General
It is important to understand that more than one piece of
fire safety legislation and/or fire safety guidance can be
applied to any individual premises. For instance take a school
the The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety)
Order 2005 and the Health and Safety (Safety Signs
and Signals) Regulations 1996 applies and there could be others.
Fire Safety guidance documents including
Guide 5 - Educational premises, Guide 1 - Offices
and shops, Guide 6 - Small and medium places of assembly or
Guide 7 - Large places of assembly may apply and if the school
is a boarding school then Guide 3 - Sleeping accommodation
could apply.
Legislation
Fire Safety in new and altered Educational Establishments
including Schools and Colleges is subject to the Building
Regulations and the guidence for fire matters are dealt with
by Approved
Document Part B Fire Safety.
Within that document appendix G and H there is a list, of
other guidence documents that may be relevant.
When premises are occupied fire precautions are controlled
by The
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
and this order lays down legal requirements, check them out
at the above link.
Fire Safety Guide for England and
Wales
The most appropriate guide for Educational Establishments
including Schools and Colleges is likely to be Guide
5 - Educational premises and can be downloaded
at the Department of Communities and Local Government web
site. This guide is for all employers, head teachers, governors,
vice-chancellors, occupiers and owners of educational premises.
It tells you what you have to do to comply with fire safety
law, helps you to carry out a fire risk assessment and identify
the general fire precautions you need to have in place. This
guide is intended for premises where the main use of the building
or part of the building is an educational premises. These
include schools, colleges, universities, Sunday schools, academies,
crèches, adult education centres, after-school clubs,
outdoor education centres and music schools. It may also be
suitable for the individual premises used for educational
purposes within other, more complex premises used for different
purposes, although consultation with the other managers will
be necessary as part of an integrated risk assessment for
the complex.
This guide is not intended for residential premises (e.g.
university halls of residence) the guide
for premises providing sleeping accommodation
should be used in this case. If your premises are used for
public entertainment or licensed, you may need to use one
of the guides for places of assembly.
Also, where you handle and store flammable materials and
substances, it will help you take account of these in your
risk assessment and help you determine the necessary precautions
to take to minimise the likelihood of them being involved
in a fire.
It has been written to provide guidance for a responsible
person, to help them to carry out a fire risk assessment in
less complex premises. If you read the guide and decide that
you are unable to apply the guidance, then you should seek
expert advice of a competent person. More complex premises
will probably need to be assessed by a person who has comprehensive
training or experience in fire risk assessment. However, this
guide can be used for multi-occupied buildings to address
fire safety issues within their individual occupancies.
Fire Risks
The life risk in day schools is very low and high in boarding
schools because of the sleeping hours. However the risk of
fire and fire spread is high in both establishments for different
reasons. Because day schools are left unoccupied for a great
deal of the time they are quite often subjected to arson attacks
which if a fire is started usually involves the whole of the
premises. Boarding schools are considered to be a high risk
because they are very much like the domestic property on a
much bigger scale but this risk is mitigated because of the
high standard of supervision.
Property Fire Risk Assessment
There is a legal responsibility to carry out a fire risk
assessment which is designed to protect life which is the
Responsible Person`s responsibility. You should also considered
protecting property this could be achieved by trying to prevent
a fire occurring in the first place or reducing the effects
if one should occur. An additional fire risk assessment is
a way of achieving this by conducting an inspection on a what
if basis and try to identified any possible fire risks. You
may find the local fire brigade does these type of inspections
or you may employ a fire consultant. The cheaper way is to
do it yourself by electing a member of staff to be responsible
for fire and security matters and having him/her to research
the topic and conduct a fire risk survey. I do have a computer
program to help but it is at a very early stage and I you
must take full responsibility if you decide to run it. You
can have a copy by emailing us on the homepage. He/she could
also keep records on any fires and vandalism, no matter how
small. This would build up a risk profile and could predict
when a major crime was likely to occur. Research has found
that there is a pattern prior to any major arson attack or
vandalism. The police crime prevention departments will have
more details on this aspect.
Fire Representative
Fire prevention is usually given a low priority in the administration
of schools but it is no good buying many books if the library
is likely to be razed to the ground in the immediate future.
Insurance is not always the answer as it rarely covers the
full cost of replacement and there is the increased premiums.
Consequently a further idea worth considering is to have a
person seconded to the board of governors with fire safety
experience to give advice. The local fire brigade I am sure
would make enquiries to see if any serving officers have any
connection to the school and would be willing to serve as
an adviser to the board.
Learn not to Burn
Learn not to burn is a package produced by London Fire Brigade
designed to integrate into the national curriculum and are
available for all key stages, price £35. It could be
responsible for saving a life when the child takes the fire
safety message into the home, the place where the level of
life risk from fire is the highest. If you require more details
or assistance do not hesitate to contact us using the email
on the homepage.
How to Combat Arson in Schools
A great deal of property belonging to education authorities
is lost every year due to arson, (mostly schools). If you
would like guidance on this problem go to How
to combat Arson in schools. I also have a computer
program, not yet completed, that helps you to conduct a fire
risk assessment on school premises, it may help you to combat
this menace. It is designed to reduce the possibility of the
school premises being involved in fire. The computer program
is written in Visual Basic 5 and you can download a copy on
the Arson Fire Risk
Assessment for Schools page
Note. This program is of no assistance in helping you
to conduct a Fire Risk Assessment in accordance with the The
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Relevant news articles
School head admits fire breach
A former head teacher and a council have both pleaded guilty
to fire safety breaches after a blaze left 26 pupils needing
medical treatment. Christine Chapman and Salford City Council
appeared in court following the fire at Moorside High School
in July 2002. Chapman admitted failing to ensure an emergency
escape route was clear. The council admitted failing to make
a sufficient fire risk assessment, before the blaze in a stairwell.
Smoke Inhalation
Bolton Magistrates Court heard plastic wrapping around furniture
was deliberately set alight in a stairwell, the only access
route from a first floor classroom.
Although the fire, on 10 July, was put out by staff the fire
service was called in to assist. The pupils and one teacher
were treated for smoke inhalation, and it is believed no-one
sustained any lasting injuries. A spokesman for Greater Manchester
County Fire Service confirmed the fire had been started deliberately.
The staircase where the fire started was the only escape route
from the first floor classroom, he said. Chapman and the council
were prosecuted under the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations
1997 and the management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations
1999.
Despite their guilty pleas deputy district judge Geoffrey
Brailsford decided to adjourn the case, which will be dealt
with at Bolton Crown Court. In a statement Salford council
said the health and safety of children in its schools is a
priority concern. Several lessons have been learned as a result
of the fire. Since Autumn 2002 the council has employed a
full time health and safety co-ordinator whose role is to
link the schools and the council's health and safety officers. |
