Timber industry launches new fire safety website

Free-to-use resource for design, manufacture and construction professionals brings together latest information on the use of wood in construction

The timber industry has launched a comprehensive new fire safety website: Fire Safety: Wood in Construction.

It gives users a free, single point of access to information and guidance on this multi-faceted and safety-critical subject and is designed for all construction professionals.

The site has been developed as a collaborative project between Swedish Wood, Timber Development UK (TDUK) and the Structural Timber Association (STA), with a commitment to a periodic review and update curation process to reflect any changes in regulation, outcomes of latest research and industry guidance.

The information in this first iteration has been provided by technical and industry experts from the UK and Sweden, reviewed by a separate expert group drawn from the UK timber industry and independent consultants and curated by Julie Bregulla, consultant to Swedish Wood.

Fire safety design can take many different pathways, influenced by such factors as architectural vision, client demands and product choices. This site gives the user underpinning principles and approaches, as well as background references and cross-links to further advice and guidance, to provide them with context and UK industry resources in support of their wood projects.

‘The most important thing is to provide designers with the principles of timber design for fire safety, not try to do the design for them,’ says David Hopkins, CEO of TDUK. ‘We cannot stress that enough.’