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I wanted to write an article about consistency in the field of fire safety and how I feel this has fluctuated in recent months, most likely influenced by the terrible Grenfell disaster.  As an accredited fire risk assessor and Operational Watch Commander in the fire service, I am fortunate in that I get to see both approaches to fire safety, from an enforcement angle and also from the point of view of a life safety risk assessor.   Dealing with operational fire incidents has given me the insight to be able to understand how fires can be developed, contained and extinguished; whilst carrying out fire risk assessments has given me a better understanding of what is likely to occur should a fire take place. 

The last few months has been very challenging for everybody involved in the fire safety sector and also, from my experience, a particularly busy time for the fire service, partly owing to the excessive hot and dry conditions around the country.  There seems to have been a large number of serious building and rural fires in recent months, although this could also be due to a greater emphasis from the press on highlighting these since Grenfell.   As any operational Fire Service Officer will tell you, the risk from fire has always been severe and as in any other walk of life, unfortunately it sometimes takes a large-scale disaster to highlight deficiencies that were beforehand, unknown or not so well understood.

I think it is fair to say that there has always been an element of inconsistency in the field of fire safety, arising from the unavoidable inherent risk involved in having different assessors evaluate and conduct a fire assessment. For example, 3 or 4 different fire risk assessors can be sent to the same building and could produce as many different (although hopefully only slightly) assessment reports.  To some extent that is human nature, everybody sees things slightly differently but the key outcome should be that the client receives a consistent and professional fire risk assessment report in line with current guidance and legislation, and that all major issues are identified within the report.  

On the other side is the regular visits to high risk premises by the Fire Brigade Fire Safety Officer whose job it is to identify any failings during that visit and make recommendations as appropriate.  This is normally issued through a letter to the client, although can sometimes lead to an Enforcement Notice or Prohibition Notice if serious failings are observed.  What I am noticing recently though is the lack of consistency from Officers where for example, a building that has been given approval for several years in a row, is suddenly hit with an enforcement notice or letter demanding fire precautions are improved. Again, this could be the result of the greater emphasis put on fire safety in recent months as mentioned above.

Where failings are identified either from an unsuitable fire risk assessment or if record keeping has worsened compared to the prior visit, it is only right that these failings are addressed.  What is of concern though is that sometimes different advice is sometimes provided by different fire brigade officers for the same building.  Of course, there are sometimes various solutions to the same problem and this is not necessarily wrong, however what is paramount is that the client receives a level of consistency that is not too dependent on who they are dealing with. Furthermore, as a Company Director, I totally understand and have experienced how standards of assessors and reports can differ greatly.  

This article is in no way written with any intention of placing blame on any sectors in the fire safety industry and is purely a topic I strongly believe is worthy of discussion.  From my experience, I have realised that we must put ourselves in the shoes of the client and understand the confusion caused by having different views and opinions from different officers on the same issue, including receiving one glowing fire risk assessment report and one damning report a year later, when very little has changed.

This is partly linked to the Grenfell incident whereby a much greater emphasis (rightly so), has been placed on fire safety and doing everything we can to protect the occupants of higher risk buildings.  This may be able to be improved through greater communication between the Fire Service and Risk Assessors as well as having improved standards internally within our organisations to ensure the right standard for our clients is delivered. 

Another improvement could arise from understanding the difference between a life safety and a property protection fire risk assessment.  A life safety fire risk assessment should ensure all serious fire safety issues are managed, and excellent managerial and evacuations procedures are put in place.  It may however, recognise that modern building control regulations are not retrospective and therefore not make the same level of recommendations that a property safety assessment could depending on what the purpose of the audit is.  Without a doubt there is overlap between the two, but there is one major difference– a life safety assessment must ensure, to the very best of its ability, the safe evacuation of the occupants in the building. For example, a property protection risk assessment might recommend a fire alarm system is linked to an independent control monitoring centre.  This would mean the fire brigade will automatically attend overnight when a property is unoccupied whereas a life safety assessment may not need to recommend this to meet its objective.    This may depend on the requirements of a clients’ insurance company so again we need to be sure of the purpose of the assessment and make sure everybody is aware of this from the start.

The point I am making is that fire risk assessors and fire brigade officers need to make it clear what the purpose of their visit is and we need to work together as an industry to achieve a greater level of consistency because at the end of the day it is people’s lives at stake, and we need to do everything we can to provide them with the consistency they deserve. 

Whale Fire provide the Howard De Walden Estate with their fire safety services carrying out fire risk assessments to over 200 properties in and around the Marylebone area.  This area is very busy and vibrant with many retail shops and restaurants located along the popular Marylebone High Street and Marylebone Lane.   The buildings vary vastly in their age, history, usage and complexity.  They range from very traditional purpose-built developments to modern and older converted and terraced buildings used for medical, office and commercial purposes.

Each building is different and has its own challenges so when we carry out fire risk assessments we have to take into account various factors such as the number of floors, reciprocal means of escape routes and shared usage.  Some buildings have dental surgeries and may have occupants under sedation whilst other parts of the building house commercial offices and residential flats.  The occupants may all share the same escape routes.  We have to design a fire alarm system and fire safety strategy which will ensure all occupants can safely escape and works for the building as a whole.

We also complete the emergency plans for the Howard De Walden Estate and have to ensure that buildings which are residential only have a management strategy in place to ensure the tenants can self-evacuate immediately.  Where dental surgeries and commercial offices are involved we need to ensure they have the right fire training in place to manage a fire evacuation.

Some properties may require a delayed system of five minutes before the system goes into full alert (two-stage fire alarm) which depends heavily on having competent staff members managing the situation when the alarm actuates.

Establishing a ‘cause and effect’ approach to fire detection systems can help identify the correct category of system designed to achieve the intended outcome on a building-by-building basis.

We have assisted with designing new fire safety guidance which deals exclusively with mixed use properties (residential, commercial and medical) and in varying combinations.  The factors that need to be introduced include how a fire alarm system deals with this mixed use and the compartmentation and separation between the different uses of the building.  The one-hour fire separation between premises can be deemed satisfactory from a life safety risk assessment perspective when combined with additional factors such as fire alarms, life suppression systems (when required) and reciprocal management procedures.

Our fire safety guidance deals with taller buildings of over 7-8 storeys high which impacts upon fire brigade access, water supplies, location of utilities to isolate, Automatic Opening Vent (AOV) and smoke control switches, etc.  The requirements may differ if the building has a mixed occupation but it is important that fire safety guidance and a comprehensive fire risk assessment identify how the height of a building, travel distance and building usage can impact upon the speed of evacuation.  This in turn can determine what is required to ensure that evacuation can be carried out in a safe and controlled manner.  

Working in and around the Marylebone area we need to be aware that many buildings are listed and within conservation areas.  This can severely limit what changes can be made to the compartmentation within a building such as replacing non-fire resisting glazing and fire doors.  Therefore we need a flexible approach and can consider introducing compensating factors which can be used as alternatives, such as AOV systems, fire curtains, sprinklers, etc., when the compartmentation within the building cannot be brought up to a satisfactory level.
 

This puts a greater emphasis on management and being highly dependent on staff members to implement plans.   Management systems need to be introduced in buildings of mixed use where there can be some human intervention (for example, by reception staff) and reciprocal arrangements need to be in place.  It must be understood by tenants that they cannot, for example, use lifts and ensured they have a clear understanding of how to evacuate their building, the location of escape routes and where to assemble.  We also need to ensure evacuation plans are in place when there are flats only and residents may need to evacuate by themselves, perhaps in the middle of the night.

Below is a list of items that we also consider when carrying out fire risk assessments to these properties, using a variety of fire safety guides such as the HM Government’s ‘Sleeping Accommodation’ Guide’, ‘Lacors’ and ‘Purpose Built Block of Flats’ guide.

·         Unoccupied basements/cellars

·         Surface finishes to escape routes

·         Buildings converted into self-contained flats

·         Flats in multiple occupation/mixed use buildings

·         Roof exits

·         External staircases

·         Dead end escape routes

·         History/risk of domestic fires

·         Law/legislation/overlapping

·         Means of escape specific to flats

·         Means of escape for flats not meeting current building regulations

·         Refuse/chute rooms

·         External fire spread

·         Engaging with residents

Other considerations include:

·         Medical premises with the possibility of bedbound or sedated patients

·         Disabled occupants in residential properties

·         Electrical safety/building works and the various impacts on risk

·         Managing risk, engaging with residents and the human element of sleeping/drunk/intoxicated residents, etc.

·         Dependence on AFA systems and AOVs, automated evacuation systems, fire service arrival without staff intervention, fire service access to zone maps, isolation points, disabled refuges, fire service switches, fire curtains, fire dampers, etc.

Introducing a framework on which to put together a fire safety design guide to suit a whole range of different buildings is good for the fire safety management in a building.  In addition to using a risk assessment approach for each building, we have established consistency and a reference point when making and justifying a decision based on the appropriate level of risk. 

What is an emergency plan?

An emergency plan is a formal, predetermined procedure that is carried out in the event of an emergency, such as a fire or on hearing an alarm.  This procedure denotes a scheme of manoeuvres which is designed to get everybody out of the building as quickly and as safely as possible.  Emergency plans are hugely important and should be regarded just as highly as a fire extinguisher or a fire risk assessment within any business or organisations fire safety measures.  Having a detailed and comprehensive emergency plan needs to be in place in order to be compliant with current law, and all members of staff or residents need to know exactly what the emergency plan is.

 Whale Fire have gained a lot of experience in emergency planning for fire, and with the knowledge and insight learnt from working within the fire service, we’re able to create bespoke plans for every kind of building or premises from huge office blocks with hundreds of members of staff to small purpose-built blocks of flats, and everything in between.  Our emergency plans cover the following:

What to do in the event of a fire

 How people will be warned of fire

 The identification of all escape routes

The location and use of fire-fighting equipment

The duties and responsibilities of fire wardens and selected members of staff

The safe evacuation of any disabled persons and any visitors to the premises

How and by whom the fire brigade will be called

Procedures for liaising with the fire brigade upon their arrival

Identification of utility isolation points such as gas, water and electricity

Our comprehensive and bespoke emergency plans cover both commercial and residential premises and we work closely with health and safety managers, landlords and property management companies to create the best plan for everyone.   We can also create Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPS) for disabled occupants who may need help evacuating a building.  Whatever you requirement, we can provide you and your staff members with a comprehensive emergency plan tailored for you.

Doors designed to last 30 minutes were destroyed in 15, say Met Police, breaking fire door regulations.

The tests were undertaken as part of the criminal investigation into the West London blaze which killed 71 last June.

At Whale Fire, we specialise in carrying out fire risk assessments to the common parts of purpose built and converted blocks of flats.  We can carry out type 2, type 3 and type 4 fire risk assessments should you require a more intrusive survey rather than the standard type 1 assessment.  Most fire risk assessments are limited to the common parts but we can also make entry into selected flats if you determine these are a greater risk.  We can then check the fire escape routes within the flat itself and determine the level of compartmentation and use of fire doors.  We can see whether any ducting or ventilation systems are potentially running through bathrooms and kitchens into other parts of the building without adequate fire stopping.  We can also ensure the flat is provided with smoke detection and provide any additional fire safety advice as necessary.   Whale Fire can supply Tenant Information Sheets which detail fire safety advice for residents/tenants to show how you can minimise the chances of a fire starting in your own dwelling.

We can also make opening into walls and cavities within the common parts and check the fire stopping in these areas subject to the presence of asbestos.  We have trained contractors who can visit the buildings with a qualified fire risk assessor to help with these intrusive surveys.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and Housing Act 2004 are the pieces of legislation used to assess the common parts and flats respectively but as stated, a fire risk assessor can gain entry into a flat as part of a type 2 or greater fire risk assessment and we can work closely with the managing agent, housing association or landlord to identify any tenants  who may be especially at risk.  Fires naturally tend to start within the flats themselves rather than the common parts because that is the space where the tenants occupy and kitchens etc., are located so it makes sense to enter a sample of these flats, make the necessary checks and provide the appropriate advice. 

Director

Whale Fire Limited

Here is an updated list of the full services we provide including an introduction to the installation and maintenance of sprinklers: 

• Installation and maintenance of fire extinguishers
• Installation and maintenance of fire doors including full fire door surveys
• Fire stopping and compartmentation
• Fire training
• Installation and maintenance of fire alarms
• Emergency plans
• Installation and maintenance of emergency lights
• Fire safety signage
• Installation and maintenance of sprinkler systems and dry risers

Director

Whale Fire Limited