Institute of Fire Engineers 2017 Conference
The Institute of Fire Engineers (IFE) Australia held its 99th Annual conference in Perth during November 2017. For the last three years, Pyropanel has been the major sponsor of this event. The event is the premier collaborative seminar which attracts significant representation from Industry
Pyropanel initiated a forum prior to the conference to discuss the combustible cladding issue, following the Grenfell Tower fire in London. Pyropanel spends significant time with building designers, architects and project personnel discussing compliant fire door systems. We observed that there was a void of information for the building design industry regarding progress of discussions, investigations and recommendations made to legislators. Needing a minimum of 20 attendees to warrant such a forum, Pyropanel sponsored 20 seats, ensuring it would proceed. This forum took place the day before the IFE conference at the same location.
The role of the architect / building designer is pivotal in designing and specifying a compliant building. The attendees found this forum highly informative and relevant for their current and upcoming projects.
The forum was a success with more than 100 attendees, many of them Pyropanel clients. The IFE organised a qualified and experienced panel, consisting of:
- Stephen Wise: ACT Manager Defire
- Superintendent Mark Reilly: Manager Fire Safety Assessment Unit: Fire & Rescue NSW
- Commander Mark Carter: Manager Fire Safety MFB Victoria
- Russ Timpson: CEO of Horizonscan
- Wade Martin: Alucobond
- Superintendent Gary Baxter: DFES WA
The Q&A session was robust with a focus on composite cladding. The Lacrosse building cladding fire in Melbourne was noted from design, specification, tender and installation and ultimately how the product was installed on site.
The IFE conference took place over two days, with more than 100 attendees. Representations were from each state/territory of Australia and some international guests. The speaker topics ranged from:
- Grenfell Tower Synopsis,
- Fire Engineering and cost Effectiveness,
- Building Design,
- Usability of emergency fire equipment,
- Designer’s Intent,
- Aesthetics, and
- Compliance.
Following on from this conference, Pyropanel continues its discussions with key professionals in fire safety to ensure its products meet the requirements now and in the future. Apart from the excellent level of presentations from the speakers, the secondary benefit of being a part of these events is the networking and ability to have conversations with key industry players during the breaks and dinner.
