February 2025 Vol 006 Issue 01 |
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Lote Notes Fire, Risk and Security in Practice Hello and welcome to the first issue of Lote Notes for 2025!
As we navigate through another year, the economic uncertainty, change in governments, war, conflicts and global incidents temper our plans, while technology trends and the rapid adoption and evolution of AI and robotics threaten to reforge the world anew; redefining the future of work and human society. At Lote, while the world may pose tremendous challenges, we respond by honing our craft and trying to make positive change in the part of the world that we can impact, furthering our mission to make the world safe and secure.
The devastation wrought by the LA wildfires has shown the human cost of climate change induced natural disasters, while incidents like the severe fire at a ski resort in Türkiye where a 12-storey wooden clad building was engulfed in flames, resulted in the tragic loss of 66 lives. We extend our thoughts to the victims, and families. We thank the first responders who are always at the frontline to step up and show courage during these times.
From a security perspective, lone actor attacks carried out in New Orleans, Germany and now in Sweden have cost many innocent lives in the name of misguided ideologies. In Australia, the current National Terrorism Threat Level is at ‘Probable,’ which means that there is a greater than fifty per cent chance of an attack or attack planning in the next twelve months. Our team was fortunate to have attended the ‘NSWPF SHIELD Crowded Places Forum for Hostile Vehicle Mitigation,’ where event organisers and asset owners were reminded of the very real risks posed by such attacks and how security consultants can help implementing risk control plans and countermeasures to manage these evolving risks.
We extend our gratitude to you, our readers and supporters who continue to trust our work. In light of recent events, it signifies the importance of what we do, ensuring the safety and security of all communities which drives our core values.
Best wishes,
Dr Maher Magrabi
CEO - Lote Consulting
Fire | Risk | Security | Cyber
Making the world safe and secure
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Lote Notes Reading Guide In this edition of Lote Notes, our team have prepared a number of topical fire safety and security articles, as detailed below. As Electric Vehicle technology becomes more integrated within our society, this comes with the potential risks, discussed in our article, 'Charging Ahead.' Following this, we also share our insights into fire safety in buildings with integrated photovoltaic systems, reporting on the Building Code Australia (BCA) Clause J9D5 in NCC 2022 and the proposed changes in NCC 2025. We also share further insight into NCC 2022 changes with regard to early childhood centres located in multi-storey buildings, extending upon our previous newsletter article. How does design extend from our own routines and personal lives into fire safety? Combining the two topics, this is explored through the National Construction Code (NCC), thoughtfully weaved with the book, The Design of Everyday Things by Don Norman. This brings to mind the recent fires and highlights the importance of implementing practical and secure applications in buildings, elaborated in the article, ‘Ensuring Safety: How the NCC's Human-Centred Design Principles Enhance Fire Evacuation Protocols’. On the security front, we further build into the theme of risk, weighing out the benefits and compromises on personal privacy, ‘Facial Recognition, Helpful or Harmful?’ Alongside this, we discuss the rapid growth of the cybersecurity industry driven by increasing cyber threats, rising costs of cybercrime, and the significant demand for skilled professionals to protect data and operations in, ‘Cybersecurity Boom: Navigating the Future of Digital Defence’. Related to emergencies and natural disasters, revisit the 2020 Australian bushfires, and how the spread of misinformation flared up public reactions against such disasters due to the viral, #arsonemergency. The article, ‘#Arsonemergency: The Emergence of Misinformation and How implementing The Five Ws encourages Educational Wellbeing,’ shares insights on how to navigate online spaces during such incidents. |
EP&A (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Amendment Regulation 2025 The Environmental Planning and Assessment (Development Certification and Fire Safety) Amendment Regulation 2025 has been approved and will commence on 13 February 2025. This amendment aims to make several key changes to the existing regulations: - Fire Safety Schedule Updates: The regulation will allow fire safety schedules to reflect work resulting from compliance actions under the Residential Apartment Buildings (Compliance and Enforcement Powers) Act 2020 and the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020. This includes updates following Building Work Rectification Orders (BWROs) or undertakings by the Building Commission NSW.
- Deferral of Fire Safety Requirements:
- The requirement that fire safety certificates must be issued only after assessments by Accredited Practitioners (Fire Safety) is deferred by 24 months until 13 February 2027.
- The mandatory compliance with Australian Standard AS 1851-2012, which mandates the frequency of fire safety servicing and maintenance, is deferred by 12 months until 13 February 2026.
- Housekeeping Amendments: Minor amendments are included to clarify and correct drafting errors, ensuring consistency and clarity in the regulations.
These changes are part of ongoing efforts to enhance fire safety and compliance within the NSW building sector. Addendum to Planning for Bush Fire Protection (PBP) January 2025 Recent updates in New South Wales (NSW) involve several changes to bushfire protection regulations, including those for Class 9b primary and secondary schools for compatibility with NCC Specification 43. The Deputy Commissioner, Preparedness and Capability, NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS), has approved an Addendum to Planning for Bush Fire Protection (PBP), specifically the Addendum January 2025, on 17 January 2025. This Addendum is set to become effective after 5 February 2025, pending NSW Cabinet approval of amendments to the Environmental Planning and Assessment Regulation, which will formally recognize the Addendum January 2025. Key Points of the Addendum: - Purpose: The Addendum focuses on enhancing bushfire protection measures, particularly for primary and secondary schools located on bushfire-prone land.
- Implementation: It aligns with the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 and updates the PBP 2019 to ensure compatibility with new construction standards.
- Effectiveness: The Addendum will become effective following the NSW Cabinet's approval of the necessary regulatory amendments.
Context: - The NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) plays a crucial role in developing and implementing bushfire protection policies.
- The Addendum is part of broader efforts to enhance fire safety and planning in bushfire-prone areas across NSW.
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| Charging Ahead: Fire Safety for Electric Vehicles | | |
| by Samir Hussen You’ve likely come across an electric vehicle, perhaps in the underground parking lot of a shopping centre or seen the rise of such sustainable and eco-friendly modes of transportation. As we move closer to creating a greener and sustainable society, the rise in popularity of such EVs raises safety concerns, particularly fire safety. Understanding and managing the risks associated with EV fires is crucial for vehicle owners, emergency responders and manufacturers. The key to this is the implementation and process of risk assessment. Risk assessments involve identifying hazards, evaluating the likelihood of their occurrence, and putting forth strategies to mitigate them. | | |
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| Solar Power's Fiery Challenge: Ensuring Safety with Integrated PV Systems | | |
| by Srinath Iyengar In recent years, the push for sustainable energy solutions has led to the widespread adoption of photovoltaic (PV) systems, commonly known as solar panels, in buildings. However, as we strive for cleaner energy, it's crucial to address the fire safety concerns associated with these systems. This article delves into the integration of PV panels in modern buildings, highlighting the technological advancements and the potential fire risks, especially in high-rise structures. By understanding these challenges, we can ensure that our move towards renewable energy is both safe and effective. | | |
| | | | | | | | | New NCC 2022 Regulations: Enhancing Fire Safety in Multi-Storey Childcare Centres - Part Two | | |
| by Joanna Jin In 2022, significant changes were made to the National Construction Code (NCC) to enhance fire safety in early childhood centres, especially those located in multi-storey buildings. These new regulations require such centres to be divided into at least two fire-separated compartments and equipped with sprinklers to ensure the safety of children and staff. While there are some exemptions, Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW) often mandates sprinklers regardless, due to their internal policies. This article delves into these changes and the challenges they present for fire safety management in childcare facilities. | | |
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| | Facial Recognition: Helpful or Harmful? | | |
| by Ameeraa Hussain Your face is unique to you. Just like your fingerprints, that are also uniquely yours, an image of your face can be used to identify you. Facial recognition is automating this so that a feed from a camera can be used to identify you by comparing your biometric markers to a database. For example, you may be using your face to unlock your mobile phone. Increasingly, facial recognition is also being used for border control. You may have used this at an airport during your last overseas trip. | | |
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Cybersecurity Boom: Navigating the Future of Digital Defence | | |
| by Farjad Mahmud If it feels like cyber threats are everywhere, that’s because they are. From massive data breaches to ransomware attacks shutting down entire businesses, the risks keep growing. And companies are finally waking up. By 2025, cybercrime is expected to cost the world $10.5 trillion per year. A massive leap from $3 trillion in 2015. It’s no wonder cybersecurity has become one of the fastest-growing industries, with global spending set to hit $212 billion in 2025. However, it’s not just about money, there is also a massive demand for skilled professionals, with 3.5 million cybersecurity jobs expected to go unfilled by the end of next year. | | |
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#ArsonEmergency: The Emergence of Misinformation and how Implementing the Five Ws enables Educational Wellbeing | | |
| by John Khoury In 2020, Australia suffered a high scale of destructive bushfires, engulfing the country in flames. At the same time was the exponential rise of misinformation, heightened during such a disaster. As fires swept across sky and land at an alarming pace, the viral hashtag, #arsonemergency spiked over social media, paired with out-of-date images and slogans deliberately construing false headlines. that placed the blame on illusionary ‘arsonists’, in attempts to spike the polarisation between political spheres. | | |
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Ensuring Safety: How the NCC's Human-Centred Design Principles Enhance Fire Evacuation Protocols | | |
| by Joanna Jin There are several forms of published media on design and design principles but there are none quite like ‘The Design of Everyday Things,’ by Don Norman. Don Norman is a cognitive scientist and usability engineer sometimes referred to as, the ‘Father of User Experience.’ He has worked as an industry executive for Apple, HP and a few startups. |
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Inferno guts Austral home in Sydney’s south-west, with lithium battery the suspected cause of the blaze | | |
| December 29, 2024 - A massive blaze has gutted a two-storey home on Sixth Avenue in Austral in the early hours of Sunday morning. The fire was so intense the roof crumbled to the ground about 4am. Five trucks and dozens of firefighters were needed to contain the blaze. |
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Gov marks initial step towards zero trust: Aims to set guiding principles and reflect those in key digital and security frameworks. | | |
| December 4, 2024 - The federal government is taking its first steps towards a zero trust commitment by defining what it wants to see uplifted in how departments and agencies treat cyber security. This takes the form of five “guiding principles” outlined in a consultation paper [pdf] released by Home Affairs. |
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| Turkey hotel fire: questions mount over safety measures at resort after 79 die | | |
| January 23, 2025 - Turkish authorities are facing mounting questions over safety measures at a hotel in a popular ski resort that was ravaged by a fire, leaving 79 people dead and injuring more than 50 others. Survivors reported that they did not hear alarms when the fire began in the early hours of Tuesday morning in the Bolu mountains resort of Kartalkaya. |
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LA fires: Why fast-moving wildfires and those started by human activities are more destructive and harder to contain | | |
| January 14, 2025 - Investigators are trying to determine what caused several wind-driven wildfires (or bushfires) that have destroyed thousands of homes across the Los Angeles area in January 2025. Given the fires’ locations, and lack of lightning at the time, it’s likely that utility infrastructure, other equipment or human activities were involved. |
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 | Exploring the Cybersecurity Battlefield of 2025 | | |
| January 30, 2025 - The digital battleground today is more complex and volatile than ever before. Cybersecurity is a persistent conflict where attackers innovate faster than defenses can adapt. From ransomware's pivot to data extortion to AI's dual role as both an adversary and ally, the rules of engagement have fundamentally shifted. |
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To access previous articles please visit our website. |
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Lote Consulting
www.loteconsulting.com
+61 1300 761 744 |
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Making the world safe and secure |
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