A host of fire-related challenges are set to hit the world over the coming years, with climate change, rising poverty, and green energy some of the most pressing issues. Fire testing is at the heart of a fire-safe environment; yet minimal 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).
Dirk Streicher (owner of Ignis Fire Testing) explaining to attendees at the launch how a fire resistance test is done.
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 their equipment, software and control systems are created in-house.
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.
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.
Walls, often seen in the media as an expert on civil engineering-related incidents, praised the university’s collaboration with the test facility. “Today is a very exciting day for fire engineering in the industry. Moving forward, testing is critical in our industry, but we also see how much there is to do. So this is the first step,” Walls said at the opening. He emphasised the importance of fire testing and fire 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.”
He 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.”
Available fire tests
The facility offers an extensive range of fire safety tests, adhering to South African and international standards, including ISO codes.
Their 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.
Dirk Streicher emphasised that the facility has the capacity to expand as the demand grows.
