The Fire Sector Federation has been working with other professionals and the Home Office to support implementation of a revised Fire Safety Order 2005; to clarify and introduce into a fire risk assessment a building’s fire doors and external walls.
The Federation has highlighted this change is likely to both increase demand and exceed capacity for fire risk assessors who are currently experiencing, after the Grenfell Tower fire, real problems in securing personal indemnity insurance whilst also being expected to help assess more complex structures.
Despite these issues the overriding aim has remained that of ensuring competent fire risk assessors are available to help improve fire safety.
The Federation is therefore fully supportive of the introduction of further new measures that will, using systematic risk based guidance, lead a prioritisation approach to help identify the fire risk-status for a buildings so that those presenting the highest threat to life are given the highest priority for remedial action.
Amendment of the Fire Safety Order[1] to ensure this risk based guidance has statutory power is therefore welcome as it provides encouragement and confidence to all those responsible for premises to undertake their implementation of the revised Fire Safety Order.
Fire Sector Federation Executive Officer Dennis Davis says… “It is pleasing to see the proposed changes to improve fire safety translate into practice”
“Over the summer months a group of operational experts, including fire risk assessors, have worked to provide advice to the Home Office on an appropriate and workable way to commence the Fire Safety Bill. One key aspect of their advice was to offer guidance to support the Responsible Person, the Fire Sector and Fire and Rescue Services with fire risk prioritisation guidance; which will be continuously developed under the technical leadership of the National Fire Chiefs Council. If that guidance is followed this will now help demonstrate proof of compliance with the changes in law, which in future will include the cladding of buildings”
[1] https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/lbill/58-01/132/5801132-R-I.pdf