Growing industry leader Fire Aware believes the message of a moral duty of care in the field of fire safety across the built environment is gathering momentum as support grows in the name of public safety.
The organisation has seen a sharp rise in membership and enquiries in relation to the issues of safety including best practice, standards and collaboration. But uniquely, it says this momentum is coming from sectors outside of the traditional types of organisations that support fire safety
Fire Aware CEO Gavin Skelly said: “Fire Aware isn’t a trade association. We realised that the consumer will ultimately make the choice on who they buy services from if they can choose responsibility and safe behaviours.
“Therefore, that choice must be available to the public at their contact points with all those who carry a duty of care. If we are to change culture, we must weaponise the ethics and integrity that many companies hold. Being a responsible supplier has value and that value needs to be identified.
“If the behaviours are correct within a given business, competence will naturally follow. When companies join Fire Aware they must commit and demonstrate best practice according to our charters, which focus more on how they do business than the specifics of their services.”
Fire Aware membership renewal rates are running at 100 per cent and membership levels have increased to almost 200 organisations large and small in the built environment supply chains across the UK working in diverse sectors including fire safety, hospitality, healthcare and construction.
Fire Aware members commit to a Code of Conduct and a specific charter, based on their type of business, which take the safety process beyond legislation and commits organisations to a moral responsibility to ‘get it right.’
Skelly emphasised that the fire safety principles of the organisation are relevant to any sector which relies on best practice in the interests of safety to the public who occupy the built environment.
He added: “The duty of care the public relies on cuts across the entire supply chain. We need to encompass all those who make decisions, including clients, as their choices could be the root cause of a problem, irrespective of how competent their specialists are.
“This is a vocation, not a job and we must all remember that. It is pleasing to see a positive effect of our work and the commitment of our members as we move into the tenth year since the tragedy of Grenfell.”
The introduction of the Building Safety Act and the creation of the new Building Safety Regulator – along with other legislation – has added additional regulatory reform to the building safety industry. Dame Judith Hackitt – who led the Grenfell Inquiry – has called for cultural change through moral and ethical behaviours, recently supported by the BSR, created to ‘promote competence and higher standards.’
Fire Aware is a recognised membership body serving the built environment and related sectors with a common aim to work and trade responsibly to all best practice standards in the interests of the safety of the general public. See www.fireaware.org.
