FIRESA is the trade association for suppliers of products and services to the UK Fire and Rescue sector. It represents the concerted industry voice, developing collective positions on legislative, regulatory and standards issues affecting the industry and maintaining strategic alliances with other key Fire and Rescue stakeholders. FIRESA influences and participates in the decisions which affect the industry and its practitioners, forging a co-operative environment which benefits its members, their customers and ultimately the public.
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There are many thousands of trade associations in the UK ranging from those having a handful of members and running on a few hundred pounds a year to quite massive operations with thousands of members and having a multi-million pound income. And yes, there is an association for trade associations! All should, however, and within reasonable expectations commensurate with the resource available, offer an effective, legitimate and progressive representation of its membership and provide services that assist its members and wider industry objectives.
FIRESA seeks to achieve these requirements through its direction by Council which meets six times a year and through the engagement of its members in order to present a concerted industry position on matters of significance.
The FIRESA AGM in March was, as always, a special occasion, gathering members from across the country to an event which offered the opportunity to assess our work in representing the Fire and Rescue supply industry over the last year. Even more importantly, members were appraised of future plans that will build on the successes of the first three years.
Recent activities of the Association aimed at delivering industry views to the key stakeholders and decision makers have included meetings with the Minister responsible for fire, Parmjit Dhanda, and the Director of the Fire and Resilience Directorate, the latter exploring the role for industry in the wider UK resilience agenda. We also met with Anna Wadsworth at the DCLG as a precursor to the review of the National Procurement Strategy and participated in the NPS Task and Finish Group established under the Chairmanship of Paul Fuller, Chairman of CFOA’s National Procurement Board [NPB]. This has led to FIRESA views being instrumental in shaping the new version of the Strategy which is about to go for comment to the Fire and Rescue Services.
Over this same period, the Association has enjoyed growing FIRESA brand recognition, presence at key trade exhibitions and conferences and placement of articles in the fire trade press. Members have benefited particularly from development of an active web site, several members-only seminars and the provision of position statements and public responses to a range of government consultations including those on the English FRS National Framework and the proposed Centre of Excellence.
We maintain active links with, among others, the Firebuy Board and Workstream Directors, the Fire Service College, the Chief Fire and Rescue Adviser’s Unit and the Local Government Association. Our liaison folio extends also to membership of FOBFO, a seat on the NPB, representation on a number of British and European Standards Committees and close links with the fire trade press and exhibition organisers. The latter has led to exhibitor discounts for FIRESA members which can recoup a company’s membership fee. While procurement issues are clearly among our primary focuses at this time, FIRESA’s activities and objectives stretch far beyond these.
Our new Chairman and Vice-Chairman, Gary Smith and Dave Russell respectively, have been keen from the outset of their tenures to stress the forward-thinking nature of the Association. Membership participation being of vital importance, measures have been implemented to further facilitate this, these including greater involvement in Council business and special interest workstreams and liaisons. We are looking also to develop membership benefits which would include increased visibility of domestic tenders and export opportunities.
FIRESA is positioning itself to engage in the longer term picture globally of drives towards greater energy efficiency and alternative energy sources, rapid progress in technology and communications and the growth of nations such as China, India and Russia. Closer to home, the future will bring changes in the operational focus of the FRSs with improved anti-terrorist measures and response capability, shifts in demand for traditional and new products and the need for product interoperability.
If FIRESA has hopefully met expectations as an influential trade body in its formative years, progression is the key to maintaining tangible value to our members and indeed to the fire and rescue sector generally. We pledge our best efforts to our customers and industry partners in ensuring the well-being of UK Fire and Rescue and the delivery of the highest standards of fire safety for businesses and the community. We offer the same endeavour to our members and if you are providers of products or services to this sector but are not yet a FIRESA member, please join us in this exciting and rewarding venture. There is so much to do and we very much wish you to be part of an Association that has already made a difference and that will surely continue to meet the challenges ahead.
Author: Dave Smith, FIRESA Secretariat
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