The FIA/NFCC Seminar which took place on 6th February at the Park Regis Hotel in Birmingham proved a fantastically vibrant and informative day, bringing together the Fire and Rescue Services with their suppliers of equipment and services. 

The programme was compiled to appraise delegates of progress on the key evolutionary processes under way in the Services and to enable yet closer links between FRS personnel and the supply sector. CFO Paul Fuller kindly chaired the event and was joined by FIRESA Council, Chairman James Jones in welcoming guests to the proceedings. James was especially keen to emphasise the important role played by suppliers in many of the current NFCC projects and looked forward to further engagement in a positive and transparent manner as the collective voice of the industry.

Through the rest of the day, we heard from Roy Wilsher on the development of the NFCC and from Laura Gibb on the role of HMICFRS Inspectorate while Geoff Howsego spoke of the UK R&D project and colleagues discussed Collaborative Procurement, taking the recent PPE tender as a Case Study. Doc Holliday covered the National Operational Guidance Programme and the advice due to be issued soon for FRA trading companies and Sarah Adamson took the floor to outline the work of the Joint International Fire Board and its imminent overseas trade mission to Brazil in pursuit of an £80 m spend on new equipment by the Sao Paulo Fire Service.  

We’re delighted to thank publicly our speakers, delegates and exhibitors and with special thanks to Hollie Tell and colleagues at NFCC for their terrific organisation of the event.