A fire service has signed a deal with Chinese businesses in Buckinghamshire to try and reduce the risk of fire in the area.
The Memorandum of Understanding, thought to be the first of its kind nationally, means leading members of the Chinese business community will receive fire safety training from Buckinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service.
Many Chinese businesses are restaurants or takeaways, often with staff living in the same building, group manager Chris Bailey said. This can lead to a disproportionately high fire safety risk, he warned.
“The intention of this agreement is to reach as many people as possible within the Chinese business community in Buckinghamshire.
“Many of these businesses are restaurants or takeaways, often with staff accommodation in the same building. The number of people concerned is small but the potential risk from fire is disproportionately large due to the nature of the buildings.”
Joseph Poon, chairman of Buckinghamshire Chinese Association and member Mai Sim Merry have been trained in fire risk management so that they can advise the Chinese business community in compliance.
In April 2010, the landlord, tenant and manager of a Chinese restaurant in Surrey together had to pay more than £26,000 for breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. Inadequate fire alarm system and emergency lighting were named among the offences.
In August last year, a building containing a Chinese supermarket and flats was gutted in a serious blaze that took 60 firefighters to extinguish.
