UK Fire Safety Leaders Reunite for BSI Annual Conference in London

Held at the historic London headquarters of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), the conference brought together experts from regulation, industry, and academia to examine the evolving landscape of fire safety governance and standards.

The event also highlighted the leadership of Aman Sharma, CEO of Totus Digital, who serves as Chair of the BSI Fire & Built Environment Sector Policy & Strategy Committee (FSH/0), providing strategic oversight of the UK’s national fire safety standards portfolio.

The event highlighted a renewed commitment to collaboration and knowledge-sharing across the sector, as stakeholders addressed emerging challenges, regulatory reform, and the future direction of national fire safety policy.

The conference programme was headlined by Lord Andy Roe, Chair of the Building Safety Regulator, whose keynote address set a clear and challenging tone for the future of fire safety governance in the UK.

In his speech, Lord Roe emphasised the importance of robust regulatory frameworks, accountability across the built environment, and the vital role that standards play in improving safety outcomes for communities nationwide.

His address resonated strongly with attendees, highlighting both the progress made since recent regulatory reforms and the work still required to embed a culture of safety across the construction and fire protection sectors.

Inaugural Annual Report Launched

A major highlight of the conference was the publication of the first Annual Report of the BSI Fire & Built Environment Sector Policy & Strategy Committee (FSH/0).

The strategic committee, responsible for overseeing the UK’s fire safety standards portfolio, introduced the report as a new initiative aimed at improving transparency, foresight, and industry engagement.

The report outlines:

• Strategic priorities for the national fire safety standards programme
• Progress on current standards development
• Future areas of focus responding to regulatory change and emerging risk

Aman Sharma, CEO at Totus Digital said “I remain committed to publishing an Annual Report from FSH/0 to provide industry with both foresight and transparency on the direction, priorities and progress of our national fire safety standards programme.”

By making this information publicly available, BSI aims to provide the sector with greater clarity on how fire safety standards will evolve in the coming years.

The return to face-to-face engagement was widely welcomed, with many attendees noting the value of direct collaboration after several years of virtual events.

For those unable to attend the conference in person, the newly published FSH/0 Annual Report is available here: https://storage.pardot.com/35972/1769422684EZ4UBzf7/Fire_safety_Inaugural_report.pdf