Peter Aldridge

National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers (NAHFO)

Peter started his career in the Royal Air Force Fire and Rescue Service, after serving 14 years and all over the world, Peter left to join the NHS at the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust. Peter started in the Trust as Fire Safety Training Officer and was promoted to Fire Safety Manager in 2008, he then was Head of Facilities, General Manager Estates and Peter is currently Associate Director of Operational Estates, Fire and Security for the Leeds Teaching hospitals NHS Trust. The Trust is one of the largest Teaching Hospitals in Europe and employs over 22,000 people and has an annual budget of over 1.3 billion.

Peter was awarded an MSc in healthcare governance in 2009 and has completed a PGC in Healthcare Leadership and Management. Peter is a Chartered Manager.

Peter is the Secretary to the National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers; this role involves working in partnership with many organisations including National fire Chiefs Council, the Dept of Health, NHSE, the Fire Protection Association, Institution of Fire Engineers, Institute of Health Estates Engineering Management and others. Through this role Peter gets an in sight into national issues with regards healthcare fire safety.

Dr Tom Brookes, MSc PhD FIET

Fire and Security Association (FSA)

Chairman of the FSA (Fire & Security Association), a specialist group within the ECA (Electrical Contractors Association).
With over 30 years of experience in fire systems, Tom Brookes is also the Managing Director of multi-award winning ZZEUS TRAINING and Lindum Fire Services Ltd.

Winner of:
1. Best of British Engineering Award 2022
2. Skills Champion 2022
3. ECA Excellence in Training & Development Award 2021
4. Best Fire and Security Project 2019
5. First Fire Alarm Chartered Engineer CEng in the UK
6. 2019 Qualification of the Year (EAL BS 5839-1 qualification)
7. Freeman of the City of London

Alan Daniels

Industry Committee for Emergency Lighting (ICEL)

Alan has worked in the emergency lighting industry for over 40 years and has experience in product and general management, as well as design and technical roles. He served as a Council Member for ICEL since the 1980s, becoming Chairman in 2021 and has been involved in the development of standards for emergency lighting in the UK and in Europe for many years.

Jamie Davis

Chartered Association of Building Engineers (CABE)

Jamie is the founder and Co-CEO of the PartB Group. Originally a practical mechanical engineer in the aviation industry, he is an experienced fire engineer with over 21 years’ experience within the fire industry. Having worked in many areas, including operational response, regulatory enforcement consulting design, Jamie now predominantly acts within the litigation field, working as an advisor and expert witness, having represented clients on many small and large scale cases both nationally and internationally.  Jamie is a Chartered Building Engineer and has represented CABE at many technical forums, in addition to previously having been a board member. He leads on all technical matters for the PartB group.

George Edwardes

Fire Protection Association (FPA) 

George joined the FPA in 2014 with experience as a research and development engineer. During his time with the organisation he has held a multitude of roles focused around managing fire tests and providing consultancy, including as Laboratory Manager, Project Manager, and Technical Consultant.

As the FPA’s Technical Director, George is responsible for collaborating with stakeholders, and directing policy development and quality assurance. He also manages the Technical Steering Group, comprising the FPA’s technical experts. George holds a BEng (Hons) in Mechanical Engineering and is currently conducting an MSc by Research, focusing on fire safety assessment tests for external cladding systems.

Richard Fogelman

National Security Inspectorate (NSI)

Richard Fogelman became Chief Executive of NSI in March 2023. Prior to joining NSI Richard spent almost a decade as CEO of a leading national charity supporting bereaved young people. He has a law degree and over 15 years’ management experience having worked in London’s financial markets at numerous banks and financial firms.
Established more than 50 years ago, NSI holds a prominent position as the UK’s premier Certification Body specialising in the security and fire safety sectors. Its UKAS-accredited certification process ensures rigorous audits of over 2000 companies annually, spanning the UK and Eire, to verify compliance with British and European standards, relevant industry codes of practice, and current legislation, playing a significant role in elevating industry standards and fostering confidence among buyers.

Darrell Gilmour

Skills for Security

Darrell Gilmour is the Director of Technical Training at Skills for Security, where he spearheads efforts to advance the expertise of future professionals in the fire and security industry. With a background as a Fire and Security Engineer, Darrell specialises in Fire & Life Safety Systems, Access Control, Intruder Alarm Systems, and IP/Network Video Surveillance. His career spans roles from field technician and design engineering to sales, business development, and now education. Darrell’s extensive experience in training and development will be showcased as a judge for the Fire Resilience Excellence Awards, where he will help recognise outstanding achievements in fire and life safety practices.

Louise Halton

Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS)

Louise Halton joined the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) in August 2019, as the Scheme Manager. Her responsibilities include managing all aspects of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme, from the day to day running of the business, to the reviewing and development of the existing scheme. Louise has worked within the regulatory, training and education sector for the last 17 years, in several key roles, including as a Vocational Qualification Assessor, Training Manager, Approved Assessment Centre Co-ordinator and Industry Database Co-ordinator. Louise has always enjoyed maintaining her continued professional development and has completed multiple vocational qualifications, including in relation to assessing and training.

Matt Hogan

The Emergency Planning Society

Matt is Deputy Head of the London Resilience Unit, where he is responsible for the secretariat function of the London Resilience Forum, leading governance and strategy across London’s resilience partnership of 184 organisations.

His 18-year career in UK emergency management has seen him work in a variety of public authority sectors including, local government, NHS and fire. He spent 6 years supporting the response and recovery from the Grenfell Fire tragedy and remains involved as an ex-officio advisor to the Grenfell Memorial Commission to help the community determine a lasting memorial. He has supported strategic multi agency response to Operation London Bridge, the Croydon tram crash in 2016, and public disorder across sites in London in 2011 as well as frequent weather-related incidents. 

Matt is passionate about improving equity in emergency management and response. He champions initiatives which seek to mitigate the disproportionate impacts that emergencies can inflict on individuals and community groups. He has contributed significantly as an author in “When This Is Over: Reflections on an Unequal Pandemic” and has a peer-reviewed book chapter (Routledge Studies in Hazards, Disaster Risk and Climate Change) in press for later in 2024 which focuses on inclusion and allyship within UK emergency planning

Jules King

Women in the Fire Service UK (WFS)

Jules is the Chair of Women in the Fire Service UK (WFS) and worked for East Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (ESFRS) for 30 years completing her career as the Assistant Director for People Services

She has been involved with WFS for over 20 years and attended the very first ‘Networking Women in the Fire Service’ conference in 1996.

Jules joined the Fire and Rescue Service in 1994, originally being posted to Eastbourne Fire Station. Since then she has worked at various locations across the county in different roles.

Away from work, she loves being outdoors and spending many happy hours on the South Downs with her family. She is also part of a gender inclusion network in East Sussex which supports and compliments the work of WFS

Stewart Langdown

Industry Committee for Emergency Lighting (ICEL)

Stewart Langdown is a seasoned professional in the lighting industry, renowned for his exceptional contributions and expertise in lighting control. With more than 30 years of experience, he has established himself as a leading figure in this field.

Stewart’s journey in the industry began with a foundation in Electronics and Construction before venturing into the lighting industry. Stewart’s career has been heavily focused on Business Development, where he has been instrumental in introducing innovative Lighting technologies to new markets. Additionally, Stewart has a great passion for sustainable lighting which is evident in his advocacy efforts, as he continuously works to raise awareness about the benefits of smart technology and the importance of selecting appropriate technology to enhance building longevity.

Dr Justin Maltby-Smith CEng FIET CMgr FCMI

British Approvals for Fire Excellence (BAFE)

Justin Maltby-Smith joined the BAFE Fire Safety Register as Group Managing Director in January 2022. Prior to this appointment Justin had an esteemed career in the electrotechnical sector holding senior positions within leading certification bodies, NAPIT and Certsure/NICEIC. Justin is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and has been a member of a variety of National Technical Standards committees since 2009. He is passionate about education and improving technical standards within the UK.

In addition to their work with the BAFE Fire Safety Register Justin is also the Managing Director for FireQual, which has been set up as a specialist Awarding Organisation for the fire sector. FireQual develop and provide nationally recognised Ofqual and SQA Regulated Qualifications in multiple areas of fire safety. 

Steve McGuirk

Fire Sector Federation (FSF)

Steve had a distinguished forty-year career in the Fire and Rescue Service, leading three different Services over a seventeen-year period as a chief fire officer, before retiring as the Chief Fire Officer of Greater Manchester in 2015. Since then, he has undertaken a portfolio career, but remained very much involved with the fire sector. This has entailed undertaking several, significant consulting assignments in the UK and internationally but, primarily, he has been an expert witness to the Grenfell Tower Public Inquiry since 2017. He took over as the Executive Officer for the Fire Sector Federation in May of 2023.

Ian Moore

Fire Industry Association (FIA)

Ian is currently the Chief Executive Officer of the Fire Industry Association (FIA). The FIA, with over 1,100+ member companies, is a not-for-profit trade association with the aim of promoting the professional status of the UK fire safety industry; all of its members hold 3rd party accreditation. As Europe’s largest trade association for the fire safety industry, the FIA’s main objective is to promote the professional standards of the fire industry through close liaison and lobbying with Government and key organisations in the industry. In addition, the FIA trains over 5,000 professionals per year to a nationally recognised level. In the last year, the FIA have recently opened a Centre of Excellence in Northwich and an overseas branch in Cyprus.

Ian started his career in the Royal Navy, followed by the Sultan of Oman’s forces, Chubb, Cerberus (Taiwan and UAE), Zellweger Analytics, Detector Technologies and Elmdene.

Mark Palmer

Fire & Rescue Services Association (FRSA)

Mark Palmer FRSA President / Watch Manager Devon & Somerset FRS

Joined Devon Fire Brigade 16th December 1985 as a retained Firefighter. August 2011 following several temporary roles achieved a full-time training role at the joint fire service training centre in Bristol. August 2014 returning to Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFRS) as a quality assurance of training and accreditation officer.

In 2017-18 representing the FRSA and DSFRS on the trailblazer group for the operational firefighter apprenticeship.

Working with the NFCC designing a on call firefighter apprenticeship and running a trial in Devon and Somerset FRS, Enables On-Call firefighters to achieve the operational firefighter apprenticeship.

Ali Parry

British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association (BAFSA)

Ali runs his own consultancy, is the Chief Executive of BAFSA and member of the Industry Competence Committee. Prior to establishing his consultancy in 2023 Ali served for 29 years in the Fire Service, retiring in January 2023 as the Deputy Assistant Chief Officer for Prevention and Protection with responsibility for Fire engineering, Fire Investigation, Fire Safety Enforcement and Community Safety Engagement across Scotland.

As CEO of BAFSA Ali is committed to increasing the understanding of and requirement for fire suppression in the built environment and help to ensure the continual improvement of the competence of those within the industry.

Ruth Ripley

Security Industry Federation (SIF)

Ruth is a dedicated security professional with a passion for promoting gender diversity and inclusivity in the industry. With a background in teaching Religious Education, Ethics, and Philosophy, Ruth began her career in education before transitioning to security. She has served as the UK Event Security Manager for the Walt Disney Company on behalf of Wilson James and is currently making significant contributions as the Event Security Contract Manager for the Southbank Centre on behalf of Carlisle Support Services.

In her various roles, Ruth has taken charge of overseeing security operations and managing risk for major events, ensuring the safety and security of all attendees and personnel. Her experience as the UK Event Security Manager for the Walt Disney Company and Security Manager for FGH Security has honed her expertise in event security and risk mitigation, enabling her to skilfully navigate the complexities of large-scale gatherings.

In addition to her work in the security industry, Ruth is also a co-chair of the Women’s Security Society, a UK-based organisation where she actively promotes the professional development of women working in security-related roles and campaigns for gender equality within the industry. She is also the General Secretary of the Security Industry Federation where she helps support front line officers and takes charge of the day-to-day operations.

Ruth has established herself as a respected figure within the security industry, and her dedication to her work has been recognised through her nomination as a finalist for the Women in Security’s Security Manager of the Year award. Ruth’s focus on building a more diverse and inclusive industry underscores her commitment to fostering a more equitable and supportive community of security professionals and her commitment to advancing gender diversity and equity within security, combined with her experience and expertise, make her a valuable asset.

Keith Strugnell

Security Systems and Alarms Inspection Board (SSAIB)

Keith Strugnell joined SSAIB in January 2004 as an auditor for security systems. He expanded his role to include auditing fire schemes and became the scheme manager for Fire Systems. With over 36 years of experience in the fire and security industry, Keith oversees the BAFE SP203-1 Fire Detection and Fire Alarm Systems scheme, the BAFE SP101 Portable Fire Extinguisher scheme, and the BAFE SP205 Fire Risk Assessment scheme. He also represents SSAIB on several British Standards Institute Technical committees and BAFE committees.

David White

Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM)

David White is a renowned fire safety professional who has spent over three decades in the industry. He is a former president and current chairman of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM), one of the most prestigious and respected organisations in the field of fire safety.

Throughout his career, David has been instrumental in promoting and improving fire safety standards in various industries, including healthcare and education. In addition to his work with the IFSM, David has been involved in various other fire safety organisations and initiatives. He is a frequent speaker at conferences and seminars and has published several articles on fire safety-related topics.