Fire Aware sets out call for unity in fire safety

Unity across duty holders at heart of Fire Aware Code of Conduct

Fire Aware has called for Unity across the fire safety supply chain in a new Code of Conduct and series of charters published on Tuesday 9 December 2025.

The organisation said the initiative is aimed at aligning designers, developers, suppliers, contractors, asset owners and other duty holders around shared moral responsibilities, alongside legal duties under the Building Safety Act.

The call has been set out by Gavin Skelly, CEO of Fire Aware, in a message to businesses and organisations involved in the built environment.

Moral responsibility and duty of care across the supply chain

According to Fire Aware, everyone involved in fire safety work should recognise that keeping the public safe is more than a job and that the sector operates as a vocation.

The organisation stressed that moral responsibility sits with all parties in the supply chain, including designers, developers, suppliers, contractors, asset owners, manufacturers, managers and installers.

Fire Aware’s message frames public safety as a right for people who live and work in the buildings where fire protection measures are installed.

The organisation linked this responsibility to the duty of care held by duty holders from the earliest stages of a project.

Gavin Skelly, CEO of Fire Aware, said: “The fire safety industry needs to be united in its initiative for the moral and behavioral changes in culture needed to improve standards.

“We should consider the moral responsibility required of all concerned in the supply chain from top to bottom, including designers, developers, suppliers, contractors, asset owners, manufacturers, managers and installers and many more.

“Let’s not forget, keeping the public safe is more than a job.”

Unity as the basis for Fire Aware charters

Fire Aware stated that all industry participants should treat the Building Safety Act as a minimum benchmark and that member companies are encouraged to move beyond simple legislative compliance.

The organisation has introduced a Fire Aware Code of Conduct, supported by a series of charters aimed at main contractors, property developers, building management, designers, local councils, specialist contractors and sub-contractors.

These charters are designed to shape behaviour and culture by setting expectations on how member companies uphold their duty of care.

Fire Aware emphasised that its Charter Conditions do not override any legal obligations on sector-specific professions and that members must still comply with all relevant laws and regulations.

The organisation said the charters ask member businesses to consider the safety of the end user and to go beyond minimum standards as part of identifying themselves as businesses that care.

Fire Aware added that the charters also recognise those outside the specialist fire sector who hold a duty of care but are not directly part of fire safety professions.

Building Safety Act context and sector-wide culture change

Fire Aware positioned the Building Safety Act as a framework intended to guide duty holders through processes that support best practice in fire safety.

The organisation noted that the fire sector contains a wide range of duty holders but that they share a single core requirement, which is to understand that their primary role is to keep the public safe.

The message called on those who make decisions about fire safety to think about their moral duty at the outset of any project rather than treating it as a later-stage consideration.

Fire Aware said members of its community are “taking a stand” and that by working together they can contribute to a wider cause of safety.

The organisation argued that raising standards in this way is linked directly to saving lives.

Fire Aware also stated that there is an opportunity to unite the fire safety industry beyond traditional silos by combining technical expertise in specialist fields with a consistent set of behaviours.

The organisation framed its community as a group of businesses and organisations taking action in the name of moral responsibility and invited prospective members to engage if they wish to join or seek advice.

Sector implications of Fire Aware’s Unity message

Fire Aware’s focus on Unity is presented as an effort to bring a common approach to fire protection across different roles in the built environment.

The organisation said a consistent approach to behaviour and decision-making can support the effective application of technical guidance from specialist areas.

By encouraging member businesses to commit publicly to going beyond minimum standards, Fire Aware aims to make culture change visible to clients and building users.

Fire Aware explained that its charters are intended to sit alongside existing regulations and professional codes rather than replace them.

Why Fire Aware’s unity call matters for practitioners

Fire Aware’s Unity message is directly relevant to organisations that act as duty holders, including contractors, designers, developers, building managers and asset owners.

For these groups, the Fire Aware Code of Conduct and charters set out an expectation that projects should be planned from the outset with moral responsibility and end-user safety in mind, not only legislative compliance.

Fire engineering consultants, system installers and fire-protection contractors may view the charters as a framework for aligning technical decisions with a wider duty of care across the supply chain.

Local councils and building management teams are explicitly named as audiences for the charters, which positions them as part of a broader community committed to going beyond minimum standards.

For property developers and main contractors, joining the Fire Aware community means signing up to conditions that affirm legal compliance while also committing to behaviours that identify the business as one that cares about the people who use its buildings.