Consultancy

Fire Risk Assessments and Training

If you operate your business from non-domestic premises, it is a legal requirement for you to carry out Fire Risk Assessments and provide staff training.  Renovatio offer you specialist assistance to meet these obligations in an effective and flexible way.


Fire Risk Assessments

The Regulatory (Fire Safety) Reform Order 2005 replaced all previous legislation, and places a responsibility on businesses to carry out a Fire Risk Assessment: an organised and methodical look at your premises, the activities carried out there, and the likelihood that a fire could start and cause harm to those in and around the premises.


The aims of a Fire Risk Assessment are to:

• identify any fire hazards;
• reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm, as far as reasonably practicable; and
• decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people in your premises if a fire does start.

A Fire Risk Assessment must be undertaken by a ‘competent person’. In other words, "someone with the necessary training, experience, knowledge and other qualities to enable them to undertake the task".


There are five stages to completing a Fire Risk Assessment:

1. Identify fire hazards, including sources of ignition, fuel and oxygen.
2. Identify people at risk, including people in and around the premises and those especially at risk.
3. Evaluate, remove, and reduce the risk to people from fire and fire hazards.
4. Record significant findings, prepare an emergency plan and provide fire safety training.
5. Keep your fire risk assessment under review and revise, when necessary.

Renovatio can offer you the expertise needed to undertake your Fire Risk Assessment.  Contact us today.


Training

The Regulatory (Fire Safety) Reform Order 2005 places a responsibility on employers to:

1. provide basic fire training for all staff;
2. appoint Fire Wardens who will assist with evacuation procedures and liaise with the emergency services; and
3. issue a Fire Emergency Plan to all staff, including details of practice fire drills.

1.  Basic Fire Safety Training

Basic fire training should cover:

• greater understanding of the behaviour of a fire;
• the actions to be taken in the event of a fire;
• understanding the different types of fire extinguishers and how to operate them correctly and efficiently; and
• individual responsibilities in the event of a fire.

2.  Fire Warden Training

Fire Warden training should, in addition to the above, also include:

• how to assist people, especially those at risk, from the premises to the fire assembly point;
• checking to ensure premises have been safely evacuated;
• using fire fighting equipment, if it is safe to do so;
• liaising with the fire and rescue services on arrival;
• performing a supervisory role in any fire situation.

3.  Fire Emergency Planning

Your fire emergency plan should be appropriate to your premises and include the following:

• How people will be warned if there is a fire.
• What staff should do if they discover a fire.
• How the evacuation of the premises should be carried out.
• Where people should assemble after they have left the premises.
• Identification of key escape routes, and how people can gain access to them and escape from them to a safe place.
• The duties and identities of key staff who have specific responsibilities if there is a fire.
• Arrangements for safe evacuation of persons especially at risk, i.e. those with disabilities, lone workers or young persons.

Once the emergency plan has been developed and training given, you will need to evaluate its effectiveness. The best way to do this is to carry out a fire drill. This should be carried out at least annually. If you have a high staff turnover, you may need to perform this more often.


At Renovatio, we offer a number of courses to cover any fire training you may require, from basic fire training to practical sessions on the use of extinguishers. Training can be provided on a one-to-one or group basis, using bespoke courses or by use of an interactive DVD.

Contact us today to discuss your requirements.