Fire testing is at the heart of a fire-safe environment; yet few modern testing facilities exist in Africa to meet this demand. This is the reason behind the launch of the privately-owned Ignis Fire Testing, which is stepping up to fill the gap (and save lives in the process).
Ignis Fire Testing’s expanded laboratory and workshop was officially launched on Monday, 19 August, in Blackheath, Cape Town, and attended by numerous industry stakeholders. 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 Group (FireSUN). To limit costly imports and boost innovation, all equipment, software and control systems are created in-house.
Major backlogs
Dirk Streicher, civil engineer and owner of the new 1500-square-metre 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.
“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.”
The country’s limited capacity for fire testing raises safety concerns for all civilians.
Research and Development
Ignis Fire Testing collaborates with Stellenbosch University’s Fire Engineering Research Group (FireSUN), led by Prof. Richard Walls. They work closely with students and staff, granting access to their testing facilities for research purposes, supporting post-graduate degrees, and co-authoring papers that push the boundaries of fire safety 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.”
Prof Walls is very positive about Ignis Fire Testing’s role and its convenient location. “With the University of Stellenbosch 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 praises
Dr Brian Meacham, Director of Risk and Regulatory Consulting of Crux Consulting LLC in Shrewsbury, USA, was one of the guest speakers at the opening launch. 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. “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 adds, “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’m just really happy to 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
The facility offers an extensive range of fire safety tests, adhering to South African and international standards, including ISO codes. Capabilities include 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.
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.
