A niche but integral part of our built environment, fire protection systems save lives and buildings.

Fire Protection is the first line of defence against serious and deadly fires. Correctly installed and maintained systems can slow or stop a fire from spreading, protecting inhabitants of the building and assisting fire fighters.

Licensing requirements for the Fire Protection Industry are inconsistent across the nation and unfortunately, there have been a number of fire-related tragedies that should act as a call to action for Australian Governments to address this immediately.

In 2000, the Childers Palace Backpackers Hostel fire resulted in the death of 15 people and the fire alarms in the building had been disabled. More recently, the Coroners Finding on the unfortunate death of a three-year-old child in a fatal Victorian fire in 2020 has recently been released. Occupants were unable to utilise the fire hose reel when fire broke out in a unit complex, even though the system had recently undergone maintenance.

The Report alarmingly also cites that between 1 January 2010 and 30 September 2022, there were 13 fire related deaths from 11 incidents where there was evidence that the fire occurred in public housing and only six of these properties had functioning fire alarms.

There were several recommendations in this Report, one of them being that licenses should be required for technicians who perform inspections and testing of fire systems, so that servicing is performed to the requisite standard. This recommendation was in line with the recommendations published in the Building Confidence Report (BCR) and demonstrates that there are still licensing frameworks in Australia that are insufficient to ensure the built environment is protected against the threat of fire.

In 2018, Peter Shergold and Bronwyn Weir published the BCR to improve the effectiveness of compliance and enforcement systems for the building and construction industry across Australia. On 18 July 2019 the Building Ministers Forum “agreed to a national approach to the implementation of the Building Confidence Report” and all jurisdictions supported “a national framework to address the issues identified in the Shergold Weir Building Confidence Report”. Whilst this national approach received commitment from all jurisdictions, we still have not seen all recommendations implemented.

Recommendations 1 & 2 of the BCR identify that whilst fire safety systems are a critical component of commercial buildings, most States and Territories do not have a requirement to register the practitioners who have expertise in fire safety system design, installation or maintenance.

Recommendation 19 addresses inspection and certification of fire safety system installation. Developing from Recommendation 1, it recommends mandatory implementation of certification of the testing and commissioning of fire safety systems.

In addition to the threat on public safety, the implications of Australia not adopting a national model for Fire Protection makes Automatic Mutual Recognition (AMR) difficult. AMR has struggled since its introduction with these discrepancies exacerbating the issues of skills shortage.

It is important to acknowledge that along with these recommendations being adopted and implemented, it is imperative for each jurisdiction to ensure there is a regulatory body to adequately govern these licensing schemes. A ‘quick fix’ of a licensing framework without an inspection requirement to ensure practitioners are indeed registered will hinder the Industry’s progress.

NFIA believes that an appropriate regulatory framework should be one that protects the safety of the community and property, provides adequate consumer protection, recognises, and accommodates industry practice and standards, requires registration of practitioners, and is linked to the national training package framework.

We are optimistic for some positive change across jurisdictions. The New South Wales Government is looking at introducing a comprehensive licensing framework for all areas of Fire Protection under the Building Bill and is engaged in consultation with Industry through the process. Western Australia has introduced a licensing framework for Fire Systems Designers under the registration of engineers scheme. The State is currently reviewing the regulations regarding the installation of fire protection systems and the NFIA and Fire Protection Industry are strongly pushing for its progress.

The NFIA will continue to advocate for the betterment of the Industry and whilst some jurisdictions are taking steps forward, we must continue to prioritise a specialised Fire Protection Industry with Government licensing of qualified and specially training practitioners.

By Joe Smith, Chief Executive Officer at the National Fire Industry Association of Australia (NFIA)

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