Some Fire Safety advice for Tenants – your Landlord has an obligation as the ‘Responsible Persons’ to keep your property safe from Fire and keep your Fire Safety Emergency Plan up to date.

If you live in a purpose-built maisonette or flat your landlord must provide you with Fire Safety information, including a Fire Safety Emergency Plan.

If any building refurbishment or redecoration work is done to your flat or building, or defects are identified that could enable fire spread, your Landlord must update your Fire Safety Emergency Plan, and let you know about any changes.

What to look out for in your building

Fire safety in all buildings is also dependent upon good maintenance and housekeeping. In maisonettes and blocks of flats it’s essential that:

  • All flat front doors and doors on corridors and staircases must be ‘self-closing’ fire doors and NOT wedged open
  • Don’t store items in the corridors or staircases as they can feed a Fire. Stored items can block escape routes and stop fire-fighters doing their job.
  • Make sure everyone who lives in the building know the Fire Safety Emergency Plan.
  • Check that there are signs to show you how to escape the Fire.

If you’re concerned about any of these things, contact your Landlord and ask to witness the Fire Safety Risk Assessment for the premise.

For more Fire Safety advice go to the London Fire Brigade website alternatively contact London Fire Risk Assessments we have a support team ready to listen and give you some free advice. 01689 890879 or click here

Some Fire Safety advice for Landlords – you have an obligation as the ‘Responsible Persons’ to keep your property safe from Fire.

Landlords Responsibilities

If you are a ‘Responsible Person’ you have a leal duty to keep your property safe from fire through the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

It’s your responsibility to ensure that there is a comprehensive Fire Risk Assessment that details the fire safety provisions that are in the property. This is usually carried out by a professional Fire Risk Assessor and might identify additional measures that should be carried out as appropriate.

Included in the Fire Risk Assessment should be a Fire Safety Emergency Plan so that Residents know what actions are needed in the event of a Fire.

The Fire Safety Emergency Plan must make sure Residents and others are safe, that a Fire can be detected and Residents are warned if they need to evacuate.

The structural protection provided within the building must protect residents or allow them to safely escape from Fire or smoke using the corridors and staircases if necessary.

The following are just a few import Fire Safety requirements that Landlord must consider;

Fire doors

Fire doors stop the spread of heat and smoke in the event of a Fire. All flat front doors and doors on corridors and staircases must be ‘self closing’ Fire doors.

Poor adjustment of self-closing devices or inappropriate choice of closer type can cause Fire doors to close very quickly and bang, disturbing residents. To stop this, residents wedge Fire doors open to stop the door fully closing and banging. This can weaken the door closing device and stop the door from properly closing, making the door less effective at stopping the spread of fire.

  • ensure ‘self closing’ Fire doors are fitted on all flats, corridors and staircases
  • make sure doors don’t bang shut, to avoid them being wedged open
  • regularly check door closing devices haven’t been tampered with or become defective

Without this Fire protection Residents won’t be able to evacuate when necessary due to smoke logging and high temperatures in escape routes.

Fire protection and ‘Fire stopping’ in service risers; between flats; and between flats and means of escape routes

Fire protection and Fire stopping to service risers, and between individual flats, corridors and the means of escape routes prevents the rapid spread of Fire throughout blocks of flats and is essential. This is often breached when utility companies (gas, electricity, TV cabling etc) run new services between flats, or between common parts and flats. These breaches are often not resealed correctly with fire resisting material/stopping to maintain the fire protection.

Storage and security

Tenants storing belongings in communal areas can pose a real risk to safety. Items can accidentally be set alight, or be set alight deliberately.  In the event of Fire items in hall ways and on stairs can stop people escaping, and stop fire-fighters doing their job.

  • corridors, stairs and stairwells are clear
  • electrical and gas riser cupboards aren’t used to store anything

To read more Fire Safety information for Landlord’s visit London Fire Brigade’s website.

London Fire Risk Assessments advice to clients:  Landlord’s should do their homework and ensure that if they are taking on the role of a ‘Responsible Persons’ they know the law.

A Fire Risk Assessment must be in place for the premise and one of the best places to find a competent Fire Risk Assessor is on the Institution of Fire Engineers website. London Fire Risk Assessments are on the IFE’s Risk Assessors register and will be happy to provide you with a free quote to carry out a full Fire Safety Inspection/Audit and provide you with a full Fire Risk Assessment, which will include the following ‘parts’.

These are all the ‘parts’ that will satisfy the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Landlords don’t put your Residents at risk act now and help keep your premise safe from Fire. Call 01689 890879 or click here

London Fire Brigade want to stop fires from happing in your home, book now for their free fire safety visit.

A small fire in your home can lead to substantial damage, which could be expensive to repair and leave you unable to stay in your property for a number of weeks.

So what happens during a London Fire Brigade home fire safety visit?

London Fire Brigade fire-fighters will visit you in your home and provide you with bespoke advice, based on your household and lifestyle, to minimise the risk of a blaze.

They may suggest moving items or furniture as part of any safety recommendations made during the home fire safety visit, if they identify them as hazards.

They may fit free smoke alarms in your property during the assessment.

When can I have a home fire safety visit?

London Fire Brigade’s home fire safety visits can take place any day of the week, at any time that is convenient for you.

The assessment takes as long as necessary but first-time visits are allocated up to 90 minutes. Alternatively you can call London Fire Brigade on 0800 028 44 28

For urgent, out of hour referrals, please contact 0208 555 1200 and inform the switchboard you need to book a home fire safety visit.

London Fire Risk Assessments advice to clients: These home safety visits are free so take advantage of the professional’s and keep your home and family safe from Fire. If you are worried about asking for a home visit and want to chat it through with us first we will be happy to assist. Call us on 01689 890879 and we will point you in the right direction.

Does your London Pub, Restaurant, Night Club or Events Venue have a compliant Fire Safety Risk Assessment? If the answer is no you could have your licence revoked!!

A Pub has had its licence revoked due to Fire Safety failings. It was found that the premise had no Fire Safety Risk Assessment and that the automatic Fire detection system and Emergency Lighting were not being maintained. Added to this inadequate Staff training and failure to maintain Fire Fighting equipment were other areas of Fire Safety concern.

The Pub was served with an informal ‘Notice’, which required a Fire Safety Risk Assessment to be performed and Emergency Lighting and a fully operational Fire detection system to be reinstated.

Another visit from the Authorities confirmed that no Fire Safety Risk Assessment had been carried out, and that the Emergency Lighting and Fire Detection had not been maintained as previously required.

As a result a Priority Enforcement ‘Notice’ relating to non compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was issued.

At a licensing hearing the licence holder for the premises, had the premises licence revoked.

Licence holders should recognise the importance of taking positive action to keep their Staff and members of the Public safe from Fire.

If you need a Fire Safety Risk Assessment or Fire Marshal Training for your Staff contact London Fire Risk Assessments – they are qualified and happy to help call 01689 890879

Care Home Resident dies in a Fire as a result of the Property Company failing to carry out an adequate Fire Safety Risk Assessment for the Building and failure to properly train it’s Staff in Fire Safety!

The Company has been ordered to pay a fine of £360,000 plus £100,000 costs. The Judge said the ‘near total destruction of the roofing had been due to the fact that there were no external vents from the resident’s kitchens, which instead were vented into the roof space, and over the years this had built up deposits from grease and oil from cooking’.

The Fire and Rescue Service said, ‘The Fire which began in a television set spread rapidly across the retirement home’s entire roof and became a devastating blaze, which forced firefighters to return several times to a burning building to rescue vulnerable residents.’

This fine should now send a clear message to businesses to take seriously their responsibilities to keep people safe from Fire.

If you own or are the identified ‘Responsible Person’ for a Care Home make sure you have a fully compliant Fire Safety Risk Assessment and that it is kept up to date.

London Fire Risk Assessments can help you – we have qualified Fire Safety Risk Assessors that will carry out a thorough Fire Safety Inspection/Audit. They can also provide onsite Fire Marshal Training, which can be tailored to reflect your premise needs and keep your Staff fully up to date with Fire Safety and most importantly the Emergency Plan for the premise. Call now to discuss or arrange an appointment 01689 890879