The Pivotal Role CPD Plays in Updates to BS 5839-1:2025 & New Fire Risk Assessment Legislation
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) plays a pivotal role in the fire industry. This has been solidified following the newly updated BS 5839-1:2025.
The standard now describes a competent person as the following: "A person, suitably trained and qualified by knowledge and practical experience, and provided with the necessary instructions, to enable the required task(s) to be carried out correctly."
NOTE: Maintenance of competence is likely to require continuing professional development (CPD).
This is a huge milestone for CPD as the certification is now truly embedded within learning in the fire industry. We have released our updated BS 5839-1:2025 pocket guide that has been designed to be your on-the-go access to essential information to ensure the standard is being met.
With new legislation from the Home Office and the MHCLG coming into effect, future Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) works must be carried out by a UKAS-certified body . At present, this requires compliance with the BAFE SP205 scheme, where works are subject to audit and authors undergo peer review to ensure CPD, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks, and Professional Indemnity (PI) insurance.
Any FRA undertaken outside of third-party certification loses statutory legal defence. In such cases, the responsible person cannot rely on the provider if a report is deemed inadequate by enforcement authorities. Furthermore, companies or individuals relying solely on trade body membership that is not UKAS-accredited may now be considered as failing to meet the required threshold of competence, as recognised by magistrates and coroners.
As an Apollo partner, Veritas is fully accredited under the BAFE SP205 scheme and operates on a nationwide basis. This partnership enables Apollo contractors and end users to access FRA reporting delivered within an independently audited and approved framework. This ensures that reports fully meet all mandatory requirements regarding life safety provision and that the individual authors are personally accredited and qualified to undertake such work.
With more than a decade of experience in FRA and life safety support across a wide variety of commercial premises, Veritas brings trusted expertise to the Apollo Partner Network . Together, we provide our customers with the assurance that their compliance responsibilities-set out in the 2006 Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order and reinforced through the 2023 Fire Safety Act updates – are being met to the highest possible standard.
At Apollo we have a commitment to keeping people safe from fire and therefore provide our customers (and whoever else would like to learn) with the knowledge they need to excel in our industry. Designed especially for you by our in-house expert team, we offer a wide range of industry focused CPD’s hosted every fortnight and product webinars available on demand: Fire Safety CPD’s | Apollo Fire Detectors