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Fire safety regulations for schools

It’s vital that academic settings such as schools, colleges and universities prepare their fire safety measures over the summer, ready for the new term in September. Every step must be taken to protect students, staff and property from the risk of fire. 

Here, we offer a comprehensive guide to fire safety in schools, highlighting regulations, who is responsible, fire risk assessments, protective measures and much more.

What are the fire safety regulations for schools?

When a fire breaks out in a school, it can have a devastating impact not only on the staff, students and parents, but the whole community. Whether accidental or due to vandalism, the cost of school fires – in emotional, educational and monetary terms – can be catastrophic. Small fires can mostly be extinguished successfully. However, in the rare and unexpected occasion a larger fire takes hold, schools should be confident every effort has been made and every precautionary method taken to preserve life and property. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) fire legislation helps simplify what’s required of schools to be compliant. In schools, as with any other workplace, the RRFSO covers general fire precautions needed to protect users of the building in case of fire.

Fire safety policy in schools

Assigning a responsible person

The RRFSO requires a ‘responsible person’ is instated to oversee and be accountable for all measures of fire safety for schools. While in most workplaces the responsible person is the employer or anyone with control of the premises, in a school these duties may fall to the headteacher or the governing body. The responsible person must review the school fire risk assessment and ensure the necessary precautions are taken to protect the safety of ‘relevant persons’ (ie all who use the school).

Assessing and minimising risks

It’s the role of the responsible person to carry out a fire risk assessment, or assign a competent person to carry out the task. A huge part of the assessment is identifying fire hazards and the people potentially at risk – there might be, for example, students working in unsupervised areas or visitors unfamiliar with the premises. The RRFSO also requires the responsible person to appoint one or more (depending on the size of the premises) ‘competent persons’ to assist in undertaking preventative and protective measures. Chiefly, the fire risk assessment should identify fire risks and those who are vulnerable, before setting out measures to reduce the likelihood or impact of each risk.

Installing fire protection measures

Once the presence of risk has been concluded (and removed as far as is possible), it’s crucial that steps are taken to reduce any remaining risk and precautions are put in place. This means installing early warning systems such as smoke detectors and fire alarms. A managed evacuation plan is legally required in schools and is the role of the responsible person to oversee.

The UK government’s fire safety guidelines for schools recommend that fire drills be performed at least once a year and preferably once per term, at varying times of day. Fire assembly points and fire safety signage should be kept up to date, with any changes to fire escape routes clearly communicated to all. Finally, fire doors should be operational at all times and never propped open.

Fire extinguishers in schools

During the fire risk assessment, the responsible person will identify risks of fire, which will dictate the types of fire extinguishers that are installed, and where. Most commonly fitted fire extinguishers include water fire extinguishers (for wood, paper and solid material fires) and CO2 fire extinguishers, which tackle flammable liquid and electrical fires. However, MultiCHEM fire extinguishers are an ideal choice for schools thanks to their versatility. These multi-purpose fire extinguishers are capable of tackling fires in settings such as the science lab, the design technology workshop, and even the kitchen because of their ABF rating (combustible materials, flammable liquids, and cooking oils and fats fires). 

Staff should be aware of the nearest fire extinguisher’s location and be trained to use it. Fire extinguishers should also be located in places where they can be easily accessed by staff but not where they may be vulnerable to misuse or vandalism. To comply with the British Standards, fire extinguishers must be adequately protected from such mistreatment, using cabinets, covers and storage options.

Maintaining the fire safety in schools’ regulations

If you’ve implemented further fire precautions following your fire risk assessment review, they should be installed by a competent person. It is the role of the responsible person to keep any equipment, devices and facilities on school premises in effective working order and ensure they’re maintained correctly. They must be confident that equipment, such as fire extinguishers, will be fit for purpose in the event of a fire – and the only way is through regular checks, and annual servicing and maintenance carried out by a trained technician.

Fire safety regulations for schools undergoing construction

Over the summer holidays, schools may experience construction work as they are built or extended to improve their offering or, capacity, or to ensure safety and operation. It is important for the responsible person to understand and reference the Building Bulletin Issue 100, which outlines design requirements with regards to fire safety. Among other things, it discusses building regulations, stipulating that it is vital to ensure:

  • Satisfactory provision of means of giving an alarm of fire and a satisfactory standard means of escape for persons in the event of fire in a building.
  • Fire spread over the internal linings of buildings is inhibited.
  • The stability of buildings in the event of fire; to ensure that there is a sufficient degree of fire separation within buildings and between adjoining buildings; to provide automatic fire suppression where necessary; and to inhibit the unseen spread of fire and smoke in concealed spaces in buildings.
  • External walls and roofs have adequate resistance to the spread of fire over the external envelope and that spread of fire from one building to another is restricted.
  • Satisfactory access for fire appliances to buildings and the provision of facilities in buildings to assist fire-fighters in the saving of life of people in and around buildings.

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The content of the CheckFire blog is for general information purposes only. While we make every effort to ensure accuracy at the time of publication, under no circumstances should it be considered professional advice. Any reliance you place on the information is at your own risk. Always seek the advice of a fire professional for your particular circumstances and requirements.

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