FIRE RISK ASSESSMENTS (FRA)

FIRE RISK ASSESSMENTS (FRA)

FIRE RISK ASSESSMENTS – Under the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is required for all premises, other than private dwellings. It is of paramount importance that a well-structured and properly impltured and properly implemented fire safety management plan accompanies the assessment.

The essential components of a fire risk assessment and fire safety plan for a public building can be broken down into the four steps: preparation, prevention, protection and management. There is no standardized format for recording or presenting the findings of a risk assessment or safety plan, but in every case the aim should be to produce clear and comprehensive documentation that is regularly reviewed.

The suite of fire safety guides from the Department of Communities and Local Government contains useful guidance on some of the methodologies used for presenting fire risk assessments.

The following are fire risk assessments:

1. Preparation

Before undertaking a FRA, it is necessary to obtain accurate plans of the building, as this will not only save time and effort in the long run, but can also be useful when preparing business continuity plans, inventories of artefacts, cleaning regimes and security assessments. The plan of the building will form the framework for the FRA and fire safety plan and should contain information on the existing fire safety measures (if there are any), compartment lines, exit routes, room usage, location of artefacts, hidden voids (disused chimneys, goods lifts, panel infill’s etc.), potential ignition sources and flammable materials.

The task of risk assessing and planning is made considerably easier if careful consideration is given to the building plans at the outset. Ultimately it will be the building plans, with relevant and up-to-date information on hazards, firefighting equipment and salvage strategies that will form the basis of how the fire and rescue service will respond in the event of a fire.

2. Prevention

Clearly, preventing a fire in the first place is the ideal situation, and is the first stage of physically assessing the fire risk within the building. By identifying potential ignition sources and flammable materials, and either removing them or introducing alternative methods or systems, the risk will be greatly reduced. Putting in place remedial measures can be relatively inexpensive and involve minimum intervention in the fabric of the building.

Among the relevant questions to ask when looking at preventing fire within a public building include:

i. When the electrical circuits were last tested and have all appliances, both fixed and portable, been tested for safety?

ii. Are all drapes/curtains/tapestries a suitable distance from potential ignition sources such as halogen lamps?

iii. If smoking is allowed outside the building, have adequate precautions been taken – for example, dedicated smoking shelters located away from the building?

iv. Are waste and/or flammable materials appropriately stored?

v.Is there a significant threat from arson and can it be deterred?

3. Protection

Once the risk of fire has been mitigated as far as practicable, protective measures should be introduced, in order to safeguard occupants, the property and important artefacts.

Therefore, by dealing with each of the requirements in turn, and introducing practical solutions suited to the building and its contents, a holistic fire safety strategy can be developed that will not only satisfy the functional requirements of the Building Regulations, but also ensure a safer environment for occupants, reduce the risk of fire, and minimize the impact of fire, should one occur.

When it comes to public buildings, protective measures are often controversial because they can be disruptive to the original fabric of the building, and the physical installation of the systems can sometimes be difficult. It is possible, however, to take suitable protective measures that are sympathetic to the historic fabric, but which can also be designed for individual premises. It is highly recommended that a third-party approved company with a proven track record of installations in public buildings is appointed.

4. Management

Poor management can render the most comprehensive risk assessment and protective measures ineffectual. Therefore, once the risk assessment has been completed and suitable protective measures are in place, a robust management system, in the form of a fire safety management plan, must be drawn up. The following should be noted in the management process;

i. Measures identified during the prevention step are regularly reviewed/revisited to prevent fires from developing

ii. Maintenance schedules to ensure the protective measures put in place are still capable of performing as intended

iii. Comprehensive and regular training of staff in evacuation procedures, raising the alarm, first-aid firefighting and salvage plans

iv. Emergency drills must be performed and any shortcomings recorded and rectified as soon as possible
v. Periodic review of the risk assessment and fire safety management plan, especially after a change in use of the building or a ‘near-miss’ incident.

All staff involved with salvage operations must be fully trained and made aware of the risks and dangers involved with such tasks. Regular salvage drills should be undertaken, with any problems recorded and remedied as soon as possible. A business continuity plan should be integrated within the fire safety management plan so that, in the event of fire, restoration work can proceed as quickly as possible. Being prepared for an emergency will significantly improve recovery rate.

5. Co-operation and Conservation

Safeguarding our public buildings from the ravages of fire should be considered as conservation of our record for future generations. Providing that there is co-operation between all persons with a vested interest (e.g. building owners, the fire and rescue service, fire safety consultants, architects, staff and visitors), public buildings and the treasures within will be preserved and enjoyed for many years to come.

References

Bryan, J. L., (1986), “Human Behaviour and Fire”, Fire Protection Handbook, 16th Ed. Quincy, MA :  NFPA

Craighead, G. (1995), “High-Rise Security and Fire Life Safety”, Boston :Butterworth-Heinemann.

Canter. D, (1990), “Fire and Human Behaviour,” UK, David Fulton Publishers, 2^nd Edition.

Charters, David, (2009), “Fire Evacuation Studies in HealthCare Paper given at the National Association of Hospital Fire Office” (NAHFO) Annual Conference, Leeds.

Cooper L.Y. (1995),”Compartment Fire Generated Environment and Smoke Filling,” The SFPE Handbook of Fire Protection Engineering, 2^nd Edition.

Cooper. Leonard Y., Stroup. David W., ASET- A computer Program for Calculating available safe egresstime Fire Safety Journal, Volume 9, Issue 1, May 1985.

Dodge, F. W., (1991),”Fundamentals of Fire Safety in High-Rise Buildings”, Skokie, IL : Concrete and Masonry Industry Fire Safety Committee.