True role of competency

Designing, specifying, and installing fire protection systems correctly is the difference between a structure that protects lives and one that doesn’t. Regulations and standards evolve, but it takes the right knowledge, the right products, and the right people to get the right results.

The construction industry is facing a knowledge crisis. The UK has been grappling with a skills shortage for some time now - the Construction Skills Network reported last year that the UK needs to recruit over 225,000 additional construction workers by 2027 just to meet building demand.

Fire safety competence is a more specialised niche. Installers and inspectors are stretched thin. Increasing complexity of new buildings may mean that there is a gap between the availability of the right professionals and the need.

Competency is a needed investment

Competency is about skills, knowledge, experience, and behaviour. It’s an understanding of how products and systems work in real-world conditions. Performance of a fire-rated wall system relies on selection of components, correct installation techniques, and an understanding of how fire behaves. The wrong screws, gaps between products, or unsealed penetrations, can all impact a wall’s performance.

The industry is moving towards stricter regulations at rapid pace. Better training programmes. More robust testing regimes.

The introduction of the Building Safety Act and the creation of a ‘golden thread’ of data means that the provision of any and all information that could relate to fire performance is a fundamental part of construction. The days of best guesses and generic ‘fire-rated’ products without full system-level validation are gone. And we’ve stepped up to the mark.

Fire protection is as strong as the weakest link. We’ve made significant investments, not just in developing products, but in ensuring our people have the training to get it right.

Raising the testing bar

We don’t test to meet minimum standards. Our wall systems undergo fire resistance testing and reaction to fire testing, including Extended Application classification (under EN 15254).

Testing, extension, and classification is not about proving a single configuration in a simulated environment - it extends the classification to cover specific variations in design. Providing greater confidence in how a system will perform in real-world applications is the name of the game.

We believe that this kind of robust testing means that when specifiers and installers choose a system, they’re not choosing product – they’re choosing a commitment to fire safety.

Competency at every level.

Systems, no matter how good they are, can and will fail if they aren’t installed correctly. We’ve placed a similar strength of focus on training, meaning our technical teams are equipped with in-depth knowledge of system performance, and compliance requirements. We also conduct collaborative training with customers, equipping them with our system guidance.

Working more directly with the construction professionals who handle the product – in some cases, quite literally – helps to ensure that the rest of the chain understand not only what they should do, but why it matters so much. From CPD sessions, to hands-on technical guidance, providing training programmes ensures we go beyond the basics, to build a culture of precision and accountability.

Competency, compliance, confidence

The conversation around competency in fire protection is only going to get louder. We, as an industry, must get better.  As regulatory scrutiny increases – which it will - proven expertise will be trusted to deliver compliant solutions. Competency is the key to safe, high-quality construction.

We continue to invest in rigorous testing, training, and technical support that ensures adequate fire protection is not a feature of our products, but a fundamental of our approach. Great products, great systems, delivered by great people, with the knowledge and training to get it right every time.