New legislation in the fire protection industry has been introduced to uphold high standards of safety in any building at any one time.

Such new laws place emphasis on a specific ‘accountable person’ to consistently ensure fire protection standards are being met.

 

 

What is an accountable person in fire safety? 

While this person is not expected to know every tiny detail about fire protection, they are expected to be fully trained in safety and are able to make necessary changes.

As part of said training, the designated person for that building should learn about building design and materials, to allow high level knowledge of any fire safety risks. E.g. If a building contains a large amount of wood, this would require a different fire protection strategy than a building supported by less flammable materials. The easiest way to identify fire safety risks is by conducting a fire risk assessment. 

 

 

What is a fire risk assessment?

A fire risk assessment is a detailed safety plan that highlights any of a building’s fire safety risks, how to reduce or remove such risks and details of an evacuation plan for the premises. It should also identify fire prevention methods such as alarms, extinguishers and smoke control systems. 

In some cases, a fire risk assessment may highlight that a sprinkler system is recommended. This would typically be in a high-risk building such as a multistorey flats due to their effectiveness.

 

 

 

Why is fire protection training necessary?

For the accountable person to be effective, they must understand what a fire risk assessment is. They must also know how to carry one out through their training. The competency of this person is key in protecting your building from fire, injuries and potentially fatalities.

In addition to this key figure, all staff should have some fire safety knowledge. Also as a minimum they should be fully updated with the protection plan. An environment where staff are able to ask questions about fire safety and be enthusiastic about training should be encouraged. This allows for a greater degree of competency. In the event of emergency a greater likelihood of little damage to the building or to its occupants.

It is crucial that the accountable person adopts this attitude and has a high level of competency in fire protection particularly if they’re managing in high risk premises. 

 

 

When is fire protection training needed?

Often in a high risk building management situation, it would be necessary to gain an extra qualification. There are many training modules and accreditations through governing bodies and through private fire safety organisations. Gaining this knowledge could be the difference between life and death.

 

 

Key takeaways you need to know about fire protection.

That it is important to nominate a key accountable person in the building and ensure their fire safety knowledge is competent. Sometimes this means part taking in a fire safety course. Also, that each staff member in the building should also have visibility of the premises’ risk assessment and preventative measures.