What's New in UK Fire Protection
In 2005 it is highly likely that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO) will become law and this will change the way that conscientious engineers and managers look at the fire safety of buildings.
Graham Ellicott, Chief Executive, Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP)
This article was first published in International Fire Protection (IFP) magazine
February 2005
SO WHAT'S NEW IN UK FIRE? Most people would answer the re-organisation of the Fire and Rescue Services and whilst this is certainly high on the agenda, there are other major impending changes of which all professionally qualified engineers and building owners should be aware. In 2005 it is highly likely that the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO) will become law and this will change the way that conscientious engineers and managers look at the fire safety of buildings.
Firstly though a little background. To start with what are the aims of the RRO? In the words of the explanatory notes to the order itself:
'The aim of the proposed reform is to reduce burdens on business that are caused by the existence of multiple, overlapping general fire safety regimes - and consequently overlap of the responsibilities of enforcing authorities. The proposed order would consolidate and rationalise much existing fire safety legislation (currently scattered across a large number of statutes and secondary legislation) into one order. In doing so it would reduce the number of enforcing authorities dealing with general fire safety matters. The reform would maintain and enhance the protection afforded to users of premises (and others who might be affected by a fire on the premises) by the existing legislation.'
In layman's terms, the RRO is intended to simplify fire legislation and in particular to remove the overlap between the Fire Precautions Act 1971 and the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997. The central aim of the Fire Precautions Act 1971 is to ensure that, in the event of a fire, the occupants can evacuate the premises safely, while the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 requires employers to identify risks and take steps to remove or reduce them.
In particular the objectives of the RRO are to:
For the building owner the major change under the new regime will be the removal of Fire Certificates and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM) estimates that this alone will save business £1.65m per year. In the opinion of ODPM, the new regime will promote greater compliance and more focus on fire prevention in high-risk properties. Number crunching indicates that a reduction in the number of fires in England and Wales of 5%, 10% and 15% would achieve annual savings of £39m, £79m and £118m respectively, not to mention the unquantifiable saving in terms of the human costs of fire outlined above.
The RRO places the onus of the fire safety in buildings on the shoulders of the Responsible Person. This person is:
To satisfy the requirements of the RRO, the responsible person will be required to ensure that an assessment of the risk of, and from, fire is undertaken for the place and activity. Identified hazards will be removed, or reduced so far as is reasonable and special consideration will be given to the risks posed by the presence of dangerous chemicals, or substances and the risks that these pose in case of fire. Special consideration will also be given to any group of persons who may be especially at risk in case of fire, whether due to their location or any other factor.
All precautions provided will be subject to maintenance and will be installed and maintained by a 'Competent Person'. Under the RRO such a person is to be regarded as competent where he/she has sufficient training, experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him/her properly to assist in undertaking the preventive and protective measures. For commercial buildings the main enforcing body will be the local fire and rescue authority. If the RRO runs reasonably smoothly through the political scrutiny processes, then it is likely to become law around the summertime of 2005.
A number of Guidance Documents that will be building type specific will support the RRO and these will give help to the Responsible Person with regard to how risk assessments should be carried out for their particular type and size of building. Trade Associations and in particular, the Association for Specialist Fire Protection (ASFP), have a role to play in supporting the RRO with the main emphasis being upon education via seminars and publications. Perhaps the most logical ASFP publication to start with is 'Ensuring Best Practice for Passive Fire Protection in Buildings'. This was developed using partial funding from the Department of Trade and Industry and contains guidance on all aspects of the design, installation and maintenance of passive fire protection. Any readers that would like a free hard copy of this document should call the ASFP on 01252 739142 referencing this article.
Other documents from the ASFP that will be of help those involved with fire safety in the UK's buildings include the 'Yellow Book' (also known as 'Fire Protection for Structural Steel in Buildings') and the 'Red Book' (also known as 'Fire Stopping and Penetration Seals for the Construction Industry'). All ASFP documents are available as free downloads from its website, www.asfp.org.uk.
The ASFP is pleased to see the mention of the use of Competent Persons and we regard this as a natural follow on from the following statement in Approved Document B Fire Safety to the Building Regulations for England and Wales:
'Since the fire performance of a product, component or structure is dependent upon satisfactory site installation and maintenance, independent schemes of certification and registration of installers and maintenance firms of such will provide confidence in the appropriate standard of workmanship being provided.'
All contracting members of the ASFP are (or are required to become) members of a third party accreditation scheme and the use of these companies will give the Responsible Person a meaningful certificate of conformance upon the completion of any work.
By the end of 2004 the move towards a fully 'risk assessed regime' will be that much closer. For the Responsible Person to effectively discharge their duties they will need all the help they can get and the use of guidance from trade associations should form part of this package of assistance.