Blue News Summer Edition 2022-2023
It has been longer than expected since our last newsletter! We have had an incredibly busy few months and it seems like it was the beginning of Spring only yesterday and now it is the start of Summer!
There have been some changes in the industry which we will touch on briefly. We have included some handy links too, so if you wish to dive into the legislation changes you can. We will always keep you abreast of any changes which impact your business – these changes will potentially impact some of our clients but for now, we are just keeping a close eye on what will be required.
Blue News
New Contracts
We are extremely proud to announce that following two separate detailed and exhaustive tender processes, we have been engaged by Programmed Facility Maintenance (PFM) to support them with contracts at Melbourne Water and Melbourne Airport.
We have serviced many Melbourne Water sites for a number of years and have well-established relationships with key stakeholders. We also work very closely with PFM, so when they were engaged as Melbourne Water’s Facility Manager, we worked with PFM to take them through the many challenges and complexities of the extensive fire systems throughout the Melbourne Water networks. We are delighted to have successfully won the tender and be awarded the contract to include all essential safety measure testing and servicing including additional sites to our previous contracts.
For the past 5 years, we have been contracted to service many airside areas and Terminal buildings directly to Melbourne Airport, so it was a natural fit for us to leverage our extensive site & systems knowledge when bidding for the Landside services, managed by Programmed Facility Management (PFM).
Blue Fire is grateful to Programmed Facility Management for the opportunity to support them with both contracts and we look forward to a long fruitful relationship as we provide premium services to our shared clients and end users.
More New Recruits
We are thrilled to be growing our team again – we are extremely proactive in ensuring that our team is always growing to accommodate all new business and provide solid training and career paths for all of our existing employees.
Most recently, we have added five talented recruits to the Blue Fire Systems family:
Meryl Atton
John Templeton
Toby Perez
Nhan Than
Najeeb Husain
They have been warmly welcomed into Blue Fire fold and have begun their training with the various service and project teams. They are a great addition to our team and will provide additional support to our existing team of experienced and talented technicians.
Blue Social Club
One of many ways we actively promote a healthy and enjoyable work environment is via our Blue Social Club. Recently we organised a trip on the appropriately named, Blues Train as well as a lap of Port Philip Bay. We were picked up from our office in Mount Waverley and travelled down to Queenscliff where we boarded the Blues Train – a gorgeous old steam train travelling along the heritage Bellarine Railway. The trip went for several hours and at each stop, we changed carriage and were entertained by a different band. When it was all over, the bus took us to the ferry across to Sorrento and then up to the Rosebud Hotel for dinner before being dropped off back at the office. We all had such a great day and can highly recommend this as a terrific team-building experience.
Blue Training
Blue Fire Training Sessions
Training at Blue Fire has continued at pace throughout recent months with the vast majority of our team attending at least one training session each month. The training was again conducted in our expansive training room located at our head office in Mount Waverley.
Topics covered over recent months include:
Routine Inspection and Testing - Passive Elements
Routine Inspection and Testing - Baseline Data
Installation & Commissioning of Advanced VESDA systems
Routine Inspection and Testing – 5 Yearly Tests
Installation Skills - Basic
Blue Fire has also undertaken a major training exercise for a limited number of highly skilled technicians in the development and programming of Blue Fire’s Fire Control Graphics software package. This training has seen technicians spend 3 full days at our training facility, utilising our dedicated off-site system, which can mimic key customer installations, without having to connect to their systems and removes all risk of inadvertent outcomes.
Brainsweet
It is important to us to provide a really rounded learning environment as well as a positive workplace. So in August, the entire Blue Fire team were brought together to hear a powerful presentation from the amazing Clare Linane of BrainSweet, where Clare walked us through her personal battle with depression and low mental health.
Clare Linane, BrainSweet
Suffering from depression since she was 17 years of age, Clare delivered a powerful session that highlighted the triggers and causes of mental illness and some of the signs to look out for, as well as some practical guidance on how to manage and treat the symptoms.
We are so very grateful to have had this opportunity and the entire team pass on their thanks to Clare for so bravely telling her story. We would also like to pass on our thanks to Murray Smallhorn of Melbourne Airport who assisted with arranging the day and was kind enough to take the time to attend Clare’s presentation.
We cannot recommend Clare enough to other organisations that wish to assist their teams in developing skills and knowledge outside of their business’s traditional learning environment.
You can learn more about the great work that BrainSweet does by clicking on the link below
INDUSTRY NEWS
Victorian Building Act Amended
In June 2022, the Building, Planning and Heritage Legislation Amendment (Administration and Other Matters) Bill 2022 was introduced into the Victorian Parliament. This bill proposes amendments to several acts and the thrust of these amendments is to update the role of Building Surveyors and practitioners including the appointment of a State Building Surveyor who will act as the State’s leading building surveying technical expert.
Other key changes include enabling a wider range of circumstances in which the cladding levy can provide support to owners not previously eligible to receive funding along with changes to the preparation, and approval of a building manual for a certain class of building before occupancy permits can be issued.
The practical effect of these changes is yet to be determined, particularly as it relates to the certification of fire systems. Blue Fire will continue to monitor these changes and provide further updates as required.
Click to read explanatory memorandum for the bill.
Portable Fire Extinguishers for Lithium Battery Risks
Standards Australia is currently reviewing the compliance of fire extinguishers being sold in the Australian market as Lithium or Li-Ion Fire extinguishers. The Technical Advisory Committee is currently working on updating AS1851 and has released a Technical Advisory Note which provides clarity on their compliance.
Given the increasing prevalence of the use of Lithium-Ion batteries and fire investigators reporting a rise in fires relating to these batteries, we expect changes to multiple Australian Standards to cater for this growing risk.
Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Update
The last round of TAC meetings for 2022 were held during November with the next TAC meeting scheduled for December. For an outline of all the committee updates including Special Interest Groups update, click below.
Australian Standards Update
A number of fire protection-related standards are being developed at Standards Australia. These include: Maritime Structures, Electric Vehicle Operations, Fire Detection & Alarm Systems, Automatic fire sprinkler installations, Fire Safety, Construction in Bushfire Prone Areas, Fire Protection of Mobile and Transportable Equipment, Photoluminescent Exit Signage, and gas cylinders.
Current status of these can be found via the link below. At all times, the team at Blue Fire will contact you directly when any changes or updates effect your business.
FPAA News
Fire Australia 2023 Conference and Tradeshow
Wednesday 3 May 2023 – Friday 5 May 2023.
One of the most important events in the fire protection industry calendar, Fire Australia will be returning to the International Convention Centre in Sydney in 2023. For more information, see below.
Do you have any topics you would like to be covered in Blue News? Or any further questions about any elements of fire systems, your friendly Blue team member will be happy to assist.
We would like to take this opportunity to wish you and your families, the very best for the coming festive season. May it be filled with joy and spending time with loved ones.
And remember, we are here for you when you need it most. Always.
Kind Regards
David Nuttall
Managing Director
