The NFSN is a network that includes all UK Fire and Rescue Services, representatives from sprinkler manufacturers, installers, BAFSA and the insurance sector.

The core membership of the National Fire Sprinkler Network comprises of representatives from every Fire and Rescue Service operating within the United Kingdom. In addition, it includes representatives within Local Government Agencies, Politicians and MP’s within the English, Scottish and Welsh Parliaments.

The remaining members include national and international fire authorities and Fire Trade Associations.

Since the creation of our organisation in 1998 by our founder members, Tess Kingham (former MP for Gloucester), Peter Jones (Former CFO Gloucestershire), Peter Holland (CFO of Lancashire) and the late Bernadette Hartley (a political researcher for Tess), the NFSN membership has achieved ‘Life Safety’ successes that our founder members could only have dared to dream about.

Today, our members are actively committed to effectively working with both internal and external ‘Key Influencers’ to introduce Standards and Legislation that will safeguard people and the community from the threat of fire.

The main aims of the network are lobbying for the wider use of sprinklers, educating on the benefits of sprinklers (and myth busting), evidence gathering to support the business case for sprinklers and the provision of technical and general support to its members when dealing with queries on sprinklers.

NFSN Officials
Chair: CFO Rob Barber - Staffordshire Fire & Rescue Service
Vice Chair: Iain Cox - Business Sprinkler Alliance
Secretary: Terry McDermott
Treasurer: Toni Maddox

Executive Committee
Ronnie King (APPFRSG)
CFO J Dyson (NFCC Sprinkler lead)
Richard Clark (NFCC)
Alisdair Perry (BAFSA and Scotland)
Tom Roche (FM Global and BSA)
Roger Brason (SYFRS)
Ritchie O’Connell (Wales)
Alan Brinson (ESFN)
Iain Cox (FSF)
Steve Brailey (Armstrong Priestley)

The NFSN is chaired by a serving CFO, Rob Barber of Staffordshire providing a direct link into the NFCC at CFO level to ensuring the sprinkler agenda remains current and allowing best practice on issues such as retro fitting and sprinkler campaigns can be coordinated both across the NFCC and the NFSN network. Rob is supported by a NFCC sprinkler lead DCFO Jonathan Dyson of North Yorks FRS.  

The close relationship with NFCC has provided some excellent opportunities for joint working in recent years culminating in the production of the Reliability and Effectiveness of Sprinklers research that proved the benefits of sprinklers across a range of buildings. This research is now quoted in British Standards.

The strength of the NFSN when pursuing the wider use of sprinklers is the link to NFCC, the direct link into the All Party Group and the take up as almost all UK FRS’s as members which is a great bargaining chip when dealing Government, most recently demonstrated in the successful approach to lobbying on the lack of sprinklers in new high rise buildings.

The network meets three times a year and provides case studies on best practice and a host of support for such as, pursuing the retro fitting of sprinklers in high rise buildings. The value of the NFSN is its diverse membership and the access to experts across the field on all matters related to sprinklers.