BSA DEBATES SPRINKLER SYSTEMS AT CABE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IRELAND CONFERENCE

Following the theme of Performance, Compliance and Safety, CABE’s Built Environment Ireland Conference was held at the Hodson Bay Hotel in Athlone. Attracting expert panels interacting with a wide range of construction professionals including building engineers, building certifiers and fire engineers, this technical leadership conference featured content specifically related to the Irish Regulations.

The keynote address from the Principal Advisor of the Building Standards Advisory Unit, Sarah Neary, shared an insight on the direction of travel in Ireland. This highlighted common concerns, including sustainability, quality, and the need for more housing. Tom Roche, Secretary of the Business Sprinkler, noted “Ireland has had its own challenges with building quality and have taken their own measures to address them. At the same time, they face similar challenges and changes that we are seeing in England and Scotland. It is no surprise to see that there are ongoing consultations on fire safety guidance in both Northern and Southern Ireland,” he said.

At the busy event, the BSA met with building control officers, building engineers and government officials. This technical conference gave the BSA the ideal platform to discuss the benefits of sprinklers to protect people and their property, and how active fire protection can play a role in sustainability.

It is clear that sprinklers have a role as the regulatory guidance evolves and there is great use of sprinklers within the market in Ireland. This can be seen in the consultations that have taken place and currently running in Northern Ireland. 

These consultations see Northern Ireland regulatory guidance aligning with England considering materials on residential buildings over 18 metres and sprinklers in residential buildings over 11 metres. In the Republic, the guidance changes will approach the use of sprinklers in multi-storey residential buildings as a measure to offset open plan living and internal arrangements. More importantly, they clearly signal a change for warehousing to define it as a high risk attracting sprinklers at much lower compartment sizes. 

Tom Roche, Secretary of the Business Sprinkler commented: “What is clear is that sprinklers are becoming a key part of the fire strategy thinking within these countries as they seek to meet the challenges of an ever evolving built environment.”

The Business Sprinkler Alliance advocates greater business resilience by enhancing protection against fire through the increased acceptance and use of fire sprinklers in commercial and industrial premises. 

For more information about the Business Sprinkler Alliance visit www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org