Fire Protection Association

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{{Infobox organization

|name = Fire Protection Association

|image =

|size = Employs 40 full-time staff and manages a network of over 100 consultants

|caption =

|abbreviation = FPA

|formation = 1946

|status = Association

|purpose = Provider of independent advice and guidance on all aspects of fire safety

|location = London Road, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire, GL56 0RH

|region_served = UK and Overseas

|membership = Approx 5,000 fire protection companies, organisations and individuals from the UK and overseas

|leader_title = Managing Director

|leader_name = Jonathan O’Neill

|main_organ =

|parent_organization =

|affiliations =

|budget =

|website = [http://www.thefpa.co.uk The FPA]

}}

The Fire Protection Association is the UK's National Fire Safety Organisation. Established in 1946, it specializes in spreading awareness about wildfire. It offers education and training, a fire risk assessment service, a nationwide risk management survey service for insurers, and a membership journal (Fire Risk Management).

History

In 1880, the UK insurance industry, represented by the British Insurance Association (now the Association of British Insurers), formed the Fire Offices Committee (FOC) for the purposes of insurance tariff setting and technical support, and the Fire Protection Association (FPA) for information dissemination.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

In 1935, the FOC set up a test laboratory on the outskirts of London at Borehamwood,BRE Group, [https://www.bregroup.com/about-us/our-history/frs/ The Fire Research Station - FRS - a brief history], accessed 18 August 2020 which at the start of World War II was taken over by the government as the Fire Research Station (FRS), with the FOC’s technical department being represented by a combined group called the Joint Fire Research Organisation (JFRO).{{cn|date=April 2025}}

In the early 1980s, aided by the ABI, there was a parting of the ways to address the often incompatible issues of ‘life safety’ versus ‘business and property protection’, and the technical arm of FOC formed the Fire Insurer’s Research and Testing Organisation (FIRTO). FRS remained a government organisation until it was absorbed into the Building Research Establishment (BRE).{{cn|date=April 2025}}

In 1984, FIRTO combined with the FOC technical department, FPA, and the Insurers Technical Bureau (ITB) to form the Loss Prevention Council (LPC) which later went on to develop a certification body called the Loss Prevention Certification Board (LPCB).{{cn|date=April 2025}} In 1999, UK insurers sold LPC Laboratories and LPCB to BRE, retaining the Fire Protection Association which relocated to offices at Blackfriars in London. Many of FPA’s current staff have over the years worked for a number of the aforementioned organisations.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

With its roots firmly in the insurance sector, one of FPA’s primary roles is to encourage convergence of government (life safety) and insurer (life safety and business and property protection) fire protection perspectives.{{cn|date=April 2025}} Where government statutory requirements are considered inadequate by insurers for business and property protection, the FPA develops and maintains a number of key insurer standards for the implementation of active and passive fire protection requirements, together with a substantial library of Risk Control documents.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

FPA relocated to the Fire Service College at Moreton-in-Marsh in Gloucestershire in 2004.{{cn|date=April 2025}}

Function

The agreed aims and objectives of the FPA are:

To protect people and property and the environment by advancing fire prevention and protection techniques
To collaborate with central Government, the Fire Service and other agencies in this work
To focus national and European attention on these issues
To influence consumers and business related decision making
To collect, analyse and publish statistics, identify trends and provide research
To disseminate advice and information{{Citation needed|date=March 2011}}

Structure

FPA operates via two divisions, each led by a Director. The Commercial Division encompasses the publications, Fire Risk Management journal, fire risk assessment, risk surveying and training activities, while the Technical Division undertakes research, and consultancy in support of all aspects of fire prevention and protection.

The FPA supplies publications in the fields of fire safety, fire prevention and related topics. The range covers a wide variety of products including videos, DVDs, CDs and online services, books, codes of practice, recommendations, reports, leaflets, pocket cards and posters.

The Training Department currently offers approximately 55 different courses covering fire safety management, fire safety engineering, health and safety and N/SVQs in fire safety.

RISC Authority

The RISC Authority (Risk, Insight, Strategy and Control Authority), who conduct research and representation on behalf of a group of UK Insurers into risk mitigation measures from fire and security risks, is administered by the FPA.RISC Authority, [https://fpalargeloss.riscauthority.co.uk/Account/Faq FAQ Page: Who are RISCAuthority?], accessed 24 November 2020