Understanding Your Business Fire Safety Check Results
Firstly, we want to thank you for your time and the information you provided us with during your recent business fire safety check (BFSC).
Following your check, you may have been given feedback on particular areas to consider for improvement.
The information provided in this section relates to each question you were asked during your BFSC.
Lastly, we would appreciate your feedback on our visit, and we have created a survey that we would appreciate you spending five minutes to fill out. We will use your information to improve the service we provide in the future.
1a Fire Alarm and Detection - Is there a suitable means of warning all occupants in the event of a fire?
Fire alarm systems are usually incorporated into buildings to protect life and/or property. The most appropriate system will depend on the type of building, the ease of egress in an emergency and the type of occupancy.
Your fire-warning and/or detection system should be supervised by a named responsible person, and they should be provided enough authority and training to manage all aspects of the routine testing and scrutiny of the system. The control and indicating equipment should be checked at least every 24 hours to ensure there are no specific faults. All types of fire warning systems should be tested once a week. For electrical systems a manual call point should be activated (using a different call point for each successive test), usually by inserting a dedicated test key.
This will check that the control equipment can receive a signal and in turn, activating the warning alarms. Manual call points may be numbered to ensure they are sequentially tested. Testing and maintenance of the system should be carried out by a competent person. It is good practice to test the alarm at the same time each week, but additional tests may be required to ensure that staff or people present outside normal working hours are given the opportunity to hear the alarm.
Six-monthly servicing and preventive maintenance should be carried out by a competent person with specialist knowledge of fire-warning and automatic detection systems. This task is normally fulfilled by entering a service contract with a specialist fire alarm company. It is good practice to record all tests, false alarms and any maintenance carried out in a logbook.
The fire alarm logbook is where all maintenance, tests and repairs can be recorded. It should always be kept on the premises, preferably near the fire control panel, and available for inspection by the FRS.
It should include:
- Dates and times of alarm activations including false and genuine activations
- Dates, times and types of faults and what action was taken
- Dates of tests carried out on the system
- Dates of servicing
- Dates and times of disconnection
- Any alterations to the system
1b Fire Alarm and Detection - Are there arrangements in place to call the fire service?
Is the premises connected to an Alarm Receiving Centre? if not is there any provision for a responsible person/s to call 999.
1c Fire Alarm and Detection - Is there evidence of testing and maintenance?
You may not have a fire alarm panel (FAP) in your premises if it is small and single storey.
However, most business premises will have an electrically operated fire alarm and detection system which will incorporate a panel.
- A healthy FAP is generally indicated by a green LED.
- A FAP in fault, will generally show an amber light.
- A FAP that has activated will show a red light.
You should check your fire alarm panel daily to ensure that the panel is healthy. If your panel is not healthy you may need to obtain advice from a competent fire alarm engineer at the earliest opportunity.
2a Equipment - Is firefighting equipment available and suitable for the risk?
In small premises, having one or two portable extinguishers of the appropriate type, readily available for use, may be all that is necessary. In larger, more complex premises, a number of portable extinguishers may be required, and they should be sited in suitable locations, e.g., on the escape routes at each floor level. It may also be necessary to indicate the location of extinguishers by suitable signs.
Your premises should be equipped with a means of fighting small fires. The type, and amount of fire extinguishers that you need, will be determined by your fire risk assessment. It will generally be dictated by the type of risk and size of your premises.
2b Equipment - Have fire extinguishers been tested by a competent person in the past 12 months?
A competent fire extinguisher engineer should carry out a full inspection of your fire extinguishers once per year to make sure they are operating to the British Standard. The professional will carry out a thorough maintenance check and examination.
If needed, they will also carry out any repairs in accordance with the BS5306 guidelines and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. After the extinguisher has passed the yearly service, it will be tagged and dated. If a repair is not possible, you will need to replace the fire extinguisher.
When you engage the services of a fire extinguisher engineer, they are not only going to look at the working condition of the fire safety equipment. They will also look at whether it is fitted onto the stand properly and if it is situated in the right place.
3a Means of Escape - Are the escape routes clear and available at all times?
All fire escape routes must offer free, unobstructed evacuation from the Premises, and must not be used for storage of any combustible materials.
An emergency exit is a clear, safe way to get out of a building. It provides fast exit in case of emergency such as a fire. Many building occupants typically do not realise the importance of the means of egress until they are compromised or completely inaccessible during an emergency.
Obstructions in fire exit routes, such as boxes, equipment, stock etc. can in a fire cause people to fall, seriously hurt themselves, and even block the exit passageway for others. Keeping exit passageways clear of obstacles enables people to exit a building more quickly and safely.
3b Means of Escape - Do escape routes (corridors/staircases) lead to a place of safety?
Once a fire has started, been detected and a warning given, everyone in your premises should be able to escape to a place of total safety unaided and without the help of the fire and rescue service. However, some people with disabilities and others with special needs may require help and assistance from staff that will need to be designated for the purpose.
Escape routes should be designed to ensure, as far as possible, that any person confronted by fire anywhere in the building, should be able to turn away from it and escape to a place of reasonable safety, e.g. a protected stairway. From there they will be able to go directly to a place of total safety away from the building.
3c Means of Escape - Are final exits unlocked and openable without the use of a key?
Fire exit doors do not have to be manufactured to withstand and stop the spread of fire. Their main purpose is to be able to be opened quickly and easily so that people can escape the building in the shortest time possible in the event of an emergency.
Ideally:
- Fire exit doors should open in the direction of escape. Sliding, or revolving doors should not be used for exits.
- Fire exit doors should not be locked or fastened in a way that they cannot be easily and immediately opened by any person in an emergency. A single device without using a key is preferable.
- If the door is also to provide security, a fire exit door can be locked from the outside but must be fitted with an emergency push bar (or other emergency access device) to allow a quick escape.
- Fire exits must be clearly marked and identifiable using adequate lighting and/or signage.
4a Lighting - Where required is emergency lighting provided to internal and external escape routes?
All emergency lighting must be maintained and regularly tested in the same way as other emergency equipment. Each light should be identified and have a location identified for recordkeeping. A record log can then be kept of system tests, defects, any damage to the system and remedial action relating to each light.
4b Lighting - Is there evidence of testing and maintenance?
Most existing systems will need to be manually tested. However, some modern systems have self-testing facilities that reduce routine checks to a minimum.
The monthly test can be carried out by the responsible person and is a short functional test which ensures the lamp switches on and illuminates correctly. All fittings should be free from damage and clean. The test should be done using the secure device key, commonly called a fish key due to its shape. Switching off the main power supply to the lighting circuit, can be hazardous and should be avoided. Further information can be found in BS EN 50172 and BS 5366-8 or, by consulting a competent person.
Annual emergency lighting tests should be performed for the full duration of the emergency light (i.e., three hours). If the lamps do not last past the duration, then they will fail the test and should be replaced. These tests will normally be performed by technicians during a fire alarm service, as this can be done while waiting for the lamps to complete the duration of test. Other considerations should include that the tests be performed during periods of lesser occupation.
5a Signage - Where required are escape routes identified by signage?
Fire safety signage is essential to assist people escape from an emergency incident, with re-assurance throughout the route with continued directional signs. These signs are particularly important to guide people unfamiliar with the environment, although in the event of an emergency, those who are normally familiar with the environment may become disorientated and confused. This can of course include the emergency services that may need to enter a building after you have evacuated.
Within your building, where there is more than one exit route or people maybe un-familiar with the layout, an escape sign should always be visible. Once past the first fire escape sign, the next escape sign along the route must be clearly seen. Further signage maybe required at every change of direction along the escape route. A fire exit sign must be above all final fire exit doors.
Further guidance on escape signage can be found in BS5499 or by consulting a competent person.
5b Signage - Are fire action notices provided?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, occupants of a building must be informed of fire safety instructions, including the use of adequate signage. This means fire action notices are required in all commercial premises, as they clearly show people what to do in the event of a fire. Ideally, fire action signs should be placed next to every fire alarm call point and final exit.
6a Training - Is there evidence of staff training?
You need to train new staff when they start work and tell all employees about any new fire risks.
All staff should be given information and instruction as soon as possible after they are appointed and on a continual and regular basis after that. Make sure you include staff who work outside normal working hours, such as contract cleaners or maintenance staff. The information and instructions you give must be in a form that can be used and understood.
All training should take account of those with disabilities such as hearing or sight impairment, those with learning difficulties and those who do not use English as their first language.
The information and instruction you give should be based on your emergency plan and must include:
- the significant findings from your fire risk assessment.
- the measures that you have put in place to reduce the risk.
- what staff should do if there is a fire.
- the identity of people you have nominated with responsibilities for fire safety; and
- any special arrangements for serious and imminent danger to persons from fire.
6b Training - Has an evacuation drill been carried out in the past 12 months?
You should carry out at least one fire drill per year and record the results. You must keep the results as part of your fire safety and evacuation plan, along with all other staff training records.
7a Housekeeping and general maintenance - Is the housekeeping satisfactory?
Good housekeeping will lower the chances of a fire starting, so the accumulation of combustible materials in all premises should be monitored carefully. Good housekeeping is essential to reduce the chances of escape routes and fire doors being blocked or obstructed.
Keep waste material in suitable containers before it is removed from the premises. If bins, particularly wheeled bins, are used outside, secure them in a compound to prevent them being moved to a position next to the building and set on fire. Never place skips against a building they should normally be a minimum of 6m away from any part of the premises.
If you generate a considerable quantity of combustible waste material, then you may need to develop a formal plan to manage this effectively.
In higher risk areas you need to make sure arrangements are in place for closedown, e.g. checking all appliances are turned off and combustible waste has been removed.
7b Housekeeping and general maintenance - Suitable access for fire appliance
It is important that when a fire occurs in a building that Fire and Rescue Services can get as close the building as possible. This is so that the firefighters can rescue any persons that may have become trapped and extinguish the fire as quickly as possible, which will help to mitigate damage and economical losses.
Businesses should therefore ensure that all access points to the building and facilities for firefighting such as riser inlets are clear of obstructions and that emergency assembly points for evacuation are located away from the building.
7c Housekeeping and general maintenance - Is there evidence of suitable maintenance systems in place for the building structure, external escapes, fire doors and fastenings?
A fire safety maintenance checklist can be used as a means of supporting your fire safety policy. This list is not intended to be comprehensive and should not be used as a substitute for carrying out a fire risk assessment.
You can modify the example, where necessary, to fit your premises and may need to incorporate the recommendations of manufacturers and installers of the fire safety equipment/systems that you may have installed in your premises.
BFRS Fire Safety Logbook This fire safety logbook has been prepared to assist the ‘responsible person’ in coordinating and maintaining a fire safety record keeping system. Whilst this book is not comprehensive it seeks to cover the main requirements for demonstrating compliance with current fire safety legislation in respect of keeping fire safety records. Any ticks in the grey boxes should result in further investigation and appropriate action as necessary. In larger and more complex premises you may need to seek the assistance of a competent person to carry out some of the checks.
8a Fire Risk Assessment – Did you provide a copy of an up to date Fire Risk Assessment document for the premises?
A fire risk assessment is an organised and methodical look at your premises, the activities carried out within and the likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the premises. This must be carried out by the Responsible Person, or a competent person should be appointed to undertake a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks of fire within the premises and to those, legally on and around the premises. This includes any staff, residents, and members of the public.
The aim of carrying out a fire risk assessment is to remove/reduce the risk of hazards and to determine what safety measures are needed to ensure the safety of everyone in the building. When carrying out the fire risk assessment you must:
- Identify any fire hazards
- Decide who could be harmed and how
- Evaluate the risks and take action to control them
- Record the findings
- Review your risk assessment every year
Remember, one size does not fit all – a fire risk assessment for residential, educational and healthcare premises will significantly differ to that for a shop and office.
BFRS cannot conduct a risk assessment for you. If you feel that your premises is too complex, or that you would prefer to have advice from a professional, you can use the Institution of Fire Engineers Fire Risk Assessor Search.
There are several premises type specific publications from the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) relating to a specific premises’ use which you may find useful. The DCLG Guides can be downloaded from the government website (PDF), or you can purchase a copy from a good book shop or online.