London Fire Brigade prosecutes a Finchley based restaurateur over Fire Safety!

 

The owner of a Finchley restaurant was arrested as he tried to leave the country on holiday, after ‘persistently failing to address Fire Safety failings.’

London Fire Brigade noted that the leaseholder of the Restaurant was prosecuted after a series of failures from 2011 onwards. That year, Fire Safety Officers fro the London Fire Brigade visited the restaurant after a kitchen Fire, finding a number of serious failings including a defective Fire Alarm, wedged open or poorly fitted Fire Doors and inadequate escape routes.

After follow up visits, Officers found that none of the Fire Safety failings identified had been addressed; an Enforcement Notice was issued requiring the necessary works to be completed within a month. In July 2012, Inspectors received information that people were sleeping on the premise. They visited again and found that the same Fire Safety deficiencies remained unaddressed while a ground floor exit was blocked by an electricity generator.

At this point, the Officers decided the issues were serious enough that they presented a serious risk to life in the event of a Fire, with a Prohibition Notice issued for residential use of the premises. Legal action began last year against the Owner and initially he failed to attend court, with a warrant issued.  He remained at large until his arrest at an airport this year as he set off for a short break.

He pleaded guilty to six Fire Safety offences and was handed a six moth suspended prison sentence, as well as being ordered to complete 80 hours of community service, in addition to paying £10,000 in prosecution costs. The offences he pleaded guilty to included failures to:

·         Have a Fire Risk Assessment Completed

·         Have a suitable Fire Alarm

·         Ensure Emergency exits were clear

·         Ensure a protected Fire Escape

·         Have Fire Doors installed

·         Maintain Fire Safety Equipment

·         Comply with the Enforcement Notice.

The Assistant Commissioner for Fire Safety at London Fire Brigade, commented “The Owner persistent refusal to address the concerns of our Fire Safety Officer meant that the restaurant and floors above it were nothing short of a ‘death trap’ putting the lives of all those working and sleeping there at risk if ever a Fire had broken out.”

“This is the First case we have prosecuted where the issuing of a warrant has resulted in the defendant being arrested and it should send a strong message that where we find business owners not taking their Fire Safety responsibilities seriously, we will do all we can to ensure they are brought to book and prosecuted”.

With the delivery of such a strong message from the London Fire Brigade all London Restaurants should take their Fire Safety responsibilities seriously. The first thing to check – is there a current Fire Safety Assessment in place. If not then one of the best places to search for a ‘Qualified’ Assessor is the Institution of Fire Engineers – they have a Risk Assessors Register on their website. All you need to do is put in your postcode and a list of ‘Qualified’ Assessors will come up in your area.

Once you have appointed a Fire Safety Risk Assessor they will carry out a thorough Inspection/Audit of the premise. They will identify any deficiencies and outline them in the Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

London Fire Risk Assessments are an independent Fire Risk Consultancy based in London and their core business is Fire Safety Risk Assessments. If you have any Fire Safety concerns or need to book a Fire Safety Inspection and Audit then call them now on 01689 890879 or click here for a free quotation.