News

FPAA 2008 Board Nominations

rporteous — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 14:35:29 +1100

The Fire Protection Association of Australia has recently sought nominations for the Board of Directors. I have again been nominated and welcome the opportunity to participate in the election. I have prepared a candidate statement that hopefully addresses some of the opportunities I see we can expand on within the fire protection industry. I welcome the support of all members and would be pleased to discuss any issues that may be of relevance in the election process.

Roof anchors vs. guard rails - the legals and the financials in a nutshell

rporteous — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 13:48:48 +1100

Earlier today, I received a message froma friend of mine Carl Sachs of Workplace Access & Safety. Carl wrote an article for the November edition of FM Magazine. In Carl's article he illustrates the total cost of ownership of both Anchors and Guard Rails. here is a copy of the email from Carl and a link to the article...

Standards Australia - April 2008 New Business Model

rporteous — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:15:52 +1000

I attended a standards meeting a couple of weeks ago and found on the table in reception new information (April 2008) about "Standards Australia's New Business Model". According to the brochure the changes will address the following;

Enables more strategic and forward thinking engagement for Standards Australia with industry, community and Government
Creates a transparent Net Benefit Assessment for each Standards project proposal
Provides multiple pathways for Standards development and gives stakeholders choice

AS1851-2005 Amendment 2 - Published

rporteous — Fri, 30 May 2008 13:06:12 +1000

Earlier today SAI Global (Standards) finally published Amendment 2 of AS1851-2005. This new amendment applies 48 changes, bring the total changes to AS1851 including the 27 changes from Amendment 1 to a total of 75 changes.

Laundry fires - how to reduce the risk!

rporteous — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 11:03:22 +1000

Regularly we hear of fires in commercial laundry's, usually in a hospital or nursing home. Commonly the laundry is protected by a Type B heat detector however there are simple steps we can take to reduce or eliminate the causes of fire in these areas. Just in the last month alone, Google News reported there were 423 hits on laundry related fires....

Conditions of Connection for Fire Sprinkler Systems

rporteous — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 14:10:50 +1100

South East Water recently proposed changes to its 'Conditions of Connection' for new Fire Sprinkler Installations.

Projects which commence design phase from March 1, 2008 will now need to meet the following requirements to when seeking to connect to South East Water;

Changes to Conditions of Connection for Fire Sprinklers - South East Water

rporteous — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 13:43:35 +1100

I have just received the email below that was distributed by the Australian Institute of Building Surveyors regarding new requirements from South East Water for all new construction projects from March 1, 2008.

Is AS1851:2005 mandatory in Victoria?

rporteous — Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:16:21 +1100

Practice Note 2007-61 almost slipped passed my desk without me picking up this little nugget. According to the Victorian Building Commission Practice Note 2007-61 issued November 2007, building owners may have a common law obligation to adopt AS1851-2005. Here is a full extract of the relevant clause;

AS1851-2005 Amendment No 2 DRAFT

rporteous — Fri, 25 Jan 2008 00:04:53 +1100

Well its out today, the first public draft of Amendment No. 2 of Australian Standard AS1851-2005. This draft is 18 pages long and includes many changes that people involved in the Maintenance of fire protection systems and equipment should consider carefully. The summary of the draft reads as follows;

Project Success - Registration of ESM contractors?

rporteous — Fri, 04 Jan 2008 14:02:45 +1100

It is with great excitement that I announce Maintenance Essentials in partnership with Fire Safety Consulting and SKIP Consulting have been selected by the Building Commission of Victoria to prepare a report that determines whether people involved in the maintenance of Essential Safety Measures (ESM) in Victoria should be a Registered Building Practitioner (RBP).