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PROFESSIONALS FROM across the UK fire industry came together at the Fire & Rescue and International Firex shows last month.
Held at the NEC in Birmingham, the events featured a conference and seminars, where a wide range of fire safety and protection issues were outlined, as well as exhibition floors where companies showcased their latest products and services.
During the Fire & Rescue conference, the Chief Fire Officers’ Association (CFOA) president, Charlie Hendry, called for a new national leadership framework to ensure the fire and rescue service in England continues to set the agenda. He explained that Communities and Local Government ‘no longer has the resources to deliver everything and arguably lacks the expertise’, and said that CFOA is drawing up proposals for a new framework to ‘fill the leadership gap’.
Fire Minister Sadiq Khan praised the excellence of the fire and rescue community and, touching on broader issues, confirmed that regional control centres across England will start to go live from next summer, with the full network of nine operational in 2012.
Elsewhere at the conference, the Bain Review that triggered the ‘modernisation’ of the UK fire service in 2002 was revisited, while the very best in the industry was celebrated at both the Fire Excellence Awards and the National Equality and Diversity Awards.
Within the Firex show, the Fire Protection Association ran informative seminars and ask-the-expert ‘surgeries’ covering issues such as BS 9999, fire safety in care homes and managing arson risks, while a range of other seminars and workshops also featured (see full report in the 'Articles' web pages).
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