The Chief Fire Officers Association give an overview of how fire safety management is integral to reducing fire hazards within public buildings…
Many of us take our safety in case of fire for granted. Few of us ever witness a severe fire, our high streets are not filled with burned out shells of buildings and our public buildings seem to be a constant in our lives. For those that know, or have seen the devastation fire can cause, the sights, sounds, smells and feeling of helplessness leave a lasting impression. The feeling of helplessness and loss is perhaps felt more widely in public buildings.
For the most part our safety in case of fire is well looked after. New buildings are subject to building regulations, including requirements for fire safety measures and a process of statutory consultation means that the Fire and Rescue Authority has to be consulted as to the fire safety of the proposal. For older buildings, there is a strong possibility that the premises was once subject to certification by the Fire and Rescue Authority, when they exercised responsibility for the fire safety measures in buildings.
Today our safety in case of fire is provided in consequence of a risk assessment. The Fire and Rescue Authority is not involved in these assessments (other than inspecting their suitability and sufficiency, according to a risk based inspection programme). Rather the assessment can be done by the person responsible for the premises, regardless of their fire safety understanding or by a third party. Both methods are fraught with potential dangers. A lack of knowledge and experience can lead to fire hazards being missed or inappropriately mitigated, whereas the third party can lead to those responsible being divorced from the fire safety measures that protect them (assuming the third party has sufficient skills to identify and mitigate the risks).
The process of undertaking a ‘risk assessment’ might be seen as a one-off process; assess the risk … job done. (Then review it occasionally). For the ongoing fire safety of premises the term ‘fire safety management’ is arguably more appropriate. It suggests the ongoing nature of keeping fire safely under control, which is so important to maintain safe premises. The constant management of fire safety is vital for the ongoing function of the fire safety measures that are designed and installed to keep people safe.
In common with many subjects, fire safety can be straightforward and relatively simple. Likewise, it can quickly become complicated. For the simple approach the way to achieve fire safety is by continually providing general fire precautions:
- Reduce the risk of fire – keep things that catch fire away from things that can start them etc.;
- Reduce the risk of the spread of fire – extinguish it, close a door on it, keep it trapped;
- Make sure there are enough escape routes (corridors, stairs and doors) for people – they are usually provided but changes in occupancy or use of the building should prompt a review;
- Make sure that escape routes (corridors, stairs and doors) are safe to use when needed – emergency lights in case the fire is in the electrics, fire doors are in the right place and protecting the corridors and stairs etc.;
- Have something in place to detect fire and raise an alarm – fire alarms and detectors of various sorts etc.;
- Make sure people understand what to do if a fire breaks out – employee training and signs for non-employees;
- Have something in place to fight outbreaks of fire (safely) – sprinklers, fire extinguishers, suppression systems etc.;
- Make sure that the effects of any fire will be as small as possible – tell employees how to prevent fires and how to maintain safety and keep the safety measures working properly etc.
When things get more complicated the best course of action is to engage professional help. This is currently an unregulated sector and as such the best way of securing dependable assistance is to use only third party risk assessors who are certificated or registered1. If improvement or other works are needed, then both the products and the installers should be likewise third-party certificated.
1 http://www.cfoa.org.uk/19532
Chief Fire Officers Association
Tel: +44 (0)1827 302300
www.cfoa.org.uk
