Fire Australia 2026: What Attending Australasia’s Largest Fire Protection Event Told Me About Where the ESM Industry Is Going

By Pryce Sprague

IN SUMMARY

The Australian fire protection industry doesn't stand still, and Fire Australia 2026 made that clearer than ever.

Held over three days at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, it's where suppliers, engineers and ESM providers come together to talk about where fire safety in Australia is heading next.

But while most attendees focus on the tradeshow floor, the sharpest insights often come from what happens around it – the training sessions, the supplier conversations and the topics generating the most energy in the room.

In this article, I'll share what Fire & Wire took away from Fire Australia 2026, why BESS (battery storage) fire safety is the conversation the Australian fire protection industry is having right now, and what it means for the Victorian buildings and property managers we work with.

---

Australasia's largest fire protection industry event, run by the Fire Protection Association Australia.

If you work in fire safety and Essential Safety Measures long enough (like me!), you start to realise something important.

The fire safety industry never stands still:

• Fire technology changes.
• Fire safety regulations and compliance obligations evolve.
• New fire risks often emerge from technologies that weren’t on anyone’s radar

That’s one of the reasons our team recently attended Fire Australia 2026, hosted by FPA Australia at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre.

As Victorian fire safety professionals, we believe staying proactive matters. Because protecting Victorian buildings with ESM services isn’t just about maintaining today’s systems. It’s about preparing for what’s coming next.

The Topic That Dominated Fire Australia 2026: BESS Fire Safety

If there was one theme that stood out to me across Fire Australia 2026, it was the growing industry-wide focus on Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) – and the unique fire safety challenges they’re creating across the Australian industry.

This isn't a new conversation in parts of the world where battery energy storage has been widespread for longer.

But at Fire Australia 2026, it was clear that this is now firmly part of the Australian fire safety dialogue – and the urgency around it is growing.

In the United States, the fire protection industry has been working through BESS fire safety challenges for several years:

• understanding how lithium-ion battery installations behave in a fire event
• how fire systems need to be designed and specified around them
• how fire safety professionals need to respond when something goes wrong.

Why BESS fire safety is now a front-of-mind issue for Australian fire protection professionals:

• Solar battery installations, electric vehicle charging infrastructure and large-scale energy storage systems are becoming standard features across residential, commercial and industrial properties in Australia.
• Lithium-ion battery fires behave fundamentally differently from conventional fires, requiring different suppression approaches, different system design thinking and a different response from fire safety professionals
• The Australian fire protection industry is actively building its knowledge and capability around these risks before the scale of adoption makes it a critical gap

The right time to get ahead of an emerging fire safety risk is before it becomes an urgent problem on someone’s property. That's the stance I want Fire & Wire always to hold.

BESS Fire Safety Training: The Biggest Takeaway from Fire Australia 2026 for Our Team

On the 8^th of May, two of our Fire & Wire team leaders attended a dedicated Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) fire safety training course as part of the Fire Australia 2026 program.

One of the speakers drew on experience from fire protection markets where battery energy storage has been widespread for considerably longer than in Australia.

Why we prioritised this fire safety training and what it means for the buildings we protect:

• Battery storage is becoming a standard feature of modern buildings.
• The fire risks of lithium-ion batteries are genuinely different.
• We wanted to be ahead of it.
• International learning matters.

Investing in specialist training before it becomes a regulatory requirement is what a genuinely proactive fire safety provider does. That's the standard we hold ourselves to.

What Fire Australia 2026 Confirmed for Fire & Wire – and What It Means for Victorian Buildings

What Fire Australia 2026 confirmed is that Australia is now having the same conversation as other countries when it comes to batteries.

Last year, we travelled to the United States for the equivalent of this event – and one of the things that struck me there was how much further along the issue was around emerging fire risks, particularly BESS.

And the Victorian ESM provider you trust to keep those buildings safe, compliant and well-maintained needs to keep pace with that change.

What we brought back from Fire Australia 2026:

• Strengthened relationships with our interstate suppliers and industry peers
• A sharper understanding of the emerging fire safety technologies shaping the industry in Australia
• Confidence that Fire & Wire is positioned at the forefront of Victorian fire safety – not catching up to it.

The fire protection industry in Australia is evolving and our job at Fire & Wire is to make sure that evolution works in favour of the people and properties in our care.

FAQ: Fire Australia 2026 and BESS Fire Safety in Australia

What is BESS fire safety and why does it matter for Australian buildings?

As an ESM provider responsible for maintaining fire safety systems across Victorian buildings, we don’t treat emerging risks as distant industry theory. We look at how they may affect the buildings our clients manage today and in the years ahead.

As solar battery installations, EV charging infrastructure and large-scale energy storage become increasingly common in Australian buildings, the fire safety industry has had to develop specific knowledge around the risks these systems present. Lithium-ion battery fires behave differently from conventional fires and require different suppression approaches and system design considerations.

What’s the relevance of attending Fire Australia 2026?

The most significant outcome for our Fire & Wire team was the BESS fire safety training completed by two of our team leaders the day after the expo. This kind of active participation is part of how our team at Fire & Wire stays at the forefront of the Australian fire safety industry.

How does BESS battery fire safety affect property and facility managers in Victoria?

If you manage a commercial property, strata complex or large facility in Victoria, there's a reasonable chance that battery energy storage technology is already present or will be in the near future – whether through solar battery systems, EV charging or building-integrated storage.

This has practical implications for your fire safety compliance obligations and for how your fire systems are specified and maintained. At Fire & Wire, two of our team leaders completed specialist BESS training, strengthening the knowledge we bring back to the wider team. This means the Victorian buildings we service are in the hands of professionals who understand these emerging fire risks.

How does Fire & Wire stay up to date with changes in the Australian fire safety industry?

Staying current is a deliberate part of how Fire & Wire operates. Our team attends industry events like Fire Australia, engages with international fire safety developments and invests in specialist training for our team wherever emerging technologies or regulatory changes require it.

Want a Victorian ESM Provider Who Stays Ahead of the Australian Fire Safety Industry So Your Buildings Are Always Protected?

As Melbourne's trusted ESM provider, Fire & Wire helps property managers, facility managers and strata managers across Victoria with fire safety expertise that doesn't stand still.

Our experienced Victorian ESM team supports property managers, facility managers and strata managers with:

• comprehensive in-house fire safety and ESM solutions – from installation and maintenance to compliance reporting
• planned fire system servicing and maintenance at all required intervals, with real-time reporting
• 24/7 emergency callout services for urgent fire safety system issues across Victoria
• fire safety training for your building occupants and staff
• detailed AESMR and compliance reporting that keeps your building audit-ready
• a team that actively invests in specialist training – including emerging areas like BESS fire safety – to stay ahead of what the industry is facing

If you're looking for a fire safety compliance partner who brings current industry knowledge – not just a maintenance schedule – to every building they look after, we're here.

Let’s talk fire safety!

Contact Fire & Wire and let's talk about how we can support your essential safety measures compliance in Victoria with expertise, accountability and genuine peace of mind.