Health and Safety

The Fire Precautions Act 1971 (1) requires the Fire Authority to enforce the act in their area and for that purpose to appoint inspectors, usually known as Fire Prevention Officers. The Act gives them sweeping powers of entry and inspection to premises plus the ability to require any person to give them assistance in their inspections.

There are fixed penalties for breaches of fire safety standards or law in a magistrates court, and if convicted in a higher court the potential for an unlimited fine and up to two years imprisonment or both exists.

Know Your Enemy

A fire needs three basic ingredients, these are known as the "fire elements"

• a source of heat
• a source of fuel
• and oxygen

These three basic elements in the right quantities will cause a fire, starve the fire of any of those ingredients and the fire will be extinguished. The ratio of fuel to oxygen is crucial; too much or too little of either will not permit a fire to start.

Classification of Fires

There are four main categories of fire based upon the fuel and the means of extinction.

CLASS A:

• Fires that involve solid materials, predominantly of an organic kind, forming glowing embers. Examples are wood, paper and coal. The extinguishing mode is by cooling, and is achieved by the use of water.

CLASS B:

• Fires that involve liquids or liquefiable solids; they are further subdivided into:

  CLASS B1

  • These involve liquids soluble in water, for example methanol. They can be extinguished by carbon dioxide, dry powder, water spray, light water and vaporising liquids.

  CLASS B2

  • These involve liquids not soluble in water, such as petrol and oil. They can be extinguished by foam, carbon dioxide, dry powder, light water and vaporising liquids.

CLASS C:

• Fires that involve gases or liquefied gases resulting from leaks or spillage, e.g. methane or butane. Extinguishment can be achieved by using foam or dry powder in conjunction with water to cool any leaking container involved.

CLASS D:

• Fires that involve metals such as aluminium or magnesium. Special dry powder extinguishers are required to fight these, which may contain powdered graphite or talc. No other extinguisher type should be used.

Types of Fire Extinguisher

Standard Dry Powder Or Multi-Purpose Dry Powder

• For Liquid and electrical fires.
  DO NOT USE on metal fires.

AFFF (Aqueous Film-Forming Foam) [Multi-Purpose]

• A multipurpose extinguisher to be used on Class B type fires.

Foam

• For use on liquid fires.
  DO NOT USE on electrical or metal fires.

Water

• For wood, paper, textile and solid material fires.
  DO NOT USE on liquid, electrical or metal fires

Vapourising Liquid (Including Halon)

• Halon fire extinguishers contain a Ozone depleting gas and are only used in special circumstances.

Carbon Dioxide CO2

• For liquid and electrical fires.
  DO NOT USE on metal fires.

Prevention

How you can prevent fires starting and ensure that people can escape if there is a fire.

Do:
• Keep escape routes clear of obstructions and combustible materials.
• If you make holes in floors and walls make sure they are filled with fire stopping material to prevent the spread of smoke and heat.
• Store flammable liquids properly.
• Make sure that electrical equipment is inspected regularly and that any faulty items are taken out of use immediately. Also switch of electrical equipment when not in use.
• Take part in Fire drills.

Do Not:
• Don't use fire extinguishers as door stops.
• Wedge or hold open fire doors.
• Lock or secure doors on a fire escape route in a way that means that they can not be immediately opened by someone escaping.
• Obscure signs showing the escape routes, the fire alarm call points or fire extinguishers.
• Block the ventilation slots of electrical equipment

What you must do if you discover fire, smoke or abnormal heat

Shout "Fire" and operate the building's fire alarm if it has one. Breaking the glass on any fire alarm call point will set off the alarm.

• Call the fire brigade from a safe position.
• Do not spend time worrying if someone else has already done this, the fire brigade will not mind receiving more than one call.
• If you know how to, and feel confident enough, use an extinguisher.
• However, remember it is your job to fight fires. The most important thing in any fire is to ensure that people can get to a place of safety, not to save property. If you do fight the fire never enter a smoke filled room and never let fire or smoke get between you and the door. If you cannot put a fire out with one extinguisher (waste bin size fire) get out and leave it to the fire brigade.
• Evacuate the building. Leave the building by the nearest available escape route.

Means of Escape in Case of Fire

The purpose of a means of escape is to enable people confronted by fire to proceed in the opposite direction to an exit away from the fire, to ground level in open air away from the building. Any means of escape must not rely on rescue facilities from the fire service.

Means of escape in buildings other than those with only a ground floor generally consist of three distinct areas. These are:

• any point on a floor to a staircase.
• the route down a staircase.
• the route from the foot of the staircase to the open air, clear of the building.

Essentially, there are two areas associated with means of escape:

• the area in which people escaping from a fire are at some risk (the unprotected zone).
• areas where risk is reduced to an acceptable minimum (protected zones). Protected zones at an exit must be fully protected, using walls or partitions which have a fire-resisting capability.

Special Considerations

Special consideration must be given to the needs of disabled staff in fire situations. Some aspects for consideration are:

• Identification of everyone who may need special help to get out;
• Allocation of responsibility to specific staff to help disabled staff in emergency situations;
• Consideration of the best escape routes;
• Developing procedures to enable lifts to be used where possible; and
• Procedures for disabled staff to summon assistance in emergencies.

Note: Normally lifts should not be used as a means of escape in the event of a fire. If the power fails due to the effects of the fire, the lift could stop between floors trapping the occupants in what may become a chimney for fire and smoke.

Those staff with impaired vision must be encouraged to familiarise themselves with the escape routes, particularly those not in regular use. A ‘buddy' system can be introduced, whereby a person who works nearby will help the person with impaired vision. Several people should practice assisted evacuation with the person with impaired vision to take account of possible absences.

Staff who have impaired hearing may not hear alarms in the same way as those with normal hearing, but may still be able to recognise the sound, this may be tested at the weekly alarm test.

Wheelchair users or others with impaired mobility can often provide advice themselves on the best kind of assistance to help them to negotiate stairs, etc. Any person who is intended to provide such help should be trained in the correct methods. Advice on the lifting and carrying of people can be obtained from the Fire Service, Ambulance Service, British Red Cross Society, St John Ambulance Brigade or a number of disability organisations.

One further type of employee that may require special provision is the mentally handicapped. Management should ensure that any employee with a mental handicap is reassured and led to safety.

In all the above cases, the person(s) should not be abandoned once outside in a place of safety.

If you hear the Fire Alarm

• Leave the building immediately by the nearest available escape route without using lifts.
• Escape routes are clearly marked by green signs with either white symbols or white symbols with writing. Do not stop to collect personal belongings.
• Obey instructions from floor wardens or the fire brigade.
• Shut doors and windows to slow down the spread of smoke but only if it will not significantly delay your escape.
• Go to the designated assembly point.
• You should never go back into a building unless told you can by the building incident controller or the senior officer of the fire brigade present.

---

Note

1. In October 2006 the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Act 2005 or Fire Safety Order (FSO) became law. It replaced most fire safety legislation with one simple order. In short, it means that any person who has some level of control in premises must take reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and make sure people can safely escape if there is a fire.