A letter to the advisory panel
Dear Policy Advisor,
From Reflection to Reform: Our consensus based commitments.
As I believe you are aware, a meeting was held at the Royal Institution, in London on 17th September attended by the UK’s leading fire safety engineering companies. The group has formed as the Fire Forward Collective and represents the UK’s leading consulting fire safety engineering firms. Collectively, we are a non-partisan, sector-led coalition of employers and practitioners, committed to supporting reform in the sector and to advancing the profession in the public interest. We support the government’s ambition to differentiate the competent and, to provide a focal point for the Fire Engineers Panel to engage with the sector. We recognise that the time for reflection has passed, reform is imperative and that Government is moving at pace.
We are clear that change is unavoidable. We accept and support the case for reform; and we stand ready to play a constructive role in supporting it.
However, we are equally clear that to be successful and effective the reforms should be informed and co-designed with those with the deepest technical expertise, and those with frontline responsibility for achieving success and delivery. The credibility and future resilience of both the fire safety engineering profession and wider building sector depends on a regulatory framework that is robust, trusted, and operationally viable.
To that end, our meeting on 17th September reached a consensus that as a collective we can offer the following commitments and proposals for your urgent consideration. We feel these commitments should apply to all registered companies and registered fire professionals:
1) We wholeheartedly endorse recommendation 15 and support the implementation of a new national system of registration and regulation of fire professionals. We will work urgently with the ICSG Sector Led Group to contribute to a thorough competence framework for fire safety engineers and also to assist in identifying the fire-related competences required by other engineering disciplines.
2) We stand ready to work with the Fire Engineers Advisory Panel and MHCLG to identify the tasks that should be legally restricted to competent fire professionals (recommendation 10); and we support the registration of firms that undertake restricted fire engineering work through registered fire engineers.
3) We will work together to agree a level of consistency of roles between companies, so that the quality, competency and technical knowledge of a specific role are comparable in all firms delivering services in the UK. We will draft, develop and publish national guidance on the topic of internal and external authorship, peer review and approval of fire safety engineering deliverables.
4) Professional registration, such as Chartered status and registration with the Engineering Council, provides evidence of competence. By 2029, we will all require that all individuals in a Project Director role are to hold Chartered Professional status via a relevant professional body with a specialist route for fire safety.
5) All technical grades within our firms, will be members of a professional institution and it will be mandated they pursue and obtain a professional qualification via a relevant professional body at an appropriate level for the role.
6) To provide consistency in the purpose and the level of detail contained in specified fire safety strategy deliverables across the fire safety sector companies within the collective, will review and comment the draft for consultation of BS 9994 Fire strategies in buildings when available. On full publication of BS 9994 all companies will adopt the principle to adhere to the recommendations of BS9994, as applicable to the nature of building.
7) We recommend that regulation be put in place, by April 2029, that a Registered Fire Engineer, from a Registered Fire Engineering Company, be required to provide a Statement of Compliance for all buildings over a prescribed height, size or occupancy reflective of the responsibilities of the Principal Designer and Principal Contractor under the Building Safety Regulations. The Registered Fire Engineer is to confirm that the design achieves compliance with the relevant Building Regulations (in relation to fire safety) prior to construction, and that the building has been constructed in accordance with the Building Regulations (in relation to fire safety) prior to issue of a completion certificate. This statement should be part of a fire safety related statement chain provided by the designers (design team and specialists), fire engineer, the contractor, specialist installers/subcontractors, and the fire surveyor monitoring the construction. These responsibilities must be accompanied by a defined legal framework and supporting guidance to avoid ambiguity in responsibility and liability.
8) We recognise the requirement for collaboration and cooperation introduced under Part 2A and the Duty Holder regime of the Building Safety Act. We are committed to prioritising positive project outcomes and safe buildings, and therefore pledge to develop and adhere to guidance for engaging meaningfully and professionally when reviewing the work of a suitably qualified fire safety engineer. Equally, we commit that such peer reviews will be undertaken by suitably qualified fire safety engineers, with the definition of “suitably qualified” to be determined as part of the guidance we will develop. This guidance will be grounded in international best practice and existing global standards, ensuring that external peer review across the industry is consistent, constructive, and focused on improving project outcomes rather than individual reputation or commercial interests.
9) The Grenfell Tower tragedy exposed the risks of regulatory ambiguity and lack of enforcement. As Dame Judith Hackitt noted in her 2018 review, we need a systematic approach to reform of regulation and standards. The Fire Forward Collective brings together world leading knowledge and expertise/frontline experience from around the world; we stand ready to commit to support the co-design of the evolving system. As the leading firms and engineers in the fire safety engineering profession we are taking a proactive unified approach to reform. We are keen to work with practitioners, academics, regulators, and industry bodies to support the comprehensive review of current fire safety legislation and national guidance currently underway so as to ensure it is fit for purpose in the decade between 2030 and 2040.
10) The UK needs more accredited undergraduate and master’s level fire safety engineering courses plus vocational training linked to the HEQF. Learning and development are essential to creating a strong pipeline of future fire safety professionals and providing a clear, accessible route to Chartered Engineer (CEng) status through the Engineering Council. The Fire Forward Collective is committed to working with government, higher education providers, and industry partners to ensure these opportunities are developed and made accessible, building the next generation of fire safety engineers.
We as the UK’s leading fire engineering firms, stand ready to engage constructively with government to shape a roadmap that is both technically robust and operationally viable to deliver safe homes that the UK urgently needs. We ask that the Government recognises and empowers those in the profession who are committed to deliver change and work to transform fire engineering practice in the UK in a way that adds value, not only to public safety but also to the regulatory landscape, construction quality, and the delivery of the safe buildings and especially homes that the UK needs.
This is our moment to lead and support reform. To move from compliance to excellence. From fragmentation to alignment and from legacy systems to forward-thinking solutions. If we get this right, we can help government to lay the foundation not only for a safer built environment, but for a stronger, more trusted, and more resilient fire safety engineering profession worldwide.
Thank you for inviting me to attend the next meeting of the Fire Advisory Panel on 7 October 2025. I look forward to discussing the matters outlined in this letter and the future of the fire engineering profession in the United Kingdom.
Mr Benjamin C. Bradford BSc Hon’s MSc MBA CEng PPCABE FIFireE
For and on behalf of the Fire Forward Collective
The Fire Forward Collective brings together the UK’s leading fire engineering consultancy firms. We are a non-partisan, sector-led alliance committed to advancing public safety, professional standards, and innovation in fire engineering.
Participating organisations: AECOM, Affinity Fire Engineering, Artec Fire, Arup, Ashton Fire, Astute Fire Engineering, Atkins Realis, Appraise Fire Engineering, Axion Consultancy, BB7, Buro Happold, Design Fire Consultants, Joule Group, Kiwa IFC Group, Mars Fire Engineering, Maze Fire Consulting, Part B, Stantec, Tenos, Trigon Fire Safety, The Fire Surgery, Wintech Group and WSP, supported by the following partners CABE, IFE, the National Fire Chiefs Council and RICS.