The LWF Blog

Fire Engineering Design and Risk Assessment – Fire Safety Management – Part 9

December 30, 2019 1:17 pm

In LWF’s Fire Engineering blog series for Architects and others involved in building design, we have been looking at the activities of a company which can be classed as fire safety management. In part 8, LWF looked at the necessary commissioning and handover for a new build. In part 9, begins to discuss the purpose and contents of the fire safety manual.

Regulation 16B of the Building Regulations ‘Fire safety information’ requires that a building’s designer provide sufficient information for recording in the fire safety manual, with the aim of assisting the eventual owner, occupier or employer to meet their own statutory duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.  The information is described as ‘information relating to the design and construction of the building or extension, and the services, fittings and equipment provided in or in connection with the building or extension which will assist the responsible person to operate and maintain the building or extension with reasonable safety’.

It is therefore important that the designer documents and any relevant information is included in the fire safety manual, for the benefit of the management of the premises. It should also be available for inspection or tests by auditors or inspectors.

The fire safety manual should provide a lasting means of communication between the building’s designer and successive fire safety managers. The reasoning and decision-making behind the fire safety design should be included, along with any assumptions relating to how the building will be managed, along with housekeeping and other management functions.

The active and passive fire protection systems in the building should be listed along with full descriptions of each. Details of any other design aspects that may affect fire safety management should also be given.

Inspection, maintenance and repair manuals for fire safety systems should be included to form an ‘operators manual’ for the fire safety manual.

It is important that interactions of any fire safety system and security, building management or any other safety systems are considered and included in the fire safety manual.

Information relating to any Fire Certificates or licensing should be included, along with any information required under the CDM regulations.

Any continuing control and audit plans must be incorporated in the fire safety manual and finally, a ‘log book’ detailing all events happening along the life timeline of the building, relating to fire safety should be commenced.

In part 10, LWF look at all the items that should be included in the fire safety manual. 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.