In a year filled with arguably just as much uncertainty as the last, in 2021 the fire industry remained dedicated to meeting challenges head on. The COVID-19 pandemic may have continued to dominate working practices, but industry professionals have persisted in their dedication to fulfilling vital life safety work.

In April, the Fire Safety Bill became the Fire Safety Act, affecting around 1.7 million residential properties in England and Wales. The Act is designed to complement the Building Safety Bill and provide a foundation for secondary legislation which won’t require another Act of Parliament, based upon the recommendations made from the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Several years on from Grenfell, many believe that systemic change to building safety hasn’t occurred to the extent that is necessary. While there is a greater emphasis on ‘piecemeal change’ and component safety, individuals like building safety campaigner, Gill Kernick, believe that high-consequence events are still not being addressed.

All this and more is covered in the free, downloadable eBook from IFSEC Global, which includes the names of our Top Influencers in Fire Safety for 2021, and a round-up of the year’s biggest fire safety prosecutions and news stories.