SFJ Awards’ suite of Ofqual-regulated fire risk assessment qualifications is expanding.
In January, the fire and rescue qualifications specialists announced the Intermediate Level 4 Certificate and Level 4 Diploma in Fire Risk Assessment to complement the foundation Level 3 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment, which was launched last year.
A new qualification, the Advanced Level 5 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment, is currently in development and will support learners to conduct specialist fire risk assessments in a variety of complex settings, including High-Risk Residential & Mixed Use Buildings, complex shopping premises, High Risk Hospital Buildings and sports grounds, for example.
Ahead of the Level 5 Certificate’s launch later this year, a consultation has opened, inviting stakeholder views to ensure that the qualification reflects best practice.
As with the existing suite of qualifications, the Level 5 Certificate is aligned BS 8674 Building Safety Act 2022 and will, following approval, be submitted to BAFE for inclusion on the SP205 Qualification Register.
Phil Dean is Managing Director of WFST and supported the development of the new qualification. He comments:
“The new suite of SFJ Awards Fire Risk Assessment qualifications up to Level 5 represents a step-change in professional competence, aligning fully with the requirements of BS 8674 Fire Risk Assessor Frameworks while advancing significantly beyond the baseline expected by the standard.
“The qualifications are underpinned by a rigorous training needs analysis and built with environmental fidelity at their core.
“Each pathway contains units tailored to the real-world complexities of specific fire risk contexts that ensure assessors develop domain-specific expertise.
“This structure enables organisations and individuals to target the exact competencies required for specialised environments, dramatically improving quality, consistency, and assurance across fire risk assessments.”
David Higham, Managing Director at SFJ Awards, comments:
“The expansion of the Fire Risk Assessment suite of qualifications is an important development that supports learners to operate at an advanced level of practice.
“Not only does the suite provide flexibility and specialist learning at every stage, it goes beyond current requirements to drive up safety standards even further.
“Taken together, the qualifications suite helps to a new benchmark for professional fire safety education, which will support improved standards in fire risk assessments in the long-term.”
Consultation now open
The Level 5 Certificate in Fire Risk Assessment stakeholder consultation is now open and inviting representations from across the sector to help shape the next stage of fire risk assessor training and competence development.
Complete the consultation
