection.

Chairman Jim Kelly opened the proceedings with a welcome to the guests and an acknowledging nod to IFSA’s formation: “The association has developed incredibly since the founding fathers, led by Pete Jackman, some 40 years ago started their investigations into intumescent products that are now critical to the fire safety of buildings throughout the world.”

Fire door specialist Rob Mann, and a founder participant, then provided an overview of the historical circumstances that led to the formation of the association in 1982.  At that time, there was a perceived need for a British Standard intumescent seal, increasingly being utilized as a solution to the more onerous positive pressure fire testing regime of BS 476 Pt 8, introduced a few years earlier.  At the request of BSI, a group of the leading manufacturers co-operated to address this objective, initially developing a performance based evaluation in the form of BS 476 Pt 23, rather than a prescriptive standard, and following on over the next 40 years with many other projects of importance to the passive fire protection industry.

Technical expert David Cooper brought matters up to date with a presentation on IFSA’s recent work: a study of smoke control of fire doors which highlighted the need for threshold seals to be employed as part of the elements, rather than summarily disregarding the contribution offered to smoke transmission by an unsealed threshold. This work has already resulted in a revision to standard BS 9991, which should then follow on to BS 9999 and BS8214. He concluded with the association’s proposals to extend the study to double door configurations and the study of warm smoke.

The formalities were closed by Jim Kelly, with a recognition of the importance of the work carried out by IFSA and a toast to the next 40 years of the association’s existence.

Summing up the event, Jim said “To commemorate the day in the presence of many of our current members, retired members, previous chairmen and guests from other supporting trade organisations made a truly memorable occasion for all concerned. IFSA would like to thank all of those who attended to show to support to the organisation and, hopefully, our paths will continue to cross in the future as we collaborate with other trade organisations in order to enhance the fire safety of the buildings we all frequent.”

IFSA is always keen to welcome new members to its ranks, to help steer our efforts in continuing the work in developing a fire safe future. Further information on our activities and membership application process may be obtained by contacting our Secretariat (telephone: +44 (0) 1844 276928; email: contactus@ifsa.org.uk; website: www.ifsa.org.uk).

IFSA Celebrates 40 Years of Activity

2022 marks a significant milestone in the history of the Intumescent Fire Seals Association, as we proudly commemorate our 40th anniversary.

The Association was formed in recognition of an almost complete absence of reference in regulations to intumescent seals, despite their being an essential part of timber fire door construction and without which it was virtually impossible to pass a fire resistance test.

It’s first achievement was to write a test method that quantified the contribution that intumescent seals made to the fire resistance of door assemblies, which eventually became BS476: Part 23, the first standard to fully identify the role and benefits of using intumescent seals.

Throughout its history, IFSA has continued to represent the interests of its members, raising the standards of the intumescent seals industry by making major contributions to the drafting of regulations and actively supporting the development of test standards in ISO and CEN.

Fire safety legislation is, unfortunately, largely driven by tragedy and even after 40 years there remains much work to be done in the field of fire and smoke containment in the built environment. IFSA’s most recent efforts have been as a leading participant in the Smoke Control Consultation Group (SCCG), currently engaged in demonstrating the importance of threshold seals in door assemblies, and amending the associated test methods and regulations in accordance with its findings.

IFSA will commemorate its accomplishments and present its plans for the future at its next Members’ Meeting in May. Further information on our activities and membership application process may be obtained by contacting our Secretariat (telephone: +44 (0) 1844 276928; email: contactus@ifsa.org.uk; website: www.ifsa.org.uk).

IFSA’s 40th Anniversary Approaches

As we say goodbye to 2021 and look forward to the possibilities offered by 2022, the new year holds additional significance for the Intumescent Fire Seals Association, since it marks our 40th anniversary as a trade association representing the views and interests of the intumescent seals industry.

Throughout the past four decades, IFSA has promoted the life safety benefits associated with intumescent fire and smoke seals by offering guidance on the science and application of these products to both professionals and the general public, and has contributed to the development of test procedures for fire protection products in BSI, CEN and ISO.

Further information on IFSA’s activities and membership application process may be obtained by contacting our Secretariat (Telephone: +44 (0)1844 276928; Email: contactus@ifsa.org.uk; website: www.ifsa.org.uk).

Formation of the Smoke Control Consultation Group

In collaboration with associations similarly concerned with fire protection in buildings – ASDMA, BWF, ACDM, GGF and IFC among them – IFSA has participated in the formation of the Smoke Control Consultation Group (SCCG).

SCCG was established to investigate the issues surrounding smoke leakage in fire doors, with the aim of improving guidance offered in various BS documents and to update building regulations Approved Document B (ADB).

SCCG’s initial investigation dealt with the threshold clearance for doors, currently specified in key standards as a so called “safe gap” of 3mm. Work carried out by IFSA and adopted by the group showed that allowing gaps under the door leaf does not afford satisfactory smoke control as it allows significant smoke leakage. These findings are currently being taken forward to effect changes to UK standards BS 9991, 9999 and 8214.

In representing large sections of the fire protection industry, SCCG draws upon the collective resources of its constituent associations and presents coherent, unified guidance to government.

IFSA continues to contribute to the ongoing work of the SCCG; further information can be obtained from incoming IFSA chairman and representative on the SCCG forum, Mr Jim Kelly (jim@sealedtightsolutions.com).

SBS Press release – The internal market for fire doors at risk

On Monday 16 September 2019, SBS, EuroWindoor and EDSF published a joint position calling on the European Commission to take measures to avoid the imminent disruption of the internal market for fire doors.

The current situation stems from the complex standardisation process. Harmonised standards are the foundation of the internal market and are developed on the request of the European Commission. An old mandate, the recent delays in agreeing on templates and internal regulations have resulted in a constrained standardisation process.

To minimise the impact on the sector, SBS, EuroWindoor and E.D.S.F. are calling on the European Commission to implement a three-step approach:
• Extend the co-existence period beyond 1 November 2019 for EN 16034, a standard for fire resisting and/or smoke control characteristics of the pedestrian doorsets, industrial, commercial, garage doors and openable windows, following its citation as a harmonised standard in the Official Journal of the European Union in 2016
• Ensure that the co-existence period for EN 16034 is aligned with the co-existence period for EN 14351-2, a standard for windows and doors on the performance characteristics for internal pedestrian doorsets
• Cite EN 14351-2 in the Official Journal of the European Union without any further delay

SBS Director Christel Davidson said: “The implementation of the above three steps would allow the internal market for fire doors to deliver its full potential while ensuring that SMEs remain competitive.”

The full declaration is available via the following link.

 

Source: Small Business Standards press release sent on Monday 16 September 2019

IFSA response to MHCLG Consultation on Assessments in Lieu of Tests

Below is the response from the Intumescent Fire Seals Association (IFSA) to the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government consultation on amendments to statutory guidance on assessments in lieu of tests.

180525 IFSA Consultation Response to MHCLG