Merseyside Fire Liaison Panel Logo - Free advice,on fire safety and prevention,risk assessment, ect

 

Note for Guidance

The Fire Safety Advice Centre

Safelincs - Your Safety Provider

Fire Safety in Educational Establishments including Schools and Colleges


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.


This handout provides a general overview and basic information on this topic. It may not apply to everyone, consequently to find out if this guide applies to you and to get more information on this subject, study all the relevant legislation, guides and British/European Standards. Also you should seek advice from an expert on the subject or your local Fire Safety Officer or Fire Safety Professional.

Merseyside Fire Liaison Panel Logo
Merseyside Fire Liaison Panel. Permission is granted to print and photocopy this material for nonprofit educational uses.

[Index] [Advice Centre]

This page was last checked and modified on Saturday, 22 March, 2008 22:41

 

    mersey world icon