Alan Oliver has retired from Golden Thread Fire Delay and the Passive Fire Protection Industry after working an impressive 45 years in the sector

Alan is a leading expert in passive fire protection and a recognised authority on fire doors, with over 45 years’ experience in the industry.  His story is one of resilience, innovation, and a lifelong commitment to raising standards in fire safety.  At the end of June, he retired from Golden Thread Fire Delay (GTFD) and is now looking forward to a long and happy retirement, although for the foreseeable future he plans to remain an active member of NAHFO (The National Association of Healthcare Fire Officers).

Since 2019, as a member of NAHFO, Alan identified that there was no recognised or adopted ‘cradle to grave’ standardised systems for inspecting and managing fire doors in healthcare buildings and formed a NAHFO London working group to write a paper to assist in doing so.  The Golden Thread Fire Delay sponsored Reference Documents that the working group created provide guidance on how to inspect and manage fire doors and other fire compartment elements, in keeping with  Alan’s commitment to help raise standards and risk-manage fire compliance in buildings, are available to download FREE at https://goldenthreadfiredelay.com/nfcc-approved-reference-documents/

Perhaps the most important thing to recognise is that the Documents recommend that organisations should apply 3 types of inspection on fire doors and other fire compartment elements:

Type 1 inspections are recommended for new fire door and other fire components to ensure they are designed, manufactured, procured and installed competently, and delivered with a golden thread of information.

Type 2 inspections are recommended on existing fire door and other compartment elements when there are no BS / EN fire test product labels or complete information in the building’s O & M manuals or Health & Safety files. Such inspections are necessary so that building managers can competently assess their existing fire compartments in terms of fire compliance and any non-conforming limitations, understanding if those falling below the required performance level have the potential to be remediated to a standard that will support the building’s fire strategy or need to be replaced.

Type 3 Inspections are recommended to provide ongoing checks for fire doors and other fire compartment elements that have already been either Type 1 or Type 2 inspected. They are intended to manage and maintain suitably compliant fire resisting items to a satisfactory standard, meeting all legal requirements.

Alan is pleased that the Reference Documents, all sponsored by Golden Thread Fire Delay, were peer-reviewed and approved by the National Fire Chiefs Council, London Fire Brigade and other leading fire authorities and that ‘Fire Door Inspections in Healthcare Buildings’ and ‘Fire Damper, Firestopping & Cavity Barrier Inspections in Healthcare Buildings’  are recommended as part of the NHS England guidance on operational provisions for fire safety for healthcare sector buildings.

There are now a total of 8 Reference Documents; also covering inspections in Residential, University & College and Generic buildings and full details can be obtained by visiting the Golden Thread Fire Delay website: https://goldenthreadfiredelay.com/nfcc-approved-reference-documents/

To summarise his career, Alan would say that he has been a campaigner, confronting complacency, ignorance, and conflicts of interest within the passive fire protection sector and construction industry generally, highlighting the need for fire doors and other passive components to be installed correctly and thereafter managed and maintained to an adequate standard for their location.  He believes he is now more passionate than ever about these issues, stating:

”More than 8 years after the Grenfell Tower Fire, people are still not getting fire compliance right, and this is often down to individuals within the passive fire and construction industries who have legal responsibilities for getting it right. There is so much room for improvement and education to avoid a similar disaster occurring.”

Post retirement Alan still intends to campaign against poor industry practices.  Alan has also just been notified that he is one of three finalists in the Fire Safety Professional of the Year category at the Institute of Fire Safety Managers (IFSM) 2025 awards.  The winner will be announced at the awards ceremony on 1 October 2025.

Just before his retirement, Alan was asked to record a Podcast sponsored by Safelincs and was pleased to accept their invitation as a means of expressing his thoughts to a wider audience and making more people aware of the guidance documents that promote best practice. In the podcast he relates his time working on projects such as the Channel Tunnel and Millennium Dome. A link to the podcast is provided below:

https://youtu.be/1tZYc8LPg70

Alan helped to build the successful business Golden Thread Fire Delay in partnership with Managing Director Sem Kneeshaw, post the Grenfell Tower Fire. From the outset they recognized and championed the need for proven, documented fire compliance, and Golden Thread Fire Delay is the only company that was created to focus on the ‘golden thread of information’, i.e., compliance with Regulation 38 of the Building Regulations. This isn’t an afterthought or a bolt-on to the business but at the heart of who they are and what they do. GTFD is now an employee-owned trust, recognising that it’s people who make and sustain successful companies, hence future proofing the organization, its culture, legacy and above all else the standard of fire compliance services it provides for clients.

Sem Kneeshaw, MD of Golden Thread Fire Delay said:

“On behalf of Golden Thread Fire Delay, I’d like to wish Alan all the very best as he embarks on a well-deserved retirement. From the inception of Golden Thread Fire Ltd and onto the amalgamation with Fire Delay Contractors Ltd to form the Employee-owned Golden Thread Fire Delay Ltd, Alan’s vision, dedication, and depth of expertise have been central to shaping who we are today. His contribution to both the business and the wider fire safety community has been immense, and his legacy will continue to guide us. Alan, it’s been a privilege to work alongside you, and I hope your retirement is filled with health, happiness, and plenty of new adventures.”

Alan is available for interview, please contact Andrea Ince, Ince PR on Tel: 07971 000519 or email:[email protected] to organise.

FIRE Magazine

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