Fire Research Station

1946 The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research and the Fire Offices' Committee (representing fire insurance companies) established a Joint Fire Research Organisation to conduct research on all aspects of prevention and extinction of fires, safety of life in fires and the mitigation of damage, working in collaboration with the Building Research Organisation on fire resistance of buildings.

The costs of the organisation were shared equally by the department and the committee; as part of its contribution to the capital cost, the committee transferred its Fire Testing Station to the government.

The Fire Research Board was appointed to make recommendation for fire research and to supervise the conduct of investigations at the station

1949 The Fire Testing Station was renamed the Fire Research Station.

1965 responsibility for the Joint Fire Research Organisation was passed to the Ministry of Technology and the board ceased to function.

1970 The research station was transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry

1971 Transferred to the Department of the Environment

1972 Amalgamated with the Building Research Station and the Forest Products Research Laboratory to form the Building Research Establishment of the Department of the Environment

Some facilities for fire testing undertaken by the station in association with the Fire Offices' Committee, mostly routine in character, were transferred to that committee.

The station is now mainly engaged on research leading to the specification of requirements for fire prevention and to the formulation of suitable testing methods.

1993 Became an executive agency

1994 the Station moved to the Building Research Establishment site at Garston, near Watford.

See Also

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Sources of Information

• National Archives [1]