FIREX Presentations Revisited: A ‘Tube Map’ Guide to a Robust Fire Risk System by Dr Kathryn O’Brien

Dr Kathryn O’Brien, Fire Safety Manager for the NHS, presented her innovative ‘Tube Map’ approach to fire risk assessment at FIREX 2015.

Underlining the main points necessary to create and develop an efficient plan Dr O’Brien used the iconic London Underground map as an analogy, dividing the plan into the ‘Regulatory Line’ and ‘Central Line.’

“My job is to manage the soft component as well as the hard technology in my system, so it’s quite a challenge,” she said, adding that “the tube map approach has helped me understand my largest system.”

1. PLAN

The role of strong leadership is fundamental from the start, intimated the speaker, who joined the Bridgewater Community Healthcare NHS Trust in 2008. Policy development and planning need to be clear and controlled by a leading figure, she continued, in order to match client requirements and needs.

Mostly, the leadership must be able to confidentially navigate the system. The role requires them to “set out what we do, when we are doing it and to what standard as well,” to implement the plan into an organisation.

During the planning stage, considerable values will be added by other suppliers. “Surveys come into my system, but they are able to navigate all the way round thanks to the clear approach,” said O’Brien.

2. DO

This is the major interchange in the system. While the manager is doing the organisation’s risk profiling it is important to maintain a high level of control, communication and cooperation. “If we’ve got a good profile for premises, we can communicate really clearly, showing that all of us are doing our duties, and more,” she continued.

3. CHECK

This is the stage of measuring and investigating. Accidents will happen, so going through those will help expand the fire risk assessment accordingly.

“Similar accidents will keep happening. We learn from each incident – but we have to be better than this,” said the speaker.

4. ACT

Reviewing on performance and acting on the lessons, this stage is where the fire-risk manager acts on the lessons learned.  “It will help me to look to the future, so I can successfully  plan prevention maintenance more effectively and manage the change as well.”

The benefits

Dr O’Brien invited those fire-risk managers attending the presentation to look at and work with the map, adding anything they deem necessary to enhance it for their own purposes.

Using her approach, managers should be able to clearly see all the component parts of the process, analysing the construction of the assessment and focusing on what is going on – as well as deciding if it’s going along the lines they need.

“In any system, wherever we work, whatever we do, very few of us have the real opportunity to actually change the operating landscape, which is constantly evolving,” concluded O’Brien. “We have to find a way to navigate in it while doing our best for our employers or for our clients as well.”