The Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP) is paying tribute to its original Technical Officer Ron Smith, who sadly passed away on 28 May 2022 at the age of 92.
Ron was a passive fire protection industry stalwart whose long association with the sector dated back to the 1980s. He was the ASFP’s Technical Officer for over 15 years before his retirement in 2005. He was the driving force behind the development of the ASFP’s technical guidance documents, particularly the Yellow Book: Fire Protection for Structural Steel in Buildings.
Ron chaired several BSI and Third Party Certification Scheme committees involved in developing fire protection standards and helped influence significant safety improvements in UK buildings. In addition, he was a key committee member of many European fire committees, including CEN TC127, Fire Sector Group of Notified Bodies.
Ron was a well known and highly respected passive fire protection expert, who provided authoritative advice and assistance to the industry during its formative years helping it to develop and thrive. He worked diligently to bring the industry together to improve standards, providing essential input to government and standard bodies to improve the safety of our built environment. He was instrumental in the formation of the Passive Fire Protection Federation (now Forum) and the European Association for Passive Fire Protection, which works to improve fire safety standards across Europe.
Former ASFP CEO Wilf Butcher who worked closely with Ron from the 1980s stated: ‘Ron was a man of immense integrity, and I think it fair to state, he was largely responsible for laying the foundations of technical excellence for which the ASFP is now well recognised.
‘I witnessed first-hand his dedication and pioneering ability to produce much of the passive fire protection technical documentation that now forms the very bedrock of guidance embedded in today’s regulatory codes.’
Steve Davies, the current ASFP CEO added: ‘Ron has left a lasting legacy and will be long remembered for his service to the passive fire protection industry and to the ASFP. We send our condolences and heartfelt thanks to his wife, Pam, and his family.’
