Fire Risk Assessments from Wessex Fire and Rescue Service

Wessex Fire and Rescue Service are able to offer Fire Risk Assessments by a competent fire officer. The Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 came in to force in October 2006. The order applies to all non-domestic premises in England and Wales including the common parts of blocks of flats or houses in multiple occupations.

The law applies to you if you are:

• Responsible for business premises
• An employer or self-employed with business premises
• A charity or voluntary organisation
• Responsible for a part of a dwelling where the part is solely used for business purposes
• A contractor with a degree of control over any premises

Under the order the "responsible person" must carry out a fire risk assessment and implement and maintain a Fire Management Plan. Our officers can manage the Fire Risk Assessments and plans for your business. The cost of this does depend on your nature of business and size of building, but a ball park figure for the "average" business is £250.

So what does a Fire Risk Assessment involve?

1. Identify the Fire Hazards
2. Consider the people who may be at risk
3. Evaluate and act on the findings in items 1 and 2
4. Record, plan and train relevant staff
5. Review regularly the fire risk assessment and make amendments to keep up to date

Below are a few photos of items we regularly come across when checking premises prior to the fire risk assessment.
Click on any image to enlarge it.

A bad example - no clear route to the fire extinguishers due to large amounts of rubbish	A bad example - fire exits unmarked and not maintained and unable to fully open due to wooden pallets obstructing the door	A bad example - a fire exit used as a clothes stand and blocked by an office chair	A bad example - fire doors wedged open rendering them useless in a fire	A bad example - electrical equipment not PAT tested and faulty causing a small fire. On inspection our officers found this plug STILL in use!
A bad example - fire extinguishers blocked by pallets and rubbish	A bad example - fire extinguishers not maintained. This was found to be covered in 'muck'	A bad example - fire alarm call points not cleaned or checked	We have full in-house training facilities for fire risk assessment training	A good example - the correct way to position clean fire extinguishers. Correctly mounted with the correct signage

Some Frequently Asked Questions:

1. What or who is a competent person?
   A competent person has had sufficient training and experience of knowledge and other qualities to carry out this task
2. Is the risk assessment a one-off thing?
   No, a regular review is required and training for staff is ongoing
3. Am I responsible for my fire equipment?
   Under the Act all fire equipment must be maintained in a working order and in good repair. If any failure is down to lack of maintenance then you could be held responsible. However, if you have a maintenance contract for the equipment the enforcers may take action against the contractor
4. Will the fire brigade inspect my premises?
   Yes, at some time they are responsible as the enforcers for there local fire risk plan
5. What happens if I do not comply with this order?
   In cases where a serious risk exists and is not being managed, the local fire rescue authority has a statuary duty to enforce compliance with the order. In serious cases there could be fines of up to £5,000 per offence on summary of conviction, or an unlimited fine and up to 2 years in prison or both for a crown court conviction.
6. What do I need to do?
   Contact us for help and advice