Fire Safety in Blocks of Flats – The Action Plan

Assuming that the fire risk assessment has been completed, and that it has raised areas of risk which need to be mitigated to ensure the safety of the building occupants, those areas of risk form the basis of the structure for the action plan.

The action plan should prioritise solutions to those risks raised, in order of importance and urgency. It is possible that a high risk has been highlighted through the risk assessment which has an easy and economical solution. An example would be in the case of a blocked or bolted fire escape door which simply must be unblocked and unbolted in order to ensure effective evacuation in case of fire. That item would be high risk but would not require great effort or finances to achieve fire safety.

However, some risks raised may have solutions which require building works or further investigation to be undertaken, which can be time consuming and costly. It is important that a realistic priority is set for the works, meaning that they are undertaken as soon as is practically possible to ensure building occupant safety, but within a realistic time to allow for finance or time taken to instigate repair.

If a risk has been raised which is both high and expensive/time-consuming and it is not possible to progress it within a reasonable amount of time, it may be that continuing to operate your block at all would be negligent, however this is a rare occurrence. If a high risk issue has occurred and no immediate solution is available, it may be that an alternative solution could be implemented in the meantime, to bridge the gap in fire safety. In those situations, it is worth seeking advice from a fire engineer.

The format for the action plan is legally unimportant as long as it lists and considers all the risks and provides actions for each point, and attempts to prioritise effectively. However, using an online fire risk assessment tool such as this one at Complete Fire Safety Management can guide you through the process more smoothly.

It is also important to note that a fire risk assessment and the resulting action plan are both ‘living documents’ and this means that they should be amended whenever the situation changes within the block. The lack of a current and up to date FRA or AP has been the cause of fires, deaths and prosecutions and so it is essential you keep on top of it.

When considering who is best to carry out the FRA and AP, some business owners feel more comfortable having a professional come in and do it on their behalf, however this is not a legal requirement and the business’s nominated responsible person may carry out the FRA and AP themselves.

Where a block of flats is reasonably modern or not large (less than three storeys) it is less likely that professional intervention is necessary. It may be that you, as owner or manager, have a full understanding of the construction of the building and what elements of fire safety have been built in and are therefore, ideally placed to undertake the risk assessment and carry out the resulting actions.

In cases of taller and older blocks, it can be important for structural fire safety to be considered by a professional when the FRA is undertaken.

Next week’s blog will look in more detail at when and how Fire Risk Assessments should be revisited and reviewed. In the meantime, if you have any questions about this blog or wish to discuss online fire risk assessments, fire engineer fire risk assessments or any other related topic, please contact Peter Gyere on 0208 668 8663.

The Complete Fire Safety Management Platform is the only fully comprehensive online fire risk assessment and fire risk management platform. Our aim, at CFSM, is to make the process of becoming fire safe, straightforward, and to use our expertise in fire risk assessment and fire safety management to guide you through each step, resulting in your premises meeting all legal, insurance and ethical fire safety considerations.