IFSEC International and FIREX International, the annual UK security and fire safety shows have launched combined IFSEC and FIREX Awards.
Integrating for the first year, the IFSEC and FIREX Awards are in association with the British Security Industry Association (BSIA), Fire Industry Association (FIA) & Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP).
Charlie Cracknell, IFSEC Event Director, said: โWith the security and fire industries becoming increasingly integrated, acknowledging the significant impact they have on each other is crucial. IFSEC and FIREX are proud to be hosting a combined awards evening to celebrate excellence and innovation within the respective sectors, we look forward to hosting another excellent evening.โ
James Kelly, CEO of the BSIA said: โThe BSIA has been involved with the IFSEC Security Industry Awards for many years, and welcomes the opportunity for our industry to recognise and reward the latest in technological innovations. Many products are now applicable to both fire and security markets, and merging the IFSEC and FIREX awards reflects this increased level of integration. We look forward to attending the awards ceremony this year, alongside our fire industry colleagues.โ
Categories are now open for nominations for the product-focused awards and range across: CCTV and video surveillance, physical security, intruder alarms, access control, integrated security and fire prevention.
As the boundaries between active and passive fire applications become more interlinked, security companies now understand how fire safety standards need to be considered in security systems, say organisers. โImproving standards in the installation of passive fire protection is at the top of the ASFPโs agenda so we are delighted to sponsor the award for โFire Protection Installation Project of the Year (Passive)โ at this yearโs combined IFSEC & FIREX Awards in May,โ said Wilf Butcher, CEO, Association for Specialist Fire Protection.
Gerry Dunphy, FIREX Sales Director, said: โThere is an intriguing amount of cross-pollination between the fire and security sectors at the present time and the growth of security companies looking at fire alarm design and installation is hugely encouraging. Weโre committed to providing as many opportunities as possible to explore the common ground between the two sectors so blending the key FIREX awards into IFSEC is a great way of celebrating excellence in product design, innovation and installation.โ
Martin Duggan, General Manager at FIA, added: โIt makes common sense to put the two awards together. This is a positive approach and we are looking forward to attending the ceremony.โ
Three panels of industry experts will judge each category,. The panels will be made up of: one for the security-focused awards, one for the guarding and policing categories and a further panel for the fire-centric awards. Attending the awards is also an opportunity to network with key figures in the fire and security industry and celebrate the success of colleagues and peers.
Running alongside IFSEC International and FIREX International, the ceremony will be held on Monday evening, May 13, 2013 at the Hilton Birmingham Metropole. For free entry and a full list of the available categories, visit http://www.ifsec.co.uk/ifawardspr/. Deadline for entry is March 1.
IFSEC International (www.ifsec.co.uk
