The LWF Blog

Fire Safety for Facilities Management Personnel – Fire Service Facilities – Part 262

July 22, 2024 10:51 am

Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) is a specialist fire engineering and fire risk management consultancy whose aim is to give information on best practice in fire safety for facilities management personnel through this blog series. In part 261, LWF discussed smoke ventilation in terms of atrium buildings. In part 262, we begin to look at fire and rescue service facilities.

In some buildings, facilities are provided to assist the Fire Service in the course of their firefighting duties. Some buildings are required to have these facilities by legislation, such as building regulations or local acts. Whether the facilities are provided because it is deemed appropriate by law or by the design team, liaison with the Fire and Rescue Service regarding the facilities is obviously appropriate. The Fire and Rescue Services Act 2004 requires fire authorities to provide advice on such matters, upon request.

In addition to liaison over the provision, it is appropriate to communicate with the local fire service crews regarding the facilities available, so that they may familiarise themselves with the building and any special facilities. This will allow them to perform their duties with maximum efficiency should a fire situation develop. The Fire and Rescue Services Act requires the service to familiarise themselves with the local area, available water supplies, means of access etc., and this is normally accomplished through familiarisation visits to the premises. These are sometimes known as 7(2)(d) visits, after the clause relating to them in the Act.

Some examples of the facilities that might be provided to assist the fire service in their duties are:

• Access arrangements, including firefighting stairs and lifts
• Wet or dry rising mains and foam inlets
• Private water supplies
• Smoke ventilation and plant shutdown facilities
• Relevant information including floor layout plans, services controls etc.
• Special communications facilities
• Firefighters’ emergency switches in circuits supplying exterior electrical installations or interior discharge lighting installations – if in either case the voltage exceeds low voltage

In part 263 of this series, LWF will discuss access for fire appliances and access for firefighters in terms of how they can be catered for at the design stage of a building. In the meantime, if you have any queries about your own facilities or wish to discuss this blog series, please contact LWF on freephone 0800 410 1130.

Lawrence Webster Forrest is a fire engineering consultancy based in Surrey with over 35 years’ experience, which provides a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction and operation of buildings.

 

While care has been taken to ensure that information contained in LWF’s publications is true and correct at the time of publication, changes in circumstances after the time of publication may impact on the accuracy of this information.