Speakers

Rob Holland

A New Code of Practice for Passive Fire System Inspections

After presenting at last year's conference on this topic and the several discussions that ensued, a working group was convened by Rob to prepare this new document which aims to not only improve building safety but also assist Building Owner's and IQPs to carry out more effective building inspections. This new Code of Practice gives a simple methodology for assessing the passive fire systems present in a building and planning the most cost-effective inspection of those systems based on the risk profile of the building.

Rob is a Chartered Professional Fire Engineer and Director of Nelligan Consulting Engineers, a consultancy firm based on Auckland's North Shore. He has worked in the fire safety industry for the last 16 years across a wide range of residential, commercial and industrial projects. As part of his work, he has helped many clients with assessing passive fire defects and formulating a scope of work on a risk-based approach. These projects include a 40-storey building in Auckland's CBD and a 6-storey hotel. For the last 2-3 years he has been talking to many IQP and building compliance firms about passive fire and how best to improve the safety of our buildings and is looking forward to once again presenting on this important topic.

Michael Belsham

Role of IQP in awareness and assessment of fire hazards in existing buildings.

Fire safety in buildings goes beyond specified systems. Existing buildings can present numerous fire hazards that pose significant risks to occupants, building owners, and firefighters. Common hazards include improper storage, ignition risks, and hazardous substances. Under the Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ) Regulations and the Health and Safety at Work (HSW) Act, it is a legal requirement to manage these fire hazards, with all parties bearing a duty of care.

Independent Qualified Persons (IQPs) are in a unique position to identify and address these fire hazards during building inspections. Mitigating fire hazards is crucial not only for the safety of building owners but also for the wider community. One effective approach is through fire risk assessments, a simple yet powerful tool for recognizing hazards and evaluating risks based on their likelihood and potential consequences.

This presentation will explore common fire hazards found in buildings and provide an overview of risk assessment methodologies. It will emphasize the shared responsibility under the HSW Act to recognize and report fire hazards with the principle: "If you see something, say something."

Michael is an experienced Chartered Professional Fire Engineer with more than 25 years of expertise in Fire Safety Engineering. He holds a Master's degree in Fire Engineering from the University of Canterbury, where he was among the first graduates of the institution's Fire Engineering program. Michael has worked extensively throughout New Zealand before relocating to Scotland in 2006. After returning to New Zealand in 2014, he contributed as a fire engineer for the MBIE Fire Programme Review. In 2020, Michael founded Belsham Fire Ltd, his own consultancy firm, providing specialized fire engineering design, peer review, and training services across the country. His areas of expertise include modular construction and electric vehicle safety. In addition to his consultancy work, Michael teaches courses for the Diploma of Building Survey (Level 6) and Bachelor of Building Survey (Level 7) and is the lead lecturer for the New Zealand Diploma of Engineering (Fire Engineering).

John Lucas

Insurance Council NZ

Prashant Patel 

Seismic Restraint of Non-structural Elements in Buildings - Building Services

Non-structural element seismic design is governed and ruled by The Building Act and Building Code B1 – Structure. The main applicable standards are but not limited to,

1. NZS 4219: 2009 Seismic performance of engineering systems in buildings
2. NZS 1170.5: 2004 Part 5: Earthquake actions – New Zealand

NZBC B1 requires all building elements to have a low probability of failure when subjected to earthquake loads during the life of a building in new Zealand.

We will discuss over the general requirements of the seismic designs for the known building services parts and equipment such as; HVAC ducts, cable trays, diffusers, pipework etc.

Prashant arrived in New Zealand over 21 years ago (2003) from Mumbai, India as a Mechanical Engineer. Having completed various trainings on Mechanical, Smoke Control, Fire Protection, Electrical and Seismic sectors.

Since arriving in NZ, Prashant's experience includes working as a Council, Contractor and Consultant with various employers such as but not limited to, Auckland Council, Auckland DHB, Consulting organizations dealing with mechanical, fire and structure engineering disciplines as a Mechanical/Fire Technical Consultant. Currently the owner and partner of Building & Engineering Services , Nexus Building & Fire Services, Mechanical Services Solutions and some other companies; serving throughout New Zealand for engineering and consulting services for Mechanical, Fire / Smoke control and Seismic related building services. Prashant is a current member of Engineering NZ, SFPE, IRHACE, ASHRAE, SESoc, International Association of Engineers and also a council approved IQP and PS author for various specified systems for different councils.