Fire-door safety campaigners renew calls for public register of responsible persons

The organisations behind Fire Door Safety Week have again called for a publicly available national register of responsible persons for fire safety in rented accommodation.

The British Woodworking Federation (BWF), BWF-Certifire and the Fire Door Inspection Scheme also called for such a register, which would require individuals with legal responsibility for a building’s fire safety to be registered on a national database, in October 2016. Their name and contact details would be prominently displayed in the building so tenants had a point of contact for reporting any concerns or problems.

The organisations also want the responsible person to sign a formal acknowledgement of duty of care and meet a mandatory minimum level of competence.

The notion of a ‘responsible person’ was introduced by the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order (2005). Defined as the person with ultimate responsibility for fire safety in a specific building, the responsible person, the act stated, should be the the employer, occupier or owner of the building.

The responsible person must:

• Ensure that a fire safety risk assessment is carried out and reviewed regularly
• Identify and record fire hazards
• Identify and record people at risk
• Evaluate, remove or mitigate fire safety risks
• Prepare an emergency plan and provide training
• Regularly review and update the fire risk assessment

“Mystery” identity

However, the organisers of Fire Door Safety Week believe that the effectiveness of the ‘responsible person’ framework is compromised by the fact that their identity is often not clear to the building occupants.

“When we start digging, the identity of the responsible person is often a mystery,” says Hannah Mansell, spokesperson for Fire Door Safety Week. “It can become very complex trying to identify who it is, especially in organisations that own or manage vast housing stock.

“Although the Fire Safety Order took effect over 10 years ago, our research shows that tenants don’t know who to report fire safety concerns to. Even worse, when we surveyed those who are responsible for fire safety, half of them didn’t even know or were unclear about their role.”

Mansell, who is also BWF technical manager, chair of the Passive Fire Protection Forum and a trustee of the Children’s Burns Trust, continues: “Under the Fire Safety Order, Responsible Persons have to ensure that a regular fire risk assessment (FRA) is carried out by a competent person and is documented.

“By identifying the responsible person and providing their contact details, occupants become empowered to report any concerns they have about the fire doors in their buildings.” Hannah Mansell, technical manager, BWF

“The FRA should examine all aspects of fire safety management, including active and passive fire protection measures, signage, means of escape and the specific fire plan procedures. Their responsibilities also include acting on improvement advice and creating the emergency fire plan for the building, the key to this is arming the occupants with the knowledge of what to do in an emergency.

“Where in-depth and expert knowledge is lacking, the responsible person has a duty to engage someone with the relevant expertise to be able to implement or advise on key areas. There needs to be crystal clarity about the Responsible Person and a total transformation of attitude towards fire safety of tenants in rented accommodation.

“By identifying the responsible person and providing their contact details, occupants become empowered to report any concerns they have about the fire doors in their buildings. This would also ensure that those responsible for keeping tenants safe from fire know their duty and are made aware of issues directly.”

The call for a register of responsible persons was first made following the inquest into the death of Sophie Rosser, 23, who died in 2012 following a fire in her block of flats in London. At her inquest, the coroner was unable to pin the blame on any specific person or organisation.

Research commissioned by Fire Door Safety Week last year suggested that the poorest in society are by far at the greatest risk of fire. The recent fire at Grenfell Tower has certainly vindicated this.

Fire Door Safety Week will run from 25 September to 1 October. Now in its fifth year, it aims to raise awareness about the role of third-party certificated fire doors in preventing life changing injuries and the legal responsibilities of managing fire door safety. It will focus on promoting awareness of the critical role of fire doors in high rise buildings, houses of multiple occupancy and other types of shared accommodation.

The campaign will be giving advice, hosting events and sharing useful resources. It will also be signposting tenants as to where they should be reporting their fire safety concerns.

The campaign has received backing from fire and rescue services, housing associations, charities, BWF members, fire safety professionals and a wide range of other organisations.