Since the tragic Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, which claimed 72 lives and shook the very foundations of the UK’s approach to building safety, a transformation has swept through the country’s construction and property sectors. Fire safety is no longer a box-ticking exercise—it's become a fundamental duty, a topic of daily conversation, and a rallying point for professionals determined to prevent such a disaster from ever happening again. In the wake of Grenfell, events across the North West of England this September are shining a spotlight on the urgent need for education, collaboration, and real-world solutions.
Two major events are leading the charge. In Liverpool, Frank Rogers—one of the city’s best-known building contractors—is hosting a CPD-accredited seminar and workshop, "Beyond the Frame: Fire Door Safety in Practice," on September 24 in Bury. According to LBNDaily, the event is timed to coincide with Fire Door Safety Week and is tailored for professionals responsible for fire safety, compliance, and asset management across housing, education, and commercial sectors. The aim? To equip attendees with the knowledge and hands-on skills needed to keep buildings—and the people inside them—safe.
Frank Rogers’ commitment to fire safety isn’t just theoretical. Its FR Fire Protection division recently completed a full replacement of 488 fire door sets in a Cardiff student accommodation project, a mammoth £800,000 undertaking that wrapped up this month. This division has also been shortlisted for the National Building & Construction Awards in the Digital Construction category, thanks to its innovative approach to integrating technology into fire safety—a testament to the sector’s growing embrace of digital solutions. Those awards are set to take place in October, and the recognition marks a significant achievement for the Liverpool-based firm.
“People taking part in this seminar will gain CPD points, be able to network with peers and industry specialists, and have the opportunity to benchmark their organisation’s current compliance approach against best practice,” Jay Sefton, head of fire door compliance at FR Fire Protection, told LBNDaily. “We are now in a new era of fire safety and our industry needs to keep it firmly at the top of the agenda. We believe people will find this event invaluable and help them to provide robust compliance.”
Attendees at the Bury seminar will delve into a range of critical topics. Interactive sessions will review the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Fire Safety Act 2021, and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022, with a focus on the practical duties of Responsible Persons and Duty Holders. There’s also a unique opportunity to observe FR Fire Protection operatives as they complete a three-day fire door installation training course—offering a rare, real-time glimpse into best practices and hands-on competence. The workshops, led by FIRAS-accredited specialists, will cover everything from ironmongery and intumescent products to glazing and compartmentation. Tickets, as of the article’s publication, are limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Meanwhile, just a week earlier, Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall is playing host to another landmark event: "Building Safety Act: what have we learned and what comes next?" Presented by Place North West and Project Four Building Safety Experts, this all-day workshop on September 18 is designed for professionals across the built environment who are determined to deliver safe, high-quality buildings in the post-Grenfell era. As Place North West reports, the event promises to "cut through the noise" of new regulations, providing straight answers, real insight, and shared solutions for navigating the Building Safety Act’s complex requirements.
What sets this event apart is its emphasis on peer-to-peer honesty and practical frameworks. Rather than relying on endless PowerPoint slides, the workshop focuses on real-world knowledge, shared challenges, and building solutions together. Attendees will learn how to plan, design, and deliver with confidence under the Building Safety Act, navigate the Gateway 1 and Gateway 2 processes, and build safety case strategies that actually work. The event also addresses compliance, project cashflow management, upskilling teams and clients, and crafting smart frameworks for Safety Knowledge, Experience, and Behaviours (SKEB).
The speaker lineup reads like a who’s who of the UK’s building safety movement. Peter Apps, author of the Orwell Prize-winning Show Me the Bodies: How We Let Grenfell Happen, will share his hard-won insights from years of reporting on dangerous cladding and high-rise building safety. Kuli Bajwa, founder of Pareto Projects, brings her experience navigating Building Safety Act compliance for major developments across the country. Al Beevers, leading the Construction Leadership Council’s working group on Gateway 2, and Colin Blatchford-Brown, a technical advisor at Project Four, offer expertise honed in the heart of the regulatory process. Other speakers include Andy Cox of Trigon, Emma Evans of Bexley Beaumont, Helen Gribbon of Renaissance Associates, Max King of Muse, Joel Lewis of Greystar, Chris O’Regan of the Building Safety Advisory Panel, Mo Shana’a of Morta Technology, Aman Sharma of Totus Digital, and Mark Snelling of Safetymark Consultancy Services.
“This isn’t just a gathering. It’s a turning point. Let’s stop talking in circles. Let’s build what’s next – together,” the event organizers urge in their call to action. Tickets are priced at £88 plus VAT and include breakfast, lunch, and networking breaks—an added incentive for professionals eager to connect and share best practices.
Both events reflect a wider shift in how the UK’s construction and property sectors are responding to the lessons of Grenfell. The Government has prioritized fire safety, enacting sweeping reforms and demanding higher standards. The Building Safety Act has introduced new responsibilities for developers, designers, asset managers, and building owners, with the Gateway process acting as a series of critical checkpoints from early design through to building management. Compliance is no longer just a legal requirement—it’s a moral imperative, and the stakes have never been higher.
For many in the sector, the challenge lies not just in understanding the regulations, but in translating them into everyday practice. That’s why the focus of these events is so important: practical, actionable advice; real-world skills; and a commitment to learning from each other’s experiences. Whether it’s mastering the intricacies of fire door installation or building a robust safety case strategy, the emphasis is on doing the work—not just talking about it.
It’s also about fostering a culture of continuous improvement. As new technologies emerge and standards evolve, professionals are expected to keep pace, upskill, and share their knowledge. The recognition of Frank Rogers’ FR Fire Protection division for digital innovation underscores the sector’s growing reliance on technology to streamline compliance and enhance safety. Meanwhile, the breadth of expertise on display at the Manchester event—from legal and regulatory specialists to engineers and digital innovators—demonstrates the multidisciplinary approach needed to tackle such a complex challenge.
In the end, the message is clear: fire safety is everyone’s responsibility, and there’s no room for complacency. As the industry gathers in Bury and Manchester this September, the hope is that these events will not only inform and inspire, but also drive lasting change—so that the lessons of Grenfell are never forgotten, and the safety of residents and workers remains front and center in every project, large or small.