BAFE (British Approval of Fire Equipment) Accreditation
CIA has been awarded double honours in the fields of Fire Safety. Not only is CIA the very first company to be accredited to the BAFE SP101 Standard for Fire Extinguishers by the NSI but at the same time, we were also successfully audited for all four modules of the BAFE SP203 Standard; Designing, Commissioning, Installation and Servicing of Fire Alarm Systems.
These prestigious accreditations are only awarded to companies who can demonstrate the most rigorous and professional working practices.
Because this was the first time they had reviewed a company for the SP101 standard, the NSI sent along two of their most Senior Inspectors.
In tandem with this audit, they carried out the BAFE SP203 Standard for Fire Alarms audit. This Standard comprises four distinct modules and companies can be audited one module at a time. But CIA elected to undertake all four modules at the same time, confident our professional and meticulous approach would carry us through.
After two gruelling days, both disciplines were awarded without a single non-compliance.
These awards complement our existing NSI Gold Standards in Intruder, CCTV and Access Control, together with our recognition as Master Locksmiths.
All in all, we are proud to be Industry leaders, which resonates with our slogan "We lead. others follow."
Raising the Standard
Why did we go to the trouble of getting this BAFE accreditation?
BAFE accreditation is demanding and exacting; and so it should be!
Designing, installing and maintaining fire systems to operate and perform correctly in the most critical of situations is an awesome responsibility.
The general public rely on experts to provide them with the right fire alarm system and equipment to protect property and human life but until an incident occurs, they have no idea whether or not it will do the job. Not all companies are fully competent.
By gaining the BAFE Standard, CIA has proved that we offer a service and product of the highest integrity.
However, this will become particularly important to CIA's customers due to an imminent change in legislation. The Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) is about to introduce a requirement for a Unique Reference Number (URN) to be quoted whenever they are requested to attend to an activation from a fire alarm. URNs will only be issued if the system is installed and serviced by a BAFE accredited company.
This will not only be a requirement of new systems installed but will be enforced retrospectively for all fire alarm systems within the next few years. If a Fire Alarm is not installed and maintained by a BAFE accredited company, CFOA will not issue the URN and therefore the brigade will not attend!!
Why is this? Well, currently, valuable time and resources are wasted by Fire Brigades attending to false alarms. CFOA believe that this is due in part to the poor standard of installation and service by non-regulated Fire Alarm companies. By making it a pre-requisite that the Fire Alarm company demonstrates it maintains the highest standards in all aspects of its operation, they will virtually eliminate this time that is being waste.
Existing fire alarm installations can be retrospectively BAFE certificated but such verification can only be undertaken by a BAFE accredited company and is likely to prove costly as the whole system will need to be pulled apart. The inspection will include every detail of the system from basic design to the cabling and installation to ensure that it complies fully with all the relevant Standards.
By choosing CIA to install and maintain their Fire Alarm system, customers can be assured that they will not be caught up in legislative nightmare and the excessive cost that cannot be avoided if they choose a non-BAFE accredited company. At the same time they can feel reassured that they have chosen a company who will offer the most professional advice and highest standards of installation and service.
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