Grenfell Tower probe officials attend Falcon Panel Products fire testing demo

The test at Exova in High Wycombe was witnessed by Dr Fiona Twycross, chair of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority, and Gareth Steele, a senior engineer for London Fire Brigade.

“It was great to meet Fiona and Gareth, especially to share the experience of development testing,” said Falcon technical manager Neil Harrison, adding that subjects discussed included the importance of third-party certification, regulation compliance and competence.

Peter Barker, fire safety engineering manager for International Fire Consultants, also attended. “Collaborative thinking across all sectors of the fire safety industry should be encouraged. It was a great initiative by Falcon Panel Products to engage key influencers from the wider fire safety community,” he said.

Falcon said the success enhanced the fire scope for its Stredor and Strebord door core products, this time with regard to entrance door requirements.

“The test standards have always been in place,” said Mr Harrison. “We test once or twice a month and work with our customers and other development partners to bring compliant products to the market. We do not expect everything to pass because we have to push the boundaries. It is important to work collaboratively, ensuring that any cascaded evidence is a viable solution.”

The test was co-sponsored by Sealed Tight Solutions.

“Exova is delighted to have hosted Falcon Panel Products, Fiona Twycross and Gareth Steele and for our team to have supported a successful test for our client,” said Exova’s Karen Prendergast.