Fire Safety Planning - News

Tesco has been fined for breaches of fire legislation including not carrying out fire risk assessment The retailer Tesco has been fined £95,000 and ordered to pay £24,321 in costs after pleading guilty to serious breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the "RRO").   London Fire Brigade prosecuted Tesco following a fire and subsequent inspection of a supermarket at Colney Hatch in Barnet. Firefighters were called to a fire at t...

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 fourth London safety plan is built on excellent work done by members of London Fire Brigade The fourth London safety plan agreed by London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority at its meeting on 18 March is built on excellent work already carried out by the London Fire Brigade's 7,000 staff members. It proposes new ways of delivering some of its resources to incidents, expands the work of the London local authority co-ordination centre run by the Brigade on behalf of...

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 Fourth London Safety Plan includes new performance targets   The plan will now be subject to a twelve week consultation to collect the views of Londoners and key stakeholders. Members of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority have recently approved a range of proposals made by London Fire Commissioner, Ron Dobson, paving the way for public consultation on the future of the capital's fire and rescue service. The London Fire and Emergency Plann...

London Fire Brigade has launched a consultation today for fourth London Safety Plan London Fire Brigade has launched a consultation on its draft London Safety Plan, which sets out how the Brigade will carry forward plans to modernise and improve the fire service in the capital. This is the fourth London Safety Plan, and it explains how the Brigade will build on its reputation as one of the world's leading fire and rescue services. The plan proposes a shake up of how s...

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...

Kent Fire & Rescue Service issues behaviour tips to avoid fires caused by carelessness A Whitstable woman is recovering in hospital today after being rescued by firefighters from a blaze in her home which was caused by a discarded cigarette. Edwina Nixon fell asleep while smoking which set light to the sofa at her home in Station Road, shortly after 7pm last night. Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) was alerted to the terrace property after neighbours spotted smoke...

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...

Firefighters urged children to be wary of local hazards such as ponds or lakes The importance of recognising local safety hazards was highlightedFirefighters in the Lothians and Borders FRS visited over 5,000 children across the area throughout June. Children in primary schools and at fetes throughout Lothian and Borders were asked to think about the summer hazards brought about by light nights. The summer nights can mean children may be staying out to play later and warm a...

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...

Here is a look at some of the new workshops being offered at FDIC for the first time in 2008. Classes fill up fast! Aerial Apparatus Operations Aerial operators can maximize the use of these very expensive yet underutilized and misunderstood pieces of apparatus.  This greater understanding of aerial devices and their uses will enhance fireground operations and increase scene safety.  Topics include the characteristics and operating features of rear mounts, tractor-drawn aerials,...

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and ROC Exhibitions present the 15th Annual NFPA Americas' Fire & Security Expo 2008, Tuesday through Thursday, July 29-31, at the Miami Beach Convention Center, 1901 Convention Center Drive, Miami Beach, Fla. The expo is the most important fire, security and life safety event of the year for thousands of industry professionals from Latin America, the Caribbean and Southeastern United States. More than 4,000 professionals attended in 2007, an i...