Localism, which essentially implies the devolution of power and decision-making away from Whitehall to local councils and politicians, forms a key plank of Conservative government policy.
However, policies like the Chancellor’s vaunted ‘Northern Powerhouse’, the FSF has warned, could create inconsistencies in fire safety enforcement and operational response and make it difficult to assess compliance to a stringent national standard.
The federation said proposed changes to national and local government and fire service structures should be examined carefully. Last week IFSEC Global reported on fire chiefs’ opposition to government plans to hand control of firefighters to Police and Crime Commissioners.
The Fire Service has a statutory duty under the Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order to enforce fire safety and a statutory consultation role in the building control process for certain building types. It also provides advice to businesses and building owners on fire safety issues.
The federation has developed a strategy document exploring the following issues:
“Devolution offers an opportunity to finally address the question of fire and fire safety from the earliest stages of planning and the Federation believes that fire must be a serious consideration within the devolution agenda,” said FSF Chairman Brian Robinson CBE, QFSM.
“The FSF has some reservations with regards to maintaining national scrutiny, specifically on fire safety, should the Government’s devolution and fire service governance plans come to fruition.
“Fire in the UK is much wider than the fire service and this must be taken into account when considering any changes to national and local government and fire service roles, responsibilities and governance.“
The fact that the number of fire deaths is at its lowest in a decade is in danger of fostering complacency in government, the Federation has warned, saying that changes to the built environment are also creating a new set of risks.
The FSF also pointed out that changes to construction materials and processes and the growing complexity of building design necessitated a renewed focus on guidance, in particular Approved Document B.
A recent study conducted by the Federation’s Built Environment Issues and Affairs Workstream found there were major problems with Approved Document B in terms of its clarity, user-friendliness and adaptation to construction trends.
The ramifications of complex steel structures for guidance was also flagged recently as a major concern at a seminar organised by global coatings manufacturer Sherwin-Williams.
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