Fire Systems Design
NSW Government recognition of FSD
The FPAS Fire Safety Assessment (FSA) and Fire Systems Design
(FSD) classes of accreditation have been approved by the Secretary
of the NSW Department of Finance, Services and Innovation. The NSW
Government plans to formally gazette that approval in January
2020.
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Systems Design Practitioners
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Fire Systems Design. The National Register contains both
accredited practitioners and those who meet the requirements to
appear on the NSW Interim register.
About the Fire Systems Design Accredition Scheme
The Fire Systems Design class accredits individuals who perform
design activities relating to selected essential safety measures in
the fire protection industry. Initially the Scheme will focus on
activities associated with the following essential safety
measures:
- Fire Sprinkler Systems
- Fire Hydrant and Hose Reel Systems
- Fire Detection and Alarm Systems
These three (3) areas of work will form the categories available
under the initial phase of Fire
Systems Design. In the future, additional categories
may be included, such as but not limited to, 'Exit and emergency
lighting' and 'Passive Fire Protection'.
The Fire Systems Design class of work covers the preparation of
designs to a required standard, where the final design
documentation outlines the requisite design criteria and provides
documentation for procurement / manufacture / construction /
installation / and commissioning by competent personnel.
To get full details on the FSD class of accreditation, read the
FSD sections of the Scheme document, the NSW Competent Fire Safety
Practitioner document, available here.
In February 2019 the NSW Government approved both the FSA and
FSD classes of FPAS accreditation under the state's 2017 fire
safety reforms, meaning that individuals holding either FSA or FSD
accreditation will be recognised as 'competent fire safety
practitioners' (CFSPs) under the reforms. Recognition of the two
classes is expected to be formalised in January 2020, after which
relevant fire protection work in NSW will be required to be
undertaken by a CFSP accredited by FPAS or other future approved
schemes.
The definition covering the scope of activities for Fire Systems
Design work includes:
1. Defining scope,
system requirements and extent of fire systems design projects.
2. Planning sketch layout of
the fire system design.
3. Preparing detailed
technical design documentation including plans and specifications
for systems and equipment (including material, installation
requirements; testing and commissioning; operations and maintenance
manuals).
The activities for the
Fire Systems Design class include:
- developing a design brief
- assessing and interpreting the design requirements, legislation
and codes
- researching products and design solutions
- specifying requirements of a design solution and products to
meet design requirements, legislation and codes
- conceptualising and documenting design solutions
- validating that the design solution meets the required design
criteria, and
- finalising documentation for the tender procurement,
manufacture, construction and installation, commissioning and
maintenance of the equipment for the system designed, to
ensure the system meets all relevant codes and standards. Such
documentation would consist of system design calculations; system
required reference data such as schematics, details of pressure
gauge schedules, interface diagrams, cause and effect diagrams,
technical specifications and tender and/or construction
drawings.
Note: Fire Systems
Design accreditation under FPAS does not absolve the individual or
company from satisfying any other relevant legislative or licensing
requirements applicable to the design of fire protection
systems.
A more detailed description of the Fire Systems Design role
commensurate with the requirements of the EP&A Regulation and
validated via the FPAS accreditation process is expressed in
section 3.0 of the NSW Competent Fire Safety Practitioner
document, available here.
Categories
Fire systems designers are accredited under the Scheme to carry
out work in the Fire Systems Design class for one (1) or more
categories made available under FPAS. The individual applicant will
be evaluated and deemed competent to be accredited in any one of
the categories of Fire Systems Design and can be accredited in more
than one (1) category.
The initial categories for this class identified for the roll
out of Stage 1 are:
The Pathways
The Fire Systems Design class of Accreditation will initially be
launched with two (2) individual accreditation pathways for entry
into the Scheme:
1. Transitional (experienced pathway) and
Qualified Accreditation recognises individuals who have
fulfilled the requirements identified under the Scheme by way of
relevant nationally recognised qualifications or set of
competencies designated by FPA Australia.
FPA Australia will designate minimum qualification requirements
in the future and offer qualified accreditation accordingly.
The Qualified Accreditation pathway will be added at a later
date. This decision was made due to a number of factors:
- First, the Association wishes to ensure that there is
sufficient capacity among the existing Registered Training
Organisations delivering the Diploma of Fire Systems Design to
deliver this qualification nationally.
- The Association, in our continuing engagement with regulators,
is aware of current government consultations and reviews applicable
to fire systems design work, and we would like to ensure alignment
wherever possible.
- This revision will allow the Association more time to engage
actively with the membership and the industry with regard to the
final specific requirements for the Qualified Accreditation
pathway.
The Association will endevour to announce a more detailed
timeframe for the Qualified pathway rollout in 2020, so be sure to
check the FPAS page of our website www.fpaa.com.au/fpas regularly for further
updates.
Transitional Accreditation
pathway
Transitional Accreditation (through experience) refers to an
individual who has sufficient relevant work experience in fire
systems design with a minimum of four (4) years working as a fire
systems designer within the last ten (10) years in the category
being applied for.
In order to achieve Transitional Accreditation an individual
must:
- Submit an FPAS Accreditation application form, and
- attend an FPAS Accreditation Information Session, and
- successfully complete a written assessment set by the FPAS
evaluation team.
The Scheme requires individuals who hold Transitional
Accreditation to 'transition' to Qualified Accreditation within a
specified time frame (4 years) once a qualification or approved
training is designated by FPA Australia and becomes available to
enroll in.
Relevant Experience
The relevant experience required for Transitional Accreditation
is a minimum of four (4) years work in the fire systems design
class and categories applied for. The applicant's experience needs
to have occurred within the last ten (10) years. In considering
applications for accreditation the applicant needs to provide
details of work history and practical experience relevant to the
categories of accreditation being applied for by submitting:
- A copy of a current resume
- Details of a minimum of seven (7) fire protection system
designs per category being applied for, including the specific
building types and uses where the applicant has designed the fire
protection system.
The projects needs to reflect a diverse range of medium to large
size buildings of varying classifications and uses EG aged care,
office, residential, hospital, warehouse, assembly, shopping
centre.
FPAS Information Session
As part of the accreditation process, applicants are
required to attend/view a mandatory information session.
The FPAS information session will inform you of the:
- Background to FPAS and the need for accreditation
- Expectations of the FPAS evaluation team
- Key fundamentals and principles related to designing fire
systems
- Assessment process including examples of assessment
questions
Fire Systems Design Assessment
The assessment process has been developed to ensure that
individuals applying for accreditation in fire systems design have
an adequate minimum knowledge and skill base in the category/s
being applied for.
The assessment will include:
- A supervised four (4) hour (maximum) written assessment with a
minimum of 150 questions in multiple choice format
- A selection of questions that cover the knowledge and skills
required for accreditation in the fire systems design class.
- An open-book format in which the applicant may use relevant
Australian Standards and other approved documents such as the
National Construction Code, Acts and Regulations.
The themes covered in the written assessment will include:
- Jurisdictional Legislation / Codes / Standards
- Practical application and Knowledge
- Specific Systems Design Knowledge of Australian
Standards
- Specific Systems Design Knowledge.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD)
Maintaining skills and knowledge in the workplace through
continuing professional development (CPD) programs is considered
essential for practitioners and professionals in many fields. CPD
activities in the fire protection industry enable an individual to
update and maintain technical competence and effectiveness in the
workplace.
CPD activities can include:
- formal education and training
- short courses
- attendance at workshops, seminars and discussion groups and
conferences
- technical meetings
- learning activities in the workplace
- private study of journals, texts etc and
- preparation and presentation of materials for courses,
conferences and seminars.
Under the Scheme, CPD commitment by an individual will be a
requirement of accreditation and renewal, to ensure that an
individual is up-to-date with current work practices in the fire
protection industry and in their accredited Fire Systems Design
class.
Insurance
The Scheme requires accredited individuals to be
appropriately covered by insurance for the fire protection services
they undertake.
The Scheme requires an accredited individual to have a minimum
insurance cover of:
- $10 million for Public and Product liability; and
- $2 million (inclusive of defence costs) for any claim for
Professional Indemnity; or
- $1 million (exclusive of defence costs) for any one claim for
Professional Indemnity.
Professional Indemnity insurance held by an accredited individual
must:
- include in the list of business activities, all work activities
relevant to the accreditation class and category held; and
- be in the name of the accredited individual or the company name
only and not be a joint policy with any other party; and
- cover all past work of an accredited individual whilst
accredited with Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA
Australia) up to a maximum of 10 years. (Note: This is done by
electing a Retroactive Date that is years past or electing a
Retroactive Date of Unlimited).
Accredited Individuals must provide a Certificate of Currency
from their insurer as proof of their insurance cover for both
Public and Product and Professional Indemnity insurance.
In relation to run-off provisions, which is when a sole trader
retires or sells their business or a company or partnership is
sold, FPA Australia recommends that individuals obtain professional
indemnity insurance for seven (7) years after they cease working as
a competent fire safety practitioner, so as to indemnify their work
activities during the period for which they were accredited under
the Scheme.
You can read the details of what your Certificate of Currency
needs to provide here.
Code of Professional Conduct
The Code of Professional Conduct (the Code) prescribes the
principles, standards of behaviour and service delivery
requirements expected of accredited individuals under FPAS. All
accredited individuals must sign the Code of Professional Conduct
declaration, stating that they will abide by the requirements of
the Code and accept any decision if it is determined they have
breached the Code. Breaches of the code may result in termination
of accreditation.
The Code of Professional Conduct can he found here.
For further enquires please contact FPA Australia on 03 8892
3131 and ask for the Accreditation/Licensing Department or send an
email to Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS) at fpas@fpaa.com.au .
How to Apply
In order to apply for the FPAS Fire Systems Design class of
accreditation please refer to the FSD section of the Scheme
document, the NSW Competent Fire Safety Practitioner
document, available here.
Disclaimer: FPAS
is not a substitute for any requirements for licensing,
registration or accreditation established by relevant applicable
legislation (state, territory and/or federal) unless otherwise
confirmed by relevant regulation.
Please
note: Consultation regarding all elements
of the Fire Protection Accreditation Scheme (FPAS) is ongoing and
as such all information contained on this page is subject to
change.