The Extract Issue 1 - Digital - Flipbook - Page 14
THE EXTRACT
Sertus Live 2: Industry unites to bridge
the gap between design, building safety,
and real-world 昀椀re昀椀ghter experience
Fraser Ruthven
Marketing Manager, Sertus
More than 100 professionals
came together at the Merseyside
Fire & Rescue Service Training &
Development Academy in
October for Sertus Live 2: Smoke
Control in Action – a hands-on
learning day bringing the smoke
control supply chain together for
a rare look at how systems
perform under 昀椀re conditions.
A call for collaboration and culture change
The highlight of the day was a keynote
address from Dame Judith Hackitt DBE
FREng, whose independent review of Building
Regulations and Fire Safety following the
Grenfell Tower tragedy continues to shape
the UK’s building safety landscape.
Her address, Building Safety: Changing
Thinking and Culture, urged professionals
to go beyond compliance and embed
competence, accountability, and
collaboration across every stage of the
building lifecycle.
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“What’s designed on paper doesn’t
always work in the heat of an incident.
Sertus Live 2 gave people a unique
chance to see that reality, to talk openly,
and to start closing the gap between
design and operational effectiveness.
That dialogue is essential if we’re
serious about safer buildings.”
An environment built for realism and
learning
Sertus Live 2 was held at the Merseyside
Fire & Rescue Service Training and
Development Academy in Aintree – a
state-of-the-art, national centre of
excellence supporting the National
Resilience Assurance Team (NRAT), UK
International Search and Rescue Team
(UKISAR), and secondary Fire Control.
Hosted by Sertus, a UK-based
manufacturer of smoke ventilation
products, the event explored one of the
industry’s most pressing challenges:
bridging the gap between design intent
and real-world 昀椀re昀椀ghter experience.
Through live smoke ventilation and 昀椀re
demonstrations, technical CPD sessions,
and honest discussion, the day exposed
a critical truth – that what’s designed and
speci昀椀ed at the top of the supply chain still
doesn’t always support those on the front
line when it matters most.
Phil Byrne, Area Manager at Merseyside
Fire & Rescue Service, commented:
Dame Judith Hackitt DBE FREng said:
The facility enables 昀椀re昀椀ghters to train
for complex high-rise and urban 昀椀re
scenarios in realistic conditions, making it
the ideal location for live smoke ventilation
demonstrations and hands-on learning.
“Real change doesn’t come from
legislation alone – it comes from
mindset. Every part of the supply chain
has a responsibility to design, specify,
and deliver with safety at its heart.
Events like Sertus Live 2 help turn that
principle into practice.”
The day’s discussions and live
demonstrations reinforced that
compliance only works when systems are
joined up – and when those designing
buildings understand how smoke control
affects 昀椀re昀椀ghter safety in real conditions.
Sertus supplied a range of smoke
ventilation products for the Academy’s
construction, all of which help simulate
real-world smoke and air昀氀ow behaviour in
a controlled environment.
