The Tall Building Fire Safety Network, organiser of the popular Tall Buildings Fire Safety Conference, will be running dedicated conference sessions on 16, 17 and 18 May alongside FIREX at London’s ExCeL in May. Each day of this year’s Tall Buildings Fire Safety Conference will feature a topical debate linked to a pressing subject related to fire and building safety professionals.

Tuesday will see sessions on High Rise Construction Safety, Wednesday will cover Green Fire Safety Issues and Thursday will look at Crisis Management in High Rise & Complex Buildings.

High Rise Construction Fire Safety Conference

Sessions held on 16 May will cover all issues connected with the management of fire risk during all stages of construction fire safety in high rise buildings, considering the latest guidance from the UK and internationally, including insurance requirements, while case studies of recent high construction fires will be examined.

Key topics confirmed so far include:

• Mark Cooper, Regional Safety Lead, Wates Construction London HSG 168, FPOCS V 10 –‘What’s Changed?
• US Experience and NFPA 241-Ray O’Brocki, Construction Fire Safety Coalition
• Tom Gilbert (Head of Fire Lendlease) – Managing fire safety during ‘load out’ phase of high-rise construction

Green Fire Safety Issues

On 17 May, experts will discuss the changes that are taking place in order to make buildings ‘greener’, and the potential impact this has on the fire safety risk. Discussions will look at green walls and roofs, electric cars and stored energy, photovoltaic panels and devices, alongside new systems for cooling and shading buildings.

Key topics confirmed so far include:

• Keynote: Overview of the Fire Safety Challenges in Green Buildings and Sustainability, Prof. Guillermo Rein Imperial College London, UK
• Green Walls and Fire Safety –Prof. Ed Galea, University of Greenwich
• Green Walls in High Rise Structures: ‘A Sustainability Advantage or Safety Risk’ Simon Bate, Buro Happold

Crisis Management in High Rise & Complex Buildings

The 18 May sessions will centre around the need to have a robust response process when crisis events occur. The conference will draw upon the latest best practice examples of crisis management, while also exploring the proposed Martyn’s Law (Protect Duty) that will make it a requirement to have a competent response process for publicly accessible buildings.

Key topics confirmed so far include:

• Keynote presentation: Nick Aldworth – Martyn’s Law
• Chris Phillips –Response & solutions to Martyn’s Law
• CPNI – Current threats and solutions

All conferences will take place in the gallery suites at London’s ExCeL, with FIREX running simultaneously on the show floor for delegates to visit, connect with industry peers and check out the latest innovations in fire safety from leading vendors.