Fire Risk Assessments

I'm looking to improve fire safety training across our school sites and look to involve more staff in the use of fire extinguishers and become fire wardens, as the training is quite costly I'm looking into ways of training quite a few more people than normal but keeping the cost down. I believe if I can show the powers that be, we could train more for the same, or a little more they may be on board with the idea. I'm working on the theory that the more people I can involve, the more interest I can generate in fire safety as a whole. I can get a qualified health and safety professional to go through the academic/classroom side of the training, but wondered what tra…

A landlord of a block of flats is required to make and to keep updated a fire risk assessment in respect of communal stair cases, the only means of escape for 1st & 2nd floor residents. If the staircase has its treads and landings covered with a synthetic material that, on heating, decomposes giving toxic fumes. Should such a latent hazard be recorded in the fire risk assessment ?

Our local Council management are enforcing sterile conditions in our high rise block. As part of this is the changing of small doormats usually offcuts of normal carpet within the flat. In place the Council insist on rubber backed mats. I would suggest that rubber backed mats, in the case of fire, would give off toxic fumes, possibly worse than the normal household pieces of carpet. Could a professional Fire Officer give his/her opinion on this. Or is it too trivial to be considered as a risk. Yours Sincerely Colin Middleton

Hi, FIrstly, your website is very informative and helpful. I am interested in providing fire safety consultancy for the hotel industry but would like some clarification on who currently regulates the industry and how hotels currently inpliment their fire safety measures. Do they conduct the fire safey checks themselves or is it the local council or fire authority that does it.

Hi, my partner and I have lived in a first floor apartment happily for over two years now, but our circumstances have changed and my partner is now registered disabled. There is no lift in the building and so she is forced to use the stairs. Though she has the use of both of her legs, she suffers from serious mobility problems and her condition is chronic. This seems, to us, to present a serious fire risk. In that, should the need arise, she will be unable to escape. What are our landlords obligations? I understand that he should make reasonable adaptations to the property, but what if these changes can't be made? I can't seem to think of a soloution, would he be forced t…

Hi I run a woodland with sawmill, a few tractors and 5 employees. We have a Diesel storage. I was asked to carry out a fire risk assessment. do I just use a standard fire risk assessment form or is there special regulation for forestry? Thanks Ben

I live in a converted barn in a group of 6 with a limited amount of shared land (driveway and gardens) and equipment (sewage treatment plant, boundary fencing, cattle grid, driveway lighting). We have formed a private limited company as the legal mechanism to manage our affairs which essentially are the upkeep of the above mentioned. We have no employees (but we do of course use people to maintain our sewage treatment plant and do minor maintenance tasks as necessary) and conduct no business. We consider our fire risk as very low but are concerned to know if we should be complying with any legislation (training, fire equipment, risk analysis etc.) . Can you please give us…

For new or altered buildings and are only lines on paper you have to design a fire safety strategy and the guidance used is one of three guides. If you prefer a prescriptive approach then use Approved Document B (fire safety) and is the one Building Control Officers appear to favour. In complicated buildings you may consider a fire engineering approach using BS 7974 (series) Application of fire safety engineering principles to the design of buildings. Finally you could use BS 9999:2008 Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings which is a hybrid, using a prescriptive approach based on fire engineering principles. You should …

I am looking into the Occupancy Levels for Swimming Pools, and how normally Able Bodied Persons can then become a higher risk as they may not be able to swim very fast to get out of the pool and to an exit in the event of a fire. Examples of typical floor space factors in reference documents don’t seem to reference Swimming Pools Any Additional literature or pointers on this subject would be welcome.

A couple of documents you may find interesting. A Guide to Choosing a Competent Fire Risk Assessor http://www.fia.uk.com/en/info/document_summary.cfm/docid/E6479C4F-E267-4DD4-8B55A6930C685F13 Competency Criteria for Fire Risk Assessors http://www.fia.uk.com/en/Information/Details/index.cfm/FRA%20Competency%20Criteria

Next month my son & wife will be opening Saltmarshe Hall for Weddings & Corporate Events. Please could any of your staff advise me of the required Fire Safety procedure in Saltmarshe Hall. Many thanks. Mary

I have a small block of four studio flats over two stories. I want to know the minimum fire safety requirements I can install as the residents do not have a large budget.

Hi I am looking at opening a small children's home, less that 6 residents that receive care so would remain under a C3 classification under a cert of lawfulness as opposed to a C2 Residential institution. We will also be provided an "in house" educational provision for the residents whom will have physical and/or learning disabilities. I am aware of the fire risk assessments but wondered what other specifics I may or may not need. It is my understanding previously as a small children's home less that 3 residents it does not require full regs as if it was a large children's home, 3 pr more residents. Regards Scott

having a bonfire, and somebody gave me a sofa to burn.. its cotton i think (could be polyester) and i want to know if it will be safe to burn it like does it give off harmfull fumes, is it illegal?

We are currently buying a leashold 2 bed ground floor flat in a house that has 2 flats and no communal areas. The surveyor has said we need a fire inspection but the mortgage provider says we dont. The freeholder is a housing association and we are not sure but the flat upstairs may be rented. Please can you clarify what inspections are required and who has the responsibility of doing these and any work that needs doing? How much to fire inspections cost? Many thanks for your advice, Chloe

As a Fire Risk Assessor seeking to join a recognition body, IFE, Warrington, IFSM etc, (and be on the “List”) Which one is “best”? Which one is better recognised? Which one most cost effective? Pros and Cons?

I am trying to obtain the RR(fs)O 2005 documentation which was updated in 2010. Can you please help?

I live in sheltered accommodation (for independent living for the over 55s), where I am Chairman of the Residents Committee. There are three floors: ground, 1st and 2nd, with lifts and staircases. Each door on each floor into the stairwell is a fire-door. However, on the ground floor, under the staircase, the unused area is empty but could be used for storage of chairs, etc. If so, would this contravene fire regulations? I would welcome your advice, thank you!

Hello Im doing a FRA for a car show room is there any Ledgislation regarding cars sitting in show rooms for long periods of time? Can any one help Cheers

Hi. I am a trustee of Langstone village Hall where we have a registred playgroup, church users, dance classes, OAP meetings, dog training etc. The community council are now requesting that a store cupboard be converted to an office for the clerk. This will only be accessible from an outside door into an enclosed courtyard with limited access. Please can you tell me if the hall is subject to a FSO? We have fire exit lighting and battery smoke dtectors but that is about it.

Hi all, quick question; I have just joined a retail company as part of the facilities management team. We have around 30 stores covering england, scotland and ireland. Having recently joined the company, i have noted that there are very few FRA's carried out for our stores. I understand that under the regs that you must conduct an FRA but only record it if you employ 5 or more persons. All of our stores only have 3 or 4 employees. Some landlords have requested documented FRA’s which we have had to adhere to whether we have 5 or more employees or not. I would still like it clarified to me that we are not required to provide a written FRA for those…

Hello, There is a charcoal storage facility in m neighbourhood. They have stacked charcoal bags up to a height of 4-5 meters. Could anybody tell me that if there is any chance of occurring spontaneous fires there? Also please give more information on how to fight charcoal fires – I mean fires in charcoal storage facilities. Thank you Anoopz

Hi I have downloaded a fire risk assessment form and I am struggling with a few points. Our community hall has a large downstairs room as well as a kitchen and stairs leading upstairs to two meeting rooms. Our meeting room has wall hangings and wall carpets 1) In the fire risk assessment form in 1.11 the form is asking if we have combustable wall coverings. I have clicked yes but after discussions I feel that removing or intumescent treatment would be over the top and that we have sufficient escape routes from the meeting room affected (and also low risk occupancy). The Control Measures suggested in the form are asking for more severe solutions than we want to i…

In a domestic property, is a steel chimney from a gas fired AGA considered safe and legal if it paces through a wardrobe on an upper floor before exhausting through the roof?

Hi I'm running a small but busy cafe near the center of a city and was looking into what I need in place, in the ways of fire equipment and action plan can u help?