Apr
30
Your Fire Risk Assessment and Fire Fighting
April 30, 2011 | 2 Comments
Our staff training relates to fire fighting if it’s safe to do so, and what to do in the event of a fire, within a building that has sleeping accommodation; an area of fire safety which the government recognized as being so important they created a guide just for this sector.
‘ Fire Safety Risk Assessment Sleeping Accommodation’.
So although the measures may seem extreme the training relates to most businesses.
Once you’ve produce your Fire Risk Assessment, the next official contact with the local fire brigade will be a phone call from the local Fire Inspector; he will introduce him self and arrange a date to call round and carry out a Fire Safety Audit on you Fire risk Assessment; the time between the phone call and the actual audit is around 20 days.
Part of your Fire Risk Assessment should show records of Staff Training weather it be 1 person or 50.
Staff training should consist of:
- Action to be taken on discovering a fire.
- Action to be taken on hearing a fire alarm.
- Raising the alarm, including the location of alarm call points.
- Correct method of calling the fire service.
- Location and use of fire fighting equipment.
- Knowledge of escape routes
- Appreciating the importance of fire-resisting doors and the need to close all doors at the time of a fire and on hearing the fire alarm.
- Stopping machines and processes and isolating power supplies where appropriate.
- Evacuating the building (including arrangements for assisting members of the public who may be unfamiliar with the premises).
- Fire Drill.
Action to be taken on discovering a fire
There’s a set procedure for each bullet point
- Raise the alarm by operating the nearest fire alarm call point
- Attack the fire with the equipment provided if it is safe to do so.
- Assist guests to the assembly point in the car park.
In order for the above to be put into action the staff have to know:
- Where the call points are and how to use them.
- How to turn off any cookers or ovens.
- And make sure they need to shut doors after them.
The majority of solutions sound as if there just common sense, like how to turn off an oven, and so they are, but no matter how obvious it seems show your staff how it’s done, then more importantly make sure they sign a document that say’s they’ve been shown each procedure. In the event of a fire this could be crucial that the owner has the signed document.
Action to be taken on hearing a fire alarm.
- Assist guests to the assembly point in the car park.
- Turn off cookers and ovens.
- Close all doors.
Raising the alarm.
- Operate the nearest fire alarm call point.
- Call the fire brigade
Correct method of calling the fire service
- Dial 999
- Give the operator the phone number of the building
- When the fire brigade answers speak distinctly
- Fire at: Give the address of building
All this information should be given to your staff, make sure they know the phone number of the building, make sure they know the full address. Yes they know how to get to work and if some one was to ask them where they worked they could probably describe to them where it is.
But the fire brigade will want the full address including a location, on the corner of.
Location and use of fire fighting equipment
Again they must be shown where the fire fighting equipment is.
In most cases of ‘use of fire fighting equipment’ relates to a fire extinguisher.
You don’t want to go about letting off fire extinguisher here, there and every where to show your staff how they work, they can be told verbally, and it’ll cost you a lot of money. There’s nothing like the real thing and it’s been know for people to drop them when the force is released.
Big tip here.
As part of your Fire Risk Assessment you have to have a fire extinguisher maintenance contract in place which your Fire Inspector will want to see when he calls to do a Fire Safety Audit.
Every so often the engineer that calls will refill or check the pressure just to make sure everything working how it should be.
Just ask him to show a couple of members of staff how to use them while he’s doing his adjusting. (in my experience, they love showing you)
this can then be entered in your Fire Risk Assessment as fire fighting training in your staff training section.
If you would like a copy of any of the documents I’ve mentioned, any of the staff signs we use or a copy of the official notification we where sent for our Fire Safety Audit just click the link and I’ll email them over, all for free.
You’ll also find coverage of the next 5 items in the ‘Staff training list.
Comments
2 Comments so far
Very indepth and helpful artice. Thank you.
Really a nice article……. Fire risk assessment should be done as it helps people to get rid of fire and its disastrous effect.
Thanks for posting…..
Cheers!!