Debate Highlights RRFSO Challenges
With an Order looming that represents the largest overhaul of fire safety legislation for decades, which will have consequences for every business in the country, it was hardly surprising that some of the UK's most senior and experienced fire safety professionals attended this year's Kingfell Annual Fire Safety Debate. On hand to answer their questions was a panel of experts that comprised Ken Knight, Commissioner for the London Fire and Emergency Planning Authority; Fred Tingle, editor of Fire Safety Professional, the official journal of the Institute of Fire Prevention Officers; Dr Gordon Cooke, an international fire safety consultant; and John Northey, the recently retired editor of Fire Safety Engineering.
Attention focused on a number of concerns. The first to be fielded by the panel related to an issue that has already been widely reported in the fire safety, facilities management and business press - how will the poor level of knowledge and understanding regarding the RRFSO be overcome?
While questions were raised regarding the effectiveness of the £2 million the Government plans to spend promoting the RRFSO, the panel shared John Northey's belief that the learning experience will be similar to when health and safety legislation was introduced, which brought about an entire culture change. He repeated an often-heard concern however that, in the short term, businesses may misguidedly feel that, as they have an existing Fire Certificate, they have fulfilled their obligations. The panel was unanimous in the view that the small-to-medium sized businesses and HMOs [houses of multiple occupation] warrant most concern.
A number of delegates then raised the issue that is concerning many fire safety professionals; how will disputes regarding proposed fire safety strategies be resolved? In reply, Fred Tingle reminded the delegates that, as the legislation is not prescriptive, there will frequently be more than one possible solution. A point taken up by John Northey, who expressed the view that the potential for disputes will depend on the competence of the individuals who are in disagreement. He stressed the need for all parties to be competent, reminding delegates that complex projects show that fire safety engineering is a young profession, so there is bound to be conflict. His belief is that, in some cases, guidance given to support the RRFSO will be interpreted as prescriptive.
On the question of whether the introduction of the RRFSO will result in a reduction in brigade resources Ken Knight gave an emphatic ?no?. The RRFSO, he said, will enable experienced brigade resources to be redirected towards inspection. It was pointed out that, currently, there are around 300,000 premises in London that have ? or should have ? a valid Fire Certificate. The new RRFSO will double this to 600,000 businesses covered by the Order, which is bound to be a major call on brigade resources.
Gordon Cooke commented that fire brigade resources could be switched to inspection of buildings that have a high fire risk. He noted that the proposed amendment to the Approved Document B, which requires a record to be made of the building?s fire safety systems, would lessen the effort needed to complete a Fire Risk Assessment.
On the subject of Fire Risk Assessments, Ken Knight stressed the importance of seeing risk assessment as being about fire safety management and the maintenance of a safe working environment. He emphasised the need for third-party certification of fire detection and alarm installation design, and for fire safety consultants. He also expressed his strong belief that businesses may need to be dissuaded from the idea that there is such a thing as a ?generic? Fire Risk Assessment; reminding the delegates that every premises needs to be separately evaluated.
Commenting on the widely-held concern that businesses seeking professional help and guidance need to be protected from ?the unscrupulous?, Gordon Cooke added his support to the contention that there is a need for third-party certification. As John Northey underlined, in future, fire risk assessments will need to reflect the nation?s increased safety expectations.
Copies of Kingfell?s RRFSO overview presentation given to Debate delegates, who came from organisations such as London Underground and the Houses of Parliament, are available from Kingfell Plc by telephone on 020 7928 9995; by fax on 020 7928 5554; or via email on paulbryant@kingfell.co.uk.
Author: Paul Bryant is the CEO of Kingfell Plc, a London-based fire safety and protection company that has undertaken work at Somerset House and the National Gallery, and is currently involved in developing fire safety engineering designs for the Palace of Westminster.
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