The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) is delighted to reveal the shortlist for the ASFP Awards 2025, celebrating excellence, innovation, and leadership in the passive fire protection sector. These awards honour the individuals and organisations driving progress and raising standards across the built environment.
Marking the ASFP’s 50th anniversary, this year’s ceremony promises to be bigger and bolder than ever, with a record number of entries and a diverse range of finalists across seven categories, including:
Small Scale Installation Project of the Year (Under £1 Million)
- Checkmate Fire Solutions Ltd – Springfield Mount, University of Leeds: Delivering comprehensive passive fire protection upgrades to four adjoining Victorian terraced properties converted into student residences.
- Isoler Limited – Hedworth Court: Leading the passive fire protection upgrades by designing and installing a 120-minute pressurised shaft system, replacing and upgrading fire doors, and implementing comprehensive fire-stopping throughout a 19-storey occupied building.
- Golden Thread Fire Delay Limited – HWE HUB: Delivering full-spectrum passive fire protection, including consultancy, survey, design, supply, installation and QA, for a 3,250m² pathology and diagnostic centre in Watford, Hertfordshire, including a 930m² Containment Level 3 laboratory.
Large Scale Installation Project of the Year (Over £1 Million)
- Kilnbridge Fire Protection– Olympia: For Olympia London’s multi-plot redevelopment. Laing O’Rourke delivered over 32,000 compliant passive fire protection installations, coordinating with OFR Consultants and Kilnbridge for technical verification and standard tested details and setting a £5.5m benchmark for large-scale PFP delivery.
- R. Lewis & Co (UK) Ltd – Paragon Project: A £3m in-house project (2023–2025) delivering 9,000 m of Injectaclad, 57,000 fire seals, and seven bespoke tests to the highest standards.
- Firesafe Installations Ltd – New Everton FC Stadium: A £6m, 24-month package on Everton’s new £900m dockland stadium delivering comprehensive passive fire protection using over 40 products, from firestopping and intumescent steelwork to cavity barriers, slab edge fire breaks and high-performance seals across all structural and service interfaces.
Innovation Project of the Year
- Siderise – G-Gate Project, Olympia: Large Pleated Rainscreen Cavity Barrier, providing a bespoke 30-minute fire-resistant cavity barrier solution for the G Gate Building’s oversized triangular façade fins, integrating a stainless-steel mesh basket and custom RH Rainscreen barrier to ensure safety and compliance without overloading the system.
- Saint-Gobain Interior Solutions – Technical Insulation Training Facility for Passive Fire Protection of Ductwork: Delivering industry-leading education by combining classroom learning with hands-on training in fire-resistant ductwork systems, raising fire safety standards, and bridging the gap between regulation and real-world HVAC installation.
- Global HSE Group – Level 3 Award in Understanding and Installing Passive Fire Protection: Delivering small-group training that combines fire safety theory, practical installation, and ABBE-assessed competency to produce installers who can correctly apply passive fire systems on site.
Innovation Digital Project of the Year
- Quelfire – The QuelSelector: A free digital tool that streamlines passive fire protection decisions by linking users directly to up-to-date, tested firestopping details, replacing outdated catalogues and reducing errors across the supply chain.
- PlanRadar – UK launch of PlanRadar: A digital platform that replaces fragmented PFP documentation with a unified system for logging, tracking, and sharing fire safety data directly from site to BIM or drawings, streamlining workflows and improving compliance across all project stakeholders.
- Onetrace – Approvals (QA workflows): A digital QA workflow that replaces manual checks with a structured approval chain for passive fire protection works, enabling real-time reviews, traceable sign-offs, and full accountability across on-site teams and managers.
Marketing Campaign of the Year
- Quelfire – Because It’s Your Job to Know: A campaign designed to drive cultural change across the construction industry by making passive fire protection everyone’s responsibility.
- UKTC – Let’s learn / Let’s talk: A campaign promoting open discussion and education on fire testing and passive fire protection, simplifying standards and fostering industry collaboration to share expertise, ultimately enhancing knowledge and safety across the built environment.
- FSI – Building Movement: A campaign shining a spotlight on an overlooked but critical fire safety issue – the effect of building movement on penetration seals and the need for flexible firestopping solutions.
Supplier Relationship of the Year
- GSI Contract Services – GSI and Nullifire: This long-term partnership delivered the successful launch of GSI’s brand new training academy where Nullifire provided expert support to ensure installers receive up-to-date, manufacturer-led training and co-developed fully-tested fire protection solutions for real-world residential scenarios, showcasing shared commitment to safety, innovation and industry training.
- Swegon – Actionair by Swegon: Actionair by Swegon, a 50-year UK manufacturer of fire and smoke dampers, combines high-performance products, technical support, CPD-accredited training, and tailored project assistance to deliver compliant solutions and act as a trusted partner across complex healthcare and retrofit projects.
- Novus – Novus & Rockwool: Since 2018, Novus and ROCKWOOL have partnered to deliver passive fire protection across housing projects, combining product supply, site-specific technical support, co-developed solutions, and coordinated training to install over 2,400 compliant penetration seals in a year, including bespoke solutions for complex and high-risk settings.
Best Customer Service of the Year
- Optima Systems: OPTech, Optima’s technical customer service team, provides fast, evidence-backed guidance on passive fire protection, issuing over 700 Summaries of Compliance, handling 164 monthly enquiries, and delivering CPDs and updates to improve site compliance and customer confidence.
- SGD: SGD Fire Protection demonstrates community commitment by delivering high-quality fire protection while supporting residents and clients through practical initiatives, such as donating a defibrillator to Daisy Haye, reflecting the company’s core value of giving back.
- FSI: FSi Promat’s Technical Team delivers fast, accurate, and transparent passive fire protection advice, responding to all enquiries within 24 hours and supporting customers with compliant solutions or suitable alternatives at every stage of their projects.
- Quelfire: Quelfire’s Technical Team delivers exceptional customer service through expert, collaborative support, combining technical precision, education, and a customer-first approach that makes them trusted advisors and leaders in passive fire protection.
Rising Star of the Year
- Margherita Mullis (Product Manager, Promat): Margherita drives life-critical safety by ensuring passive fire protection products meet supply chain demands and regulatory standards, leading initiatives from EXAP testing and UKCA transition to training and product launches, and shaping both Promat’s growth and industry best practice.
- Francesca Burkey (Senior Systems Designer, Saint-Gobain): Francesca has driven innovative passive fire protection across British Gypsum and Saint-Gobain, leading industry-first fire testing of spray-applied materials, mastering complex standards, and combining technical expertise with clear communication and hands-on leadership to support colleagues and projects.
- Chloe Flowers (Assistant Compliance Manager, Isoler): Chloe has rapidly progressed from Apprentice Health & Safety Advisor to Principal Designer and now a specialist in fire safety compliance, demonstrating adaptability, technical expertise, and a commitment to raising industry standards.
We will also be announcing the winners of our Level 2 and Level 3 Academic Achievement Award, Advocate of the Year Award, and our Lifetime Contribution Award on the night.
To ensure transparency and fairness, the ASFP appointed an independent judging panel of respected experts from across the built environment. Their role is to assess all entries based solely on merit, helping shine a light on the people and organisations shaping the future of fire safety.
Commenting on the Awards, ASFP Managing Director Mike Ward declared:
“The ASFP is proud to represent all those in the passive fire community who look to evidence their commitment to improving quality, standards, and competency within the built environment by virtue of their membership of the Association.
“The pinnacle of this is those members who put forward their nominations for the ASFP awards, knowing their nomination will come under scrutiny, but having the confidence in themselves to put it forward all the same. Whether being shortlisted or winning, the mere confidence and commitment to apply is what makes the ASFP Awards such a great event.
“Thank you to all those who applied, good luck to all nominees on this, the 50th anniversary of the ASFP. It’s going to be a very special event indeed.”
The night promises to be truly unforgettable with entertainment from award-winning comedian Simon Brodkin (formerly known as Lee Nelson), as well as a luxurious lunch and drinks reception post-awards.
If you are a professional within the passive fire sector, ASFP member or non-member, this is not an event to miss. To find out more and book visit https://asfp.org.uk/page/ASFPAwards2025. For further information on ASFP training and membership visit www.asfp.org.
About the Author
Dave Staddon - Publisher
Co-Founder of MDM Publishing Ltd. He has worked in fire publishing for close to 30 years. The company's portfolio includes International Fire Protection, International Fire Fighter, Asia Pacific Fire, Gulf Fire & UK Fire.
