Our Fire Safety team delivered a two-day CPD event for West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) last week. Fire Safety Inspectors were invited to Edward Street Hospital on 15 and 16 July, where the training aimed to support their ability to audit mental health hospitals across the region.
Day one provided an overview of the Trust and highlighted how fire safety in a Mental Health trust differs from that in an Acute setting. The team led group exercises to explore typical fire safety risks within an organisation like ours and distinguished the specific requirements of inpatient and non-inpatient wards.
Joy Blakeman, Fire Safety Inspector at West Midlands Fire Service said: “The CPD event was incredibly beneficial, engaging and informative. We gained valuable insights into fire safety management within NHS Mental Health Trusts, which will support us in carrying out more effective and efficient fire safety audits in these specialist environments.
“Matt Smith’s knowledge and passion for delivering high standards of fire safety across the Trust were clear throughout. WMFS are sincerely grateful to him and the Black Country Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust for their time and effort in delivering such a high-quality learning experience.”
Matt Smith, Senior Fire Safety Advisor at Black Country Healthcare, said: "It was great to host West Midlands Fire Service last week for our two-day CPD event, which is quite a unique offering from our Trust. The feedback on the day exceeded my expectations, and I believe our Fire Safety Team is well-placed to deliver further formal training for WMFS in future, so watch this space!"