The importance of mobile fire safety | CheckFire
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The importance of mobile fire safety

Given the evolving nature of construction sites, fire safety procedures must be adaptive. There’s a real need for versatile and easy-to-transport fire safety equipment for any of your customers working in ever-changing environments. With over 45 years’ experience in fire safety equipment and best practices, CheckFire wants to ensure you have all the knowledge to support customers with mobile fire safety.

Here, we discuss what mobile fire safety is, why it’s important, and what your customers need to implement in order to comply with fire safety regulations.

What is mobile fire safety?

Mobile fire safety involves ensuring fire safety equipment is readily available and easily transportable in settings that require it. This is especially important for construction sites but also applies to outdoor events, exhibitions and markets, for example. Essentially, mobile fire safety is vital in any environment that changes layout regularly, or in areas where fixed fire safety equipment, such as wall-mounted fire extinguishers, is not possible.

Why is mobile fire safety important?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) requires site managers to appoint a ‘responsible person’. The role of the responsible person is to carry out a fire risk assessment and oversee and/or implement the installation and ongoing maintenance of fire safety on construction sites. The fire risk assessment should be used to uncover potential fire risks and will inform further actions to either remove or minimise each risk. This is not a one-time occurrence. Construction sites are constantly changing with the stages of the project, meaning a new fire risk assessment will likely be needed at each juncture. This also makes installing fire safety signage on construction sites an ever-evolving process.

For example, as the build progresses and work moves to a different area of the construction site, storage of combustible building materials could be transported as well. While the material’s previous position may have been assessed, the responsible person would need to carry out a further fire risk assessment to ensure there were no new risks, such as nearby fuel sources or uninspected electrical equipment. With a reactive risk assessment, the responsible person could identify any new risks and implement fire safety measures to minimise or remove the risk, including installing a suitable type of fire extinguisher within 30 metres of the combustible materials.

However, it would not be compliant for the responsible person to purchase a suitable fire extinguisher and place it on the ground near the identified fire risk. Fire extinguishers must be kept adjacent to but not near the fire risk. This is important because if a fire was to start, and the fire extinguisher was too close to the fire, it would not be safe to retrieve and use, rendering it ineffective.

How to support your customers with mobile fire safety

The British Standards stipulates that while fire safety equipment must be readily available and accessible, it should also be adequately protected from damage or tampering. To ensure your customers comply with the British Standards, and are able to implement mobile fire safety measures, industry-leading fire safety equipment from trusted brands are available to support them.

With the Commander Wheeled Fire Point Stand, your customers can easily transport up to four fire extinguishers and utilise a large 650x1200mm backboard to store a range of ancillary equipment, such as the CommandAlert Site Alarm, which features an 115dB alarm and bright flashing LED strobe light.

For any customers in the construction sector, you can also offer our extensive range of highly visible fire safety signs, while ensuring they understand the need to constantly reassess the placement of fire safety signage throughout their construction project. If your customers are looking to improve the protection and portability of fire safety equipment, you can also provide them with the space-saving Compact Double Trolley, which can hold up to two 9kg fire extinguishers and features a small pre-drilled backboard for fitting a range of ancillaries.

For more information on how your customers can thoroughly and compliantly ensure the mobile fire safety of their site or event, discover our guide to fire risk assessments.

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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