FIA Training

[uksparks]

Hi,

i just did FIA Unit 1 yesterday and Unit 5 today.

i just thought I'd let me know it's worth every penny and a very full day packed with information. You do 7 tests throughout the day of approx 9 questions each, need. 75% to pass.

Each day was structured very well and you also come away with approx a 70 page A4 book with the course material in.

The instructor was Angus Stone. A very nice bloke with about 30 years fire experience and very knowledgable and delivered the course in a fantastic way, very easy to listen to and very approachable.

I am really pleased I did them and have booked I to a few more since getting home.

 

[gutterball]

how clued up on alarms do you have to be before you attend? is it for those with experience, or like me with just general knowledge.

 

[Poult12]

You dont have to know anything about fire alarms at all. These units are designed to make you aware of how they should be installed and what types of categories and such are split into.
Although it would be a good idea if you had some knowledge of the fire alarm systems.
The tests are all open book anyways - if you take in the knowledge of whats being said during the course (going through the sections of the books bit by bit) you should have no problems.

Tazz i hope would back me when i say these courses do help.

 

[uksparks]

I didn't know anything about alarms and at present don't intend to touch them but I've just done it for the added knowledge and string in the bow feather in cap etc.

there was 12 of us today and 4 of the people who were fire alarm engineers failed it. I got 91% today so passed as you only need 75%.

it was extremely informative and feel I certainly know a lot more than I did. It doesn't make me a competent person but it's certainly a starting point for anything that I may look at in the future .

 

[tazz]

Totally, Never heard of anyone not enjoying the courses.....Well done UKsparks, hope it was a eye opener into what is expected.

 

[Poult12]

4 fire alarm engineers FAILED is the biggest eye opener in this whole topic!! Thats poor...

Forget to say well done on attending and completing buddy.

 

[uksparks]

Yes it was an eye opener, I think I was the only one paying off my own back opposed to a company paying , at £240 + vat per day it's not cheap, but strangely I don't feel in the slightest ripped off.

they are recognised training modules and think it's worth it, I guess it's enhanced my knowledge and made me more competent to a degree.

i think if I have to ever get a job it might just make the difference if it came to it.

 

[tazz]

4 fire alarm engineers FAILED is the biggest eye opener in this whole topic!! Thats poor

Thats bad, but you may find they have no electrical experience either, and that contributes alot

 

[shanky887614]

4 fire alarm engineers FAILED is the biggest eye opener in this whole topic!! Thats poor

were they adt by any chance?

the only firm ive seen 6 people to pull in 1 fp over 10m

 

[uksparks]

I know, shocking isn't it . I have to say it wasn't easy as such but wasn't challenging particularly. If I can pass it with no prior experience someone who works with it should easily be able to pass it, kind of says a lot.

 

[shanky887614]

I know, shocking isn't it . I have to say it wasn't easy as such but wasn't challenging particularly. If I can pass it with no prior experience someone who works with it should easily be able to pass it, kind of says a lot.

i think i might have a look at doing this course eventually then it seems a real eye opener, the only thing we usually deal with is just an interface box

 

[tazz]

I know, shocking isn't it . I have to say it wasn't easy as such but wasn't challenging particularly. If I can pass it with no prior experience someone who works with it should easily be able to pass it, kind of says a lot.

Well if there just told to wire the brown to the brown...and the blue to bits...then they are like sheep following the engineer

 

[uksparks]

I don't know where they were from.

yes my electrical experience may have helped but I think the only bit was the fact that I already knew about different categories or alarms and the definitions etc.

I do t think any if the course , either of them looked at or discussed anything to do with the fixed wiring, it was very focused just on the detection design and maintenance of the systems.

 

[tazz]

Anything you didnt unerstand

 

[uksparks]

I have to say you may recall a thread on here a while back I started about a company who wanted done lighting and new ceiling but had three detectors and a sounder that needed moving and temporarily disconnecting for a few days... Well I'm glad I didn't touch it as I doubt that I would have been able to reconnect it it correctly, not only that I being the last to touch it would have been liable for it, and I wouldn't have had a clue what paper work if any to issue after fiddling with it.

its quite a mine field really.

 

[uksparks]

I can honestly say I could relate to all of it pretty well, I even understood the bit about how to calculate the size of the battery etc, it's all relatively straight forward but just lots of bits to take in.

Like me I say it's a stepping stone to something I may look at in the future and will certainly help at somepoint.

im booked on the inspection and testing module in September and the domestic one that looks at the link between part 6 and part 1 in flats etc in October.

 

[tazz]

If you understand how the system detects, and monitors, then this helps a lot, I not sure if they cover this on the course

 

[Paul.M]

Well done UKsparks, a very interesting thread and one I will be adding to my subscription. Just started to revise FA's and doing my first design this/next week with the gaffer holding my hand lol.

 

[gutterball]

Thanks guys, I had looked at it before but didn't know if it was for professionals or someone like me just trying to gain more experience/Knowledge of the subject. Just had a look and the nearest ones to me are in October.

Tazz do you recommend the 1,4,5 combined course or separate modules.

 

[tazz]

Each course is only one day, and a lot is crammed to them, so would suggest one at a time.

 

[uksparks]

I am doing them separately, but it was just chance that 1 and 5 were back to back.

I would imagine it would be beneficial and kep your brain fresh to do it over three days, but you will probably feel slightly drained by the end.

Ill do mofule 4 and 11 over sep and oct, thn see how I feel about 2, 3 and 6.

 

[uksparks]

As tazz says, a huge amount is crammed in to a day, we covered 72 pages yesterday and about the same today.

 

[gutterball]

I'll maybe look at just the 1st one then the older I get the longer it takes for things to sink in.

 

[Poult12]

Had to travel to cheltenham unit 1 tuesday then London unit 5 on wednesday.

Takes it out of you with 9-5 sitting in some uncomfortable chair!!

 

[uksparks]

I did these in Birmingham, they seem to fill up very quick so if there's space near you book it.

 

[uksparks]

Two of the people today came from Plymouth as the onpany they work for said they had to do it before the end of the year and this was the last available one I think, they couldn't get in at the Plymouth one.

 

[Harni]

Fantastic courses these are. Well worth the money and don't forget if your company are members of FIA, they get about £100 off the fee i think!

I found when i did mine (was all fire alarm engineers in there) that a lot of them were very up their own arses. The sort that think they know it all and so didn't listen at all. They were the ones that failed. All i do on a daily basis is fire alarms. I did Units 1 and 5 quite late on in my career and even then i still learned a lot on these two courses and they are entry level courses!

 

[tazz]

After 25 plus years of designing....the regs and new ideas change all the time, and you have to keep up. Taking things for granted, can have major comebacks....prime example EN54-23 VAD, beware of disabled discrimination in public or commercial buildings

 

[Harni]

Agreed and its a shame no one really does an update course. Mind you, the last update to 5839 last July was only a few things anyway which could be condensed onto an update sheet just to bang into the back of your copy of the 2002 regs!
And yet theres still people out there who don't understand them. I had a customers risk assessor the other day argue with me because he's been in the game for 30 years and when i told him the 45 bedroom care home they want a new system in needs an addressable and ARC link, he was insistent a Haes surveyor would do the job and we were just trying to get some cash out of them.

 

[CockneyReject]

4 fire alarm engineers FAILED is the biggest eye opener in this whole topic!! Thats poor...

Forget to say well done on attending and completing buddy.

Like shanky said if they were adt lads it wouldn't surprise me most of them are useless, can't do containment, only know what they have been told off other "engineers", can't pull cables in to save themselves, have very limited technical knowledge and can't even mount their gear level

 

[tazz]

Agreed and its a shame no one really does an update course. Mind you, the last update to 5839 last July was only a few things anyway which could be condensed onto an update sheet just to bang into the back of your copy of the 2002 regs!
And yet theres still people out there who don't understand them. I had a customers risk assessor the other day argue with me because he's been in the game for 30 years and when i told him the 45 bedroom care home they want a new system in needs an addressable and ARC link, he was insistent a Haes surveyor would do the job and we were just trying to get some cash out of them.

Well addressable is now recommended, under 54, but if there in Surrey, they will get away with it. Essex, Kent are the most strict on regs

 

[Harni]

Well addressable is now recommended, under 54, but if there in Surrey, they will get away with it. Essex, Kent are the most strict on regs

This is in Tooting and i think the whole reason they are asking for a quote for upgrade is because the boys in the big red lorries really gave them a hard time over the state of the system. Its not that bad. Over recommended age by a few years but certainly not the worst I've seen so i wouldn't be surprised if their local FB are very strict!