November 2025 Vol 006 Issue 04 |
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Lote Notes Fire, Risk and Security in Practice CEO’s Message – Lote Notes – November 2025 Edition This past quarter has been exceptionally busy for Lote, marked by an impressive number of industry conferences and events in which our team has actively participated. Among these, our very own 2nd Lote Technical Conference, held in Sydney under the theme “Innovating for a Safer Future,” stands out as a significant milestone.
You will find a summary of our broader industry engagement in the Conferences Report, along with a dedicated section highlighting key moments from the Lote Technical Conference. These engagements—and more importantly, the insights gained from them—continue to strengthen our position as emerging thought leaders across fire safety, security, and risk management. They empower our team to pursue innovative, practical solutions to the challenges facing our industry.
The Lote Technical Conference is particularly significant because it demonstrates our commitment to developing deep subject-matter expertise. By supporting our team in their research, exploration, and curiosity, we continue to build a culture of excellence grounded in evidence, creativity, and collaboration.
A significant counter-current is provided by the rapid advances in generative AI, and how our use of this continues to challenge our conception of work. For a company of our size, it is more important than ever that we embrace technology, push the boundaries of innovation, and harness automation to deliver better outcomes for our clients—while remaining mindful of the limitations and risks inherent in these tools.
In this environment of constant change, Lote is committed to reinventing itself, challenging convention, and setting new benchmarks for industry-leading practice in fire safety, security, and risk. This continuous innovation is central to our mission: to make the world safe and secure.
As we approach the end of the year, I would like to wish all our readers a safe, restful, and enjoyable holiday season. Thank you for your continued support of Lote - your trust and engagement enable us to do the work we are so passionate about. We welcome your feedback on this edition of Lote Notes and on our services more broadly; your insights help us continually improve. We look forward to partnering with you again in the new year and to another chapter of growth, innovation, and shared success.
Warm regards,
Dr Maher Magrabi
CEO - Lote Consulting
Fire | Risk | Security | Cyber
Making the world safe and secure
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Lote Notes Reading Guide This November, our Fire Safety and Security articles offer a diverse and practical exploration of key industry topics. From step-by-step guides on conducting effective site inspections and detecting fire elements to the strategic application of CPTED principles our articles provide actionable insights for professionals in the field.
The intricacies of site inspections are explored in the article, The Importance of Site Inspections, where we unravel the art of inspections that go beyond ticking boxes. Site inspections are crucial to mitigating fire risks, keep buildings legally complaint and enables the crux of Lote Consulting’s ethos: making the world safe and secure (where protecting lives is key).
In the next article, Fire Safety of Electrofuels, readers will gain an understanding of both the promise and practical risk of e-fuels, and why fire safety must be a top priority as the industry evolves.
The article, EV Bus Depot, provides a comprehensive overview of how Australia’s electric bus depots are adapting to new fire safety challenges. It highlights the risks of lithium-ion batteries, the need for smarter depot design, and the importance of early detection and robust suppression systems. The author emphasises that keeping depots safe is a team effort, involving technology, training, and strong partnerships. By following best practices and learning from real-world experience, Australia can ensure its transition to greener transport is also a safe one.
The next article, Securing Australia’s Critical Infrastructure: Navigating SOCI 2018 and Risk Management Obligations, explains Australia’s Security of Critical Infrastructure Act (SOCI), highlighting why robust risk management is essential for critical sectors. It outlines compliance requirements, key threat areas (cyber, personnel, supply chain, physical), and the consequences of non-compliance—helping readers understand the Act’s importance for national security and organisational resilience.
Throughout the evolution of CPTED principles, the importance of using detailed local data, and the shortcomings of generic reports is explored in this article, Built for Security: Lote’s Strategic Use of CPTED. By highlighting Lote Consulting’s risk-based and site-specific approach, the article demonstrates how combining crime statistics, architectural analysis, and compliance tools leads to more effective crime prevention. The integration of AI and advanced planning further positions CPTED as a forward-thinking strategy for building safer environments that truly reflect the needs of each community.
Our cybersecurity article, Securing the Connected World Rethinking IoT, delves into a comprehensive overview of the challenges and solutions in IoT security. It explains why billions of connected devices create new risks, shares dramatic examples of what can go wrong, and outlines the best practices and emerging technologies that can help keep our digital world safe. Readers will come away with a clear understanding of why IoT security matters, what’s being done to address the risks, and how the future of connectivity depends on ongoing vigilance and smart, adaptive protection.
Lastly, our newsletter has provides a summary of our second annual Lote Technical Conference where Lote staff have delved into their subject matter expertise and presented their findings to the wider team. Additionally, we have also included a conferences report, highlighting Lote’s participation in a multitude of industry and technical conferences within fire safety, risk management and security.
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Lote Notes Podcast: November 2025 Vol 006 Issue 4 | | |
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Have a listen to our Lote Notes Podcast, via YouTube for a deep dive into our articles this edition! Click on the link below: | | |
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Lote Consulting Capability Video 2025 | | |
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| Compliance and Fire Safety Inspections | | |
| By Yahya Elhallak Lote’s inspections are more than technical checklists; they are immersive experiences that combine rigorous assessment with a deep appreciation for the built environment. From the Snowy Hydro 2.0 tunnels in the Snowy Mountains to iconic Sydney landmarks and community spaces, our engineers engage with diverse sites, collaborating with stakeholders and recognising the scale and complexity of each project. This hands-on approach fosters confidence and competence, especially for those new to site inspections. | | |
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| Fire Safety of Electrofuels | | |
| By Samir Hussen The escalating global concern over climate change, primarily driven by carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from fossil fuel combustion, underscores the urgent need for sustainable alternatives in the transportation and industrial sectors. In response, electrofuels (e-fuels) such as e-methanol, e-methane, and other synthetic liquid fuels have emerged as promising solutions. These fuels are produced by synthesising captured CO₂ with hydrogen gas derived from water electrolysis, utilising carbon-neutral electricity (OSHA, 2025). Their high energy density and compatibility with existing infrastructure make e-fuels particularly attractive for decarbonising sectors that are difficult to electrify, including aviation, shipping, and heavy industry, thereby supporting the global transition to a sustainable, net-zero future. | | |
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Keeping Our Future Green and Safe at Australia’s Electric Bus Depots | | |
| By Yamin Ahmed Australia’s public transport is going electric, and the change is happening fast. Across our cities, bus depots are being transformed to support fleets of zero-emission electric buses. It is a revolution that promises cleaner air, quieter streets, and a big step toward meeting our climate goals. But as with any leap forward, new challenges arise, especially when it comes to keeping these depots safe from fire. | | |
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 | Securing Australia’s Critical Infrastructure: Navigating SOCI 2018 and Risk Management Obligations By Lana Vidakovic & Dr Maher Magrabi Australia's critical infrastructure is exposed to an increasingly complex and evolving threat landscape. The convergence of risks, particularly cyber threats exacerbated by AI and the looming potential of quantum computing, have elevated the urgency for robust, and proactive risk management and crime prevention strategies across sectors. Critical infrastructure is particularly vulnerable to threats as their operational interdependencies and national significance would create significant challenges for Australia’s security if affected. |
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Built for Security: Lote's Strategic Use of CPTED | | |
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By Ameeraa Hussain The concept of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) was introduced in the United States around 1960, with the official term ‘CPTED’ being coined by criminologist C. Ray Jeffery in 1971 (Jeffery, 1971). CPTED emerged when architects and criminologists realised the built environment influences crime. It was driven by architects, criminologists, and planners working together. Formed in 1996, the International CPTED Association (ICA) was established to share global research, best practice, and standards. They continue to promote global knowledge sharing aimed at created safer communities and environments through their ICA newsletter (The International CPTED Association (ICA) - A Brief History of the ICA, n.d.). | | |
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Securing the Connected World: Rethinking IoT Security | | |
| By Farjad Mahmud Internet of Things (IoT) h as exploded from consumer gadgets to critical infrastructure, linking sensors and controllers over Wi-Fi cellular, Bluetooth, and 5G to cloud and edge systems. Each connection adds complexity and risk, creating billions of endpoints forming a massive attack surface. | | |
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Lote Conference Reports July- November | | |
| The Lote Technical Conference featured multiple presentations across various engineering and safety disciplines. Topics covered include the evolution of fire detection from historical methods to cutting-edge AI-driven systems, advanced strategies for Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and Hostile Vehicle Mitigation (HVM), and specialised fire safety challenges in complex environments like offshore oil rigs, e-fuel production, and EV bus depots. | | |
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Lote Technical Conference | | |
| The Lote Technical Conference showcased Lote Consulting’s commitment to advancing safety, resilience, and operational excellence through technology, research, and people-focused strategies | | |
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 | | | Govt highlights critical infrastructure evolving risks and resilience | | |
| The Australian government has highlighted the changing risk landscape faced by the country’s critical infrastructure, which will require third-party digital service providers to focus beyond cyber security. | | |
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Reforms to building fire safety regulation |
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| | Changes to building fire safety regulation in NSW are being introduced to make buildings safer and increase compliance with fire safety measures. | | |
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| | | | Hackers release Qantas customers' data on dark web | | |
| A cybersecurity expert has told the ABC that the personal data of Qantas customers has been released on the dark web. Up to six million Qantas customer records were exposed in July during a cyber attack on a third-party platform used by Qantas.. | | |
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|  | | | Laptop left charging on bed causes house fire in Bendigo | | |
| When Kate Robinson thinks back to the sight of thick black smoke billowing from her roof last month, she becomes deeply distressed. "There was nothing salvageable," she said. | | |
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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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Sydney I Canberra I Newcastle I Kuala Lumpur I Dubai I Toronto |
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© 2025 Lote Consulting Pty Ltd |
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