You have a legal responsibility to ensure that a property complies with current Fire Safety, Fire Prevention and HSE regulations and legislation if you are:

• An employer
• The owner
• The landlord
• An occupier
• Other person with control of the premises eg facilities manager, property manager, building manager

As the responsible person you must have the following:

A Fire Risk Assessment
As the responsible person you must carry out and regularly review a fire risk assessment of the premises. This will identify what you need to do to prevent fire and keep people safe.

Fire Safety and Evacuation Plans (see Fire Alarm Consultancy)
Your plan must show how you have:

• a clear passageway to all escape routes
• clearly marked escape routes that are as short and direct as possible
• enough exits and routes for all people to escape
• emergency doors that open easily
• emergency lighting where needed
• training for all employees to know and use the escape routes
• a safe meeting point for staff
• special arrangements for people with mobility needs

Fire detection and warning systems (see Types of Fire Alarms)
You must have a fire detection and warning system. You may need different types of detectors, depending on the type of building and the work carried out in it.

Fire-fighting equipment (see Fire Extinguisher UK Legislation Guidance)
The types of equipment you need depend on your business premises. You’ll need to have any equipment properly installed, tested and maintained and train your staff to use them if necessary. Your Fire Risk Assessment should inform you of the correct types and quantities of fire-fighting equipment required together with the locations that they should be installed.

Maintenance and testing (see Fire Prevention Maintenance)
You must carry out regular checks to make sure that:

• all fire alarm systems are working
• the emergency lighting is working
• you record any faults in systems and equipment
• all escape routes are clear and the floor is in good condition
• all fire escapes can be opened easily
• automatic fire doors close correctly
• fire exit signs are in the right place

Fire drills and training (see Fire Safety Training)

• You need to train new staff when they start work and tell all employees about any new fire risks.
• You should carry out at least one fire drill per year and record the results. You must keep the results as part of your fire safety and evacuation plan.

Penalties and enforcement
You could be fined or go to prison if you don’t follow fire safety regulations.

For more detailed information on how Intelligent Security and Fire can help you meet your fire safety and fire prevention legal responsibility please contact us today.