The Fire Industry Association (FIA) has confirmed an impressive line-up of speakers and topics for its 2011 annual conference, to be held on March 17, at the Williams F1 Conference Centre in Oxfordshire.

The theme of the conference is 'Driving Safety Forward', with the recent government and legislative changes providing much for debate, including the Services Directive and Fire Futures, both of which will be addressed by FIA CEO, Graham Ellicott.

Also on the agenda will be false alarms which remain a major challenge for all involved in fire safety, with Suzanne Whitehead from Kings College London presenting a case study showing how they tackled their particular problems.  Martin Duggan, General Manager of the FIA and Secretary of the association's Fire Risk Assessment Council, will discuss the latest position regarding competency of fire risk assessors. This is one of the most controversial topics in the fire safety arena, highlighted by the recent prosecution of a former fire alarm contractor whose charges included his failing to inform of fire safety deficiencies during a fire risk assessment of a care home.

Other topics to be covered include gaseous extinguishing systems, connecting fire alarm systems over the internet, developments in water mist technology, the waste regulations, aspirating smoke detection in high spaces, prosecutions under the Fire Safety Order and the latest developments in British Standards.

The 2011 conference will be presented in association with fireandsecurityjobs.com and will see presentations run concurrently throughout the day, across several rooms to allow delegates to choose their area of interest.

FIA Marketing Manager Becky Reid, said: "Whenever we develop a programme for the FIA conference, we start with the issues which are high profile, and which directly affect our members and others who work in fire safety. This line-up really has something for everybody and we look forward to a lively and interesting exchange of ideas, as well as the opportunity for delegates to network."

The venue for this year's conference is the Williams F1 Conference Centre located at the home of AT&T Williams in Grove, Oxfordshire. Set amid 40 acres of landscaped grounds, the centre was originally the team's base for its 'Le Mans' project and  houses Sir Frank Williams' private Grand Prix Collection of over 38 cars, the largest private collection of F1 cars in the world, and 31 years of racing history. Delegates will have the opportunity to visit the collection during the day.

Further details on the conference and an online booking facility are available from the 'Events' section of the FIA website: www.fia.uk.com. Early bird discounts apply (on both FIA member and non-member rates).

 

Date posted: 28.01.11