Frequently Asked Questions

BAFE is the independent third party registration body for the fire protection industry. For more than 25 years we have been devloping schemes for UKAS accredited certification bodies to assess and approve companies to recognised standards.

BAFE's objective is to bring to the marketplace a registration scheme for products or services within the fire protection industry, for which third party certification has been considered appropriate.

BAFE by adopting this principle helps the end user, whether this is a member of the public, industry, specifier or regulator to find their way through the maze of different schemes which proliferate within the industry.

All BAFE schemes have one underlying factor, that is ISO9001 or an equivalent Quality Management system and a published technical prescription to which organisations, products and services can be independently assessed.

All of the certification bodies BAFE works with are United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) approved with a scope and experience to work within the fire protection industry.

BAFE is not a Certification Body but seeks to use the best expertise in the fire protection field through voluntary co-operation, particularly with recognised UKAS certification bodies whilst, at the same time, welding the whole of the active fire protection certification field into a comprehensive national framework.

BAFE is truly independent, based in its own offices in the grounds of the Fire Service College, Moreton in Marsh, Gloucestershire.

BAFE was established in 1984 and has a Council on which are represented all major stakeholder interests, including consumer interests, enforcement authorities, insurers, certification bodies, the trade and other interested parties.

The Department of Local Government and Communities states:

“We support third party certification schemes as an effective means of assuring the quality, reliability and safety of products and services, and recognise the valuable role BAFE plays in bringing to the marketplace a recognised registration scheme for these products and services”.

Yes - all complaints must be in writing and supported by whatever evidence is available. BAFE will then investigate and report back the findings of the investigation to the originator. Complaint information in certain circumstances would also be passed to the appropriate certification body or Trading Standards for their investigation as well.

Complaints and our procedures are covered by:

1. the work of the BAFE staff -  our ISO 9001 certification 
2. the activities of BAFE Registered Companies in respect to the requirements of the schemes to which they are registered  - the relevant scheme document, or
3. misuse of BAFE logos by registered or, more often, non-registered companies - UK law and Trading Standards

There are many quality companies providing services in the fire protection industry, but customers and specifiers have no means of knowing whether your compay is one of them, unless you have a third party certification to a recognised standard. In a recent survey of 500 major specifiers of fire protection services, over 60% said that they positively used BAFE registration as a purchasing criteria and 88% knew about BAFE and its schemes. We are working hard to improve this even further.

The Department for Communities and Local Government says in their guidance notes:

'Third-party certification schemes for fire protection products and related services are an effective means of providing the fullest possible assurances, offering a level of quality, reliability and safety that non-certificated products may lack. This does not mean goods and services that are not third-party approved are less reliable, but there is no obvious way in which this can be demonstrated.'

Have a look at the schemes on this website or contact BAFE to day to find out how you can gain registration for your activities. Over 600 companies throughout the UK and N. Ireland have found BAFE registration to be a vauable tool in winning more business and assuring customers and staff of their commitment to quality.

The responsibility for fire safety in your premises falls on the 'Responsible person' - the owner or occupier. This is laid down in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order which came into force in 2006.

To ensure that you meet these responsibilities, you need to be sure that any supplier of Fire protection services has the skills and procedures to ensure that you receive the level of protection that your staff, customers and your property require.

BAFE registered companies are all assessed by UKAS accredited certification bodies to meet the requirements of the Schemes that define the standards necessary. On this website you will find the details of these schemes and the companies in your area who can provide the services that you need.

Remember - BAFE registered companies have invested in their skills so that you can meet your responsibilities.