4 minute read
President’s Message - SFPE
Carol Caldwell, President of the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE) NZ Chapter, provides an update on the local activities of the SFPE, and lists several Fire NZ Conference presentations to keep an eye out for.
Welcome to FIRENZ 2023!!! The year is flying past and there have been a number of notable fire themes over the year to date.
For the conference, thank you to our international and NZ speakers and exhibitors. Take the opportunity to check out the exhibitors during the course of the conference.
There are some interesting post fire presentations and lessons learned... maybe we have not yet learned the lessons…. Also included are topics looking back and looking forward, including Kim Lovegrove presenting about regulatory best practice looking at the last 30 years of law reform and Atif Ali Khan presenting on using AI moving into the future of fire safety design.
During 2023, guidance on fire design for mass timber buildings is still at the forefront with progress on specific information for implementation in New Zealand to carry on from the publication in 2022 of the Fire Safe Use of Wood in Buildings Global Design Guide. This is a timely topic to continue on from the
2022 Fire NZ conference, and Andy Buchanan will be presenting on this at the conference.
In development and hopefully for publication soon, from Te Whatu Ora Health New Zealand is the Fire Engineering Design Guide for Hospitals, which establishes a set of minimum requirements for fire safe design of hospital premises to meet hospital needs and Building Code requirements. This should streamline design and consenting for hospitals from a fire design perspective – watch this space and attend the presentation by Mike Stannard.
Still topical worldwide and an active concern in New Zealand are lithium ion battery fires – luckily a recent incident in NZ was in a sprinklered building. Charley Fleischmann has an interesting presentation on this continuing area of interest.
The last 12 months in review would not be complete without a mention of the Loafers Lodge fire. Certainly not an outcome anyone wants to have happen and a shocking outcome for fire engineering in NZ. Hopefully the presentation from Pete Gallagher at the conference will provide information on areas to improve in building design for fire safety.
SFPE has participated in responses to the guidance documents noted above and will continue to work with MBIE, Councils and FENZ to develop coordinated and consistent approaches for fire designs. We also work closely with FPANZ to produce improved outcomes for fire safety. An ongoing project with Engineering New Zealand is an update to Practice Note 22 Guidelines for Documenting Fire Safety Designs.
SFPE has also provided a prize for the University of Canterbury case study course to increase the student enthusiasm. Hopefully the incentive will drive extra investigation and research. To be appreciated by the future company hiring the new graduates!
The Code of Practice for the Integration of Building Fire Safety Systems with other Services has been published and provides guidance to ensure that interfaces between building systems are correctly designed, installed, proven to work, and remain working correctly throughout the building’s lifetime. There was consultation with a number of with associated professional organisations to ensure a broad spectrum of participation. Hopefully you are using it and noting items for the next revision!
Another area that SFPE is working on is to develop better relationships with affiliated organisations so that we have regular contact and the opportunity to discuss technical issues and trends that are appearing.
As always, a very big thank you to the many volunteers that support SFPE and encouragement to others to join in. Volunteering can be anything from doing the background work for one local meeting to preparing comments for an MBIE submittal to leading a working group to write a Guide! It is rewarding to participate and make a difference in Engineering a Fire Safe World.
