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Ignis Fire Testing: The future of fire testing
Ignis Fire Testing proudly announced the launch of its augmented testing laboratory, setting a new benchmark in fire safety testing.
With its central location near Cape Town and Stellenbosch, this facility is designed to meet the burgeoning global demand for fire safety services and a crucial local need.
With a mission to enhance fire safety compliance worldwide, Ignis Fire Testing’s new premises allow for a broader range of tests and increased capacity. They showcase South African engineering excellence while meeting the stringent international standards.
The Ignis Fire Testing’s expanded laboratory and workshop was officially launched on 19 August 2024, in Blackheath, Cape Town. This multi-million Rand investment is the largest known privately-owned fire testing facility in Africa and boasts collaboration with Stellenbosch University’s Fire Engineering Research Unit (FireSUN). To limit costly imports and boost innovation, all their equipment, software and control systems are created in-house.
Dirk Streicher, civil engineer and owner of the new 1 500-squaremetre facility, featuring an 18-metre-high roof, says fire testing is a neglected field in South Africa. “We saw the gap in the market for local fire testing,” said Streicher.
Streicher is the owner, founder, mastermind and chief engineer behind Ignis Fire Testing. He has a master’s degree in Civil Engineering and 45 years of experience in road construction, specialised joinery manufacturing for large construction projects and property development.
His involvement in the construction industry made him aware of the need for fire testing in South Africa and around the globe, ultimately leading to the establishment of Ignis Fire Testing as his “retirement project”.
“Fire testing is at the heart of a fire-safe environment; yet minimal modern testing facilities exist in Africa to meet this demand. This is the reason behind the launch of the privately owned Ignis Fire Testing in Cape Town,” said Streicher.
Streicher is also an extraordinary faculty member at Stellenbosch University’s Fire Engineering Research Unit (FireSUN), where he supports many postgraduate students in their studies, coauthors research papers and occasionally lectures.
Research and development
Ignis Fire Testing collaborated with Stellenbosch University’s Fire Engineering Research Unit (FireSUN), led by Prof Richard Walls. They work closely with students and staff, granting access to their testing facilities for research purposes, supporting postgraduate degrees and co-authoring papers that push the boundaries of fire safety engineering.
Prof Walls said at the opening, “Today is a very exciting day for fire engineering in the industry. Moving forward, testing is critical in our industry but we also see how much there is to do. So this is the first step.”
He emphasised the importance of fire testing and fire engineering. “Fire testing will be fundamental to promote sustainability; hence there will be a growing emphasis in the coming years. Major new challenges will arise in green energy, growing populations, poverty, taller buildings, bigger warehouses, ageing infrastructure and ageing populations. Fire Engineering will be called to address the needs. Test lab capacity in South Africa needs to at least double in the next ten years,” said Prof Walls.
He added, “With the Stellenbosch University now producing students in Fire Engineering, it would not surprise me if we see the Cape become the centre of excellence. We have a base here to serve the African continent.”
International commendations
Dr Brian Meacham, who is the director at Risk and Regulatory Consulting of Crux Consulting LLC in Shrewsbury in the USA, was one of the guest speakers at the official opening. Dr Meacham is regarded as a global expert in Fire Engineering, having worked for the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank in policy development.
Dr Meacham highlighted the importance of Ignis Fire Testing’s laboratory to a firesafe environment. “It is really interesting for me to be here and look at the fire test lab and celebrate the launch because fire testing and fire data is the core of everything we do. You cannot build a safe building, safe automobile, safe aircraft, safe mine, safe anything without considering the materials’ fire safety performance. It is at the core of every design,” he said.
Laboratories like Ignis Fire Testing provide data for engineering analyses, said Dr Meacham. “Everything starts with the data. We can’t run engineering models without good data. If we’re running engineering models without good data, it’s not good engineering.”
“I applaud the work that is being done and I really applaud the relationship with Stellenbosch University because it is a way to really bring things together and make a super important contribution to the future,” said Dr Meacham.
He concluded in saying, “I’m just really happy to be here and see what I consider a significant advancement globally for more fire testing. And to have it here, in this region in South Africa and to have it as a resource across the continent is great.”
Available fire tests
Ignis Fire Testing offers an extensive range of fire safety tests, adhering to South African and international standards, including ISO codes. The facility includes several custom-built furnaces ie fire resistance tests, a set of reaction-to-fire classification tests, cone calorimetry confirmation testing, room corner and gas suppression tests, façade tests and supplementary and auxiliary fire equipment, such as sprinklers, tests. These were all designed and built by Ignis Fire Testing’s team.
The facility is equipped to assess various products such as lithium-ion batteries and solar panels and can adapt to special requirements beyond standard procedures.
Ignis Fire Testing also tests fire doors to determine the time it takes for a fire to destroy them; the burn time and behaviour of insulation material when it faces a fire; as well as the fire-resistance, if any, of for example tent material.
Furthermore, it also incorporates sustainability measures such as rainwater harvesting, solar power and advanced air filtering systems.
Streicher said, “We saw the gap in the market for local and international fire testing.
Where do you go if you have to test products or materials to adhere to fire safety standards? There are few local options. Even internationally, the testing demand is bigger than the supply, leading to major backlogs. It is also very expensive for South Africans to test abroad.”
“Our biggest clients are manufacturers and suppliers of fire-related installations and items,” says Streicher. “And the facility has the capacity to expand as demand grows.”
Accreditation
There is no legal accreditation requirement for a (fire) test laboratory in South Africa.
Regarding the SANS 10177 series of fire test standards; Fire testing of materials, components and elements used in buildings, there is no reference made about the level of expertise or qualification of the operators of a fire test laboratory.
SANS 10400 covers the requirements and validity of a test report in the application of the National Building Regulations.
Please note that a testing laboratory issues a test report and not a certificate. It is a testing authority and not a certification body. The test report is a summary of measurements, results and observations done in a controlled manner according to prescribed codes and standards valid for the sample submitted by a sponsor. The professional conduct, integrity and competence of the laboratory personnel determine the quality and correctness of the test.
In terms of Fire Engineering, SANS 10400 Part A General Principles and Requirements and SANS 10400 Part T Fire Protection, is of importance. Clause 3.7 of Part A defines a competent person in short as a person who is qualified by virtue of his education, training, experience and contextual knowledge.
The definition of a fire engineering competent person is a person registered in terms of the Engineering Profession Act, 2000 (Act No. 46 of 2000), as either a Professional Engineer or a Professional Engineering Technologist and is generally recognised as having the necessary experience and training to undertake rational assessments or rational designs in the field of fire engineering, according to SANS 10400 Part T Fire Protection.
In SANS 10400 Part A, Annex B Commentary on the National Building Regulations, clause B.6 covers Test reports and certificates. This section still refers to Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) and South African Bureau of Standards (SABS). The building fire research division of CSIR closed a few years ago, so reference to CSIR fire testing is now irrelevant. The support of the SABS waned dramatically during the past few years. As a result, this leaves Agrément as a default certifier. Ignis Testing was approached by Agrément to perform fire resistance testing for their clients. The clause further states that a local authority can consider test reports from independent laboratories such as universities or private enterprises.
Ignis Testing also work in close relation with the Stellenbosch University and Thermal Insulation Products and Systems Association South Africa (TIPSASA) in research, development and quality reviews. Furthermore, Ignis Testing is also appointed to do fire testing on behalf of SABS. In terms of a quality management system, it must be noted that Ignis Testing is ISO 17025, Testing and Calibration Laboratories, compliant.
To complete the circle, a test report issued by Ignis Testing will have the same standing and validity as an A19 certificate (Appointment of Persons Responsible for Design, Inspection and Assessment Duties) issued by a registered Professional Engineer and will thus form part of the supporting documentation submitted by the appointed competent fire engineer under clause A19 of SANS 10400 Part A and form AZ4 in Annexure D of SANS 10400 Part A.
Because Ignis Testing is operated by Professional Engineers, Ignis Testing is bound by the Code of Conduct for Registered Persons: Engineering Profession Act (Act No 46 of 2000). A copy of the code of conduct is available here. The only reasons a test report issued by Ignis Testing should be repudiated is when the ECSA Code of Conduct for Registered Persons is contravened or gross negligence can be proven. The only other reason is when a different test was specified by the sponsor than the one required by the appointed competent person.
