A Comprehensive Fire Safety Solution for London and Manchester Schools, Colleges, Universities

by Heather Hall Heather Hall has led the Coordinating team at LFRA

Fires happen in London and Manchester Schools, Colleges, Universities and Student accommodation they are mostly caused by an electrical fault or cooking!

Schools in London Stoke Newington, Abbey Wood, Blackheath, Hackney, Brixton and Wallington have all experienced Fires in 2021 and the most recent is a Student accommodation block on Tinworth Street in Vauxhall!

The city of London is not alone - Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue have reported 224 School Fires between 2015-2020 which averages out to approximately one a week! Again, two of the main causes are faulty electrics and cooking!

So, what can we do to help protect our vulnerable Students?

To start the ‘Responsible Person’ for the School, College, University or Student accommodation must have a ‘suitable & sufficient’ Fire Safety Risk Assessment. The Fire Safety Risk Assessment is a ‘live’ document and must be continuously reviewed and revised and any Significant Findings actioned upon.

What is a ‘suitable and sufficient’ Fire Safety Risk Assessment?

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 state that the following ‘parts’ form a compliant Fire Safety Risk Assessment

• Fire Safety Inspection and Audit
• Fire Risk Assessment
• Fire Safety Management Action Plan
• Fire Safety Policy
• Fire Safety Emergency Plan

Once the ‘Responsible Person’ is in receipt of the Fire Safety Risk Assessment it is then their responsibility to ensure the Fire Safety Management Action Plan – Significant Findings is actioned upon, and any deficiencies identified must be completed and the Fire Safety Management Plan kept up to date. If this is carried out it will help keep the premise safe from Fire.

There are many Student accommodation blocks in London and Manchester and Students must play their part in Fire Safety too!

A few things Students should consider when living in an accommodation block

·         Cooking – Don’t leave cooking unattended, don’t cook if you are tired or have been drinking alcohol. Keep tea towels and oven gloves away from the hob and make sure your extractor and grill are clean. Double check everything is turned off when you have finished cooking and keep your toaster clean!

·         Charging devices – Use the charger that the device has come with, if you do have to replace it then buy a reputable one! Once your device is charged remove the charger and avoid charging your devices overnight.

·         Overloading Sockets and Extension Leads – Some devices are power hunger (such as kettles and microwaves) so don’t plug them into the same extension lead. If you are using a drum extension lead always uncoil the lead as it can overheat.

·         Smoking – not allowed! Don’t take a chance especially if you are tired or had too much alcohol.

·         Smoke Detectors – just check that they are working ok if they are bleeping it could be that it needs a battery replace it and should be reported to the Fire Safety Officer.

If everyone plays their part in Fire Safety, we can help prevent the devastation that Fire causes.

London Fire Risk Assessments are Fire Safety Consultants and have divisions in both London and Manchester. They are completely independent of any supplies of Fire Protection Systems, so their advice is unbiased. They have been established for 14 years and all their Fire Safety Risk Assessors have qualified with the Fire Protection Association and the Institution of Fire Engineers they are also members of the Institute of Fire Safety Managers and the British Standards Association. They are fully insured, and all their Assessors are retired Fire Brigade Fire Safety Officers.

If you are a ‘Responsible Person’ and need a Fire Safety Risk Assessment then contact their friendly teams on 0781 8888626 (London) or 07824 185293 (Manchester) alternatively click here.

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Created on Nov 2nd 2021 10:49. Viewed 220 times.

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