Churches Fire & Security continues to monitor the Coronavirus (COVID-19) situation globally, and the safety of the employees, customers, and citizens in the wider community is the top priority.
Since Churches Fire & Security provides on-site support for many customers, they want to communicate how they are currently operating during this time.
Key Workers
Needless to say, this has been an unprecedented set of circumstances; however, the Government and Industry Associations have led the company in decision making.
According to Government advice, fire and rescue service employees and support staff are classed as Key Workers, meaning their work falls under the critical sectors list in response to the COVID-19 situation.
Churches Fire & Security is essential to keep the country moving and critical to the infrastructure
The FIA (Fire Industry Association) has been in discussions with the Home Office regarding this situation. Therefore, the same as the Key Worker colleagues in government support services, supermarkets, utilities, and manufacturing, Churches Fire & Security is essential to keep the country moving and critical to the infrastructure.
Safe Working Environments
They are assessing the need for planned preventative maintenance against essential emergency call-outs. At this point they will be guided by the customers’ needs and requests, providing this does not put their team and other citizens at risk. This process is likely to change in the coming weeks, so the Senior Leadership Team is reviewing work for the technicians daily.
Before shops, bars, gyms, restaurants, etc. being temporarily closed, technicians worked additional hours to ensure where possible that the fire safety systems of the customer sites were maintained to normal working order.
At this time, Churches Fire & Security is continuing to perform essential maintenance and servicing works about fire and security provisions.
Minimizing staff risk
Churches Fire has been looking at the risk to staff and how to minimize, as much as they can, the impact of any exposure. They, therefore, have decided that for any sites deemed as a high risk they will only be responding to emergency call-outs and not doing any planned preventative maintenance.
Churches Fire & Security will firstly aim to solve any issues over the phone with attendance on-site for a call out as a last resort. For all other sites, with agreement from the customers, they will carry on business as usual subject to some additional safety protocols:
- Calling before entering, asking if customers have any staff members who have worked in the last 7 days on-site that are likely to have been diagnosed with Coronavirus
- Ensuring that they use hand sanitizer before entering and wear masks
- If possible, use gloves
- Ensuring they stick to a 2-meter safety zone from any contact on-site and explain they will not get customers to sign the tablet and therefore require their full name – customers will not be allowed to touch tablets
- Not eating or drinking on site
- Not holding long conversations
- If a technician needs to use the bathroom, washing their hands for at least 20-30 seconds before reapplying fresh gloves (where possible) and continuing
- When leaving the site, washing hands thoroughly before they exit
- When reaching their van, reapplying hand sanitizer
- Ideally, they ask for their technician’s access and then ensure no further contact from anyone; if the technician needs anything, they will call the customer by phone.
Minimizing cross-contamination
If a technician feels when they arrive on-site, that there is too much risk, they reserve the right to leave the site
If a technician feels when they arrive on-site, that there is too much risk, for example, a site has 200 workers in a distribution center, and then they reserve the right to note the risk, leave the site and return to service at a later date.
There shouldn’t be many cases of this, but they want to ensure all their technicians are comfortable with their working environment and we reduce all risk of cross-contamination between sites.
High-risk zones
High risks are those locations with lots of people nearby. Churches Fire & Security has categorized this as high risk because they want to not only protect the technicians but also members of the public.
However, they will continue to support these sites by giving advice and help over the phone or via a video call. The technicians will take calls and may ask for photos etc. to help them to support these sites.
Sites categorized as high risk include:
- Hospitals
- Nursing homes
- Student accommodation
- Essential retail that is still trading with customers
- Residential premises
- Places with limited social distancing
- Examples of sites we classify as lower risk and will continue to service include:
- Unoccupied schools or those with a reduced number of pupils
- General business premises which have large numbers of home workers and therefore are social distancing
- Empty buildings (retail which has closed to the public)
- Office buildings, again with lower levels of staff at this moment
Providing remote and on-site services
This is a great opportunity for the customers to get remedial and service work completed whilst buildings are empty, and the company is committed to maintaining its responsibilities for as long as it is practical and safe to do so.
For the work continuing on project sites, the Government has deemed this to be a safe type of work. However, it reserves the right to suspend its activities if the site is overcrowded or there is no parking, forcing the workers to travel by busy Tube.
Many sites have been suspended and only a few remain. These sites have been assessed and are deemed safe. We continue to take on projects for empty sites, especially in the aviation and retail sectors.
Prevention and protection
Churches Fire & Security is dedicated to the prevention and protection against the threat of fire and theft throughout the year
Churches Fire & Security is dedicated to the prevention and protection against the threat of fire and theft throughout the year, and especially during these uncertain times for many businesses.
They are committed to supporting the customers, the national effort, and doing their duty at this time.
Conducting fire tests
Customers must continue to safeguard, and ‘Responsible Person’ should still take time to do their weekly fire tests. Please remember that the company is on the phone should one require any assistance.
They expect the Government's advice to adjust over the coming weeks, and they will be making amendments to their working practices as necessary and notify customers of any changes as circumstances to require.
