Good morning all, in short, after I was forced to close my used car sales business due to the impact of Covid I have had to reconsider my future. I have decided to pursue a career as a Fire Risk Assessor. I'm about to take the plunge and purchase the NEBOSH Fire Safety Course however before I do I wanted to ask a few questions, any help or advice would be very much appreciated;

1. Considering I have no experience within the sector, will this hinder me?
2. What is the best method of gaining experience in performing risk assessements, offering them for free to gain a portfolio?
3. I am based in the North West and there are very few, if any, employed positions available so is it possible to be a self-employed risk assessor?

Many thanks,

Ben

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/building-safety-bill

You may wish to do a bit of light reading first as there is a new bill going before parliament that will be setting the rules and competencies for the future

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/building-safety-bill-factsheets/amendments-to-the-regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005-factsheet

Roundtoit I just read that fact sheet and it does not go into competencies for persons carrying out fire risk assessment.

As there is no specific rules/requirements that I can see anyone undertaking a course of fire risk assessment training by acredited organisation can do fire risk assessments.

I would think the NEBOSH course is ok also other training organisations like Warrington Fire.com and the Fire Protection Association and the Fire Service College.  Apologies to all the other organisations I haven't mentioned.

I also think the NVQ route is very good as you work as you learn and you are checked out regularly.

Nobody should be put off by the requirements as we all started with nothing and learned as we went along.

Hi Ben

I think that it would be very risky to try and set yourself up as a fire risk assessor at a time when the competence of people doing such work is under scrutiny.

For several years, lots of firms and individuals have done well out of doing templated fire risk assessments (just like templated asbestos surveys and other [health and] safety-related consultancy).

But what was done at Grenfell showed the cracks both in the approach and simply following the minimum guidelines as to what should be included in a fire risk assessment. The assessor had a hard time at the Inquiry.

I agree entirely with firesafety101 that we all have to start somewhere, but think you should be looking to find a job in which you have the day to day support of a mentor - and where they are at least equally responsible for issues of e.g. Professional Indemnity Insurance. All about the assessor knowing what falls within their existing competence, what they can competently do whilst learning on the job and when to decline work - as you are not competent and pose risk both to client and yourself.

Possibly you might be better advised to get a trainee job in a broader health and safety adviser/consultant role and, if fire safety is what gives you a buzz, specialise in fire from H&S, rather than jumping straight to fire consultancy.

....and with or without experience, just doing NEBOSH Fire (or something similar) is only going to set you up for the simplest end of fire risk assessments - it isn't going to give you a detailed understanding of building standards and fire engineering issues, nor even the learned experience that former fire fighters can apply to work in fire consultancy.

Good luck whatever you decide, P

6 August 2021 

BSI, in its role as the UK National Standards Body, will revise PAS 79-2:2020, Fire risk assessment, Housing, Code of practice, as a British Standard.

In March 2021, BSI temporarily suspended PAS 79-2:2020 and removed it from sale. During the suspension, the Steering Group reviewed the voluntary code of practice as new information about Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPS) emerged from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the Government’s response to it. The Steering Group have agreed a full revision should be undertaken as a British Standard. The PAS has been withdrawn whilst the British Standard is in development.

Are we saying the requirements of the Blue guide to fire risk assessments will be obsolete or will it still be The Guide after PAS 79-2 is issued.  I always thought it was one or the other.

Originally Posted by: firesafety101

I just read that fact sheet and it does not go into competencies for persons carrying out fire risk assessment.

Concur, merely highlighting that post Grenfell change is coming the regulator hasn't put pen to paper as to what form it will take but a common theme has centred on the word "competency"