The Association for Specialist Fire Protection’s Passive Fire Protection Awards has rewarded the dedication and passion of Hannah Mansell, Technical Manager of the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) and Manager of the BWF-Certifire Scheme, with the title of Passive Fire Protection (PFP) Advocate of the Year 2017.
Judged by Association’s Strategy Group, the new award is to celebrate an individual who is a major advocate of high quality installed PFP and has proactively helped raise awareness, educate and promote the benefits of the essential safety methods.
The spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week as well as the chairman of the Passive Fire Protection Forum, Hannah has been passionate about raising awareness of fire protection methods for nearly four years. Over the last 12 months, she has regularly featured in national, regional and trade media highlighting the essential role of fire doors in saving lives and protecting properties in the event of a fire.
Also embedding her enthusiasm within her personal life, Hannah is a trustee of the Children’s Burns Trust and regularly organises fundraising events, such as BWF-Certifire seminars, to raise donations for the charity.
Niall Rowan, Chief Operations Officer of the Association for Specialist Fire Protection, said:
“The Association for Specialist Fire Protection’s new Passive Fire Protection Awards aim to highlight excellence in passive fire protection and to reward those who contribute to the advancement of awareness, quality and education within the sector.
“We were pleased to announce Hannah Mansell as ASFP Passive Fire Protection Advocate of the Year 2017 in recognition of her enthusiastic promotion of fire doors as critical life safety products. Hannah has made fire doors her passion and has passed on this dedication to so many others through a wide range of activities including a huge number of presentations at conferences and exhibitions throughout 2017 and her tireless support of Fire Door Safety Week.
“We welcome her continued support for the ASFP and look forward to continuing our work together during 2018.”
Hannah Mansell, Technical Manager at the BWF, said: “I’m really humbled to have won this award at the Passive Fire Protection Awards – and I’d like to share it with all of the organisations and people that have supported and inspired me to ask awkward questions of fire safety in this country.
“Being able to work with fire safety experts and with local communities, such as the Balmoral Residents Association, to raise awareness and help educate people on the crucial role of fire doors and other methods of PFP, is an extremely rewarding experience.
“As we enter in 2018, with the Hackitt Review and Grenfell Inquiry expected to bring real changes to both the Building Regulations and fire safety regulations, we need to continue promoting the importance and benefits of PFP to the Government, building managers and members of the public.”
