IFE NZ Branch - President's Message

Kia ora koutou katoa. It is difficult to escape the ongoing impact of the Grenfell tragedy including the recommendations contained within Dame Judith Hackitt’s report - Independent Review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety.

At last years conference we heard from speakers directly involved in that work and we will continue to hear more as the investigations progress. More recently in Australia we have seen the release of the Shergold and Weir report and Warren Centre publications into fire safety and professionalism which are highlighting similar challenges.

In New Zealand the fire sector continues to see a large amount of industry consultation occurring across a range of regulatory issues. Whether this is updating of standards, production of guidance documents or the recent MBIE reviews into the Building system and possible legislative reforms, it is clear this will impact almost all of us in one way or another.

Ed Claridge, President IFE (NZ Branch).

One area where New Zealand stands apart from many countries is the continued collaboration between the leading fire organisations that make up FireNZ. We have been working collaboratively on many of the issues with the Society of Fire Protection Engineers and the Fire Protection Association New Zealand that will no doubt continue to lead to the production of the necessary industry guidance required to support those working within the design and construction communities and those involved with the management and maintenance of buildings.

Work is continuing on establishing the necessary training and education pathways to support the fire industry with debate continuing over the need for regulating engineers and potentially licensing more trades such as a passive fire installation. Ultimately as we will continue to hear, professionalising the entire industry will be necessary to ensure that we achieve a fire safe New Zealand.

Professionalism is not just about education, training and the ability to show competence but also requires behaviours that demonstrate commitment to effective performance. Membership of an industry body is part of this commitment, as is attending events such as FireNZ.

This year’s conference again boasts an impressive line-up of speakers and topics that could rival any other international fire conference. It is a testament to the work and effort of the Firenz committee that we continue to produce such an impressive event that includes a diverse range of relevant topics from international, local and young speakers.

Internationally the IFE remains in a strong position with a membership of over 10,000 which is continually on the increase. The annual examinations continue to see over 6000 papers taken annually and we are seeing changes to the candidate profile as more diverse papers are introduced and people recognise the value in these qualifications.

One of the privileges of being President is observing the amount of effort being put in by all of the Branch Council members and people working on the many standards, guides, position statements and reviews that are providing a relentless workload to all. This time of year is particularly busy for the Branch Council with activities including the October exams, conference organisation and attendance as well as AGM planning which we are looking to hold again in November.

We also have strong links with other international branches and maintain a continuous dialogue with many of them through the International General Assembly and directly.

I would like to specifically thank those on the Branch Council for their hard work and continued efforts. Keeping these organisations running takes time and effort just to keep them operational and we must not forget that all this is undertaken by volunteers.

Finally I am looking forward to a successful conference and look forward to seeing you all in September at FireNZ.