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 on 6 April 2020,
after extending the original January deadline.
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Practitioners
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Fire Systems Design. The National Register contains both
accredited practitioners and those who meet the requirements to
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About the Fire Systems Design class of FPAS accreditation
The Fire Systems Design (FSD) class accredits individuals who
perform design activities relating to selected fire safety systems.
The Scheme currently covers activities associated with the
following fire safety systems:
- 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.
For each fire safety system available under the Scheme,
practitioners can select the appropriate Level of work that best
suits their individual needs and circumstances. Each Level
specifies the system types, configurations and the nature of work a
practitioner at that level is accredited to undertake, as well as
any conditions that relate to the defined level.
Further information on the categories and accreditation levels
and restrictions can be found in
Practice Note FSD-01 Fire Systems Design Accreditation Levels and
Restrictions.
New South Wales Government recognition
In February 2019 the NSW Government approved both the Fire
Safety Assessment (FSA) and Fire Systems Design (FSD) classes of
FPAS accreditation under the state's 2017 fire safety reforms.
This means that individuals holding FSA or FSD accreditation, as
appropriate, will be recognised as 'Competent Fire Safety
Practitioners' (CFSPs) under the reforms. The Government announced
in January 2020 that recognition of the two classes is expected to
be formalised on 6 April 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.
Full details on the FSD class of accreditation can be found in
the NSW Competent Fire Safety
Practitioner Scheme document.
Scope of activities for Fire Systems Design
The scope of work covered by the Fire Systems Design class of
FPAS accreditation includes:
- Defining scope, system requirements and extent of fire systems
design projects.
- Planning sketch layout of the fire system design.
- 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.
Accreditation pathways
Accreditation under the Fire Systems Design class of
accreditation is currently only available through an experienced
person's process known as Transitional Accreditation. The next
stage of the scheme will include an additional pathway, known as
Qualified Accreditation.
This additional pathway is for individuals who hold specific
qualifications in fire systems design recognised by the Scheme. All
accredited practitioners who are granted Transitional Accreditation
are required to transition to Qualified Accreditation within four
years of the Scheme being recognised by the NSW Government.
Transitional Accreditation (through experience) refers to an
individual who has sufficient relevant work experience in fire
systems design. To be eligible an applicant is required to
demonstrate relevant, diverse and appropriate experience for each
level of Fire Systems Design accreditation.
- Level 3 (Advanced) - 4 years' experience within the last
10 years;
- Level 2 (Intermediate) - 3 years' experience within the
last 10 years; or
- Level 1 (Basic) - 2 years' experience within the last 10
years.
Application process for FSD accreditation
Applying for FSD accreditation is a six-step process as shown in
the below diagram.
Demonstrating relevant experience
Applicants are required to provide evidence of relevant
experience for the category and level applied for. The information
required includes completion of a Design Project Logbook and a
Statutory Declaration to confirm experience.
To complete the logbook, applicants are required to provide
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, e.g. aged care,
office, residential, hospital, warehouse, assembly, shopping
centre.
The Project Logbook and Statutory Declaration can be downloaded
from the below links.
Fire
Systems Design Project Logbook
Fire System
Design Statutory Declaration
FPAS information session
As part of the accreditation process, applicants are required to
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; and
- 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 cover:
- Jurisdictional legislation/codes/standards;
- Practical application and knowledge;
- Specific systems design knowledge of Australian Standards;
and
- Specific systems design knowledge.
Insurance
The Scheme requires accredited individuals to be
appropriately covered by insurance for the fire protection services
they undertake. Further information about insurance requirements
can be found in the Scheme Document.
How to apply
To apply, log in to FPA Australia's CONNECT website and go the
FPAS > Fire Systems Design page, or click on the link below:
Fee schedule
The following fees apply to individual accreditation. Fees will
be collected in two stages:
Stage 1
The Application Fee, including the fee for each category and
jurisdiction applied for is payable at time of lodging your
application. Your application will be processed once you have paid
these fees.
Stage 2
The Annual Accreditation Fee is payable once your accreditation
has been approved and you have been endorsed in at least one
category of Fire System Design.
The Application, Category and Jurisdiction fees are non-refundable
once an application has been submitted. Prices include GST.
- Fire Systems Design Application
Fee - $330
- Fee per Category - $330
(includes one assessment)
- Fee per Jurisdiction -
$330
- 1st Year Annual Accreditation
Fee - $935 (includes one year accreditation fee, listing on
the accreditation register)
Other fees:
Re-assessment Fee
Relates to each assessment that needs to be retaken. A
limit of one resit is permitted
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$330
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Annual Renewal Fee
Base Renewal Fee.
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$1200
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Fee per category
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+$250
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Fee per jurisdiction
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+$200
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