Fire extinguisher courses and fire marshal courses London

Fire marshal courses London back at Rembrandt Hotel in Knightsbridge

The Fire Service Safety Partnership and Cityfiiretraining return to the popular venue - The Rembrandt Hotel, Knightsbridge, London.

Fire warden training courses in London and fire marshal courses in London are no longer available from London Fire Brigade, so the FSSPs new fire marshal programme across London will be welcome amongst managers and fire marshals throughout London.

The fire marshal training London is a one day course covering details including fire extinguishers, hazard spotting, fire drills, staff fire training, fire emergency plans, disabled fire procedures as well as accounting and evacuation procedures.

For full details contact us or the Fire Service Safety Partnership

Fire Service Safety Partnership / City Fire Training Ltd partnership

The FSSP is continuing its fire training partnership with City Fire Training. Working together the two groups provide fire marshal training courses in Essex and London. New dates for Fire marshal courses in London (16th February 2012) and March 15th 2012. Additional dates for London each month up to July 2012 are also being programmed.

Fire marshal courses in Essex are programmed for 15th Feb 2012 and March 14th. Both fire marshal training courses will be held at Braintree fire station, Braintree, Essex.

For fire warden training or fire warden training courses at your premises in London or Essex call 01206 549589.

More fire marshal course dates released in London and Essex

Cityfiretraining and the Fire Service Safety partnership have released new fire marshal course dates for London and Essex.

Following a new marketing initiative from Business Development Manager Peter Baker (FSSP) a number of new seminars have been planned. The Essex seminar / courses will be held at Braintree Fire Station on 19th Oct 2011, 16th Nov 2011 and 12th Jan 2012.

Further dates fire marshal course dates in London are:14th Nov 2011, 5th Dec 2011 and 10th Jan 2012.

To book course places to help your organisation comply with the requirements of the Fire Safety Order 2005 call us now!

New Fire Safety Guidance for Purpose Built Blocks of Flats published

New guidance has been produced for landlords to help minimise fires in high-rise tower blocks. It was created following a number of concerns raised by landlords and risk assessors that existing regulations and guidance did not properly cover tower blocks.

The guide was developed by fire safety consultants on behalf of the Local Government Group following consultation with the fire service workplace fire safety departments, tenant groups and local councils.

The guidelines include controversial ‘stay put’ policy wherever possible. This means that residents whose home is not on fire should stay in their home rather than escape from the premises as ‘each individual flat / home should be totally enclosed with fire-resisting construction’.

In addition landlords are advised to adopt either a zero tolerance policy to common areas (residents banned from storing items on landings) or a managed use one (residents can store items like bikes and prams in areas not likely to cause obstruction).David Parsons, chairman of the LGG’s environment and housing programme board, said: ‘The existing guidance covers most types of property very well, but it was never meant for blocks of flats and it became apparent some landlords were unsure of their legal responsibilities in such buildings.

‘This was compounded by fire risk assessors being unclear about the level of investigation required when carrying out risk assessments.‘These extra guidelines should resolve these issues and help make sure everyone involved in the housing sector knows exactly what they have to do so lives aren’t needlessly put at risk.’

Fire marshal training courses London and Fire warden training London - Whats the difference? A question from a CFT caller.

Last week we was called by a London manager who wanted to know what the difference between our Fire marshal training courses London and fire warden training London that was offered by other providers!

Our course is based on government guidance booklets provided by Dept Communities and Local Government department. These guides were produced after the introduction of the Fire Safety Order 2005, with many fire services providing input. As providers of fire training for the Fire Service Safety Partnership, we use materials and content developed by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service but also use advice provided by London Fire Brigade Fire safety department.

So what is the difference between fire marshals and fire wardens? The difference is the name! Both are tasked to implement the organisations fire evacuation plan and ensure the safe evacuation of persons from a building where there is a fire and/or a fire alarm has actuated.

A fire marshal training course London or fire warden training London should include the following components:

- The components of the organisation fire emergency plan
- The evacuation strategy including the type of fire alarm in the building
- The different types of accounting method used in the building
- Non-emergency duties required by fire marshals
- Details of fire drills
- General staff fire training requirements in order to assist with very basic fire training of staff
- Any evacuation procedures for those particularly at risk
- Details of disabled evacuation procedures
- General information such as reasons for not using lifts (except fire fighting lifts or disabled fire lifts), fire door procedures, dealing with contractors, assembly points etc

Those taking part in fire marshal training courses London or fire warden training London should also consider the frequency of attendance of training courses. Issues to be considered when determining the duration between courses will include: The level of risk / life risk in the building, the number of occupants, do the public have access to the building, how long have staff worked at the premises, what fire safety measures are incorporated in the building, the findings of the fire risk assessment and the significant findings, the significant findings of other tenants in the building.

For details of fire marshal training courses London visit our latest courses page, For fire warden training London at your site - call us or email us now.

Some London care homes not taking fire safety responsibilities seriously says BBC report.

Many care homes are not taking their fire safety resposnibilities seriously claims a BBC report. The report revealed that 29 care homes in the capital had received an enforcement notice in 2010.

Some homes had up to eight breaches of the Fire Safety Order 2005 and included breaches such as no staff fire training, no fire escape plans, no marked fire exits.

Green Party London Assembly Member Jenny Jones said: "It is quite horrifying. In care homes you have some of the most vulnerable people in society - people who can't move around quickly. It's crucial those homes have good fire safety procedures.This sort of thing should be absolutely basic at places with residents who are not quick on their feet. Fire safety plans, staff training and emergency exits have to be up to date."
There are 1,976 care homes in London. 663 have been checked since 2010 - and enforcement action was taken at 4% of those. The remaining 1,313 homes may not have been checked for several years.
Ms Jones said: "At the moment fire checks only have to happen every four years. I'd say there's a strong argument for having them more often - particularly in places where there are vulnerable people."

Responding to the BBC investigation, Ms Jones also said: "There's a strong argument for having a public register of care homes so anybody can see if they do have adequate precautions."

"Whats in your fire extinguisher course London?" City Fire Training - fire extinguisher training London article

Whats in your fire extinguisher course London is a question we are asked nearly every day. Before signing up to any fire extinguisher training London session, managers need to now what their course will cover! So here it is - this is the City Fire Training Fire Extinguisher Training course London syllabus, but in a bit more detail:

* Session 1 The nature of fire and smoke gives delegates a quick overview of why they need regular fire safety training. We talk about their experiences of fire, latest fires from around the UK, Legislation and talk about some of the big fires that have occurred over the years. We also take a look at a fire service video - Fire and Smoke which shows how quickly fires develop.

* Session 2 Fire Extinguishers. This session is broke into several parts:

a) Classes of fire - We take a look at Class A fires involving wood, paper and textiles. We look at where they may start and what fire extinguishers to use on them. Class B fires involving liquids and liquifiable solids - again we look at the different ways we can extinguish a class B fire. Class C fires - We talk about the dangers of tackling a Class C fire involving natural gas or LPGs and best extinguishing methods. We take a brief look at Class D metal fires and best fire extinguishers, before a more in depth look at fires involving Electricity. We look at the best action to take when tackling an electrical fire, correct extinguishers and what precautions must always be taken when fighting this type of fire. Lastly we look at Class F cooking oil fires and give the latest fire service advice on types of extinguisher to use and other safeguards.

b) Fire Extinguishers, We take a look at Water extinguishers, Foam extinguishers, CO2 extinguishers, Dry Powder fire extinguishers and Wet Chemical fire extinguishers.
c) We look at general information on fire extinguishers including regular checks, maintenance, number required and where and how fire extinguishers should be sited.
d) We take a look at safety tips when using fire extinguishers on fires that occur in the workplace.
e) Lastly, we either carry out a practical live demonstration for your organisation or watch a video if you do not have a convenient place to carry out a practical exercise. If you are based in Central London you can carry out a practical training session at one of our training venues for a small extra charge.

So thats our fire extinguisher course London. You can select a course just for your employees or you can come along to one of fire marshal courses London and attend the first two sessions of that course.

Remember, if you elect for a practical training session at your site we use an environmentally friendly training rig and carry all of our waste products with us. We will carry out a risk assessment of the training area you select for us and it must pass our training critieria   for us to carry out this session.

For more details about fire extinguisher training London give us a call now!

Fire risk assessor and hotel manager sent to prison for fire safety offences. City Fire Training fire risk assessment report...

A fire risk assessor and a hotel manager have been sent to prison for eight months. John O'Rourke of Mansfield Fire Protection Services and David Liu who ran the Dial Hotel and the Market Inn, Mansfield were convicted at Nottingham Crown Court last week. Both pleaded guilty to a range of offences under the Fire Safety Order.

The external fire risk assessment consultant failed to spot a number of significant deficiencies that placed occupants in danger according to the prosecution.

The judge said that the time had come to send out a clear message to those that carry out fire risk assessments, and hoteliers who put profit before safety.

The case was bought by Nottingham Fire and Rescue who visited the premises during a routine inspection programme. They found a number of significant issues and that the fire precautions were inadequate. Due to the significant life risk, prohibition notices were issued until necessary improvements were made to the premises.

Readers are reminded that responsible persons must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment has been carried out. They should ensure that their fire risk assessor has the necessary competencies. City Fire Training fire risk assessors are all retired fire officers with extensive fire safety experience in the Fire Service workplace fire safety departments. Each has undertaken a course of study and are qualified to carry out PAS 79 standard fire risk assessments.

If you are unsure whether your fire risk assessment is adequate why not call City Fire Training. We can advise on a range of issues including fire safety audits, fire emergency plans, fire procedures for disabled persons, staff fire training, fire marshal training for fire wardens on our London courses, fire extinguisher training courses at our London training centre and much more.

Many Residential Care Home regularly breaching Fire Safety Order says newspaper report. City Fire Training article...

Residential Care Homes are regularly breaching fire safety regulations and are putting many lives of elderly and disabled residents in danger reports the Guardian newspaper. 135 homes were subject to Enforcement notices over a fifteen month period (Jan 10 - Mar 11)according to responses to Freedom of Information Act requests to a number of fire services. 37 out of 46 fire services responded.

The article details that hazards include no staff fire training, inadequate alarms, blocked fire exits, dangerous and damaged equipment.

Many residential care homes are facing increased financial pressures due to Government and Local Authority austerity cuts are finding it more difficult to comply with Safety Regulations that include producing a fire risk assessment, a fire emergency plan, procedures to evacuate elderly and / or disabled residents, staff and visitors, acting on the significant findings of the FRA, maintaining fire alarms, maintain emergency lighting, maintaining fire doors and staff fire training (fire marshal training, fire extinguisher training, fire evacuation training).

The Government produces guidance for all types of premises, and residential care homes managers can use "Fire Safety Risk Assessment in Residential Care Homes" and "Means of Escape for Disabled People" to assist in making plans and helping to ensure compliance with the Fire Safety Order 2005. In March 2011, further guidance was released by the Chief Fire Officers Association and NASHICS (National Association for Safety and Health in Care Services) to assist care homes to comply with the Fire Safety Order.

Managers are reminded that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is an essential starting point to outline any problems or issues in their homes. They must act on the significant findings and produce a fire emergency plan. This will include fire evacuation procedures which could include details of progressive horizontal evacuation, delayed evacuation and full evacuation policies.

City Fire Training Ltd train a number of residential care home staff with their Residential Care Home Fire Training course. It also carries out evacuation chair training for those homes and staff with disabled fire evacuation chairs. Call us or email us now for more details.

Flat managers fined £100,000 for failing to act on significant findings of fire risk assessment.

Douglas and Gordon Ltd, the managing agents for a London block of flats were fined £100,000 and £13,000 pounds costs for breaching the Fire Safety order 2005.

D & G Ltd pleaded guilty to three breaches of the law at Gloucester Terrace, Paddington. The owners of the building, Atomlynn Ltd were also fined £33,000 and £6,440 costs.

The case was bought after a fire at one of the flats at the premises. Fire Safety officers then carried out a fire safety audit of the building's communal areas. They found there had not been a fire alarm installed, an electrical cupboard was not locked, failure to make an a fire emergency plan, failure to install emergency lighting and fire doors.

Massage parlour manager prosecuted for Fire Safety Order breaches. City Fire Training and London Fire Risk Assessment article.

The manager of a Manchester massage parlour has been found guilty of five breaches of the Fire Safety Order.

Manager, Dawn Donoghue, appeared before Bolton Crown Court on July 8th. She pleaded guilty to the offences and was ordered to carry out sixty hours community service and ordered to pay £240 costs.

A Greater Manchester Fire Service fire safety audit found that no fire risk assessment had been carried out, failure to provide a fire alarm system, failure to provide a means of maintenance for fire fighting equipment, no system of training for a responsible person and no maintenance for the checking of fire exits.

Prosecuting counsel Joseph Hart said "Fireman found obstacles in the corridor and an emergency exit was being used as a changing area. This was a high risk area with low lighting. The rooms were dark and dingy and rooms were equipped with restraints, manacles and chains".

Ms Donoghue said she thought that fire safety was the responsibility of the landlord.

Are Fire Service fire risk assessment templates adequate?

In the light of recent prosecutions, City Fire Training asks whether fire risk assessment templates available on most Fire Service websites are now a viable option to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment.

Over the last two weeks (July 2011) two high profile prosecutions following breaches of fire safety law have raised issues for responsible persons of buildings, managing agents and fire risk assessors.

One recent case saw large fines for a managing agent and landlord who had failed to act on the findings of a fire risk assessment that had been carried out in their premises. In mitigation, the managing agents, Douglas and Gordon, had had five previous fire risk assessments carried out, each providing different significant findings. Although there was no criticism of the current fire risk assessment, it is understandable how such different advice could cause confusion. In another case a hotel manager and fire risk assessor were each sent to prison for eight months each for breaches of fire safety law. This is the first case in which an external fire risk assessor has been prosecuted and sends a clear message to those who carry out fire risk assessments for profit.

Many premises managers are facing financial pressures due to the country’s economic difficulties and will no doubt be tempted to find some low cost solutions to meet their statutory duties. With many fire services offering advice on how to carry out fire risk assessments coupled with download pro-forma’s and templates, managers may be tempted into carrying out a fire risk assessment of their own on a large or high risk building. Despite their knowledge of their site and procedures, they will not have any in depth knowledge of complicated fire safety matters and are unlikely to produce a robust fire risk assessment. Some may be even tempted to adjust the findings in order to change the outcome of the FRA and its significant findings.

A recent conversation with a City Fire Training client revealed that he had carried out a fire risk assessment but that it was five years ago! They did not carry out regular fire training or fire drills because “his staff would know what to do!” and he did not test his fire alarm “but knows it works!”. I got a blank look when I asked about emergency lighting!!! Many other managers could be breaching the Fire Safety Order due to cost cutting measures or through ignorance of their responsibilities.

The fire industry has been calling for a register of fire risk assessors and that the fire industry itself should regulate standards and competencies of external fire risk assessment consultants. This is a view supported by many in the fire industry, but there are many cases where self regulation has led to problems in other sectors. Despite the fire service making cuts due to economic pressures, an alternative to fire industry self regulation is that the fire service determine the suitability of fire risk assessors and publish approved lists, as it is they who will be auditing the fire risk assessments through their inspection programme. This may lead to some additional work initially, but this will soon fall to a low and manageable level.

If you have concerns about fire safety, require a fire risk assessment in London or Essex, want an independent fire safety audit, then call City Fire Training now!

Fire in London hotel.1500 guests evacuated during fire at Park Lane Hotel (July 1st)

Forty firefighters in eight fire appliances tackled a fire at the Park Lane Hilton Hotel. Approximately 1500 guests were evacuated by staff and all were accounted for.

The fire started in a kitchen in the basement of the building and spread to ducting between the basement and fourth floor. London Fire Brigade were called at 1842 and a stop message was sent at 2301 when the fire was under control. Firefighters from Soho, Knightsbridge, Chelsea and Westminster were at the scene.

The fire highlights the need for suitable and sufficient fire risk assessments, as required under the Fire Safety Order, fire emergency plans, robust evacuation procedures and suitable trained fire marshals to implement fire safety procedures. For fire training in hotels call City Fire Training Ltd now!

Fire risk assessment and fire marshalling for Essex and London GP surgeries reveals encouraging signs.

City Fire Training recently carried out course for GP surgeries in Essex and London and found encouraging feedback from managers and other staff.

Providing fire training for managers and fire marshalling for receptionists in London and Essex surgeries revealed that all had carried out fire risk assessments in their workplace or hah had them audited within the last 12 months, all had robust fire procedures including those for disabled persons entering their premises.

Some managers admitted that they did not have a proper fire emergency plan as required by the Fire Safety Order 2005 but with minor adjustments to information held could produce them easily and collate them into one document.

It was refrshing to note that all the receptionists that attended the training hadgoodknowledge of their fire procedures. All hadgiven considerable thought to the range of persons who moght be at additional risk in a fire. These included disabled persons, elderly persons, those with temporary injuries, mothers with children, those having minor surgery and those who used the surgery infrequently.

A good question from a fire extinguisher course in London! Fire extinguisher training London article.

City Fire Training carried out a fire extinguisher training course for fire marshals in London last week (June 2011). The employees from a bank had a morning of theory, including a refresher session on their fire marshal responsibilities.

In the afternoon, we provided a live fire training exercise at our London training centre and simulated Class A fires (Waste paper bin) and electrical fires ( a PC monitor) and all the staff had a go at putting out a fire.

One delegate asked a really good question! Why do fire extinguishers fail? Our answer was:

1) The operator takes on a fire that is too big. For example a water extinguisher with a 13 A rating can only put out a fire 1.3 metre cubed size fire and therefore tackling anything larger would be beyond the capabilities of the fire extinguisher.

2) Fire extinguisher malfunction - This actually happened to one of the fire extinguisher during the demo. It got knocked over and the operating trigger was damaged. Less common faults but very dangerous could include the operating head becoming detached from the extinguisher body when it is pressurised!

3) Operator error. The operator does not tackle the fire using the correct technique or fails to get the extinguisher to operate. A very common cause is not being able to take out the pin. This is because the wrong sized pin has been used or the operator tries to take out the pin while gripping the trigger mechanism.

So there you are! A great answer to a great question.

If you or your staff need fire extinguisher training courses in London call us to discuss what we can do for you. Remember from on-site training from just £595 and you can train as many people as you like! Alternatively why not attend one of our open courses from £95 per person.

Automatic fire alarms may cause problems in light of new policy. Fire safety training London report

Delegates at a recent fire extinguisher training course debated the issue of automatic fire alarm actuation at nigh time at their premises this week. The discussion was led during a fire marshal training course and fire extinguisher training course for the organisation.

Learning that Essex County Fire and Rescue Service no longer respond to Automatic Fire Alarms unless they are to a sleeping risk, a school or that a fire has been confirmed, it raised a number of issues:

a) Would their Alarm Receiving Centre notify key-holders during any nightime actuation
b) Although Essex Fire Service normally attend, what arrangements would be in place if they were at another incident (London Fire Brigade normally attend if their local station was unavailable
c)What arrangements needed to made for key-holders who were turning up at night to investigate the fire alarm (Safety issues relating to persons working on their own)
d) What alternative systems could be developed to assist staff at the premises that was not normally occupied throughout most of the week

One solution that was discussed was of a new type of domestic smoke alarm that sent text messages to four numbers when actuated. Whilst we would never recommend a domestic smoke alarm in a commercial premises - if two reports came to the key-holder 1) from the Alarm receiving centre 2) from the text service - this was likely to indicate the presence of a real fire.

THis is an issue that will face many organisations across the country. Although only twelve fire authorities have introduced this new policy, it is likely more will follow suit. At present, London Fire Brigade will still turn out to AFAs but reverse this decision in the future.

For details of fire training London, fire extinguisher courses London, fire extinguisher courses in Essex contact City Fire Training.

Fire marshals and fire wardens evacuate 700 theatre visitors during nearby fire. A London fire marshal training course report.

A fire last week next to a West End theatre in London initiated a fire evacuation of 700 visitors. The fire occurred in a restaurant next door to the theatre and the 700 persons attending a matinee performance were evacuated as a precaution.

The matinee performance had not started and all of the theatre goers were in the foyer of the theatre. Fire marshals and fire wardens put in place established fire plans and evacuated the building in two minutes. The staff who all regularly attend fire marshal training courses London were well prepared for the incident. The matinee performance was delayed for a few minutes while the incident was being dealt with by London Fire Brigade.

Fire marshals and fire wardens should take note that regular fire training is a necessity. The Fire Safety Order 2005 makes a requirement for responsible persons to have have procedures for the evacuation of a premises in the event of a fire emergency. It also requires sufficient persons to implement the procedures and that they receive sufficient fire training to carry out heir duties.

Fire marshal training London should include; fire extinguisher training, classes of fire, fire prevention and hazard spotting, the importance of fire doors including how to open these safely during an emergency and search, accounting methods, evacuation strategies, fire emergency plans, disabled fire procedures etc.

For more details of fire extinguisher training courses London and fire marshal training courses London visit our homepage or latest fire courses page.

Who needs fire training? A fire safety training London report.

This is a common question to our team at City Fire Training Ltd. Who actually needs fire training in my organisation and to what level?

Here are a few guidelines to help you:

* This will depend on the findings of your fire risk assessment. These findings will help you construct a fire emergency plan and that should detail the training given.

* All staff need fire training. This will include the content of the fire emergency plan, including what to do in case of fire, what to do when you hear the alarm, fire extinguishers, the evacuation strategy, accounting method and assembly points. The frequency will depend on whether there is a high turnover of staff.

* Fire marshals will need fire marshal training or be sent on a fire marshal training course (City Fire Training in partnership with the Fire Service Safety Partnership are one of the biggest providers of fire marsahl courses and fire extinguisher courses in London)

* Any person with specific responsibilities with the fire procedure. This will include persons nominated to call the fire service, those who help disabled persons evacuate (Buddies), those that liaise with the fire service, keyholders, etc

* Do not forget temporary workers. This will depend whether they are working with you for a day, a few days or it more long term. If they are with you for a day or so, it may be worth treating them like any other visitor, a slightly longer period any fire procedures could be passed on by the fire marshal in that area, longer term temps should have a full training package like any other member of staff.

* Contractors who are on site should exchange health and safety information, including fire safety procedures with your building manager, however these persons may also benefit from some basic training

How often should managers train staff in the use of fire extinguishers? A fire extinguisher training London report.

A telephone call to our office last week began with "How often should I training my staff in the use of fire extinguishers?". This is a common question, but often comes with a range of other questions - Such as do I need to do a practical? Do I need to train all of the staff? Will fire safety officers check my training?

Fire extinguisher training must be provided for all staff. The frequency of the training will depend on the findings of the fire risk assessment. Many organisations arrange fire extinguisher training London every year, whilst others carry provide fire extinguisher courses for staff less frequently.

Most fire training will include a section of fire extinguishers. This does not need to include a practical fire extinguisher element, but the staff fire training should include the components in the Fire Emergency Plan.

At City Fire Training Ltd, we believe that all staff should have a fire training session every 1 to 2 years. This will depend on whether there is a high turnover of staff or whether staff stay in posts for many years. This coupled with regular fire drills, should provide for a safer workplace and compliance with the Fire Safety Order 2005.

Last week we carried out fire marshal training at a well known law firm in the City. Staff are required to carry out fire training on an annual basis. Two weeks prior to the training, a fire alarm actuated in the building which prompted an evacuation of the building. Regular fire training coupled with well rehearsed fire drills, meant that the six storey building was evacuated in less than 2 minutes!!

Do staff need fire extinguisher practical training? A fire extinguisher training course London report.

A question often asked by fire safety managers is do I need to do a practical session on my fire extinguisher training course? This is not always possible in workplaces and fire extinguisher training in London including a practical can seem to be impossible if you have no outside space or even are on a middle floor of a multi tenanted building!

Fire extinguisher courses London do not have to include a practical session. There is no specific requirement in the Fire Safety Order or government guidance to include a practical session. However, if you are able to include a practical session, staff may well benefit from having a "hands on" training programme.

City Fire Training Ltd fire extinguisher training courses London include the following:

   *   Classes of fire - all staff must know the different types of fire they may come across
   *   Water fire extinguishers - Jets and Sprays
   *   Foam fire extinguishers - Jets and Sprays
   *   Dry Powder fire extinguishers
   *   Carbon Dioxide fire extinguishers
   *   Wet Chemical fire extinguishers
   *   Top safety tips
   *   General information
   *   Where possible - a practical fire extinguisher session

Do you need a fire extinguisher training London for your staff? We can carry out training at our training centre adjacent to Aldgate East tube station, carry out a fire training course at your premises or even use both venues!! The classroom theory session at your site and the practical at our training centre. Why not call us now on 01206 549589

Fire risk assessments still need to be reviewed during major building works. A recent London fire risk assessment highlights the need for robust procedures.

City Fire Training recently carried out a fire risk assessment in London at a large secondary school / college in Islington. The building is currently undergoing a multi million pound refurbishment that will not finish until 2012. The current school consists of a range of buildings dating from Victorian times, to 1950s and 1990s. The improvements will provide for a flagship school that helps educate over 800 pupils.

The recent fire risk assessment of the building carried out by the areas education trust highlighted many issues. Many of these were extremely positive but the best was the 4 story temporary school block complete with disabled access lift. electronic stair climbers, evacuation chairs, a disabled communications system in the disabled refuge, fire alarm system and fire extinguishers. This coupled with knowledgeable staff means that the temporary building is well prepared for any possible emergency that may arise.

The schoolconsists of some 5 individual teaching blocks. With such a large number it is vital that good working systems are in place to monitor all aspects of fire safety management. This will include weekly tests of the fire alarm system, monthly checks of the emergency lighting system, daily checks of all fire extinguishers, monthly practices with the evacuation chairs in the event that a disabled pupil needed evacuating, regular fire staff fire training for both fire marshals and general staff.

When very interesting aspect was the number of fire extinguishers placed at the school. Taking advice of the suppliers they had what seemed an excessive numbers of fire extinguishers which included eight in the kitchen area (including three wet chemical fire extinguishers for use on Class F cooking fires). There seemed little justification for so many , especially when fire services recommend not using more than two fire extinguishers on any internal fire. Tackling a larger fire may mean occupants are exposed to smoke for too long whilst trying to tackle a large fire. We do hope the school takes our advice for reviewing the number of fire extinguishers when the newly refurbished school opens. Less fire extinguishers will mean less costs, less serving and a more easily managed fire extinguisher stock! We actually found four fire extinguishers that had not been serviced since 2002 or 2005. Was this the schools fault???? Well they had paid their fire extinguisher suppliers to service their extinguishers and paid the bill!!!!

Fire Service Safety partnership and City Fire Training launch fire marshal training London programme through to March 2012

Working partners the FSSP and City Fire Training have just launched 10 new fire marshal training course dates in London. The courses are suitable for new and existing fire marshals and fire wardens in London.

Phil Johnson, director of City Fire Training said "Since London Fire Brigade ceased their commercial training activities in December 2010, we have seen a marked increase in enquiries for fire safety training in London, including fire warden training courses, fire extinguisher courses and evacuation chair training". He went on to say "It is vital that fire marshal and fire wardens follow established fire safety procedures that are detailed in their Fire Emergency Plan. They must carry out regular fire drills as specified in their fire risk assessment and emergency plan".

The FSSP and Cityfiretraining have recently modified the fire marshal competent person training course to include all of the vital elements required in a London Fire Emergency Plan. The course not only covers emergency fire procedures and fire extinguishers, but also looks at Disabled evacuation procedures, basic fire training, hazard spotting and the need for good housekeeping. It also refers to other components of fire emergency plans such as the need for fire alarm testing, emergency lighting testing, regular checks and serving of fire extinguishers and much more.

For more details or to book a course contact Peter Baker of the FSSP on 01277 222531 Exxt 2354

Fire risk assessment. London Fire Brigade guidance note reveals what managers need to document to ensure compliance with Fire Safety Order 2005.

Carrying out a fire risk assessment in London? The London Fire Brigades guidance note GN66 will help you ensure that you comply with the Fire Safety Order 2005 and any LFB fire safety officers fire safety audits.

The GN66 note details some general points about the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and also to which premises the Order does not apply to. It goes on to provide advice about what action is required by the Responsible Person of a premises, who has responsibility to enforce the Order and how to actually conduct a fire risk assessment. This includes identifying fire hazards, identifying those persons at risk, evaluating those risks, recording the significant findings and actions to be taken and finishing with reviewing and revising the fire risk assessment.

There is additional information about the contents of the fire emergency plan.

If you follow these guidelines when carrying out a fire risk assessment London then you should be able to meet the suitable and sufficient criteria set out for London Fire Brigade fire safety officers who monitor and assess fire safety in London's commercial premises.

Fire deaths at Scottish care home were avoidable says Fatal Accident Inquiry report. Lack of suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment was a key factor....

The 14 deaths at the 2004 Rosepark care home fire, Scotland, might have been avoided if a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment had been done and the significant findings carried out, says a Fatal Accident Inquiry report produced this week.

The report criticised the fire risk assessment, which failed to identify that the elderly residents were persons at risk, paid scant attention to the means of escape, the protection of the means of escape and arrangements for evacuation.

The report went on to say that had a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment been carried out it would have identified reasonable precautions such as:

·         The Storage cupboard to be fitted with fire resisting doors and kept securely closed
·         Bedroom doors to be fitted with self closers fitted with smoke seals
·         Compartmentation of a corridor
·         Installation of fire dampers
·         Provision of information at the fire alarm panel to assist staff to identify where the fire alarm had activated
·         Staff fire training including regular fire drills

The report also went on to list defects in working systems at the Care Home which contributed to the 14 deaths. This included the lack of proper maintenance of the electrical wiring and installation, the lack of adequate fire training for staff, the lack of fire drills that would have highlighted deficiencies in the fire emergency procedures, fire safety management systems and the management of construction processes at the care home.

The FIA report also commended a report by fire consultant Colin Todd who gave evidence at the Inquiry. Todd’s report covered issues including the use of addressable detection fire alarm systems, the provision of diagrammatic alarm zone plans, the minimum number of care home staff needed for fire evacuation, retro fitting of fire sprinklers and the importance of selecting competent fire risk assessors.

Fire marshal course London delegate raises common problem for fire marshals at recent fire training course

At an April fire safety training course held in London, one of our delegates raised a couple of common problems experienced by fire marshals and fire wardens.

The issues she raised was: Staff will not leave the building when a fire drill is being carried out. This included very senior members of the company and asked for some ideas and tips to help-ensure compliance. One technique often used is to explain to staff that the Fire Safety Order is criminal law and that it is a breach of the order not to take part in a fire drill. If this is coupled with a "skeleton cover" approach - Fore example - having two or three fire drills per year and asking staff to select one to take part in, leaving them to carry on working during the others. This would be pointed out to observers who are making notes about the fire drill.

The other issue raised related to the evacuation of disabled person from the building. The delegate said she had attended a London Fire Brigade course at Southwark training centre prior to the training centre ceasing its commercial fire training activities. She claims she was told that disabled persons could be left in a building and would be rescued by the Fire Service. All guidance makes it very clear that it is the responsibility of the occupiers to evacuate all persons and this should not be left to the fire service. However, a colleague injected that they had a bariatric worker who struggled to evacuate the high rise building. With no evacuation chairs, transfer slings or fire lifts she had to use the stairs. At the London Fire course, the question actually asked was - If we are trying to evacuate our bariatric colleague and she then cannot escape despite our efforts - she we leave her and then let the fire service rescue her. In this scenario, I think it would be the only option available to staff.

Nevertheless, the company delegates were advised to revisit their disabled fire procedure and see whtehr improvements could be made. There are some fire evacuation chairs that can be adapted for bariatric persons. They can be used on straight stairs. For more details check out the following link http://www.londonfireriskassessmentconsultants.com/fireevacuationchairsuk/

Fire risk assessments in London. A Cityfiretraining report on other information that should be recorded alongside your fire risk assessment.

Most responsible persons know that they must carry out a fire risk assessment for their premises and if the fire precautions are not adequate then they must take action to remove or minimise the risk to occupants in the building. Some may know that they are also required to produce a fire emergency plan. If the there are five or more employees both the fire risk assessment and fire emergency plan must be recorded and in writing.

London Fire Brigades workplace fire safety department have produced a guidance note to assist those person responsible for fire safety management of their buildings. The Guidance note 66 includes nine other legal duties that responsible persons of premises must comply with in addition to carrying out the fire risk assessment and producing the emergency plan. These are:

*   You must make appropriate fire safety arrangements identified by the fire risk assessment
*   You must nominate people to undertake any special roles identified in your fire emergency plan - this might include fire marshals, fire wardens, persons nominated to call the fire service, persons nominated to liaise with the fire service etc
*   You must consult with employees (or their representatives) about your nominations to perform the special roles and about your proposals to improve fire precautions in the premises
*   You must inform other responsible persons in the building about any significant risks you found which affect the safety of their employees and co-operate with them to reduce the risk
*   If you are not an employer but have control of a premises you also have responsibility to ensure compliance with the Fire Safety Order 2005 in those parts that you have control
*   You must establish a suitable and readily available method of calling the fire service and emergency services
*Your employees are required to co-operate with you to ensure the premises is safe from fire
*   You must, so far as is reasonably practicable, eliminate or reduce risk form dangerous circumstances
*   You must provide information to your employees on the risks identified by the by the fire risk assessment and the preventative and control measures you have put in place

Cityfiretraining carry fire risk assessments in London, Essex and surrounding areas. if you are unsure on how to carry out a fire risk assessment or fire safety audit of your premises give us a call. We assess fire safety using a PAS 79 methodology. This method will meet London Fire Brigades inspecting officers suitable and sufficient criteria.

Fire extinguisher training courses in London - Where can you have live fires?

We have many requests for live fire extinguisher training courses in London. Some managers have asked us what do we need to have a live fire extinguisher training session at their London site.

Well first - there is no requirement in the Fire Safety Order to have live fire training but if you insist this what we need!

We need an outside area away from a roadway or public footpath. It cannot be visible from the road in case it causes an accident. The area needs to be on your own land - we cannot carry out any fire extinguisher exercises on a public area. The space needs to be away from other buildings air conditioning intakes as well as your own intakes. The are a needs to be flat and ideally will be a least six car parking spaces in size, We cannot carry out fire extinguisher training on buildings roofs, in basements or underground car parks! You would be surprised how many times people ask. we then need to carry out a risk assessment to ensure the area is completely safe.

So if you have all these what can you look forward to in your fire extinguisher training course in London:

We always carry out a theory session first looking at the different classes of fire. We look at each individual fire extinguisher - Water extinguishers, foam extinguishers, carbon dioxide extinguishers, dry powder extinguishers for both Class C fires and Class D fires and Wet chemical fire extinguishers. After looking at a few safety tips we can go outside and simulate some different types of fires such as Class A fires (wood paper and textiles) and electrical fires.

How many students can attend a fire extinguisher training course at your site / premises? Well, we do not place a limitation on numbers but obviously not every person may get a go at extinguishing a fire if there are too many persons on the course. An ideal number is about ten. All those wishing to take part in the practical exercise will be able to participate.

Fire marshal training course in London highlights need to review and adapt fire procedures

At a recent fire marshal training course in London I was shown the organisation fire emergency procedure.

I think it was one best examples I had seen in a very long time and wad impressed by all aspects of the fire safety management of the building. As well as fire warden training courses, fire extinguisher courses for general staff, the company had fire evacuation chairs, sprinkler system, an intelligent addressable voice fire alarm, Inergen suppression systems in electrical and comms rooms and a well structured staff fire procedure.

The fire procedure included: a policy for mormal office hours, a policy for out of office hours, a sweep system based on a two stage fire alrm that incorporated phased evacuation, a robust disabled fire policy to assist disabled persons from a fire or other incident and over 32 fire marshals on eight floors.

Despite these superb arrangements the organisation did not have a structured fire emergency plan. There was no doubt that the person who ran the fire teams had all of the components in various places, the plan was not consolidated into a specfic document. This issue is now being address.

Does you organisation carry our regular fire risk assessments (London) and have a fire emergency plan? Do you carry out fire drills? Do you carry regular fire safety training courses. If not give us a call now!

London fire risk assessment highlights need to ensure fire stopping is maintained throughout a building

Our fire risk assessors carried out a fire risk assessment in London yesterday. The client was an advertising agency based in a converted garage and storage area.

A recently promoted employee asked us to carry out a fire safety audit and fire risk assessment following her attendance at a recent fire training course in London. The organisation had some components of a fire emergency plan, but had missed some fundemental requirements of fire safety management. This included no electrical testing, no weekly fire alarm tests, no fire drills and no staff fire training. Despite these shortcomings, there was little that could not be put right in a short time frame.

However, there were some other serious defects spotted. A boiler room / electrical intake room was being used as a storage area. Previous tradesmen working on the building had used this area to access services to the first floor. Our fire risk assessors noted that the space between the boiler room and service riser was not fire stopped and had large gaping holes between floors. The first floor service riser did not have a fire door that complied with British Standards - it had a door made of thin mdf board!! This meant that any fire in the boiler room (which had no smoke detectors) would have travelled to the first floor unbreached, doors wedged open would have caused both the first floor and ground floor quickly being involved in a fire resulting in a virtual 100% loss of the building.

Our significant findings will include: The preparation of a fire emergency plan, fire stopping within the service riser, consideration for extending the fire alarm to include the boiler room, weekly fire alarm testing, electrical wiring testing in accordance with the IEE Regs, placing of emergency exit signs and external signs - Keep Clear Fire Exit.

Readers are reminded that a suitable and sufficent fire risk assessment must be carried out and fire risks are monitored regularly. A fire emergency plan should be produced and this will include evacuation strategies for staff, visitors and any disabled persons in the building. Training and fire drills should not be overlooked.

For more details why not book on a fire marshal training course / fire warden training course in London with Cityfiretraining. Contact us now for fire training for just £95 per person.

New fire courses London. Fire marshal training courses, fire warden training courses and fire extinguisher courses dates to be released soon.

Cityfiretraining will be releasing a range of new course dates for its fire marshal training programme, fire warden courses and fire extinguisher courses in London.

The courses will be delivered in association with the Fire Service Safety Partnership, the trading company of the Essex Fire Authority. Course director Phil Johnson said "We have remodelled the fire marshal competent person course recently. It now includes more details of disabled fire procedures. This change came about after requests and questions from delegates of previous London fire training courses".

London Fire Brigade's website details the requirements of fire emergency plans and this includes the arrnagements for evacuating premises and particularly those at more risk. Ensuring fire marshals and fire wardens are properly trained is a key component of any any robust fire procedure. Cityfiretraining train fire marshals to understand the the requirements of evacuation plans for all persons. Those with management responsibilities can determine whether fire marshals will also undertake the role of disabled buddies for those requiring assistance fron buildings. They can also decide whether they need fire evacuation chairs, transfer slings or use other equipment to assist with the evacuation. Bill Seccombe, Cityfiretraining Course Director said "Responsible persons must constantly assess fire safety and monitor fire risk. They will need to make changes to their fire evacuation procedures as changes take place in the workplace. We recently undertook a fire risk assessment for an office building in London. They had lost 40% of their staff due to austerity measures and taken on a new tenant in the space left. These types of changes must be reflected in fire safety audits, fire risk assessments and fire emergency plans".

Keep an eye on this website for our new fire training course dates in London.

Fire marshal refresher training course highlights need for robust company fire emergency plans

This week we carried out some fire marshal refresher training for a large fashion designer / shop chain. The company based in London has stores all over the United Kingdom and Europe.

The fire warden training course provided was for existing fire marshals for various shop outlets, head office staff and their distribution warehouse. The organisation clearly takes fire safety seriously ensuring that fire risk assessments are carried out at all of their buildings, carries out regular staff fire training, regular testing of equipment and systems.

However, it became apparent that the organisation did not have fire emergency plans in all of its workplaces. Some had generic fire emergency plans. It is important that all organisations have a fire emergency plan in addition to carrying out a fire risk assessment. The plan should reflect the systems in place at the organisation and will highlight various issues such as : action to take on discovering a fire, how the alarm is raised, fire evacuation including those particularly at risk, maintenance of equipment, training required, details of those with specific fire responsibilities, information passed to relevant persons, the accounting procedure and evacuation strategy.

For more details of this information why not book a fire warden training course with Cityfiretraining or a fire marshal training course London with the Fire Service Safety Partnership , our fire service partners.

London Fire Brigade issue enforcement notice after fatal fire at tower block

An enforcement notice has been served on a tower block in Deptford, South London by London Fire Brigade.

Last month, a fatal fire occurred in the building on the sixteenth floor. Two persons lost their lives and a resident at the block has been charged with manslaughter and two counts of arson.

After the fire a fire safety audit was carried out by London Fire Brigade fire safety officers. The enforcement notice set out five breaches of the Fire Safety Order including:

    * Failure to review the fire risk assessment
    * Inadequate protection of emergency escape routes
    * Inadequate maintenance of fire doors
    * Failure to establish a fire emergency plan

A fire service spokeman said “Enforcement notices are regulatory documents which inform the body concerned that the buildings concerned fail to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, and that they are legally obliged to take corrective actions within a set timescale.”

Readers may wish to click the link below that details fire safety measures including fire emergency plans. Details of fire emergency plans etc are discussed on Cityfiretraining fire warden training course London / fire marshal training course London.

Fire legislation and emergency fire plans

Implementing significant findings of fire risk assessment proves difficult for safety manager

We recently carried out fire risk assessments for an organisation in the London / Essex area. A new health and safety manager had asked us to carry out the FRAs as no previous assessments had been carried out even though the business had been operating since 2005.

It was quite clear to our assessor that virtually no tests, training, drills or works had been carried out at all. The safety officer was competent to carry out fire alarm tests, emergency lighting tests, fire extinguisher checks, implementing procedures for contractors, disabled evacuation policies and preparation of the emergency plan. However, she had serious concerns as the buildings required new fire alarm, emergency lighting upgrades, electrical wiring tests, bioler serving etc.

Despite attempts to discuss the concerns the safety officers was told there was not sufficient money to implement these issues in the foreseeable future.

We do appreciate that these works could be expensive, but organisations and responsible persons cannot afford to ignore these important safety issues. We offered advice on how the safety officer should document these discussions and ways of getting these works programmed in a reasonable time frame.

Fire evacuation chairs placed for elderly students at University

Following a request by partner Swallow EMP, we provided a demonstration ofa manual fire evacuation chair to staff at a University whose students are all elderly persons. The University in East Anglia has officesbasedon the secondfloor of a city building. The University rooms are accessed via a lift. Following a fire safety audit by fire service officers, the University decided it needed to consider disabled fire evacuation.

Fire evacuation chairs are an ideal solution to evacuate persons in an emergency. These can be supported by an evacuation sling to transfer the person from a wheelchair or chair to the equipment. Government guidance also recommends that Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans are also used as part of a disabled evacuation strategy. It also suggests that Generic Emergency Evacuation Plans for occassional visitors that have disabilities or mobility issues.

Disabled evacuation plans should be part of an organisations fire emergency plan. It should detail arrangements for evacuation disabled people, PEEPS and GEEPS, names of buddies, maintenance of equipment, any fire evacuation training requirements and details of any communications strategy that supports the diabled evacuation plan.

For details of our evacuation chair products click the links below:

Cityfiretraining evacuation chairs

Fire Evacuation Chairs UK

Prisoners safely evacuated from a fire at a Wiltshire prison

40 prisoners were safely evacuated from a fire at a Wiltshire prison. Staff moved the prisoners to another building at the prison at Earlestoke.

The blaze came one month after prison officers had received a fire warden training course and just two months after fire officers from Wiltshire Fire Service had carried out an exercise at the facility.

The successful outcome at this incident underlines the importance of fire marshal training and fire warden training. Staff will also benefit from regular fire drills. The frequency of staff fire training session and fire drills will be determined by the organisations fire risk assessment.

Fire Training Club engaged in major online fire risk assessment drive for London schools

We have recently been engaged to carry out a series of fire risk assessments in schools for a borough education department. The FRAs and significant findings are being placed on a web based management information system for Headteachers to access.

Having already assessed a number of the schools, we have been able to suggest a range of sensible options to help raise fire safety and management procedures within the schools.

Punch Taverns fined for fire safety offences

A national brewery has been fined a total of £27,481 after pleading guilty to a series of breaches of the Fire Safety Order 2005 following a prosecution brought by the London Fire Brigade.

Punch Taverns PLC pleaded guilty to seven contraventions of the fire safety legislation. Fire Officers inspected the Milestone Public House on Mile End Road, London on 7 July 2008. They found a number of fire safety breaches in the premises including inadequate maintenance of the fire alarm and emergency lighting. An enforcement notice was issued and time was given for them to comply. Officers returned on the 14 November 2008 and found a number of faults still hadn’t been fixed.

The summons Punch Taverns pleaded guilty to were:

Summons 1 – Inadequate maintenance of the fire alarm in breach of the Enforcement Notice and Article 17
Summons 2 - Inadequate emergency lighting in breach of the Enforcement Notice and Article 14(2)(h)
Summons 8 – Inadequate emergency lighting in breach of Article 14(2)(h)
Summons 10 – Inadequate maintenance of the fire alarm in breach of the Enforcement Notice and Article 17.
Summons 11 –  No self closer on the kitchen door in breach of Article 14(2)(b)
Summons 12 - No self closer or the door to bedroom 5 in breach of Article 14(2)(b)
Summons 13 – No emergency lighting in breach of the Enforcement Notice and Article 14(2)(h)

Fire extinguisher maintenance - Did you know?....

Fire extinguisher maintenance must be performed by a "competent person". This is defined as someone with the necessary training, qualification and experience. The competent person must have the correct tools, refilling equipment and manufacturer's documentation. However, the United Kingdom does not have any legal requirement for a fire extinguisher maintenance technician to hold qualifications.

Delayed evacuation policies (formerly known as Stay Put policy)

In some types of buildings, residents may face an increased risk when evacuating during a fire. In such circumstances, a fire risk assessor may recommend that residents can ‘stay put’ in their rooms/homes during initial fire fighting operations. This is sometimes referred to as delayed evacuation.

Types of premises where a delayed evacuation policy may be found are
Residential care homes
Sheltered accommodation
Blocks of flats
These types of premises should have a range of fire safety measures and procedures that will form the basis of the premises’ fire risk assessment and subsequent emergency plans. These include:
An approved fire alarm system is provided throughout and is properly maintained.
Acceptable fire safety management procedures.
A history of satisfactory fire safety management within the premises.
Suitable and regular fire training is provided for staff and residents and is recorded.
Premises such as residential care homes and sheltered accommodation will also need to provide progressive horizontal evacuation and full procedures in addition to delayed evacuation strategies. They may need to provide additional training for fire marshals and provide evacuation equipment such as evacuation chairs and transfer slings to aid evacuation from upper floors.

Cityfiretraining recommends that responsible persons of premises engage the services of a suitably qualified fire risk assessor before implementing delayed evacuation strategies.

So what does a fire marshal do all day?

This was a joke comment made by a delegate at a recent Fire Service Safety Partnership Fire Marshal Competent Person Course! This course was run and held by Cityfiretraining (Fire Training Club) at the Essex Fire Service Headquarters in Kelvedon, Essex.

It got everybody thinking though! This is what the group who attended thought:

·         Doing their normal job
·         A quick check of their area, the fire escape routes and fire exit doors
·         Keeping constantly alert for problems that might cause a fire or hinder an evacuation during the day
·         Checking that none of the fire safety measures in the building are obstructed or interfered with
·         Providing a quick bit of fire training to new persons on their patch!
·         Making sure the alarm can heard when the building has its weekly test
·         Taking part in fire drills
·         Carrying out there fire marshal role in the event of a fire alarm operating

Well we thought the course delegates came out with a pretty good fire marshal list. What do you think?

For fire marshal courses for your premises call Peter Baker at the Fire Service Safety Partnership on 01277 222531 ext 2354 or Cityfiretraining on 01206 549695

Who is the Responsible Person?
Cityfiretraining (Fire Training Club Ltd) were engaged by Essex County Fire and Rescue Services “Fire Service Safety Partnership” to run and host a course called Fire Safety and the Provision of Emergency Facilities for Disabled People.
The course held in Euston last Tuesday had a small number of attendees from a well known theatre and a conference centre based in Central London.
The course covered a range of topics including the Fire Safety Order, Emergency Plans, Disabled Procedures, Evacuation Strategies and equipment for the use of disabled evacuation.
One delegate from the conference centre asked a pertinent question! Who is the responsible person at a conference centre? Is it the Responsible Person of the building or is it the person who has hired the room and facilities?
Our answer was – Both! The answer centres on whether somebody has a degree of control over the building or occupants. Clearly the responsible person for the building should have carried out a fire risk assessment, developed emergency plans and evacuation procedures, maintained the fire safety measures within the building and provided a save environment. The person running the course would have some responsibility in ensuring that any persons requiring assistance received help when needed – whether through trained staff at the Centre or by the tutor (assuming he / she had also received training). Certainly a minimum requirement would be that the tutors would provide a safety brief to those attending and not familiar with the building.
Cityfiretraining and the Fire Service Safety partnership run a number of fire training courses in London and Essex. Do you need training? Call Peter Baker of the Fire Service Safety Partnership on 01277 222531 Ext 2354 or Cityfiretraining (FTC) on 01206 549695

Delayed evacuation in housing for vulnerable persons

Cityfiretraining carried out fire training for a housing association that supports vulnerable persons in London yesterday (9^th Dec 2010).

There was some interesting discussions on the use of delayed evacuation policies.In some of the projects, staff used a delayed evacuation for some disabled persons. This was done on the basis of the findings of the fire risk assessment and after consultation with the service users.It must be stressed that delayed evacuation policy should only be used as a temporary solution and that a full evacuation strategy is also required should a fire escalate and become more serious.

New fire training course dates released by Fire Service Safety Partnership

Our fire training partners have just released new fire training course dates in London and Essex. Cityfiretraining and the Fire Training Club Ltd group will be assisting Essex Fire Service by carrying out fire marshal training at Kelvedon Park Essex on 27th January and Premier Inn Euston on 24th February.

How long does a fire marshal certificate last?

That was a question that I was asked by a delegate attending a fire marshal course in London recently.

I gave a lengthy answer but in short: There is no fixed term required by legislation for the frequency of fire marshal training. It will depend on your fire risk assessment and managers will make the decision on how frequent fire marshal training should be along with other fire training for staff.

I was a little annoyed when I typed in the phrase “How long does a fire marshal certificate last?” to find that some sites (I am afraid I will have to be diplomatic here and not name names) will say that their fire marshal certificates last “X” amount of time. This can only be an apparent attempt to get refresher training at some later stage.

As a former fire officer, I can assure readers and delegates on our courses the decision on the frequency of training is based on the fire risk assessment.

Government guidance suggests that annual training could be appropriate, however if fire marshals have been in place several years and regular fire drills are carried out to ensure the efficacy of the fire procedures; then a longer duration between fire warden training course (s) may be appropriate.

Do buildings need evacuation chairs? - Evacuation chairs London article

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) came into force over three years ago and included a requirement to take special note of fire safety relating to disabled persons and other vulnerable users. Despite the fact that this legislation became law in October 2006, many managers are still unsure or unaware of their exact duties.

There are now 13 government guidance books that help managers carry out fire risk assessments for their buildings, produce emergency plans and procedures and implement adequate and effective fire safety measures. One book specifically covers “Means of Escape for Disabled People”.

During my time as a senior officer in Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, I ran EFA (Trading) Ltd, the fire authority’s trading company. On one occasion I was tasked with holding a Fire Service Safety Partnership fire marshal seminar. On the seminar I was asked “Do we need evacuation chairs in our building?” The simple answer “What does your fire risk assessment say?” could have sufficed, but instead I asked the attendees what they thought the answer was. These were their answers!

“We do not need disabled procedures as we never have disabled visitors and do not have disabled staff!”

“We were told you can leave disabled persons in the refuges in the staircases and let the fire brigade get them out!!”

“We have skid chairs but no-one likes getting in them or using them!”

“We have a fire lift and evacuate disabled persons in them.” (Further investigation revealed it was a fire fighting lift which grounded when the alarm operated)

These answers demonstrate a clear lack of knowledge of not only the FSO and fire safety measures, but also issues such as the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) and the Disability Equality Duty (DED, applicable to public bodies).

So how should a fire safety manager or nominated person answer the question posed above? Well it really does depend on the fire risk assessment, on the type of building, the types of activities that are carried out and the people in the building! Every premise will have different risks and hazards, but they must have adequate arrangements to evacuate all persons from the building. Therefore, it may be best for organisations that have disabled staff, visitors or clients to provide themselves with the equipment needed to deal with any emergencies that arise.

In early 2008, the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s commercial arm began selling a range of evacuation chairs. Was this unusual? Well, Fire Services rarely endorse products or companies, but on this occasion their commercial managers considered the products to be well engineered, easy to use and, most importantly, extremely effective ways of getting disabled persons quickly and safely out of the premises in the event of a fire. Since then fire safety officers have also posed the question “If a disabled person goes up in a lift – how will they get down?”

Evacuation chairs are probably the best type of equipment for evacuating disabled or less mobile occupants in stair areas, but if this type of equipment is adopted it must be accompanied by a robust procedure that includes:

·         Sufficient number of evacuation chairs and slings for all persons requiring evacuation – multi use of equipment that involves re-entry should be avoided wherever possible.

·         Regular training for those that will operate the equipment. This should be first carried out by equipment specialists and then at least monthly by the operatives (Monthly training should take less than 5 minutes for each person) This is best carried out without involving the disabled person in case transferring to the equipment causes an injury. Evacuating any disabled person should only be carried out during real evacuations and fire drills.

·         A full assessment of all disabled persons working in the building to ensure that the equipment is suitable for their needs should be undertaken. This will be part of the Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEPs) process carried out for the individual. It is recommended that the individual also takes part in this assessment. Standard PEEPs should also be developed for occasional visitors.

·         A robust and well practised communications procedure to ensure that buddies and evacuation chair users meet disabled persons in suitable pre-arranged refuges. They will also need to know all locations where evacuation chairs are kept

.·         That any disabled evacuation / evacuation chair policy is part of a full system of escape and accounting procedure for the building.

Evacuation chairs may help an organisation address other issues such as “access for disabled persons” and possibly help assist manual handling when moving heavy objects on stairs. Many companies using motorised evacuation chairs find that secondary uses such as moving equipment is used more than its primary evacuation role.

Some readers may disagree with the Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s decision in promoting and selling evacuation chairs as part of an evacuation and accounting solution. However, the fire officers believe that the benefits of such equipment can clearly be demonstrated to outweigh any associated costs. Managers should also pay regard to the health and safety ramifications of not providing such evacuation chairs, as well as giving consideration to potential legal action and the personal dignity issues of carrying down a disabled person manually.

Different fire evacuation plans

At a recent fire warden training course, London, I was asked by a manager whether he thought he needed different fire evacuation plans for his building. He had identified various risk groups when carrying out a fire risk assessment and was not sure whether his fire evacuation plans were adequate.

It reminded me of a fire warden training course (London) that I undertook during my time with the Fire Service Safety Partnership (FSSP). The FSSP had been commissioned by a Council office to carry out fire marshal training for its staff.

The premises were put to many types of use, including:

·         Office function during daytime
·         A mobility class for elderly members of their community
·         A weekend children’s club
·         Public gatherings such as plays, recitals etc

It also became clear that staff came in early or worked late most days, and they contracted cleaning services in the late evening.

The FSSP view was that they needed six different fire evacuation plans and trained fire marshals for their premises. One plan for each of the following:

·         Normal office hours ( required 8 fire marshals) using a sweep system
·         Out of office hours (1 role call officer and 1 deputy) using a role call officer
·         An evacuation plan for the mobility class comprising of fire marshals and evacuation buddies
·         An evacuation plan for the children’s club comprising of 3 fire marshals and 2 role call officers
·         Ensure that the cleaning contractors had an evacuation plan that was suitable and effective. This would include fire marshals and persons nominated to call the Fire Service
·         An evacuation plan comprising of 8 fire marshal using a sweep system for public performance events

If this article is of interest to you why not book a place on our fire marshal course London.
Latest dates for fire marshal courses in London are 2nd December 2010.

Are fire marshals a legal requirement?

Fire marshal courses news article

To ensure a safe and successful evacuation from a building, an organisation must have the trained people doing the rights things at the right time! This does not just apply to fire marshals, but to all staff from the general workforce through to board members.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires a “Responsible Person” for a building or premises, who has duties under Articles 8 – 22 of the Order. The fire safety management duties for this person are provision and management of:

·         Fire precautions

·         Prevention and procedures

·         Fire risk assessments

·         Maintenance of equipment

·         Nomination of competent persons

·         Dissemination of information to staff and relevant persons

General staff also have duties under the RRO. They are required to fulfil their “general duty as an employee” under Article 23 of the Order. This is in addition to the “duty of care” required by any individual under the Health and Safety at Work Act.

Fire marshals are persons who have been nominated as competent persons for that role under Articles 15 – 18 of the RRO. Their competence has been determined by:

·         The extent of their training

·         Maintenance of that training via instruction and drills

·         Experience and knowledge of their workplace

·         Other qualities to ensure the implementation of the fire procedure

Fire marshal training is required on a frequent basis. This will be determined by the premises fire risk assessment required by Article 9. Training will be carried out; initially, because of a change in circumstances, because of new or increased risk and periodically in accordance with Article 21 of the RRO.

During my time with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service, I was once telephoned by a lady who asked how long fire marshal training certificates were valid for. She had been called by her training provider who had told her that her two year certificate needed updating otherwise she would be breaking the law! Article 9 or 21 does not detail specific frequency.

For fire marshal training / fire warden training course join the fire training club or attend a City Fire Training open course.

What is a workplace fire risk assessment?

A workplace fire risk assessment is a review of the activities carried out in your premises, the likelihood of any fire starting and injuring or harming any persons in the premises. The review should be an organised and methodical approach.
The purpose of the workplace fire risk assessment is to:
·         Identify any fire hazards or potential fire hazards
·         To help reduce the risk of fire hazards and potential harm to persons as far is as reasonably practicable
·         To ascertain what fire safety measures and precautions are required to ensure the safety all persons on the premises
Is there any guidance about workplace fire risk assessments?

Click on the link below to access the Department of Communities and Local Government. There are a number of guidance booklets for different types of building and another that deals specifically with the Means of Escape for Disabled persons.
http://www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw/

My workplace is multi-tenanted. Who should carry out the workplace fire risk assessment?

The landlord of the site should carry out a workplace fire risk assessment in the common areas of the premises. Your organisation must carry out a workplace fire risk assessment and include any arrangements the landlord has provided (for example; fire alarms, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting etc). Your additional arrangements will include fire safety training, fire drills etc.
You or your landlord may carry out the workplace fire risk assessment yourselves or you could engage a fire safety professional to carry out one on your behalf.
What happens after the fire risk assessment has been done?

Your fire risk assessment is likely to identify significant findings. The significant findings will highlight any actions required to upgrade protective and preventative measures.
The significant findings of the workplace fire risk assessment should be circulated amongst all relevant persons. This will include staff, union representatives, other tenants, neighbours at potential risk etc.
A copy of the workplace fire risk assessment must be kept available for inspection by fire safety officers from the fire authority. Insurance companies may also ask for a copy.
Who is a “Responsible Person”?

A responsible person is someone who has control of all or part of a premises. This could be an employer, an owner or a manager. For example in a multi-tenanted building there may several “responsible persons”. This may include individual managers / owners who are the tenants and a representative from the owners of the building.
How frequently should workplace fire risk assessments be carried out?

Workplace fire risk assessments should be carried out at regular intervals. They should also be carried out if any significant changes occur in a premises. For example, a new workplace fire risk assessment may be carried out if there has been structural alterations to a building, new workplace practices are introduced or a significant increase or decrease in numbers of persons using the premises.

Acoustically Operated Hold Open Devices for fire resisting self closing doors

The Essex County Fire and Rescue Service fire safety department have produced an aide memoir for premises that use acoustically operated hold open devices (AOHODs) for fire resisting self closing doors. These are quite common in some residential care homes that do not electromagnetic hold open devices.
If you use AOHOD’s (such as Dorguard device) remember the Essex Fire Service fire safety department’s advice:
·         A risk assessment must be carried out before the installation of the devices, identifying both the advantages and disadvantages of installation as per BS 7273-4:2007. This must be incorporated into the premises fire risk assessment.
·         The premises fire emergency plan should take into consideration the occurrence of the fire alarm system failing or becoming defective.
·         Staff fire training should cover awareness of the devices and operation in all circumstances. Fire doors must be closed if a fault occurs in the fire detection and fire alarm system until the fault is rectified.
·         Devices must only be installed by a competent person as per the manufacturer’s installation instructions.
·         Both the device and fire alarm should be tested for correct operation on installation and weekly. This must be recorded in a logbook or similar (all defects must be recorded).
·         The fire alarm system must work correctly and be managed, serviced, maintained and tested in accordance with BS 5839.
·         Fire doors to which a device is fitted should have a suitable self closing device and should ideally, conform to BS 476 and be equipped with the relevant signage.
·         Fire resisting self closing doors must release automatically on actuation of a manual call point, failure of the power supply to the device and actuation of the AFD and alarm system.
·         Acoustic hold open doors are not acceptable on doors to single stairways enclosures, doors which open onto a staircase, doors accessing high risk area such as basements, kitchens, boiler rooms etc.
·         Acoustic hold open doors are not acceptable where the initial fire alarm signal is intended to alert staff only (staged), where the fire alarm incorporates a voice alarm and where the alarm in a building is muted or reduced for any reason.
·         The hold open device actuation should comply with BS 7273 Part 4; Actuation of release mechanisms for doors.

Fire drills. Should we tell our staff?

This question was asked at a fire warden training course I attended with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service in London. A delegate had spotted the different advice given in British Standard 9999 / BS 5588-12 and government guidance booklets.

BS 9999/5588-12 states:

“Test evacuations should be notified only to those persons who have designated responsibilities, to make the evacuations as realistic as possible”.

Government guidance booklets take a differing view:

“The health and safety risks of surprise drills may outweigh the benefits gained”

So who is right? British Standards or Government Guidance! Readers should remember that both offer only guidance and that the manager should make his / her decision based on the findings of the fire risk assessment.

As a former Fire Service Officer, I worked with the Fire Service Safety Partnership (FSSP). At the FSSP, we took the view that staff should be told unless there were sound and justified reasons not to do so. By warning staff of a fire drill the following benefits can be gained:

·         Complying with government guidance ( a tendency to comply – legal definition)

·         Health and safety issues

·         If staff are informed of each drill, when the fire alarm is sounded without warning the staff are likely to treat it as a real incident

·         Time to brief fire drill observers (government guidance good practice)

·         Allows a manger to nominate a member of staff to activate the fire alarm call point with a test key. This will determine knowledge of fire alarm call point positions.

·         Staff and visitors can secure valuables prior to the drill

·         Ensure any equipment or important data is secured prior to the drill

·         Provide for better workforce planning

For more details of fire drills and other staff training issues attend the City Fire Training Fire Marshal or Fire Managers courses.

What are the most common causes of fire?

Fire training London article

That was a question that we were asked at a recent seminar held for businesses and organisations in London. Here is a list of the most common causes:

·         Arson - Although there have some recent drops in arson in London, it remains one of the leading causes of fire in non domestic buildings. It is also the second most common cause of fire in the home. Source FSSP

·         Electrical apparatus – Misuse, neglect and faulty electrical equipment is a common cause of fire. This can be averted by regular PAT testing / inspections

·         Heaters – Poorly positioned heaters can be a cause of fire. This is particularly relevant during this years (2010) cold weather.

·         Smoking – Since the workplace and public building smoking ban, there has been a drop in fire caused by smoking. However, make sure any bins or receptacles are not left to fill up as these may become a small fire hazard.

·         Hot works – All types of hot work are particularly dangerous. This maybe from contractors carrying out welding, heating equipment such as soldering irons, blow torches, cutting equipment or any other equipment that generates heat.

All of these risks can be reduced by carrying out a fire risk assessment for the premises / building. Risk reduction strategies and control measures will help reduce the chances of a fire. Adequate fire safety measures backed up with fire safety training for staff will also help reduce fire risks.

How many fire marshals does my building need?

Fire marshal courses news article - fire safety training

This must be one of the most common questions fire safety instructors are asked!

Unfortunately the number of fire marshals needed will vary from building to building, the type of evacuation method employed and may also vary at different times of the day. Other factors to determine the number will include:

·         The type of activities carried out in the premises

·         The numbers of employees or visitors to the building

·         The layout of the building and its fire safety measures

·         The type occupancy using the building and level of risk associated with that type of premises

However the following tips can be used to obtain a general estimate of the numbers needed:

·         When using sweep, baton system, starburst or physical check methods one fire marshal per sixty seconds of search area.

·         Try to have at least one deputy for each fire marshal – Remember fire marshals go on holidays, call in sick, attend training courses, go out at lunch and nip to the toilet occasionally!!

If all fire marshals start sweeping a building at the same time this means that all staff and visitors should be outside the building or in a safety staircase or fire exit route within sixty seconds of the alarm being sounded.

For roll call systems consider the following points:

·         How long does it usually take for the fire service to arrive at your building when an alarm sounds?

·         How long does it take for all staff and visitors to evacuate from your building?

·         What is the difference in time between these two answers?

·         Calculate the number of roll call officers required to call out roll call names before the fire brigade arrive

Do you have different fire procedures for normal working hours and outside normal working hours? Some organisations work 24 hour operations but often with different numbers of staff. These situations will often need different types of evacuation procedure and different numbers of fire marshals to operate them!

Remember – A successful fire evacuation procedure will only work if all staff practice fire drills and carry out regular staff fire training.

For details on how to train all of your staff cheaply and efficiently contact City Fire Training.

Do I have to train all my staff?

Fire safety training article

That was a question City Fire Training instructors were asked at a recent staff fire training session at a residential care home in Essex. The simple answer was yes but we also provided a more lengthy answer detailing sections 21 and 13 of the Fire Safety Order 2005. We also did a little summary at the end!!!! We have also done one in this article too!

The Fire Safety Section (FSO) 21 para (1)

The responsible person must ensure that his employees are provided with adequate safety training......a) When they are first employed; and b ) On their being exposed to new or increased risks. It further states that such new or increased risks may be due to their being transferred or given a change of responsibility; introduction of new work equipment or a change of work equipment; new technology; new systems of work and changes to systems of work.

Para 21 also details that training must be suitable and sufficient on the appropriate precautions and actions to be taken by the employee in order to safeguard himself and other persons on the premises; that it be repeated periodically, changed to cater for new and changed risks; in a manner appropriate to the risk identified in the risk assessment; during working hours

Para 13 of the FSO deals with firefighting and fire detection equipment to safeguard persons on the premises. It requires appropriate firefighting equipment ( extinguishers, discharge systems, sprinklers etc) and fire alarms. It requires them to be easily assessable, simple to use and indicated by signs.

It also requires that a responsible person nominate persons to implement measures (use of firefighting equipment) and that their training is adequate taking into account the hazards in the premises.

Summary

·         Training is a legal requirement

·         All persons should be trained in the use of firefighting equipment (Unless a firefighting team has been specially trained to fight fires. Fire action notices would also reflect this)

·         Fire training will:

      o   Be periodic ( fire service often recommend annual fire training), as required by the fire risk assessment

      o   Cater for any new risks, changes to work practices or systems of work, changes of responsibility due to promotion     or transfers

City Fire Training carries out staff fire training, fire extinguisher training, fire marshal training fire risk assessments, fire safety assessment, fire safety of audits, evacuation chair training, fire safety training for companies and organisations in London.

What is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005?

The Government recognised the need for better regulation, so introduced legislation that was more suited to the needs of modern organisations, business and commerce.

The Fire Safety Order, was made under the Regulatory Reform Act 2001 and over 100 pieces of legislation were repealed and replaced by one single Order. It requires any person who exercises some level of control in premises to take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and ensure occupants can safely escape if a fire does occur.

The Government have produced a series of fire safety guidance booklets for specific types of premises and one that deals specifically with means of escape for disabled persons.

Achieving fire safety is often a matter of common sense but you will have to ensure that sufficient time is put aside to work through the necessary steps. In more complicated premises or those with a high life risk more expert help may be required.

Where does it apply?

The Order applies to virtually all premises and covers nearly every type of building, structure and open space.

For example:
Offices and shops
Premises that provide care
Community halls
The common areas of houses in multiple occupation including common fire warning systems etc.
Pubs, clubs and restaurants
Schools
Tents and marquees
Hotels and hostels
Factories and warehouses
But excluding:
Purely domestic premises occupied by a single family group
What are the main requirements of the Order?

The responsible person is required to:
Carry out or nominate someone to carry out a fire risk assessment identifying the risks and hazards.
Consider who may be especially at risk.
Eliminate or reduce the risk from fire as far as is reasonably practical and provide general fire precautions to deal with any residual risk.
Take additional measures to ensure fire safety where flammable or explosive materials are used or stored.
Create a plan to deal with any emergency and, in most cases, document your findings.
Review the findings as necessary

Fire assessments in London
Whilst carrying out a fire marshal course for the Fire Service Safety Partnership recently, I had a tea break discussion with a delegate and we discussed sourcing a fire risk assessment in London.
The delegate had recently sourced a fire risk assessor and had paid £420 for an assessment that took about one hour to complete and was based on a series of tick box questions. Although there was a short list of significant findings, we both agreed that the “write up” for the fire assessment probably took no longer than 15 minutes to complete!
The manager that had sourced the fire risk assessment for a premises in London had typed in a few different phrases before picking his fire risk assessor. He said that he typed in the phrases "fire risk assessments in London" and "Office fire risk assessment London".
So we did a quick search to find out what are the most popular search times and this is what we found:
Fire assessment had the most searches with over 33,000 local searches. The term fire assessment also had an additional 16,000 searches globally last month.
Next came fire safety assessment and fire safety risk assessment each with 2900 local searches. Fire safety assessment had slightly more global searches with 4400 and fire safety risk assessment with 800 fewer global searches.
Other popular searches included fire risk assessment template, fire risk assessment form, risk assessment for fire and lastly fire risk assesment (spelt wrongly!! Pay attention in English classes please childen!).
Adding a geographical area does not feature highly in most search terms with London only managing to just get into the keywords list despite high advertiser competition.
So how do you find a good supplier for a fire assessment for your premises? You will definitely need to shop around. Prices for fire assessment, fire safety assessment or fire risk assessments will vary dramatically. Always ask to see examples of their work! Do not be fobbed off with answers about confidentiality. Names of premises can always be deleted. By asking to see three or four latest examples you will be able to see whether they are similar in content and whether the assessor has cut and pasted from different fire assessments.
Cityfiretraining carry out fire risk assessments in London, Essex and the home counties. For a quotation visit our fire risk assessment page and follow the link to the Fire Training Club website. There you will be able to fill in a form and we will give you a competitive quotation. Alternatively call us and one of our fire risk assessors will speak to you.

Tesco fined for serious fire safety breaches

Fire safety article London Fire Brigade prosecution

High St giant Tesco has been fined £95,000 and ordered to pay £24,321 in costs after pleading guilty to a number of serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the “RRO”).

Following a fire at the supermarket in Colney Hatch, Barnet, an inspection was carried out. Firefighters were called to a blaze at the premises on 14 October 2007. On arrival they found the building was locked but managed to get the attention of an employee who was working in the store after closing hours. Fire crews discovered that there had been a fire in the staff kitchen but it had been extinguished by staff members using fire extinguishers and a fire blanket. However, there was significant smoke logging in the kitchen, the corridor and staff locker rooms. Fire crews had to ask employees several times to evacuate the supermarket.

The fire then led to concerns about fire safety at the store and an inspection was carried out by London Fire Brigade the next day (15 October 2007). The fire safety inspector found a number of breaches of the RRO including a failure to review the shops fire risk assessment. Other serious failings included a failure to maintain the escape routes and inadequate fire separation in the building due to doors being wedged open.

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson said: “Fire safety is a key part of good business management and the general public should feel safe from fire when they are out shopping. London Fire Brigade will continue to take action when businesses, large or small, do not take their fire safety responsibilities seriously. Failure to comply with the law can, as this case has shown, result in a prosecution.”

Tesco pleaded guilty to five breaches of the RRO and sentencing took place at Wood Green Crown Court on 20 April 2010.

Testimonial for fire risk assessment training, London

"Many thanks for the excellent fire risk assessment training. We were able to carry out a fire risk assessment at our new site in London" MV

Testimonial for fire risk assessment London course carried out in Woodford.

Duties of the 'responsible person' in a premises

The 'responsible person' is someone who has control, or a degree of control, over premises or fire-prevention systems within premises. If you are the responsible person, you must make arrangements to ensure that everyone who uses your premises can escape if there is a fire.

The people you need to think about include anyone who might be on your premises, including employees, visitors or members of the public. You need to pay particular attention to those who may need special help, such as elderly or disabled people or children.

You must:

·         ensure a fire-risk assessment is undertaken to identify possible dangers and risks
·         Identify persons who may face extra risk - you may have disabled employees, or people who work with hazardous chemicals
·         Eliminate and reduce the risk from fire, as far as reasonably possible
·         Implement fire precautions to deal with any risks that remain
·         make sure there is protection if you use or store flammable or explosive materials
·         Produce an emergency plan
·         record your findings from your fire risk assessment and review them as and when necessary

If you are the responsible person, you must make sure that the fire-risk assessment is carried out. You can appoint some other competent person (such as another employee with the appropriate skills* or a fire safety professional) to do the actual assessment, but you are still responsible in law.

The enforcing authority, which is usually the local fire authority, must be satisfied with your safety measures. If not, they will tell you what you need to do. If they find major problems they can serve an enforcement notice or prohibition notice requiring you to improve safety or even restrict the use of your premises or close them altogether until you deal with any problems they raise.

·         Fire Safety (Employees Capabilities) Regulations 2010 comes into force in April 2010

Building management companies - Do they know enough about fire safety?

A colleague and I from the Fire Training Club undertook a fire risk assessment at an office in London yesterday.

It was clear that the building occupiers were keen to ensure they met all health and safety and fire safety requirements. They had a previous fire risk assessment, but following attendance on a fire training course, one key manager began to have doubts about their fire safety management regime. Most of their testing of fire safety systems and electrical appraratus were outsourced to one building management company.

Our fire risk assessment revealed a number of worrying deficiencies:

* An excessive number of fire extinguishers, most of which were out of date. The building management company that was responsible for extinguisher testing appeared to outsource this provision to a number of suppliers. Rather than test the extinguisher that was in place, it appeared that engineers had placed new extinguishers in the building and left the old ones!

* Most portable appliances were not PAT tested. We found only one appliance with an in date label.

* We found exposed electrical wiring including a live wire taped up in area assessible to the public and earth wires disconnected from sockets.

* The record book for all of the tests was kept in the loft!!!

For another look at this story click this link http://www.firetrainingclub.co.uk/ftc_news.asp?fssp_newsitemid=196

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