Fire Safety Management - News

The FIA seminar was attended by people from across the fire service industry The seminar was given by Martin Duggan, General Manager of the FIA, and was well attended by representatives from many different sectors of the fire protection industry. Despite risk assessment being the fundamental platform on which fire safety measures are based under the Fire Safety Order, to date there has been no definition as to what constitutes a ‘suitable and sufficient' fire risk...

Fire Safety Regulatory Reform has created major positive changes in fire safety The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order came into force in October 2006 and replaced over 70 separate pieces of fire safety legislation. London Fire Brigade is warning London's business and premises owners that by not paying attention to fire safety laws, they are not only putting lives at risk but could also face heavy fines. The Brigade has revealed that last year in London the co...

The premise safety failings included no fire extinguishers, no emergency signage and no fire risk assessment A former pub landlord has been ordered to pay £16,015 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of fire safety legislation following a prosecution brought by the London Fire Brigade. Mr Bhupinder Singh Mann admitted guilt on 16 contraventions of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Sentencing occurred on Friday, 26 February 2...

The seminar will provide advice and guidance on topics such as compliance and fire risk assessment Firex South has developed a targeted seminar programme, which will provide you with valuable advice and guidance on many areas across the fire industry. As building managers become more cost conscious than ever, how can the fire industry find the balance between value for money and peace of mind? Find out the answers by attending the seminar on ensuring com...

The programme, focused on the absence of fire risk assessments in tower blocks in the Lakanal house fire The programme, part of an investigative consumer series by presenter John Waite, focused on the absence of fire risk assessments in tower blocks in the wake of the Lakanal House fire in London in which six people died in July 2009. The FIA consider that, as a piece of investigative journalism, the BBC programme was reasonably well balanced.  More specifica...

The FIA's annual conference will bring together both members and non-members from the fire industry The FIA's annual conference brings together both members and non-members from the fire industry, providing them with a forum to discuss all the latest key issues and topics affecting the fire safety community. As we enter a new decade, the 2010 conference offers all delegates the opportunity to hear about the FIA's plans for the coming year as well as gain a valuabl...

The FIA encourages formal involvement from Government (CLG), CFRAU and CFOA The FIA set up a Fire Risk Assessment Council in November 2008 and invited any company/organization who 'trades' by providing Fire Risk Assessments, on a commercial basis, to join the association as a member. This step was taken as its current members were reporting that there was a diverse range of 'Fire Risk Assessors' in the market. These organizations were offering very differen...

The law places the responsibility for fire safety on employers and other people who have control of premises Three years after changes to fire safety law, London Fire Brigade is warning that many businesses still don't have enough understanding of how the law affects their business or premises, and could be risking financial ruin or even prosecution. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order came into affect in October 2006 and replaced over 70 separate pieces of fire safet...

The aims of this seminar are to alert all sleeping accommodation premises owners The seminar aims to create awareness on the benefits of incorporating fire safety management protection measures. Fires in commercial sleeping accommodation premises, especially those catering for the elderly, infirm or those people not familiar with the building present their own serious hazards. In particular evacuation of the building at night with limited staff may prove difficult especi...

New Look was fined £400,000 after pleading guilty to breaches of fire safety Sentencing of New Look took place at Southwark Crown Court on 25 November, 2009 after they pleaded guilty to two breaches of the RRO. The high street retailer New Look has been fined £400,000 and ordered to pay £136,052 in costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the "RRO"). It is the largest fine under the RRO. Lon...

City of Westminster Magistrates' Court fined the landlord for seven breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) A landlord has been ordered to pay over £20,000 in fines and costs after pleading guilty to breaches of fire safety legislation. City of Westminster Magistrates' Court fined Mohammed Khan, £10,150 for seven breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Mr Khan has managed the property since 1997. The prosecution followed a numbe...

The BBC estimates nearly half of England's new schools are without fire sprinklers BBC says almost half of England's new school buildings are without fire sprinklers Following up stories on Radio 4's Today programme and on Radio 5 Live, the BBC has criticised local authorities which are still building new schools without sprinklers. Almost half of new school buildings in England do not have fire safety sprinkler systems, the BBC has learned. The government...

A new ISO report will aid in the design of more fire-safe buildings Report gives advice on emergency people management A new ISO technical report on how people behave when fire breaks out will help in designing safer buildings that make escape easier and reduce exposure to flames and heat. ISO/TR 16738:2009, Fire-safety engineering - Technical information on methods for evaluating behaviour and movement of people provides information on engineering methods used for the eva...

Two London landlords have been punished for breaching fire safety regulations Case highlights need for responsible fire safety in UK premises Two Haringey landlords have been sentenced to six months imprisonment and ordered to pay £5000 costs each for breaching fire safety regulations, after a successful prosecution by London Fire Brigade. The prosecution followed a fire at a house converted into bedsits, on Hampden Road, N8, on 31 March 2007. Sentencing of the buil...

Shell's serious breaches of fire safety regulations included blocked fire exits Shell International Ltd. was fined £300,000 and ordered to pay £45,000 in costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the "RRO"). The fine is the largest imposed under the RRO. The London Fire Brigade prosecuted Shell following two small fires in the space of three weeks at the Shell Centre on York Road, SE1 7NA. The first fire w...

Colin Todd to the members as the new Chairman of the Fire Risk Assessment Council, conducting an interview with Colin to identify some of the issues behind the formation of the Council and looking ahead to the areas that it would be addressing going forward. In setting the scene, Colin focused on the market being unsure about fire risk assessment and indeed on what responsibilities are now faced under the Fire Safety Order, the legislation which has placed such an emphasis on risk assessment -...

The 2008 AGM and annual lunch of the Fire Industry Association (FIA) proved to be a 'must attend' event for anybody involved in the fire protection industry, with some 300 members and their guests at a brand new venue for the association, the Brewery in London. In his lunch address at the event on 11 November, FIA Chairman Martin Harvey pointed out a number of highlights for the Association since the last AGM. He spoke of the introduction of the new Chief Fire Officer's Association (CFOA) Polic...

In order to appreciate the resuscitation protocols being advocated today, as well as new innovations in techniques, protocols, and technologies, it is important to know how these resuscitation procedures have evolved over the years. Therefore, this presentation has been developed for this purpose. Early Ages - Heat Method When a victim’s respiratory and circulatory systems fail and metabolism ceases, the body temperature cools. In the early ages, hot ashes and coals were placed on th...

Based on a 1961 study at Williamston, MI, conducted by the Michigan State Police, the Indiana University Health and Safety Department, the Michigan Highway Department, and the American Red Cross, it was estimated that approximately 400 persons lose their lives as a result of being trapped in automobiles that have plunged into the water. Most vehicles will only float on the surface of the water from 30 - 60 seconds. Therefore, it is critical that the occupants make every attempt to bail out of t...

In the event a firefighter is suddenly and unexpectedly immersed in deep water while wearing full turnout gear, firefighter survival is dependent upon the actions taken during the first critical seconds of the immersion. The incidence of this type of emergency increases when firefighters are fighting apartment fires around a swimming pool, during suppression activities on and around piers and docks, as well as during a fall-through incident in which the firefighter falls through a floor into a b...