Estimated reading time: 3 minutes

New Fire Safety Regulations

The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 is a set of legislative rules implemented after the recommendations made by the Grenfell Tower Inquiry. They will come into force on January 23^rd – focused on manager responsibilities for high rise buildings.

Fire and Rescue Services all over the UK are urging managers of high-rise residential buildings to make sure they understand this new legislation. Current regulations determine high-rise buildings to be at least seven storeys or 18 metres in height.

The 2022 regulations build upon the amendments made to the Fire Safety Act 2021, which came into force in England in May 2022. This act extended the scope of the existing fire safety regime (the Regulatory Reform Order 2005), to make it clear that structures of a building containing two or more dwellings also fell within the scope of the Fire Safety Order.

With this new legislation, it now stretches the legislation to high-rise residential buildings too.

The new regulations explained

The new fire safety regulations outline a number of requirements that the Responsible Persons of high-rise buildings will have to meet. These include:

• Providing their local fire and rescue service with detailed floor and building plans. This should be in the form of both an electronic and a hard-copy.
• Providing details of the building’s external wall construction.
• Advising the fire and rescue service of any faults to firefighting equipment and lifts. This extends to reporting when said faults are fixed.
• Install signage which is visible in low light conditions.
• Inform local fire services if a lift used by firefighters or one of the pieces of firefighting equipment is out of order for longer than 24 hours.
• Provide relevant fire safety instructions to their residents on how to report a fire and what a resident must do once a fire has occurred. This will include information on the evacuation strategy for the building, and may also include consideration of fire signage in other languages where appropriate.
• Carry out quarterly checks on all fire doors, as well as annual checks on building entrance doors.

Reasons for the legislation

The new regulations, and the rules laid out within them, pertain to high-rise buildings in particular following the investigation into the tragedy of Grenfell Tower in 2017.

The concluding report from the inquiry made several recommendations, many of them directed towards the government – requesting a change in the law to implement. The Fire Safety Regulations 2022 will introduce many of these recommendations. The new regulations apply only to England and are being introduced under Article 24 of the Fire Safety Order.

You can check your fire safety responsibilities under the new regulations here.

The new fire safety regulations will require many to assess their own knowledge when it comes to fire safety. That’s where Fire Training Company’s courses can help you. You can find all of our online and face to face fire safety courses on our All Fire Training Course page.

Our friendly customer support team is always happy to talk through your training options. You can give us a call on 01327 552160, or email us at hello@smarthorizons.co.uk.

Related links

• Fire Safety Doors
• What to do in an Electrical Fire
• Fire Risk Assessments for Landlords

The post Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 – Explained appeared first on Fire Training Company.

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

If you work in the hospitality industry, fire safety is vital to protect your guests and staff. This was highlighted by the fire at the luxury Scottish hotel, Cameron House in 2017, in which two guests lost their lives and a business was fined £500,000. The findings from the incident found that the hotel firm admitted to failing to take the necessary fire safety measures to ensure the safety of its guests and employees.

In this blog, we discuss the importance of fire safety in hospitality, starting with a detailed breakdown of some of the main causes of fire in the industry.  We then briefly understand how these causes of fire risks can be reduced by carrying out a fire risk assessment of the hospitality venue by the ‘responsible person’ outlined in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

So what are the main causes of fire in the hospitality industry?

Electrical equipment

Electrical appliances continue to be one of the main causes of fire in the hospitality industry. For example, hairdryers and kettles in hotel rooms and illumination in pubs and restaurants, as well as any heating/cooling systems. Other common causes of fire risks posed by electrical equipment are:

• Malfunctioning equipment
• Laundry equipment
• Lighting

Hospitality business owners need to ensure all electrical appliances have been PAT tested within the last 12 months to minimise the risk of a fire.

Obstructed exit routes

Obstructions in fire exit routes, such as boxes, can in the event of a fire cause people to fall, seriously hurt themselves, and even block the exit passageway for others. Keeping exit passageways clear of obstacles enables people to exit a venue quickly and safely. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order states that emergency doors must not be locked or fastened in any way, and must be easily and immediately opened by ANY person who may require access to them in an emergency.

Kitchen equipment

Damaged or faulty kitchen equipment can easily lead to fires in commercial kitchens. Cooking equipment should be installed, operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s guidelines and by a responsible person. Some potential causes of fires in the kitchen are:

• Oil/grease fires
• Leaving cooking food unattended
• Damaged or faulty cooking equipment
• Gas leaks

You can learn more about common causes of fire and how to keep yourself and staff safe in the kitchen in our blog Restaurant Fire Safety.

Smoking

Discarded cigarette butts are still one of the most common causes of fire in hotels and other premises. All high-risk areas must be no smoking zones with appropriate signs and training for staff. Cigarettes are the biggest killer in accidental fires. Tobacco is manufactured to burn at over 700 °C and to stay alight, meaning it can remain smouldering and start a fire. Most fires are caused by smoking materials left on beds, furniture or are thrown into full bins.

Hospitality venues should provide highly visible and easily accessible bins or wall-mounted ashtrays for smokers to safely stub out and dispose their cigarettes.

Mitigating the risk of fire in the hospitality industry

As well as understanding the main causes of fire hazards in your hospitality venue, it is important to implement regular and documented fire safety checks and execution of policies in line with fire safety regulations. Hospitality venues will require a fire risk assessment, which will identify all the fire hazards and items that can act as fuel, an outline of emergency evacuation procedures, as well as who might be harmed by a fire and why.  The findings of the fire risk assessment will determine what physical precautions and management arrangements are necessary to reduce risk of harm.

An example in a hotel would be if the ‘responsible person’ performed a fire risk assessment and identified the risk of a cooking oil fire in a kitchen. They would make sure that a Class F fire extinguisher is installed in the kitchen and that staff were trained on the use of cooking oils. The fire risk assessment would also involve a number of additional measures to ensure guests and employees are protected as much as possible such as the positioning of fire safety signage, having the correct amount and type of fire extinguishers and an assessment of fire safety equipment.

For more information about practical advice on reducing fire risks in the hospitality industry, specifically in bed and breakfasts, guest houses and self-catering properties, you can read the government publication: Do you have paying guests?  

Train your hospitality staff

The Fire Safety in Hotels page on our website explains what fire training you are likely to need as well as additional things to think about around fire safety relating to the hotels and the hospitality industry in general.

Our IFE approved & CPD accredited online Fire Marshal/Warden Course can be taken by staff, and our face to face Fire Marshal/Warden Courses can be tailored to your establishment, ensuring you keep your guests and staff safe.  

Our friendly customer support team is always happy to talk through your fire safety training options. Why not give us a call on 01327 552160, email us at hello@smarthorizons.co.uk, or use the live chat feature on this website to speak to us during office hours.  

Related links

• Fire safety in the work place – a guide 
• What should fire safety at work cover 
• Fire safety checklist for business 
• Fire safety training in the workplace 
• How many fire marshals/wardens do I need? 
• 5 duties of a fire marshal  
• How long does my fire marshal or fire warden certificate last?  
• Fire safety training: What’s in a fire warden training course?  

The post What are the Main Causes of Fire in the Hospitality Industry? appeared first on Fire Training Company.

Estimated reading time: 6 minutes

We deliver online and face-to-face training for fire marshals and fire wardens but some customers ask us what is the difference between a fire warden and a fire marshal?

In this blog, we will see whether the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO) makes a legal distinction between the two roles. We also discuss whether organisations choose to differentiate the two responsibilities and why.

The role of the ‘responsible person’

The Regulatory Reform 2005 (Fire Safety) Order provides a framework for standard fire safety in all non-domestic premises, this includes almost all buildings, places, and structures that are not private homes. Under this order the fire safety arrangements would no longer be decided by the fire service, instead the responsibility was moved to the ‘responsible person’ at the premises. This person often has control (or a degree of control) of the building, and is often the owner, employer or an occupier. 

Under the Fire Safety Order the  ‘responsible person’  takes reasonable steps to reduce the risk of fire and makes sure people can safely escape. Alternatively, the ‘responsible person’ may give the role of the fire warden/fire marshal to somebody else, and this person would take responsibility of fire safety in the building.

Legal references to the role of fire warden

There is no legal reference that differentiates the roles and responsibilities of a fire marshal and a fire warden in the Fire Safety Order. Therefore the duties of a fire warden or a fire marshal can be classed legally as performing the same role and responsibilities. 

The order does outline that it is vital to appoint trained fire marshals/fire wardens to keep employees and customers safe.  Allocated to these fire wardens/marshals are important duties, which include understanding the fire risks and managing an evacuation if a fire happens. Both need to have adequate fire safety awareness and training and they play an important part in your fire safety plan.

Do some businesses split the fire warden/fire marshal role?

In some businesses, they do make a distinction between the role of a fire warden and a fire marshal and each role will have a different set of responsibilities. This often happens in larger and more complex organisations, but it is totally up to the business to decide whether they want to split the role and what the difference is between the two roles in their workplace.

The number of fire wardens/fire marshals you need depends of many risk factors, this number is calculated by a specialist and is referred to in your fire risk assessment.  If you’re interested in guidance on how many fire warden/fire marshals you need in your business, you can take a look at our latest blog:  How Many Fire Marshals/Wardens do I Need? 

The role of a fire warden/fire marshal in a low or high risk business 

In a smaller, low risk business you may think you need to assign one ‘responsible person’, and they will probably have the title of either a fire warden or fire marshal, it really doesn’t matter as their roles and responsibilities will be the same. However, you do need to bear in mind who would take responsibility if the designated person was away from the business for any reason e.g. holiday, illness, visiting clients, etc.

In a higher risk business, you will probably need to allocate more than one ‘responsible person’. It makes sense to have separate fire marshals and fire wardens who have predefined responsibilities with different day to day fire management duties, ensuring fire safety is manageable and that the business is fully compliant with fire safety regulations. Although these roles are interchangeable and it is up to the individual organisation to decide how the roles will be split. As a rule of thumb, fire wardens will usually have a more proactive role where as a fire marshal’s role tends to be more reactive. Here are some examples of how the responsibilities could be divided. 

Example responsibilities of a fire warden:

• Undertaking regular fire door checks and equipment checks. 
• Assisting in creating plans for evacuations and emergencies.
• Responsibility for searching the premises and ensuring that the whole building has been successfully evacuated. 
• Responsibility for fire risk assessments and fire drills. 
• Employing good fire safety practices in the workplace and any necessary reporting. 

Example responsibilities of a fire marshal:

• While a building is being evacuated, they will handle the evacuation outside the building.  
• Performing the roll calls. 
• Making sure all fire wardens are safe. 
• Undertaking some of the roles of the fire warden outlined above. 

In summary, there is no difference between the role of a fire marshal and fire warden, but if your workplace/business warrants or requires it the roles may be divided.  Proper training is vital if taking on these roles. Not only does becoming a fire warden/fire marshal allow you to help make your workplace a safer environment, experience in this role can also increase your employability in the future. 

Want more information about our fire warden/fire marshal training?  

Our IFE approved & CPD accredited online Fire Marshal/Warden Course make sure you are compliant with the current fire legislation. It covers your responsibilities, the correct fire extinguishers to use and fire prevention and evacuation.    

We also offer face to face Fire Marshal/Warden Courses across the UK. Our courses are tailored to your workplace, and our experienced ex-fire service trainers give you the opportunity to use a fire extinguisher.

Our friendly customer support team is always happy to talk through your fire safety training options. Why not give us a call on 01327 552160, email us at hello@smarthorizons.co.uk, or use the live chat feature on this website to speak to us during office hours.  

Related Links

• Fire safety in the work place – a guide 
• What should fire safety at work cover 
• Fire safety checklist for business 
• Fire safety training in the workplace 
• How many fire marshals/wardens do I need? 
• 5 duties of a fire marshal  
• How long does my fire marshal or fire warden certificate last?  
• Fire safety training: What’s in a fire warden training course?  

The post What is the Difference between a Fire Warden and a Fire Marshal?  appeared first on Fire Training Company.

We’ve created a Fire Safety Quiz for those preparing to take an accredited Fire Safety training course.

This quiz offers questions influenced by our Fire Warden and Fire Safety training courses. It acts as a great personal barometer regarding whether you’re ready to take a verifiable course.

This quiz is difficult and designed to challenge you. After all, fire safety is no small matter; in an office with one or more employees, someone is legally required to provide fire safety training. There are no trick questions in our fire safety quiz but the material covered is extensive.

The questions here cover areas you may know well, such as the likelihood of office fires and the varieties of fire extinguisher. However, they also cover the more in-depth areas, such as the different classes of fire. So, good luck.

Are you ready?

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Want to know more about Fire Safety training?

This 10-question quiz is not sufficient fire safety training. It neither covers the parameters of proper, formal fire safety courses nor acts as verifiable proof for the authorities in the event of investigation after a fire.

You can take any of our fire safety training courses online in 1 to 2 hours, at your convenience. Pause and restart as many times as necessary for the lessons to become ingrained.

Upon completion, you can download a verifiable certificate from our website using our Verify tool.

Our friendly customer support team is always happy to talk through your fire training options. Why not give us a call on 01327 552160? Alternatively, you can mail us at hello@smarthorizons.co.uk, or use the live chat feature on this website to speak to us during office hours. We’re here to help from 9am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday.

Related Links

• What should fire safety training at work cover?
• Fire Safety Checklist for Business

The post Fire Safety Quiz appeared first on Fire Training Company.