Fire Safety Consultancy
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Fire Risk Management
We specialise in providing consultancy solutions developed for Operational and/or Property Fire Safety Management.
Fire Safety Consultancy
We specialise in providing consultancy solutions developed for Operational and/or Property Fire Safety Management. All our services commence with a review of your business’s specific activities and needs, this enables us to propose a suitable service level and scope to meet your needs.
Upon retention, a dedicated consultant will be appointed to partner with the management team, who will provide reliable advice, guidance and support developed to meet the objectives and desires of your business. Where practical, we aim to appoint a multi-disciplined consultant to enable a single point of contact, providing a consistent and efficient service.
All our consultancy services are based on the development of a Fire Safety Management System. A fire safety management system details your arrangements to implement, control, monitor and review fire safety standards and to ensure those standards are maintained. The plan describes the arrangements for effectively managing fire safety to prevent fire occurring and, in the event of fire, to protect people and property.
All our consultancy services are based on the development of Management Systems in accordance with the principles of ISO45001:2015 (Plan, Do, Check, Act), as accredited management systems (link to accreditation page).
Consultants can be provided on an ad hoc or retained agreement depending on your business needs and preference.
Policies & Procedures
A service focussed on the development of a Fire Safety Policy and Procedures, in order to set out the objectives and intention of the business, a commitment to legal compliance, signed by the most senior executive or officer, and displayed as a statement for all.
Once the policy and objectives are confirmed, a fire safety management plan detailing all arrangements to implement, control, monitor and review fire safety standards and to ensure those standards are maintained. The plan describes the arrangements for effectively managing fire safety to prevent fire occurring and, in the event of fire, to protect people and property.
A fire safety plan is essential to ensure compliance in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005 (RRO).
Compliance Obligation (Gap Analysis)
A process that commences with the identification of legal and other compliance obligations, once established the compliance objectives are detailed a ‘Legal Register’.
The legal register and regulatory review is then used to complete a Gap Analysis, which is a review of compliance objectives and management standards in order to identify any shortfalls, and detail the requirements to meet compliance.
The outcome of the process will be a detailed report that will assist in setting objectives to meet obligations, reduce exposure, and safeguard the business and employees.
Throughout this process the consultant will liaise with the business leadership team to establish the management approach and develop a plan to detail how obligations can be met.
Emergency Planning
A service which will advise and assist to develop and establish emergency procedures, one of the basic principles of any fire safety strategies, which will include:
- Fire Strategy: a review of the Fire Design Strategy to ensure the active and passive fire safety provisions, firefighting measures, and evacuation procedures are suitable for the property design, and will support life safety during in the event of a fire.
- Raising the Alarm: a review of the means of detection, effects and responses to the alarm activating, management, training, and the fire risk assessment
- Evacuation Plan: review and/or development of an Evacuation Plan, focussed on ensuring all persons can safely evacuate the property to a place of safety; including the responsibilities of all roles and persons relied upon to implement the plan.
- Disabled Provisions and Evacuations: review the adequacy of provision to enable the safety of disabled persons in the event of a fire. Personal Emergency Evacuation plans (PEEPS), Refuge Points & Emergency Voice Communications (EVC’s), Evac Chairs etc.
- Training: Fire Safety Awareness, Fire Wardens, Incident Coordinators, PEEPs Buddies etc.
- First Aid: a review of arrangements to ensure first aid personnel are aware of their role in an emergency evacuation, and that first aid can be administered until the emergency services attend.
- Fire Drills: a formal fire drill, observed and reviewed by a fire safety consultant, to review evacuations arrangements, record specifics of the drill/event and detail in a formal report, for review and consideration of improvements/recommendations.
- Incident Reporting: developing arrangements for the reporting of fire incidents, reports are reviewed by a competent person, and are maintained as records for investigation and as information for all relevant stakeholders.
Fire Strategy
Specialist fire safety consultancy support to develop and or review Fire Design Strategy (FDS). This is a requirement during the planning phase of new properties, extensions, or significant refurbishments. FDS can also be undertaken retrospectively on existing builds to better understand the fire design, this can include holistic FDS for properties that have been extended over time, particularly where the property is of mixed ages or designs.
A strategy reflecting building code compliance, or/and a fire engineering solution is essential for management to understand how the building is required to perform in a fire, and/or to obtain building control and fire authority approval.
Professional fire safety specialists will develop and/or review the Fire Strategies, considerations will be:
- the proposed design, at the design phase of construction
- an engineered solution, in consideration of building regulations, approval and authority
- planning phases of projects, refurbishment, or extensions
- holistic strategies on existing properties, to establish design, performance, and management criteria.
- a formal strategy review to report on performance and management.
Essential requirement for property management, the FDS can validate your management approach, reflect management compliance, whilst considering and identifying any areas requiring improvement. Retrospective and holistic FDS should be reviewed periodically to incorporate any new information regarding the design criteria or strategy.
Compliance Monitoring
A Service to assist with establishing methods of monitoring, measuring, and reviewing performance, an essential part of any Fire Safety Management System, to maintain and improve management standards and compliance, including:
- Internal Inspections: periodic inspections to review fire safety arrangements, routes, equipment, and all other safeguards are compliant arrangements. Inspections are detailed on an inspection log, maintained, and monitored as a record of monitoring compliance.
- Audits & Assessments: periodic formal inspection and assessments to establish compliance by reviewing management performance, obtaining objective evidence, detailed on a formal audit report.
- Measuring Performance: setting objective and KPI’s on measurable proactive and reactive data from performance monitoring
- Performance Review: analysing and reviewing the results of monitoring, reporting, and sharing with, The Leadership Team, Safety Forums & Groups, Competent Persons, along with all other Stakeholders.
- Learning Lessons: analysing monitoring information, establishing causal factors, considering corrective and preventative actions and measures, communicating to ensure lessons are learnt, assign responsibility to implement the measures required, monitor implementation and effectiveness of new measures.
- Safety Forums: the development of Safety forums and groups from all areas of the business, utilisation of the forum as a consultative process to review and improve Fire Safety Management throughout the organisation.
Incident Investigation
A service developed to assist with developing a formal incident investigation process. The principle being to establish cause, implement corrective and preventative measures to avoid recurrence.
Investigation is an essential part of legal compliance and assist to:
- Establish casual factors,
- Learn lessons and prevent recurrence,
- Establish the cost of incidents,
- Provide information to:
• Insurers
• Enforcement agencies
• Safety representatives and forums
• Customers and clients
• All other stakeholders
The degree of investigation, and the investigation team, is dependent on the significance and severity of an incident, most near misses and minor incidents can be undertaken by managers and internal employees, for more serious incidents specialists or professionally competent persons may be required to assist internal management and employees. We offer a variety of services to assist with all types of incidents, and incident investigation.
Fire Safety Consultancy – the Legal bit….What Is Required
Fire Safety must be managed in accordance with the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) Order 2005 (RRO). The principal requirement being the safety of ‘Life’ and assessment of risk by ensuring a competent person undertakes a Fire Risk Assessment
The RRO applies to all commercial businesses, shops, offices, care facilities, factories, warehouses, community halls, schools, pubs, restaurants, hostels, and hotels, along with any business/person that is responsible for the common areas of ‘multi-family housing units’ – including those in high rise apartment blocks.
In compliance with the RRO the following are the responsible person:
- an employer
- the owner of the building
- the landlord of the building
- a facilities manager, building manager, managing agent, risk assessor, or anyone else with control of the premises.
The responsible person must ensure a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) of their building by a competent person, the FRA is regularly reviewed, and plans are in place to protect life and property during a fire emergency.
Ensuring health, safety and fire is managed systematically and in accordance with regulatory requirements is a priority for all businesses. Utilising a ‘Competent Person’, who can be either employed or retained via a consultancy arrangement is a mandatory requirement. (Management of Health & Safety Regulations 1999, regulation 7).
Fire Strategy & Compartmentation – the Legal bit….What Is Required
Fire Design Strategy
A fire strategy is a complex document specifically tailored to a building, reviewing all aspects of the building’s fire safety features including construction, compartmentation strategy, means of escape and other fire safety features/measures – including management arrangements in place to ensure it is fit for use for the end user of the premises or intended purpose group.
Approved documents are used predominantly as guidance for achieving the requirements of the Building Regulations for new residential and commercial buildings: however, they are not lawfully enforced, unlike the Building Regulations. Alternatively, associated approaches may be used such as that described in BS 9999. In addition, and to improve fire safety or allow fire safety outside of the standard codes, a fire engineered approach can be developed, considerations for engineered solutions such as fire suppression systems, smoke ventilation etc.
Fire strategies are used for collating and providing information on how the property performs to ensure life safety. The Grenfell Hackitt Review advises the need for retrospective strategies to address a lack of fire safety information.
Compartmentation (Passive Fire)
Passive protection that provides the compartmentation is a critical aspect of a buildings fire strategy; the fire protection of compartments provides safety by reducing the spread of fire and smoke. Compartmentation is provided horizontally and vertically, usually by floors, walls, or doors which are designed and constructed to offer a specified level of protection.
Managing and maintaining the level of internal protection along escape routes (including protected routes, fire doors, the treatment of service penetrations and joints in construction) is necessary to ensure fire separation is achieved to aid safe evacuation and meet other fire safety objectives including those required by Building Regulations.
Quick Access to Key Services
Fire Risk Assessment
Fire Door Inspections
Health & Safety Risk Assessment
Legionella Risk Assessment
