Fire service ready for industrial action
National strikes by firefighters are set to take place next Wednesday, and the London Fire Brigade is said to be “ready and prepared.”
The planned strikes come in response to proposed Government reforms around firefighters’ pension schemes, with 78 percent of Fire Brigades Union (FBU) members voting in favour of industrial action.
Contractor CapitalGuard will provide cover during the strike at the request of the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority.
Up to 27 fire engines will be available for duty, ensuring that the London-wide target attendance time of appliances being on scene within six minutes of a call-out is met.
Do you think the case for the FBU’s stance on strike action is a strong one?
Seven-point plan for business fire safety issued by CFOA
The Chief Fire Officers Association’s (CFOA) latest guidance document is both timely and essential.
Changes in fire safety legislation across the last 20 years have led to differing enforcement procedures. Advice offered to business managers has tended to vary in a similar manner.
That being the case, the CFOA’s document — entitled “The Business Safety Strategy 2013-2016” — is looking to put this particular situation to bed.
A key priority in the seven-point plan is to promote expert operational decision making by way of ensuring that incident commanders have the right information to hand on the built environment.
Constant engagement with companies from multinationals to those at the local level is crucial to make sure they understand current regulatory frameworks.
Protecting fire risk assessors from prosecution
To what extent are fire risk assessors liable for prosecution in the event of an assessment being deemed by an enforcing authority to be neither suitable nor sufficient?
This is a fundamental question brilliantly addressed by regular IFSECGlobal.com blogger Warren Spencer.
Much of the article is focused on disclaimers. According to Spencer, it’s “essential” that all fire risk assessors make the terms of their instruction “crystal clear” within the fire risk assessment.
It’s not possible to disclaim criminal liability, states Spencer, but it is possible “to clarify the exact nature of the assessor’s involvement [with the premises].” This is where disclaimers come in.
For me, the telling statement in the article is this one: “Many fire risk assessments are compiled without the assessor having had full access to the premises or an opportunity to test for fire protection or sufficient separation.”
What’s actively being done to change this situation?
Fire door video launched by the ASFP
Produced to mark Fire Door Safety Week (which began on Monday and ends tomorrow), the Association for Specialist Fire Protection has compiled and launched a video explaining the absolutely vital role fire doors play in preventing flames and smoke from spreading during a fire incident.
There are some very handy tips here when it comes to checking the installation and maintenance of fire doors.
The video appears at the same time IFSECGlobal.com’s content and community manager Rob Ratcliff reports on fire doors in hospitals. Check out Rob’s article, which is now the fulcrum of an ongoing discussion.
Training scheme brings landlords and fire services together on student safety
Just as some property owners appear to remain blissfully unaware of their responsibilities around health and safety, it’s also the case that some local fire services might lack a fully-rounded picture of the needs of landlords renting properties to students.
With the start of term looming large for universities and colleges across the country, it’s just as well that the Firemark scheme has come to fruition.
It’s all thanks to the Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service (DSFRS), who’ve produced instructional videos and details of what landlords need to do to “go above and beyond” the scope of current regulations.
The Firemark scheme resulted from the deaths of two students living in a rented house in Devon. “Those lives could — and should — have been saved,” states the DSFRS.
Hopefully, this new guidance will make landlords sit up and take notice.
Download the Fire Safety in 2023 eBook, keeping you up to date with the biggest news and prosecution stories from around the industry. Chapters include important updates such as the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and an overview of the new British Standard for the digital management of fire safety information.
Plus, we explore the growing risks of lithium-ion battery fires and hear from experts in disability evacuation and social housing.
