New fire legislation, introduced in 2006, changed the role of the fire service
from advisers to enforcers, and three years on many business owners are
still struggling to adapt. So with a number of high profile prosecutions
bringing costly fines, Tom Welland, Fire Services Manager at leading fire
safety specialists Fireco examines what companies need to do to ensure
every aspect of their fire safety procedures is up to scratch!One recent case resulted in a £20,000 fine
plus £7,000 costs after breaches of new fire
laws were exposed by a Fire and Rescue
Service investigation. The company pleaded
guilty to nine fire safety offences, including:
failure to produce a suitable Risk Assessment;
wedged open fire doors; blocked and
obstructed exit routes; restricted aisles and
gangways; and inadequate Fire Safety Training.
Thankfully, this latest case did not involve any
loss of life or injury, but it does remind us how
vital it is that management is aware of the new
fire safety rules.
A recent study by Norwich Union Risk
Services revealed that more than a third of
businesses are still unaware of the regulations.
The study also revealed that over a third of
businesses had failed to carry out a Fire Safety
Risk Assessment, a procedure crucial to
compliance under the Order.
Disproportionate response?
However, in most cases it is not lack of
responsibility but lack of knowledge that leads
to shortfalls within the Regulatory Reform Fire
Safety Order, (RRFSO). The Authorities expect
people to digest a 146-page guide about the
changes before assessing their own risk. The
complexity of the law means many will get it
wrong. And, as a result of this uncertainty,
management often falls into the trap of overprescription
of fire safety measures, at
prohibitive cost to the business budget.
So how can I realistically minimise the cost
of compliance?
The Fire Safety Order states that your fire
precautions must be reasonable in the
circumstances of the case. A suitably qualified,
experienced consultant should be able to
reduce the risks associated with your specific
case, making any precautions less onerous
without costly alterations. Tom Welland has
numerous examples of fire safety specialists
Fireco being able to work with the
enforcement authorities on behalf of
companies to develop an alternative solution
that is both affordable and acceptable to the
Fire & Rescue Service.
Fireco’s experience is that fire safety law
enforcers will take a common sense approach
to the economic impact of tighter regulation,
and are prepared to consider issues like
affordability, non-disruptive installation, and
business continuity - so a fire safety solution can
be amended to take account of economies of
scale without compromising safety.
One example of this approach is the
overcoming of the all too common problem
of illegally wedged open fire doors. There are
simple, recognised cost-efficient solutions
available, such as wireless release mechanisms
for fire doors, that can so easily eliminate this
hazard. Fireco’s Dorgard range, for example,
offers the simplest most cost-effective way of
legally holding open fire doors safely in any
position, automatically releasing them should
the fire alarm sound. It can be fitted in
minutes, with no wiring required.
Fireco are the designers and manufacturers of
System X, a compliant fire safety system that
can be easily installed, meeting all
commissioning criteria, yet still keeping costs to
a minimum. System X is a particularly smart
solution as it combines the very latest
communications technology with the simplest,
most cost-effective way of legally holding open
fire doors in any position, and automatically
releasing them when the fire alarm sounds.
