The Phase 1 report of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry made a number of recommendations including the provision of information for fire services and premises information boxes for all high rise residential buildings. Premises information boxes themselves are not new and have been used by a variety of premises to provide a secure, readily accessible storage facility for information for firefighters … Read More

The key piece of legislation covering fire safety regulation in most non-domestic premises (e.g. workplaces) in England and Wales is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. A number of changes are due to be made to this regulation under the Building Safety Bill which was recently launched on its journey through parliament. Changes due to be introduced by the … Read More

In 2007 the Department for Education’s (DfE’s) published Building Bulletin (BB) 100, “Design for Fire Safety in Schools”. This document provides fire safety design guidance for schools (including nursery schools, primary and secondary schools, including sixth form colleges, academies and city technology colleges, special schools and pupil referral units) in England and Wales. BB100 includes guidance on complying with Building … Read More

The Fire Safety Bill, which was launched in March 2020, finally received Royal Assent on 29th April 2021 following agreement on the text by both Houses of Parliament. The act will come into force in England on a date appointed by the Secretary of State, and by Welsh Ministers in Wales. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 sets out … Read More

Between July to October 2020 the government ran a consultation looking at proposals to strengthen the Fire Safety Order, implement Grenfell Tower Inquiry recommendations and strengthen the regulatory framework for how building control bodies consult with Fire and Rescue Authorities. The outcome of this consultation and the plans for the next steps the government intends to take have now been … Read More

The Building Safety Regulator announced as part of Building Safety Bill published in July 2020 is a key component of the Government’s reforms of the building safety system following the Grenfell Tower tragedy and the recommendations made in the subsequent review of building regulation and fire safety The HSE have been given the task of setting up the Building Safety … Read More

Sampling tubes are sometimes used to extend the reach of gas detection devices and/or to allow detection at an increased distance from the user. Following a recent incident where a gas detector failed to detect the presence of a flammable vapour the HSE have released a safety alert highlighting the risk of misleading gas detection readings associated with the use … Read More

For clarity we will start with a quick note that this is not another article about Coronavirus. It is common for properties to be fitted with fire alarm systems to alert people to a fire and to inform them to evacuate the building. There are a number of different types of alarm system that can be installed depending on the … Read More

The Fire Industries Association (FIA) has published a brief guidance document on the fitting of smoke alarms on boats. This guide is aimed at for boats up to 24 metres used for leisure, hire or residential purposes and covers such issues as types, where they should be located and how many should be fitted. The guide can be downloaded from … Read More