This paper will provide the background and the implementation of an example of where the fire brigade and the industry have worked together to develop a Code of Practice that addresses a serious fire brigade concern. It also discusses how this process can be an example to the industry as to how working in a constructive method, results can be achieved that meet the objectives of the fire services as well as industry needs. This paper will give the view of both the industry participation as well as the fire brigade’s participation. Although the fire brigade's participation was not an endorsement of the use of sandwich panels as a product or a building material, the fire brigade was supportive of an industry initiative that assisted firefighters in their role.
Despite the clear benefits of using EPS sandwich panels, the adverse view of the performance of EPS ISP’s in fire was having a detrimental impact upon the take up and use of these panels. The Insulated Panel Council Australasia Incorporated (IPCA Inc) decided to take a proactive approach and undertook research and testing to clarify the true performance of EPS sandwich panels in fire to identify the true weakness and problems.
Fire brigades, both in Australia and internationally, were the most vocal in the criticism of EPS sandwich panels on fires.
The Insulated Panel Council Australasia Incorporated (IPCA Inc), after invitations from the fire brigades, decided to engage with the fire brigades to address the problem. The industry met several times with fire brigades and documented the fire brigades concerns and then worked with the fire brigades in developing solutions to the problems.
The result was the IPCA Code of Practice for the installation of Insulated Sandwich Panels which is now supported by all fire brigades in Australia and New Zealand.