An Overview
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
This new legislation came into force on 1st October 2006 and is the biggest single change to fire safety legislation in over 35 years. Fundamental to this new legislation is the requirement to carry out a ‘Fire Risk Assessment’ to help identify and control all fire related risks and thereby ensure the safety of all persons within the premises. This duty is now extended to include any non-employees such as members of the public, visitors, contractors etc.
Who Should Carry Out The Assessment?
The ‘Responsible Person’ is the person who has control over the premises (or part of the premises i.e. as in multi-occupied buildings). By law, this person will need to ensure compliance and ensure a fire risk assessment is carried out by a ‘Competent Person’. In most cases, this will involve seeking professional assistance from an external source.
Enforcement
The above legislation is enforced by the Fire Authority, who are taking a pro-active stance with regard to securing compliance. Serious breaches may result in prosecution action being brought against those responsible.
How Can We Help?
With our consultants’ extensive experience as both a Professional Firefighter and Fire Safety Enforcement Officer, we at Fire Safety Matters will ensure that your fire risk assessment and fire safety management arrangements adequately fulfill the requirements of the legislation.
What should the Fire Risk Assessment cover?
The fire risk assessment should identify any/all threats to the safety of the building and its occupants from fire. In practical terms this would include assessment of the following areas.
Means of Escape Facilities
Premises Layout and Construction
Fire Detection and Alarm Systems
Emergency Lighting
Fire Fighting Provision
People at Risk
Ignition Sources
Combustibles
Fire Safety Signage
Fire Emergency Plan
Training
Testing and Maintenance of Fire Safety Systems
Record Keeping Arrangements
Fire Safety Training Courses
Fire Safety Matters has considerable experience in the planning and delivery of a wide variety of fire safety training packages for the public and private sector. We work closely with every customer to ensure that business and individual training needs are met in the most cost effective way. We have worked with both larger organisations with regard to the delivery of tiered corporate training strategies and with many smaller businesses who have taken advantage of our standard courses (see below).
PLAN CONSULTATION
Building Regulation
When an application is made for building regulations approval to the Local Authority Building Control Officer or Approved Inspector, a statutory consultation takes place between Building Control Authority and the Fire Service.
The purpose of this consultation is to allow the Fire Service to detail any further fire safety requirements they deem necessary under existing Fire Safety legislation.
These consultations will often result in amended plans having to be submitted to satisfy local authority/approved inspector requirements, causing both considerable added expense and delays in gaining approval for the project.
With Fire Safety Matters you’re in Safe Hands
We can inspect building plans prior to formal submission and detail what requirements the Fire Service would make, thereby ironing out any problems at this preliminary stage. Our consultants have considerable experience in this field, having served within a local authority Fire Brigade as Senior Inspecting Officers