When dealing with HMO Fire risk assessments, we are often asked "what is involved?" There are many versions of fire risk assessments around and many assessors will explain the requirements in different ways. We like to keep it simple; First, is who the occupants are. Students may not appreciate the danger of a fire and are more likely to ignore an alarm activation. Foreign nationals who can't read, speak or understand English are also of...

Disabled evacuation procedures are a key part of the evacuation strategy for your premises. There are various impairments that can leave a visitor or employee with the need for assistance to leave the building in an evacuation. If this is applied in common sense terms, then follow this guide, Disabled evacuation procedures cover all mobility and disability issues, but most disabilities or mobility impaired users can be assisted out of the building with ease. For...

Fire drills after the Covid 19 shutdown, may not be a priority following your return to work.  Whether it is a practice drill or an alarm activation, you and the staff need to know what to do to keep safe! [caption id="attachment_699" align="alignright" width="120"] Assembly points[/caption] Here are a few tips and considerations towards your business needs to complete the evacuations; For alarm activations; In terms of the fire evacuation after the Covid-19 pandemic, you...

If you have had to close your business, then follow the points below for a fire safety shutdown ; These points are a general guide and will not necessarily apply to all business types, so give us a ring if you want to discuss your business specifically. We operate a "five minutes for a friend" policy and therefore do not charge a fee for this advice! It is important to remember the key point of...

Having disabled evacuation plans for residents in your HMO is an important consideration that Landlords and managing agents often overlook! The Fire & Rescue service cannot be used as part of your evacuation plan, so the Landlord (or the managing agent, if under contract to manage the property) is responsible to ensure everyone in the HMO can be safely evacuated. There are several points to consider when planning for disabled evacuation, Firstly, the residents need to...

Once a fire alarm is installed into your premises, you need to ensure the fire alarms are serviced and weekly tests are completed! There are many different types of fire alarms, from automatic detection (including heat, smoke, optical etc) to manual break glass points and then to the domestic interlinked fire alarms installed into your home or HMO (House of Multiple Occupation). The type of detector, type of system and fitting of the alarm can...

Managing the fire risk from contractors; Fire safety - control of contractors - are you completing a renovation, shop fit out or just a new boiler installed requires the knowledge and skill of external contractors. The risk of a fire is increase during these works from increased electrical use, hot works (open flame tools) and increased fire loading from building materials. If you are planning building work in your business premises, have you considered the...

Arson! The criminal act of deliberate fire setting is surprisingly one of the biggest fire risks to your business premises. These acts can be planned from a disgruntled ex-employee, an unhappy customer or a business rival to random fire setting during a civil disturbance. In 2014 there were 1260 acts of deliberate fire setting in Northern Ireland (NIFRS 2014) https://www.nifrs.org/statistics/key-performance-indicators/ However, there are simple things that can be done to protect your business from an arson...

Certain buildings will require disabled refuge points to be in place. Building Control / Architects will specific these points during the design and build phase but you may not need to use them . . . Let me go a bit deeper! So, if your building is not occupied by members of the public and you have confirm that there are no mobility impaired staff, the disabled refuge points are not really required. An office...

Fire safety audits; what to expect An audit of your business fire safety can come from your insurance provider or the NI Fire & Rescue Service. This can result from a random selection, a complaint by a member of the public / staff or after a fire has occurred. It is is a random selection then you will get about four weeks to prepare! This sounds a lot, but if you have no fire safety...