FAQ and Knowledge Base

Contacting the Fire Service

Question:

How best to contact the Fire Service after an alarm activation?

Answer:

Fire Services advice to building occupiers for processing fire alarm activations

Introduction

Automatic fire detection systems that are competently designed, installed, commissioned and maintained will ensure an early alert of fire, particularly in unoccupied buildings or areas of a premise, where detection by persons may be unlikely or delayed. An effective detection system will reduce direct and consequential property losses, impact on the environment and ensure the maintenance of business continuity in the event of a fire.

When the premises are occupied and the fire alarm actuates, the emergency action plan for the premises must be implemented immediately in order to safeguard those persons resorting to the premises.

Whilst the building evacuation is in progress, a number of key staff with specific roles in the fire procedure will undertake their designated duties. One of the specific duties that will be designated is the emergency call to the fire service. Before the emergency call is made a check to ascertain the cause of the alarm should be made by a competent person e.g. a fire marshal.

Calling the Fire Service

o Real fire

Where a fire or signs of a fire are discovered, a 999 emergency call should be made to the Fire and Rescue Service giving as much detail about the fire as is possible. In the event that the alarm has actuated and the cause has been positively identified as a false alarm, the occupier can reset the system and allow people to return to their normal activities without calling the Fire and Rescue Service.

o False alarm

Where the cause of the fire alarm activation has positively been identified as a false alarm and the evacuation is already in progress, the full evacuation should be completed. This will help ensure that complacency is avoided in respect of future activations and will help ensure an appropriate response to fire alarm activations every occasion.

False alarm activations initiated by detection equipment should be fully investigated by the responsible person and where appropriate be the subject of an inspection by a qualified engineer.

o Alarm Receiving Centres

Connections to Alarm Receiving Centres (ARC’s) via auto-dialling equipment are of value. However, arrangements for taking automatic connections to ARC’s off-line during normal working hours should be considered. This will provide the premises with the ability to effectively manage events during the periods when the premises are occupied, but provide much needed protection whilst they are unoccupied, thus maximising the benefits of automatic fire detection systems that may be installed.

Additional advice

Further information can be obtained from your local Community Fire Safety Officer; by visiting the Government website www.communities.gov.uk

Emergency Planning Advice for Premises Providing Sleeping Accommodation

Question:

What fire protection do I require for sleeping accommodation?

Answer:

Fire Risk Assessment

A formal fire risk assessment should be carried out on the premises to establish what the fire hazards are and what risk those hazards present to staff and guests. The significant findings of the risk assessment should be circulated or made available to all persons that could be affected by them.

Fire Precautions

The premises should be provided with adequate fire precautions. This includes:

A means of raising the alarm
A means of fighting fire
A means of protecting and enabling use of escape routes at all times
Fire training for staff
Emergency arrangements for disabled persons

The extent and specification of fire precautions will be dictated by the findings of the fire risk assessment.

Fire Procedure

The responsible person in the premises must ensure that adequate fire procedures are formulated and implemented. This includes:

Staff responsibilities
Evacuation (including evacuation for disabled persons)
Accounting for persons
Information for fire crews attending an incident

Staff should receive regular training in respect of their responsibilities in the event of a fire. In most cases this will be every 3 months. The premises should be fully evacuated whenever the fire alarm is actuated and the fire service must be called, subject to confirmation that the actuation is not a false alarm. There should be clear written instructions available for both staff and guests as to what actions they are expected to take in a fire emergency.

Staff should endeavour to check that the whole premises are clear, without putting themselves at risk, before they leave the premises and report to the assembly point. Staff should not stay in the premises longer than 60 seconds after the alarm has sounded. Where staff are not able to check/clear accommodation rooms within this timeframe they should limit their check/clearance to common and utility areas only.

A reliable record in respect of guest registration/guest movements should be formulated and implemented. The record should be robust enough to enable the responsible person to give fire crews attending an incident accurate information on the following:

How many persons are in the building (staff and guests)
What accommodation rooms are occupied
Whether disabled persons are occupying the premises and their location
What areas were checked/cleared before the arrival of fire crews

Other useful information for fire crews attending an incident:

Presence of hazardous materials or circumstances in the premises other than the fire itself
Access and exit points
The location of the fire
What areas of the premises have become smoke-logged
Details of the fire precautions and systems installed in the premises
Location of water supplies/hydrants
Details of utility supplies to the premises
Details of lifts, heating, ventilation and cooking appliances

Further advice

Further information may be obtained from your local Community Fire Safety Officer or from the following official guidance documents:

Fire Safety Risk Assessment – Sleeping Accommodation.

ISBN-13: 978 1 85112 817 4

A Short Guide to Making Your Premises Safe From Fire
Product code – 05 FRSD 03546

Additional information is also available on the Government website: www.communities.gov.uk

Legal Defintions used within Fire Protection

Question:

What is the legal definition of....

Answer:

Legal Definition of Reasonableness

Modern legislation frequently uses vague terminology such as ‘appropriate’ and ‘reasonable’. This type of language is commonplace in both health and safety, and fire legislation. It is common when cases concerning criminal negligence are heard for either the defence or prosecution to refer to persuasive definitions and extracts from the legal commentary made by judges in other cases.

‘Reasonable’

‘The man on the Clapham omnibus’, is in legal speak, 'the reasonable person'. This is a phrase that was first used by Sir Charles Bowen, QC (later Lord Bowen). He was the junior council against the claimant in the Tichborne case (1871-4).

This is a passage from Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase & Fable, 16th Edition

The man on the Clapham omnibus or in other words the man in the street means the average ordinary English person (of either sex).... The choice of the bus from Clapham, an area of South-West London, has no special meaning; it is just a typical bus from a fairly ordinary place....

This is a passage from Oxford Guide to British and American Culture

(1999)

‘Negligence’

'Negligence is the omission to do something which a reasonable man would do, or doing something which a prudent and reasonable man would not do.'

This is a passage from a judgment by Alderson B.

'The standard of foresight of the reasonable man is in one sense an impersonal test. It eliminates the personal equation and is independent of the idiosyncrasies of the particular person whose conduct is in question.'

This is a passage from a judgment by Lord Macmillan.

Generally, the standard of care/foresight a person is expected to attain is an objective standard derived from what a reasonable person would do under the same circumstances.

'Where you get a situation which involves the use of some special skill or competence, then the test…is not the test of the man on the top of a Clapham omnibus, because he has not got this special skill. The test is the standard of the ordinary skilled man exercising and professing to have that special skill.' This is a passage from a judgment by McNair J.

Further advice

For further information on this issue contact your local Community Fire Safety Officer; visit the Government web-site: www.communties.gov.uk

Why can’t I get my alarm installed by an electrician?

Question:

Why can’t I get my alarm installed by an electrician?

Answer:

Fire alarms have changed dramatically over the last five years, the Fire and Rescue Authority (FRA) and insurers have recognised the implications of bad design, bad installation, nonexistent commissioning records and no future maintenance contracts. There is now a Legal responsibility for you to “prove competency”. Electricians are well trained in electrical matters, but is very rare for a electrician to have specific certificated fire alarm training courses qualifications and specific documentation.

This could directly affect you if you need to “prove competence” in a post fire investigation.

Can I conduct a risk assessment myself or do I have to pay some one?

Question:

Can I conduct a risk assessment myself or do I have to pay some one?

Answer:

This depends on a number of factors such as, the type of property, the risk factor (high risk and low risk) and the training / experience of the person conducting the risk assessment. You can conduct your own risk assessment, guidance documents have been produced (click here) to help.

However in case of high risk properties (such as sleeping accommodation, or were you have numbers of employed people) it is regarded as “best practice” to have a competent contractor to do this for you and advise on the results

What powers do the fire brigade have?

Question:

What powers do the fire brigade have?

Answer:

The fire and rescue authority have a statutory duty to audit your premises. it is the duty of the employer or in the case of multi occupied premises the owner for the common areas to ensure that the level of fire safety is compliant with the regulatory (fire safety) order 2005.

You must carry out a suitable fire risk assessment having regard to all of the fire safety matters.

You will normally be notified 21 days in advance. Any fire in your premises will prompt an audit, which normally happens within 24 hours.

They have enforcement and prosecution powers.

Following the audit they will inform you in writing regarding the outcome.

Depending on the outcome of the audit you may receive either a letter stating that the outcome of the audit shows that the result was broadly compliant.

There are other levels of correspondence you may receive which vary from a letter of non-compliance to an enforcement notice, or in the worst scenario a prohibition notice. Notwithstanding the enforcement notice the officer will allow a reasonable time period to enable you to rectify the issues.

You will have 21 days from the receipt of and enforcement notice to launch an appeal to a magistrates court

We can offer a rapid response to any brigade stipulations, often we can suggest alternatives or other less expensive ways of achieving the same purpose. Call for advice.

Why can buy an extinguisher off the internet much cheaper?

Question:

Why can buy an extinguisher off the internet much cheaper?

Answer:

Fire extinguishers are pressurised life and safety equipment, Internet based sales are often sourced from China, the far east or middle east, meaning the guarantees, (if any) service instructions, refills and spare parts are not available. Often a competent service engineer will not be able to service the extinguisher because it doesn’t conform to UK requirements. We only source and supply extinguishers from UK based MANUFACTURERS this means the fire equipment has five year manufacturers guarantees. We deliver and commission the extinguisher at the POINT of USE, with its first service as required by insurance approved British Standards 5306 Pt 8 Caveat Emptor..... Let the buyer beware!

Your check list:

• Are the extinguishers a reputable brand?

• Do you get a five year manufacturer’s warranty with the extinguisher?

• The extinguishers will still need a commissioning service from a competent person at the point of use.

• Will the extinguishers have manufacturer’s spare parts, & refills available in the future.

• BS 5306 Pt 8 is the specification for the survey and supply of fire equipment, are you competent to choose the correct type for the correct use

• Are you able to wall mount the equipment in the correct location as required by the Fire and Rescue Authority?

• A fire extinguisher MUST have a “commissioning service” by a trained engineer, before being put into service. This means you will need to call a competent engineer out to provide this service and certificate at more cost.

• Any problems in the future will mean repeated carriage costs and annoying time wasted with packaging.

• Choosing the wrong equipment for the risk could be very dangerous.

• Choosing the wrong extinguisher could cause expensive secondary damage to other valuable equipment.

Our prices include:

• Delivery

• Commissioning service at the point of use by a BAFE approved insurance approved technician engineer to BS 5306 Pt3 and Pt8 • Professional overview and placement of the extinguishers to BS 5306 Pt8

• Wall mount at the correct height and position to British Standards 5306 Pt8

• Our company professional indemnity cover.

• Certification of the installation and extinguishers.

• A professional and friendly rapid service

• If you have a unresolved complaint you have well recognised professional Trade associations and quality assurance complaints procedures in place, you will be taken seriously.

Remember Fire extinguishers are pressurised sometimes to 200 BAR or 3000 PSI, this pressure is potentially lethal. Proving competency in the selection and installation of your fire equipment could be essential. The engineer will also assess and advise against the possibility of secondary damage. All in all the difference in cost minor compared to the qualified local service and the liability of getting it wrong.