Preparing for 2021: Reviewing fire safety strategy

Fire safety preparations for 2021 should be high in priority for all businesses, landlords and commercial property owners. With the ongoing and rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation, when it comes to fire safety strategy, there’s now a requirement to be particularly agile and adaptable in protecting buildings and the workforces and general public that use them.

In this helpful guide, as we look to a new year, we highlight the importance of a regularly reviewed fire risk assessment and discuss additional measures some industries would be wise to consider and begin implementing.

Identifying, assessing and mitigating risk

Businesses and premises owners will of course be following government guidance and creating COVID-secure spaces. But fire safety should be just as high a priority given that at the moment (and for the foreseeable future), fire risks are continually changing. There are likely to be new or emerging risks – possibly because of COVID-19 measures you’ve implemented or if you’ve made changes to how the premises are used or staffed. Because the situation is constantly changing, fire risk assessments should be frequently reviewed. Any significant changes made to control the spread of COVID-19 must be identified and recorded in your fire risk assessment. They might take the form of new risk because of staff reductions or, depending on the nature of your business, perhaps you’ve more material onsite thanks to a surge in demand. All this should be considered and mitigating measures put in place if it adversely impacts on fire safety. In terms of our ‘new normal’, your fire risk assessment ahead of the new year should consider:

Risk reduction.

What steps have been taken to reduce fire risk? Have you had to increase stock levels? If so, control measures should be adjusted too.

People onsite.

If you’re a business owner, you must think about staffing levels and how many people are using the building at the same time. How would this impact in the event of an evacuation, for example? Or perhaps you now have lone workers because of social distancing or isolation measures?

Fire safety training.

As the responsible person, it’s your responsibility to ensure that should you be absent, there are enough trained people onsite to assist with fire safety. Business owners may have had to stagger shifts, for example, to allow for social distancing and if that’s the case, are you confident there’s someone trained available at all times?

Emergency evacuation.

Social distancing measures will inevitably impact escape plans and meeting points. Will you need to adjust parts of your plan? Are all fire doors intact? While we appreciate well-meaning people may want to leave doors open to avoid having to touch the handles, it’s vital that everyone is aware fire doors must be kept closed at all times and never propped open.

Vulnerable people.

Personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPs) must be reviewed according to the new situation. Are there enough people onsite to ensure a vulnerable person’s support needs are met?

For a thorough explanation of what your fire risk assessment should cover, head over to our detailed guide.

Preparing for the Fire Safety Bill

In March, the government introduced the draft Fire Safety Bill, which proposes regulations to improve fire safety in buildings in England and Wales. It’s being brought in to ensure tragedies like the Grenfell Tower fire never happen again. It will mean amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and will provide clarification over who’s assigned what responsibility for fire safety in buildings containing more than one home. The final Bill is expected to be released next year – until then, all businesses and sectors affected would be wise to keep abreast of any announcements or revelations. The Bill is expected to impose greater burdens on the responsible person in multi-occupancy buildings and it will enable the fire service to hold owners accountable if correct measures are not implemented. The Bill will mean huge changes to how architects, designers and builders work, and will result in the responsible person being accountable for new areas, including regular inspections of lifts and reporting results to local fire services. Negotiations on the Bill are ongoing and changes to fire safety law are expected next year.

Get ready: Fire safety equipment and drills

Ahead of 2021, check on all existing fire safety equipment – is it fit for purpose and ready for the new year? To comply with British Standards, fire engineers should be brought onsite to carry out compulsory annual servicing of fire extinguishers. This competent, fully trained technician will check your fire extinguishers are in good working order, as well as confirm the extinguisher type and location is correct. Fire extinguisher year gauge indicator dots are used to specify when the extinguisher last underwent a service. Fire extinguisher maintenance by a competent person should be treated with huge importance – they’ll ensure you’re complying with the law, after all.

You may want to do a walk around the building and ensure all appropriate fire safety signage is installed and visible to the building’s users. Fire safety signage is vital to ensure that, in the event of an emergency, people can escape the building safely. Signs provide instruction and continued reassurance along an escape route. For even further assurance that all users of the building understand what’s expected of them during an evacuation, it’s recommended regular fire drills are carried out. This is particularly important at a time when your emergency escape plan is under regular review.

As the responsible person, you’ll need to ensure the building’s log book is kept up to date and filled out once you’ve put in place all your checks and preparations for 2021. This handy book is a record of all work completed on all fire protection equipment. It should be accessible to all employees, building users and service engineers as and when needed.

Still need help preparing for 2021 and navigating fire safety in the new world? Contact us and we’ll be more than happy to talk you through the requirements. Alternatively, download our product brochure and find all the equipment needed for your 2021 fire safety strategy.