News

New Fire Damper course developed by Swift Fire Compliance and BESA

Leading fire safety experts, Swift Fire Compliance, has partnered with BESA to launch a new Fire Damper Inspection and Maintenance Course. Designed to provide facilities managers, building services engineers and professionals within the fire stopping industry, with the knowledge and practical skills to inspect and maintain fire dampers, the new course aligns with recently updated BESA DW145 and National Occupational Standard BSEFSD04.

Following the launch of the Building Safety Act in 2022, compliance measures relating to fire dampers have tightened, most recently with a complete overhaul of DW145 in 2024/2025, which has led to significant implications for building services contractors and maintenance teams. To comply with BESA’s standard for the installation and maintenance of these critical fire safety assets, fire dampers must be accessible, tested and inspected annually, with up-to-date digital records, including photographic evidence. Digital records are essential to the ‘Golden Thread’, vital information regarding system design and maintenance; a key part of the Building Safety Act.

Fire dampers are crucial to mitigating damage and danger, slowing down the spread fire and smoke in the event of disaster. Despite their importance, however, less than 1% of buildings comply with the fundamentals of DW145 and 70% of fire dampers fail on their first inspection.

Abbey Maxwell, Director of Shared Services for Swiftclean, and a contributor to the Fire Damper Inspection and Maintenance Course’s development, said: “It’s clear from BESA’s figures that the majority of existing commercial buildings in the UK need to be brought up to scratch when it comes to fire safety. We are delighted therefore, to be able to deliver this new course to our customers, responding to the urgent requirement for technical competence and more rigorous safety practices, further strengthening our commitment to supporting businesses in our sector to meet the highest levels of compliance, improving building safety overall.”

Find out more about the course and book your place, here: https://www.swiftclean.co.uk/fire-damper-awareness-training/

Course overview

The Fire Damper Inspection and Maintenance course is EAL approved, delivered as a hybrid of online learning and practical training at Swiftclean’s Training Academy in Southend on Sea.

Areas covered, include:

Principles and Practice of Fire Damper, Smoke Damper and Ventilation Systems
Legislation, Guidelines, Policies, Procedures and Protocols
Design Awareness
Installation Awareness
Preparation for Inspection and Maintenance
Inspection and Testing
Maintenance and Faults
Handover

Candidates will be required to demonstrate competence through a written knowledge check, supervised practical assessment and a portfolio, showcasing practical skills and knowledge in the inspection, testing and maintenance of fire dampers in accordance with UK legislation and recognised industry guidance. The portfolio must contain fire damper inspection and maintenance activities from the workplace.

On successful completion, candidates will receive an EAL certificate which can be used to apply for the Blue Skilled Worker SKILLcard.

Course prerequisites:

The course is designed for candidates who are currently involved in fire damper inspection or related roles, with suitable experience in the HVAC, Facilities Management and/or fire stopping.

All trainees must have an up-to-date Health & Safety Test. This can be completed online through the BESA Academy prior to training.