The LWF Blog

Fire Engineering Design and Risk Assessment – Fire Safety Management – Part 29

May 18, 2020 11:51 am

In LWFs Fire Engineering blog series for Architects and others involved in building design, we have been looking at those activities of a company which can be classed as fire safety management. In part 28, LWF looked at the content of fire emergency training and in part 29, we will look at the content of fire emergency plans.

A fire emergency plan must be prepared which incorporates routines to address all potential situations from a false alarm to a major fire incident. Each routine must detail all actions and activities which should be undertaken, in a straightforward and logical manner, including details of communication systems.

It is essential that a fire emergency plan is devised for each building and takes into account the purpose of that particular building, the means of giving warning and of communications. It should detail the relationship between staff and any other occupants and how familiar the occupants are likely to be with the building. Any marshals or on-site fire teams should be incorporated.

The plan must take account of the needs of all building occupants and make provision for assisting those who may be at special risk, such as persons with disabilities, people with limited mobility – whether permanent or temporary, children or the elderly.

It is important that all staff are familiar with the content of the fire emergency plan and evacuation procedures. Fire instruction notices should be displayed adjacent to all manual call points and on staff notice boards which state the essentials of actions to be taken upon discovering a fire and on hearing the fire alarm.

As a part of the emergency plan, key staff will be given specific roles to undertake in a fire situation and designated staff who require master keys to assist with evacuation should carry them at all times.

Should there be elements of a high value or a historic nature then consultation with appropriate parties would be recommended in addition to the creation of a salvage plan.

If a small fire occurs on the premises which is not initially life-threatening and it appears to have been extinguished by portable first-aid firefighting equipment, a decision must be made on whether the Fire Service should be called in. While many small fires can be dealt with in-house, a poor decision can lead to a small fire becoming a large one.

In part 30, LWF will discuss evacuation management. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this blog, or wish to discuss your own project with one of our fire engineers, please contact us.

Lawrence Webster Forrest has been working with their clients for over 25 years to produce innovative and exciting building projects. If you would like further information on how LWF and fire strategies could assist you, please contact the LWF office on 0800 410 1130.

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.