These type of entrepeneurs don't feature on my radar, as I believe they are just their to extract your money and give you a badge - I see them as piggy backing on recent events to try and drum up business (i.e. your cash subscription) with no real aims surrounding fire safety. You pay your money you get your ticket - for what its worth, just my Friday morning rant.

Took a quick look at their website - looks like another consultancy money making idea.

Extract from their website

For fire risk assessors – this scheme certificates the competence of individuals and companies carrying out fire risk assessments. In the UK it is a legal requirement of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 to maintain such an assessment by individuals or companies for any building.

Not so sure the 2nd sentence is true

Reg 9

(3) Any such assessment must be reviewed by the responsible person regularly

In relation to the Fire Safety Order, there is no requirement for the person undertaking the fire risk assesment to be competent. The FRA has to be suitable & sufficient, and any person appointed to carry out measures highlighted in the FRA (form fire wardens to fire alarm engineers) must be competent, but not the person writing the report.

This is no accident.  The Govt promised that the whole regulatory reform process would 'reduce the burden on industry' (of red tape). So this feature of the Order is in place to allow small businesses to download the fire safety guides and do it themselves. The sort of business may be a family run corner shop with a licence to sell alcohol. However, this sensible idea has created a loophole where any Tom Dick or Harry can buy a laptop and  business cards before calling themselves a fire safety consultant.

The worst cases are when former operational firefighters or H&S experts turn their hand to fire safety consultancy with only the guides as their source of information. They think they know the language but are far from fluent

There will be changes post Grenfell, but that is where we are now. The FRACS systems are designed to assist  businesses to avoid the cowboys and select a consultant that can do the job. Its like a voluntary Gas safe register fir the fire safety industry. It is a great idea and some FRACS systems are better organised than others.

But with the delays that the OP has highlighted, it makes you wonder if the FRACS systems, meant for regulating those in the industry - needs regulating itself!!? 

But who are the people behid this FRACS system who consider themseleves to be demi-gods passing judgement of others ability to undertake FRAs?

I undertake FRA on oil refineries/chemical process plant - how do you gain experience doing FRAs on such plant, with out actually doing them. I know of no training courses who teach FRA for such industrial plant.

I would think most of your average fire fighters have no experience either.

As brave and as good frontline fire fighters are - it does not follow that they make good fire risk assessors. More to fire safety than riding a fire tender and spraying water.

Too many ex firemen set themselves up are fire risk assessors, using their pereicved credibility of being ex firefighters. But are they actually any better than the rest of us?

Who are behined this FRACS system? Justify their assurance system? Assessment standard/criteria?

Or is it as we suspect some with vested interests in trying to make money?

I mean the IOSH consultants register has been a flop.