Fire, Compliance & Safety

I was born in the 60’s. Some may say that was a good thing (my mum) – many would say that the 60’s should have been skipped entirely (my exes!)

Personally, I was never a fan of the Beatles, too young to appreciate JFK, Elvis? Hmmm The 60’s to me are a dim and distant blur incorporating the first 4 years of my life, which I’m sure were very happy and secure.

A good friend of mine would argue that the 60’s were iconic, and certainly in his line of work the design classics of the 60’s are his lifeblood and his passion.

Sadly, architectural design from the 60’s is widely known as a monstrosity and none more so than the infamous tower blocks that blight cities across the UK today.  Badly designed, badly maintained, stuffed full of people, these buildings are hazardous in every sense of the word, not least that they are an enormous fire risk.

Lakanal House, Camberwell was one of these and many of us will remember waking to the news that a tragic fatal fire had spread through the block, rendering 6 people dead.  When you work in the Fire Safety industry news items like this are particularly pertinent. I was personally very shocked, saddened and incredibly angry.  Boris Johnson’s comment - “We will be looking at safety and why there were six casualties” is priceless. Casualties? I think he really meant “DEATHS”. And “looking into it” – wow, powerful stuff.

How about, “We will be investigating why this building, which was occupied by hundreds of people, was so unsafe and WE WILL BE prosecuting the PERSON OR PERSONS RESPONSIBLE for the building’s Fire Safety, and WE WILL ENSURE that this risk is reduced as much as humanly possible in the future.”

Interestingly, we at Fire Compliance & Safety have come across many a block of flats where residents openly admit to feeling unsafe and powerless to get their landlords to do anything about it. We have assessed buildings where fire escapes open directly onto a road, or a railway line (yep, escape the fire and dodge the trains!), where the only fire escapes are locked and where high risk work is carried out in the basement of blocks, but the Fire Safety for this area is not the responsibility of the landlord. Child gates across fire escape doors, fire escape door pushbars broken and tied to stop them opening, newspapers stored underneath gas hobs to catch hot fat!! I kid you not!

So…  the Southwark Council have been served notices.  And they have been taking measures in all of their blocks since the fire. Whooppee… The GOVERNMENT bought in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.  Is Southwark Council not a government entity? Should they not ALREADY know the law and be the FIRST to be compliant? After the fact is not good enough!

Perhaps our local governments are still living in the 60’s. Where your council jobs were safe, you never took personal responsibility and smoking wasn’t hazardous to your health.

Well, Boris, out of respect to those poor people who lost their lives, how about you bring your Councils into the 21^st century.  My Managing Director, Bob Ward, would love the opportunity to show you how easily and cost effectively this would be done.  Call me!

Bonfire night is almost upon us… yippee! I love fireworks and now that the kids have reached an age where they are no longer climbing up your legs terrified it is one of those family traditions that should never be allowed to die out because of “health and safety”.  Hey… no bonfire night is complete without the odd misplaced rocket having the crowds dive for their lives… but that’s why I no longer brave the “backyard fireworks party” and prefer to support the arranged displays.

Unfortunately fireworks also represent a significant risk to both commercial and residential properties.  Something about bonfires brings out the pyromaniac in many, in particular those with little to occupy their time.  It is perhaps little known that every week sees over 2,000 arson attacks in the United Kingdom (as stated by the Arson Prevention Bureau) and that the estimated cost of arson was over £2m last year.

Perhaps another little known fact is that a Fire Risk Assessment will also assess your risk from arson and help you to find ways to significantly reduce (preferably eradicate) that risk.   Despite the obvious legal implications of ignoring their requirement for a Fire Risk Assessment, many business owners are still burying their heads in the sand and not understanding that fire is, indeed, a risk to every premises.  Managing your Fire Safety is not only a legal requirement, but it will help you minimise the risk of fire, whether that be from faults, mistakes or indeed arson.

Business owners fall into many categories, but if you bury your head in the sand the risks will not go away and if your local Fire Service chose to inspect your premises you could be in line for a hefty fine and even the closing down  of your premises.  If you’re not sure whether you comply with the law relating to Fire Safety you can check your status here.

Businesses can undertake a Fire Risk Assesment themselves, however, the person assessing the risk must be deemed “competent” and the assessment itself to be “suitable and sufficient”.  Appointing a Fire Risk Assessor who has local knowledge, experience, Professional Indemnity Insurance and has passed an IFE approved Risk Assessors course will mean you can sleep soundly in the knowledge that your Fire Safety is covered… literally.

As outlined by Sadiq Khan - MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in his speech at the Arson Control Forum Conference in April this year…  “detailed understanding of local circumstances and trends provides FRAs with a clear line of sight to the risks they and their business community face. The flexibility of and process offers a real opportunity for FRAs to take a proactive and partnership approach to supporting their local business communities whilst striking the right balance between prevention, protection and response.”

Of course, a Fire Risk Assessment will absolutely not keep your friends and family safe when the man in your life trips over a rocket and sends it on it’s merry way through the crowds.  But it might just give you an idea of how to secure your wheelie bins… or install a fire-proof letter-box and this may mean the difference between bonfire night securing itself in your mind as a happy family event… or it being the night your livelihood was destroyed.