Fire Risk

Overview

Fire Safety Law and its Practical Application

At the end of 2006 the biggest change to UK fire safety law for over 30 years occurred when the Regulatory Reform [Fire Safety] Order 2005 came onto the statute books. Company owners and senior executives, landlords, builders and professionals are all waking up to a seismic shift in liabilities and potential penalties. The new regulations mark a seismic shift in the application of UK fire safety in which employers, not the fire service, now have to determine the fire safety of all occupants and employees.

This sea change could clearly have major implications for the safety of all those who occupy non-domestic premises for work or leisure. Several million premises are caught by this new law and employers risk prosecution, severe penalties and possible imprisonment if they place any occupant at risk.

Who is this book for?

This book draws on over three decades of professional fire fighting, rescue and fire safety specialist enforcement to provide invaluable jargon-free, practical guidance to those who now bear responsibility:

• Property and facilities managers
• Office managers and company secretaries
• Health and safety officers
• Architects and professional specifiers
• Building company executives
• Surveyors and landlords
• Police officers
• Lawyers and students of Public Safety Law
• Fire officers

Reviews

‘Fire Risk, a number one best seller on Amazon.co.uk’s _Fire Protection & Safety book category_.’

‘An interesting guidance document that building managers and other building professionals will no doubt find useful.’

‘Importantly, the emphasis of this book is always on the practical application of what can be quite a complicated and confusing mixture of rules and best practice; and it’s pleasing to see that the author has tried hard to remove as much jargon and unnecessary technical detail as possible.’

‘Good advice is provided based upon common sense.’

‘All in all, this publication achieved a good balance between what could easily become a heavy technical guide and something altogether too light and simplistic. It will be a useful aid to anyone with a responsibility for fire safety in buildings.’

Ian Gough MIFireE, MBEng, Building Engineer Magazine

Content

Introduction

Part 1: Basic principles

Chapter 1: The reasons for adequate fire safety measures in non-domestic premises

Chapter 2: A potted history of significant life-loss fires in the UK

Chapter 3:The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, SI 1541

Chapter 4: Fire Risk Assessment

Chapter 5: General fire precautions and fire safety provisions

Part 2: Additional information

Introduction

Chapter 6: AFD/AFA systems

Chapter 7: Firefighting measures

Chapter 8: Means of escape

Chapter 9: Fire separation and compartmentation

Chapter 10: Staff training and instruction

Chapter 11: Enforcement of the Fire Safety Order 2005

Chapter 12: Liaison with the fire and rescue service

Chapter 13: Fire safety law enforcement – a fire and rescue service perspective

Appendices

Appendix 1: Technical information

Appendix 2: The definition of competence and seeking specialist advice from an external source

Appendix 3: Effective management of fire safety

Appendix 4: Arson

Appendix 5: Heritage buildings

Appendix 6: Plans and line drawings

Appendix 7: Fire Risk Assessment flow chart

Appendix 8: The Fire Risk Assessment report

Appendix 9: Fire extinguishers

Appendix 10: Definitions and illustrations – means of escape

Appendix 11: Fire safety advisor’s terms and letters of agreement

Conclusion

Glossary and references

Author

Allan Grice

Allan Grice, MIFireEhas had a Fire Service career spanning 30 years across London, Yorkshire and Devon. He is currently an independent fire safety adviser to a large number of organisations. During the late 1980’s he was responsible for all safety law enforcement and advisory services across North East London. Between 1990 and 1997 he was Principal Fire Safety Officer for the Devon Fire and Rescue Service. Allan has been visiting lecturer in the Practical Application of Fire Safety Law at Leeds University for past 10 years. He is a Member of the Institution of Fire Engineers [MIFireE] and the author of several technical papers, including Structural Collapse and Fire Fighter Safety, published by the Institute of Fire Fighting Engineers.