Have You Considered Fire Safety Rules While Converting Residential Flats into Open Plan Living

Converting Residential Flats and Houses into open plan living is the latest design trend, but has Fire Safety been considered? You may find that a you need to get advice or even permission from a London based Fire Safety Consultancy or Building Control.

Sometimes the ‘Dream’ Cannot Always Cecome ‘Reality’.

Before you go to the significant cost of knocking down walls and redesigning your kitchen/lounge/diner it may be money well spent to send your proposed plans to a Fire Safety Consultancy for advice or Building Control.

It is better to know at planning stage if there are any issues rather than completing the works and then finding that the Fire protection is not adequate.

Fire compartmentation is there to protect you – to keep you safe from a Fire for as long as possible. Taking the compartmentation away creates a high-risk environment. 

It is not always bad news – there are compensatory measures that sometimes can be used such as a full Automatic Fire Alarm and Detection system and/or a Fire Suppression System.

Getting the right advise is imperative and once your plans are approved (if that is required) it will be up to you to ensure that the Fire Suppression System and/or the Fire Alarm and Detection System is inspected and maintained to regulations.

London Fire Risk Assessments are a London based Fire Safety Consultancy, they have been serving clients for over 12 years. Their Fire Risk Assessors are qualified with the Institution of Fire Engineers and they are all retired London Fire Brigade Fire Safety Officers, so they are experienced in both sides - putting Fires out and preventing them! 

To discuss your plans or for Fire Safety advice contact London Fire Risk Assessments on 01689 890879 they will be happy to take a brief look at your plans and advise you on the way forward.

London Fire Brigade Sends Notice To A Mosque For Not Having A Suitable Fire Safety Risk Assessment

A Mosque in London was issued an Enforcement Notice and then a Prohibition Notice, one of the reasons for this serious action from the London Fire Brigade was that it didn’t have a detailed, ‘suitable and sufficient’ Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

London Churches, Mosques, Synagogues all religious centres should have a Fire Risk Assessment to ensure people intending to worship are as safe as possible from Fire.

The identified ‘Responsible Person’ must ensure that the Fire Detection and Alarm, Extinguishers, Fire Separation and Means of Escape, to name just a few, are sufficient for the size and type of premise and that the capacity is also correct.

This highlights that the cheap, check box Risk Assessments advertised on the internet may not be adequate and a more sensibly priced, detailed report may be more cost effective – after all this is a document required by law!

Finding a London based Fire Safety Consultancy to carry out the Fire Safety Inspection/Audit may be easier than your think! The Institution of Fire Engineers is an independent body that have an ‘Approved’ Fire Risk Assessor Register all Assessors are qualified to carry out a ‘suitable and sufficient’ Fire Safety Risk Assessment and have had to prove competency in all aspects of Fire Safety.

London Fire Risk Assessments is a London based Fire Safety Consultancy and are on the IFE Register of Approved Risk Assessors. 

They are a friendly team that will not only provide you with a ‘suitable and sufficient’ Fire Risk Assessment they offer a support service for one year should you have any Fire Safety concerns – that’s what you call customer service!

When you are responsible for so many lives you must take your responsibility seriously so don’t take any chances book an appointment with a qualified Fire Safety Risk Assessor call London Fire Risk Assessments now on 01689 890879 to get a free quotation.

Hotels in London Should Be Prepared For the Holiday Season Wwth Fire Safety Checks Done For Their Premises

London Hostels, Hotels, Airbnb Hosts, Bed and Breakfast and Holiday Lets the holiday season is fast approaching - are you ready for your guests? Have you carried out your Fire Safety checks and is the Fire Risk Assessment for your Building up to date!

Don’t think ‘everything will be ok – it was last year’ things can change and the unexpected can really happen! 

Just recently a blaze at a Hostel in Harrow had a kitchen on the first floor destroyed by Fire. Fortunately, a resident raised the alarm after smelling smoke and 10 people left the property before the Fire Brigade arrived another 8 residents were led to safety by the Brigade. 

All commercial premises must have a Fire Safety Risk Assessment for their Building – it’s the law! Even Airbnb Hosts who have paying guests must have one and if you look closely at your building insurance you will see it’s a requirement.

But where do you find a Fire Safety Risk Assessor in London – if you carry out a general internet search so many Fire Protection Safety Services offering all kinds of tempting deals come up BUT are they qualified to do the job!

One of the safest places to find a ‘qualified’ Fire Risk Assessor is the Institution of Fire Engineers, on their home page they have a Register of ‘Approved’ Assessors. Everyone on the Register has proved competency in Fire Safety and are fully accredited and insured.

London Fire Risk Assessments is on the Register of ‘Approved’ Risk Assessor and are completely independent of any Fire Protection Safety Services so what they identify in their reports is exactly what is required. Their Fire Safety Risk Assessment package includes the following:

• Fire Safety Inspection/Audit
• Fire Safety Risk Assessment report
• Fire Safety Management Plan – Significant Findings
• Fire Safety Policy 
• Fire Safety Emergency Plan

All the ‘parts’ required by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

If you require a Fire Safety Risk Assessment for your Building then contact London Fire Risk Assessments they have a friendly support team that is there to help and will talk through the best Fire Safety solution for your environment. Call now on 01689 890879.

The Ground Floor of a Restaurant in Paddington, London Was Damaged Due To Improper Ventilation System

      

The ground floor of a Restaurant in Paddington, London and part of the ventilation system from the ground to second floor were damaged by Fire. The cause of the Fire is still under investigation by the London Fire Brigade but no doubt the ventilation system itself will probably be considered.

London Restaurants, Cafes, Pubs and Hotels in fact all environment with a commercial Kitchen should, as part of their Fire Safety checks, ensure that the ventilation/extraction system is regularly cleaned, maintained and serviced in-line with regulations.

All the above should also have a Fire Risk Assessment for their London premise – it’s the law!

The first stage of a Fire Risk Assessment is a Fire Safety Inspection/Audit and part of the process will be to witness the premise Log Book. 

The Log Book should identify when the Ventilation/extraction system was last cleaned, maintained and serviced along with any identified deficiencies. Keeping an up to date Log Book will indicate to the Assessor the level of Fire Safety Management in place.

If you don’t have a Fire Risk Assessment immediate action is needed as it is a requirement of the Regulatory (Fire Safety) 2005 to have one in place. 

If the London Fire Brigade visits the premise you will most probably be issued with a Notice of Deficiencies and will be given a timescale to get a ‘suitable and sufficient’ Fire Risk Assessment in place.

Finding a competent Fire Safety Consultancy to carry out the FRA isn’t an easy task – if you carry out a general internet search all kinds of Fire Protection Services in London come up offering cheap, fixed priced Fire Risk Assessments – but ask yourself how can it be a fixed price as a large Secondary School cannot be the same price as a small Restaurant or Café can it!

The Institution of Fire Engineers is an independent body who accredit Fire Risk Assessors, on their website they have a Register of Approved Fire Risk Assessors all of whom have proved competency in Fire Safety for all types of premises.

London Fire Risk Assessments is on the IFE Register, they are independent Fire Risk Assessment Company and fully qualified to do the job!  All their Fire Risk Assessors are retired London Fire Brigade Fire Safety Officers and have had many, many years both fighting Fires and preventing them. Their friendly team are on hand to provide you Fire Safety Solutions so call now on 01689 890879 to book a Fire Safety Inspection.

A London Hotel Caught Fire Which Destroys the Sauna and the Plant Room

A Fire in a London Hotel destroys a Sauna and Plant Room, the cause is thought to have been accidental and due to an electrical fault in the Sauna unit.

The London Fire Brigade reported on their incident page that eight Fire engines and around 60 Firefighters were called to a Fire at a hotel on Bath Road, Heathrow. A ground floor Sauna and Plant room were destroyed by the blaze. Around 200 hotel guests and around 120 staff left the building before the Brigade arrived.

It is imperative that regular servicing of electrical facilities and appliances within a premise are carried out by a suitably qualified person and any deficiencies must be recorded within the premise Log Book and actioned upon.

All London Hotels should have a Fire Safety Risk Assessment for their premise and as part of the Fire Safety Inspection the Assessor will want to audit the premise Log Book to ensure that the servicing and maintenance of facilities and appliances are up to date. This audit will also show the Assessor the level of Fire Safety Management in place.

Once the Fire Safety Inspection and Audits have been completed the Fire Risk Assessment report will be compiled.

Part of the Fire Risk Assessment ‘package’ is a Fire Safety Management Plan – Significant Findings this document will outline the deficiencies and will tell you what to do to put it right, who is responsible and a timescale to do it in. This document will become the responsibility of the identified ‘Responsible Person’ for the premise and they must ensure that the Fire Safety Actions are completed and the document is kept up to date.

Also included will be a Fire Safety Policy for the premise and a Fire Safety Emergency Plan – these are all the ‘parts’ required for a suitable and sufficient Fire Safety Risk Assessment.

If you don’t have a Fire Safety Risk Assessment for your Building its time to act and appoint a fully qualified Fire Safety Risk Assessor. The Institution of Fire Engineers has a register of qualified Risk Assessors on their website – all you do is enter your postcode and a list of Assessors will come up in your area.

Gone are the days when people took a chance on the cheapest Fire Safety Risk Assessment quote – now customers are more informed and want to know that whoever they appoint to carry out the Assessment are qualified and fully insured to do so.

London Fire Risk Assessments are an independent Fire Risk Assessment Company and not affiliated to any Fire Safety Equipment supplier so their advice is totally unbiased. All their Assessors are qualified with the Institution of Fire Engineers and they are on the IFE Register of Approved Assessors. In addition, LFRA have a friendly support team who are always on hand to give advice and reassurance to their customers. To book a Fire Safety Inspection Audit with London Fire Risk Assessments.

Recent Self-Storage Warehouse Fire in Croydon and a Fire in an Industrial Unit in Uxbridge

The Self-Storage Warehouse Fire on the Purley Way, Croydon was identified as a ‘Significant Fire’ by the Assistant Commissioner of the London Fire Brigade.

Self-storage units are generally full of items like furniture which, when packed tightly, provide a lot of materials to burn and so these sorts of incidents tend to create large Fires that burn hard for a long time, creating a lot of smoke. At the height of the Fire, the whole of the four- storey building was alight.

In any Commercial and, or Industrial Premise, a Fire Safety Risk Assessment would be a requirement to validate any Fire related Public and Product Liability, Employers and, or Professional Indemnity and Personal and or Building Insurance Cover and this may only become fully apparent if or when a Compensation Claim was made following an incident of Fire. A compliant Fire Risk Assessment will not only indicate appropriate Management procedures it will show due diligence. Don’t be caught out, be prepared.

London Fire Risk Assessment is an independent Fire Safety Consultancy whose core business is Fire Safety Risk Assessments. They are not affiliated to any Fire Safety Service offering Fire Safety Equipment, so you can be assured of unbiased advice. All their Fire Safety Risk Assessors are ‘Qualified’ with the Institution of Fire Engineers and are retired London Fire Brigade Fire Safety Officers with many years’ experience in fighting Fires and preventing them.

If you are the identified ‘Responsible Person’ then it is your responsibility to ensure there is a Fire Safety Risk Assessment in place and it is current and kept up to date – call London Fire Risk Assessments now on 01689 890879 to book an inspection.