Does anyone on here have any experience of this?
At 165.00 it doesn't look too bad.
Any thoughts?

I did a combined emg ltg and FA course at NIC HQ about 7-8 years ago it was a two day course, the guy who presented it also worked for Channel Safety Systems at the time, I found it very useful.

Regards

Thanks Parsley.

If your interested I done the emg lighting course by the FIA last April and would highly recommend it!

Ended up doin the fire alarm courses too they are really good and well worth a look!

I think I'll give it a go.
I like a course. Even if you know what you're doing, it's good to have that confirmed? And obviously to correct any mistakes that you're making.
I don't do a lot of fire alarms, but that looks interesting too. And they're doing a discount for both sessions.
Do you get any certification at the end?

I've looked at the FIA courses, and they look rather expensive to me at £300ish.
IIRC, you need to do the level 1 course first, which doubles the cost if you only want the EL course.

EL and fire alarms are one area that could be opened up a little - I suppose the market for the courses is so small that no-one else want to bother doing them, as well as no widely recognised qualification?
Is there one?

I was asked only last week what qualification is needed to fit a fire alarm system in an office. I couldnt tell them there were any mandatory ones- is there?, just the need to conform to the relevant BS's - 5839 etc.

You might want to try Redford Charles down in Rochester Kent. The person who delivers this training is an ex. NICEIC senior engineer. I did a surge protection course there last year with a couple of other forum members which was good value.

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John Peckham

http://www.astutetechnicalservices.co.uk/

Do you have any contact details for him, John?

If I was looking at a fire alarm course, I'd first invest in a a book by Colin Todd (CS Todd) - essentially a guide to BS 5839 part 1.

If you've got insomnia, it works well for that as well,but as text books go, this is the best in my opinion.

When you've got through it, the course will be a formality even if you bother to go.

There isn't a direct match for BS 5266, but I believe there is an IET publication on the subject - Zs recommended it to me, and it's definately worth reading. There is tons of stuff on the lighting manufacturers sites, but just be wary of "currency" some of it is a bit more outdated than it should be.

If it were me, I'd spend perhaps a few months reading through the publications above - then do the FPA courses. I'm sure the NICE course is good, and probably well delivered - but the FPA stuff is modular, can get you a BTEC qualification and is delivered generally by people who spent a lot of thier working life in and around Moreton in Marsh - the fire service training college still has a lot of kudos attached.

regards

OMS

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Failure is always an option

I have the IET guide. It's very good.
I've done plenty of emergency lighting installations, and even provided test log books.
However, my work seems to be heading more in that direction, and for the sake of 165.00 and a day of my life, it seems a good idea to reinforce my knowledge.
I don't really do enough Fire Alarms to warrant a course on that, but again, my thinking is, you can't learn too much.

While you're back, oms, what are your views on the LIF one day Dialux courses?

Richard

Redford Charles have a web site here


I do not have a financial connection with them only as a satisfied fee paying student.

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John Peckham

http://www.astutetechnicalservices.co.uk/

Thanks John.
I may try Graham Moulds as well. He's a bit closer to me, in Hackney.

John.
Many thanks. Just had a nice chat with them and all booked up. :-)

OK - I would still look at the FPA emergency lighting course - it's modular, you can add to it, or add fire alarms etc as well - and M in M is a lovely place if the weather is good. (Don't stay too many nights though, you quickly run out of places to eat)

The LIF course is good, like everything they do, and the trainers are top flight lighting engineers.

Just be minded that it's aimed at design staff operating behind the scenes in lighting manufacturers predominantly.

That said, Dialux is a good package, if you can use it competently after an intensive one day course, then that's great.

Again, I would suggest you get to grips with lighting design and the software before you go. Lighting, by DC Pritchard is the book you want.

You either need work for it, or need to be planning perhaps some chage in career direction, to make these sort of things worthwhile - aside of course from the benefit that simply learning somethingnew gives you.

Regards

OMS

-------------------------
Failure is always an option

I'll pick that book up.
I can use Dialux to a point, but I'm not getting the full functionality from it.
And yes, I am trying to change direction towards low energy lighting. At my age it beats wiring houses :-)

\o/ Tenner from Amazon.
Thanks Oms.

My pleasure

Regards

OMS

-------------------------
Failure is always an option

Is it a chap called Robin who works for Dehn?
Dehn do a one day course on SPDs for £60. They also sub-contract the same course to the NICEIC for £150, delivered by the same people.

Most helpful when you talk to them.