First award for fire advocate
9th January 2018

The Association for Specialist Fire Protection’s Passive Fire Protection Awards has awarded Hannah Mansell, Technical Manager of the BRITISH WOODWORKING FEDERATION (BWF) and Manager of the BWF-Certifire Scheme, the newly created title of Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Advocate of the Year 2017.

Judged by Association’s Strategy Group, the association says the new award is: ‘to celebrate an individual who is a major advocate of high quality installed PFP and has proactively helped raise awareness, educate and promote the benefits of the essential safety methods.’

As spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week and chairman of the Passive Fire Protection Forum, Hannah has regularly featured in national, regional and trade media highlighting the essential role of fire doors in saving lives and protecting properties in the event of a fire.

She is also a trustee of the Children’s Burns Trust and regularly organises fundraising events, such as BWF-Certifire seminars, to raise donations for the charity.

Niall Rowan, Chief Operations Officer of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection, pictured congratulating Hannah, said: “We were pleased to announce Hannah Mansell as ASFP Passive Fire Protection Advocate of the Year 2017 in recognition of her enthusiastic promotion of fire doors as critical life safety products. Hannah has made fire doors her passion and has passed on this dedication to so many others through a wide range of activities including a huge number of presentations at conferences and exhibitions throughout 2017 and her tireless support of Fire Door Safety Week.”

Hannah replied: “I’m really humbled to have won this award – and I’d like to share it with all of the organisations and people that have supported and inspired me to ask awkward questions of fire safety in this country. Being able to work with fire safety experts and with local communities, such as the Balmoral Residents Association, to raise awareness and help educate people on the crucial role of fire doors and other methods of PFP, is an extremely rewarding experience.

“As we enter in 2018, with the Hackitt Review and Grenfell Inquiry expected to bring real changes to both the Building Regulations and fire safety regulations, we need to continue promoting the importance and benefits of PFP to the Government, building managers and members of the public.”