The UK’s first practical training centre for the fire door industry opened this week along with the announcement that other centres are already being planned, with a second to launch as soon as the next six months.
The purpose-built 3,000sqft Training Academy was opened in Bury, Greater Manchester, by UAP’s Fire Door Maintenance (FDM), where MD Nicola John told The Glazine that plans were already underway to open others at strategic locations around the UK.
“We plan to have a number of other units in strategic locations such as Birmingham, Scotland and London, some in partnership with existing customers and others in their own right,” she explained.
“We expect to have a second in the next six months and another within the calendar year. We believe people will travel up to two hours for such a facility so the ideal will be to cover most of the UK on that basis.”
Accredited by GQA Qualifications, an awarding body for specialist and occupational roles, the Academy will offer a variety of courses. The first to launch will be a fire door inspector course, followed by a course centred on fire door maintenance, and another focusing on fire door installation. After completion, participants will receive a GQA skills card.
As well as ensuring compliance with the latest fire safety regulation, the accredited training will respond to the Hackitt report’s recommendations following the Grenfell Tower fire. The inquiry into the tragedy revealed fire doors didn’t perform as expected. Out of the 120 doors in the building, 106 had been replaced and comprised different hardware from the tested door.
A variety of fire safety awareness courses will also be on offer for anyone wishing to learn more about the latest legislation and how to raise safety standards such as merchants, architects, facilities managers, locksmiths and representatives from housing associations, local authorities and the fire rescue service.
Nicola continued: “The Hackitt report underlined the importance of the ‘golden thread’ and this is at the centre of our specialist training. Each course will underline how vital it is to source primary test evidence and the risk of changing or substituting components in a fire door.
“Providing access to fire doors and components from a range of manufacturers is a key element of the training. All fire doors are made slightly differently which means they need to be inspected differently too. Training participants will learn the nuances of each product and how to identify and fix any issues.”
The Training Academy was formally opened by Councillor Sandra Walmsley,Mayor of Bury (pictured with Nicola John).
Dan Brown, strategic relationship manager at GQA Qualifications said: “The launch of FDM’s Training Academy is exceptionally timely, coinciding with a significant phase of introspection within the construction industry. This introspection, fuelled by the demands of the Building Safety Act 2022, aims to enhance overall quality, compliance, and competence following a series of tragic events resulting in devastating loss of life.
“The Training Academy serves as a model of accomplishment, showcasing what is possible with the appropriate determination, concentration, and commitment to enhance training in a specific yet vital sector.”
Doors and components in the new Training Academy have been provided by Harlow Timber Group, West Port, Latham’s Steel Doors, Unity Doors, Permadoor, Strongdor, The Sovereign Group, NSG Group, DoorCo, Rutland, Mann McGowan, Lorient, PDS, and Contactless Check Solutions, IG, GGF, Pilkingtons, Nordan, PWIDF and Specialist Door Solutions.
fdmltd.co.uk/training-academy/
