The Fire Protection Association New Zealand (FPANZ) has two new initiatives which speak to its primary mission of the continuing improvement of fi re safety; one around training which hopes to address the skill shortage in the industry; and the second, the production of a number of product equipment registers, a resource for end users to see which products meet the required minimum standards.
FPANZ executive director Scott Lawson says the industry has been looking into its options around training for about 18 months, and has come up with a pilot project nicknamed Fire 101.
“The idea behind it is to show school leavers we have many different types of career paths in the fire industry,” he says.
“When we talk about the fi re industry, many just think of a man in a blue uniform and a red truck. “We are trying to promote to people there is far more to do with the fi re industry than this.”
FPANZ, in association with Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT) has developed a five-week, full time introductory training course aimed at new entrants to the fi re industry.
“We expose them to the whole gambit of careers they could get in to, they spend a few days working in each sector, then we will run a recruitment service, placing them into our member companies.”
FPANZ has also been making significant investment of time and effort into the development of a number of product equipment registers. “We are raising the bar in thisat particular field,” Scott says.
“Product supply has evolved at quite a pace but hasn’t always kept up with best industry practice on the way. “We are trying to cement some of the things we believe are best industry practice, and the required criteria has to be a starting point for that.”
Any products seen on FPANZ equipment registers have met the a minimum criteria for that type of product, so end users have a go-to reference point to help them make the right product selections.
A Fire Alarm Equipment Register has been successfully running for some timemany years, and was recently joined by a Passive Equipment Register. A Hand Operated Fire Fighting Equipment Register and a Sprinkler Equipment Register will follow later this year.
FPANZ has also been working with Competenz on the development and updating of operating and training manuals material to bring them up to date.
FPANZ has also been busy preparing for Fire NZ 2018 the peekconference and exhibition for the industry, to be held from September 26 to 28 at ASB Baypark Stadium, Mount Maunganui “It’s a big one for us this year,” Scott says.
“For the first time we are in Mount Maunganui, and we have the best line up of international speakers we’re ever had with five international key speakers, along with other local speakers.”
Scott Lawson Fire NZ 2018 is themed Evolution of Fire, Reflecting on the Past…Looking to the Future.
“It’s about taking the learnings from the past hundred plus years of fi re protection in New Zealand, right through to the cutting edge.”
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New initiatives to improve fire safety
FPANZ is producing product equipment registers, a resource for end users to see
which products meet the required minimum standards.
