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FIRE SERVICE AND GENERAL FIRE SAFETY TOPICS => Fire Safety => Topic started by: lingmoor on March 22, 2008, 08:48:41 AM
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In this months IFE journal there is an ad by Chubb for fire risk assessment consultants who are self employed to work for them on a flexible basis.
Has anyone out there any experiences of doing this work for them and care to share experiences?
Thanks
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I've audited some of Chubbs RA's wasn't that impressed - not sure what qualifications and experiance thay are looking for? How do you assess competence?
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The ad says this:
We are seeking additional self-employed consultants throughout the uk to work for us on a flexible basis, devoting the amount of time worked to suit both themselves and our customer requirements. The role may also suit serving Fire Officers who are willing and able to undertake further work or gain experience on a part time basis.
As a fire safety professional working to the highest standards on our behalf, you will undertake fire risk assessments, reviews and other related task.
Candidates will have proven fire safety experience and the ability to work on their own in a disciplined and progressive way. They will ideally have a Fire Service background, having served as a Fire Safety Inspecting Officer. They will hold recognised fire safety qualifications such as the Specialist Fire Prevention course or later equivalent modules, gained at the Fire Services College. Suitable and appropriate professional developement courses will be considered when combined with relevant experience of the required role.
Now, if you are a fire risk assessor, obviously producing your own document, I suppose you would have to switch to their way of doing things with their document design?
Oh and try and get them as much extinguisher trade as possible?...synical I know
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"They will hold recognised fire safety qualifications such as the Specialist Fire Prevention course or later equivalent modules, gained at the Fire Services College."
From my experience anyone who has been on one of these courses is only involved in FS Management. They are usually taught how to calculate the sq route of an orange without the knowledge of how to peel it. When my fledgling consultancy business takes off I certainly will never consider a FS course at M-in-M a benefit. Give me a street wise and experienced IO any time.
Anyone seen a Chubb RA? I believe in giving value for money.
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From my experience anyone who has been on one of these courses is only involved in FS Management.
Not true the courses you mentioned was about doing the job, in my time issuing fire certificate, then you returned to your brigade and put it into practise. It was the command courses that were all about management.
I understand this is what upset Colin Todd about Moreton he claimed the college should have provided education and not training.
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Hi, no training course (wherever it is sourced) can validate an individuals competence to perform as a Fire Safety consultant. The IFE has its own professional register as has IOSH. I looked at both and am currently a CMIOSH. My competency as a Fire Safety Consultant (albeit unvalidated) comes from many years of doing the job,and keeping my knowledge on fire safety matters up to speed by attending CPD events,reading journals and attending courses. My previous attendance on Fire Safety courses at the College,does carry a lot of credibilty with the client as does my degree in Fire Safety,but most of all it is my ability to interpret legal requirements in a fair and consistent manner that is important.
William5
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Nearlythere wrote
"From my experience anyone who has been on one of these courses is only involved in FS Management. They are usually taught how to calculate the sq route of an orange without the knowledge of how to peel it. When my fledgling consultancy business takes off I certainly will never consider a FS course at M-in-M a benefit. Give me a street wise and experienced IO any time."
Sadley your wrong and Tw is right the moduals give you a good over view of the legislation, when I did my 4 modules over nearly two years they came after I had been in fire safety for 18 months and learning from experianced IOs. And then back to the work of fire safety with the back ground knowledge and a large slice of common sense and still learning until I left the service and I am still learning now. Street wise yes but you also need some of that under pinning knowledge that PhillB provided which came with common sense.
Those that managed me at a district level had no experiance of the modules or fire safety just management, if you could call it that.
I have seen a Chubb fire risk assessment about 4 years ago as an IO, hope they have changed a bit since.
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"They will hold recognised fire safety qualifications such as the Specialist Fire Prevention course or later equivalent modules, gained at the Fire Services College."
From my experience anyone who has been on one of these courses is only involved in FS Management. They are usually taught how to calculate the sq route of an orange without the knowledge of how to peel it. When my fledgling consultancy business takes off I certainly will never consider a FS course at M-in-M a benefit. Give me a street wise and experienced IO any time.
Anyone seen a Chubb RA? I believe in giving value for money.
Ever done a MinM college course?
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"They will hold recognised fire safety qualifications such as the Specialist Fire Prevention course or later equivalent modules, gained at the Fire Services College."
From my experience anyone who has been on one of these courses is only involved in FS Management. They are usually taught how to calculate the sq route of an orange without the knowledge of how to peel it. When my fledgling consultancy business takes off I certainly will never consider a FS course at M-in-M a benefit. Give me a street wise and experienced IO any time.
Anyone seen a Chubb RA? I believe in giving value for money.
Ever done a MinM college course?
No, but I know plenty who have and that is why I expressed my opinion.
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have seen one - not very impressed
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Yes some parts of the corses are a waste of time, even when opinions were expresed to the brigade training officers it seemed years before the college changed the contents of some modules and the order in which you could take then. But I would suggest that you experiance them before making such generic comments, you never know you might just gain something from them
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No, but I know plenty who have and that is why I expressed my opinion.
But its not your opinion its other peoples.
have seen one - not very impressed
I do not understand, do you mean you have attended a course how do you see one?
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i think Jasper may have been referring to a Chubb/Interfire FRA that he saw!
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No.
Yeah it shows,
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i think Jasper may have been referring to a Chubb/Interfire FRA that he saw!
You prize numpty Sooty!
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True I plead guilty I will join you in the corner
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i think Jasper may have been referring to a Chubb/Interfire FRA that he saw!
correct
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Ok going back to the original question I take it no one has worked for Chubb doing FRA's
Thanks to all that answered
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Ok going back to the original question I take it no one has worked for Chubb doing FRA's
Thanks to all that answered
work is work at the end of the day, I would try it out and if you feel their assessments are not suitable or sufficient then leave
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Or suggest to them ways in which they could improve the service provided.
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It all harks back to who is going to be responsible for RA's doesn't it?
Even those on the Dark Side don't want direct responsibility i.e. hiring consultants, and apparently there are some just waiting for the first court cases to raise there ugly heads.
tick tock, tick tock..........
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Does anyone know if Cubb employ their fire alarm sales people in a similar ad hoc /self employed way?
I recently saw a Chubb fire alarm quote which was terribly presented on plain paper (no Chubb letterhead), had numerous spelling mistakes and quoted for a L2 system despite being requested to quote for a M system!!
It had also been printed on a Mickey Mouse printer which had smeared some of the text, it really didn't incite confidence in Chubb at all. They didn't get the job!
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I personally feel it would be wrong to comment on the standards of a competitor- people in glass houses etc etc.
However lets not get too carried away with our criticism of any one organisation because lets face it most of the industry and the so called big players work in the same way using a network of self employed consultants. Even the FPA work this way. I have never worked for Chubb but have in the past worked for a couple of other companies with a huge front and publicity and no substance behind it, all mouth and no trousers. Sales machines and nothing else, in one case a posh London address that is nothing more than a mailbox.
The difference between the good and the bad is how carefully they monitor the standards of their associates work and what they have in place to keep their associates up to date. Some are good at this but for many the backup and support is non existant.