Fire Safety Management Plan and Legislation - Case Study Example

Fire Safety Management and Legislation Name Institution Professor Subject Date Table of Contents Table of Contents 2 Introduction 3 Fire Safety Policy Statement 3 Fire Safety Management Structure 4 Evacuation Strategies 5 Emergency Response 6 Fire Alarm and Detection 6 Fire prevention and arson awareness 7 Routine procedures for staff 8 Selection and control of materials 8 Maintenance and Testing of Fire Safety Systems 8 Decoration, alterations and extensions 9 Staff Training and Fire Drills 9 Fire Risk Assessments 9 Record keeping 10 Audit and Updating of This Manual 11 References and bibliography 11 Introduction Fire is a hazard that comes with several consequences including threat to health or health and safety of relevant persons. Managing the risk of fire requires fire safety prevention and protection measures. This plan applies to all staff, visitors and contractors. Fire safety management in this regard refers those tasks that are carried out by a defined individual or group with powers and resources to ensure that fire safety systems within a building are working properly at all times (BS 9999: 2008). It is in this respect that that the university settles for a fire safety management plan and legislation for its Media factory which also forms the basis of this paper. To achieve this in the subsequent discussions, there is need to first review the university's fire safety policy statement. Fire Safety Policy Statement The University of Central Lancashire believes in ensuring the health and safety of staff, visitors, service users and other persons. In other words, UCLAN aims to: Provide fire prevention, protection and measures to the use of the building, number of occupants and activities therein. Provide relevant information to staff on emergency instructions and risks identified by relevant risk assessment provide a programme of fire safety training have and maintain a fire risk assessment on the building Provide guidelines on how to maintain the existing fire safety specifications. UCLAN will thus formulate a Fire Management System to help in achieving the above objectives of creating a safe and healthy working environment. Signed: _________________________ Date: _____________________ Vice-Chancellor UCLAN Fire Safety Management Structure The Vice-Chancellor of UCLAN is the highest authority in this structure and has the overall responsibility for fire safety. The VC delegates these duties to the Dean of schools and Director of Human resources. The Director of Human Resources is directly responsible to the VC in the formulation, development and monitoring of fire safety policy. The DHR ensures that the university has sufficient specialists staff with regard to fire. The director of HR delegates to the Health and safety Advisor who carries out fire safety audits, ensures fire risk assessment are in place; liaise with regulatory body, investigate significant fire incidents and provide advice on fire safety. The Health and Safety Advisor performs all these functions with the help of assistant Health and safety advisors. The Director of services and the Director of Finance on the other hand ensures that there are enough resources to meet the strategy set. Below the Director of Services is the Director of Estates who is in charge of maintaining fire alarm and emergency lighting system, fire-lighting equipment, structural precautions and inspection of fire dampers (BS 5266-1.5.3). Below them is the Head of Capital Projects who ensures that all new alterations involve health and safety especially on fire risk assessment. Evacuation Strategies The UCLAN is committed to ensuring that in the event of fire, the occupants of the premises are can come out of the building safely. The university recognizes that evacuation is not dependent on external sources but sources within thus good strategies are needed. In the event of a fire occurring, the university fire personnel will ensure the use of integrated methods of evacuation. An example is total evacuation in which the university will use phased evacuation due to the nature of the building. Being a high-rise building, the floors have been separated by fire-resistant constructions and this will facilitate the evacuation of the ones in the closer floor affected by fire (BS 9999: 2008 & BS 7974). The university gives careful thought to evacuation of disabled people, which entirely requires a different strategy. For example, there will be use of progressive horizontal evacuation. The building as well has an evacuation lift with secondary power supply specially designed for the disabled. The building also has arrangements for evacuation by use of evacuation stairs, which has special evacuation chairs and will work well in downward or horizontal evacuation. The building also has safe waiting areas for short periods (BS 5588). Emergency Response In the event that fire will occur, the and all the occupants will be required to raise an alarm by operating the nearest fire alarm call point and immediately evacuate the place. Unless the lifts have been designed as refuge part and conforms to the BS 5588, no one should use the lift. The trained personnel will be required to tackle the fire only when appropriate especially checking toilets, closing windows and doors on their way out. The occupants will be required to leave the building via the nearest exit and should not return to collect any belongings. Visitors in the building will be escorted from the building to the assembly point and the trained staff will only return in the building when authorised to do so. The response will also involve the fire marshals communicating with the fire and rescue team in the event of fire. Fire Alarm and Detection Fire protection is needed as it helps in protecting occupants in the process of safely moving away form the danger of fire. The sophistication of the fire alarm system should be considered when establishing evacuation procedures. The system should ensure that all sound systems that do not perform safety functions remain silent in the event of fire (BS 9999: 2008). Passenger lifts should be set at the exit level and kept there during emergency level. This means that efforts should be made to ensure that systems are not overloaded with information. As well, manual fire apparatus should be provided outside the Media house so that the fire and rescue team can use in the event of fire. Fire prevention and arson awareness The fire prevention and arson awareness would be necessary if there is an effective signing system in place, which should include the size and positioning of those signs within the building. BS 5499 part 4 recommends that these signing system should take care of sign type, sign size and viewing distance; construction, durability and suitability; servicing and maintenance; use of safety signs and use of arrows to indicate direction of travel (BS 5499, 4). Therefore, the Media centre should include signs prohibit actions detrimental to safety; mandatory signs that contribute to safety; warning signs that show potential risks; safe condition signs that indicate exit routes in the event of fire; fire equipment signs and supplementary information signs. For example, the horizontal luminance in the Media factory should not be less than 1 lx (BS 5266-1. 5.2). The designers of the media factory should take into account that the emergency lighting uses a maximum diversity ratio of 40: 1 between maximum to minimum illumination (BS 5266-1. 5.2). High light out puts emergency luminaries such as beam projectors can interfere with observation of safety signs, routes and obstructions (disability glare) and therefore should be located at least 300 out of direct line of sight when observing the escape route (BS 5266-1.5.3). Routine procedures for staff Each staff member once trained will be required to ensure that at all times; they are familiar with their work place and participate in regular fire evacuation procedures. They should be familiar with escape routes and report any concerns about the fire safety to their managers. They should be ware of the actions to be taken on discovering fire, hearing an alarm and calling the fire rescue service. The staff should also comply with the No smoking legislation. Selection and control of materials There is need to provide the building with facilities and equipment necessary for the fire safety manager to carry out their duties in preventing fire occurring (BS 9999: 2008, 43). This would include adopting the guidance needed for housekeeping, building maintenance and security. Good housekeeping will need the fire safety management team to keep combustible materials separate from possible ignition sources (BS 9999: 2008, 44). Other requirements in designing are that a clear space should be provided and maintained near heaters. In addition, guards should be provided to prevent the stacking of may combustible materials close to heaters. A clear means of shutting down the equipment and machines should be maintained. In a case where highly flammable substances are involved in the building, the enforcing authority should be consulted at the earliest possible stage (BS 9999: 2008, 46). Maintenance and Testing of Fire Safety Systems The fire management structure for the Media factory should ensure that maintenance and testing of the fire safety systems is done by having regular monitoring of the systems focusing much on their functionality. This will extend to inspecting and maintaining potential sources of ignition such as electrical heating appliances; electrical and gas installations; heat-dissipating equipment; floor coverings, furniture, curtains and drapes; and any other equipment that presents a particular fire risk (BS 9999: 2008, 45). Escape routes should be kept clear at all times. Decoration, alterations and extensions The lighting system should aim at indicating the escape routes clearly, provide illumination along such routes to allow safe movements towards the exit, ensure that fire alarm call points and fire fighting equipment can be easily located and used along the escape routes. For example, the horizontal illuminance in the Media factory should not be less than 1 lx (BS 5266-1.5.3). The designers of the media factory should take into account that the emergency lighting uses a maximum diversity ratio of 40: 1 between maximum to minimum illumination (BS 5266-1. 5.2). High light out puts emergency luminaries such as beam projectors can interfere with observation of safety signs, routes and obstructions (disability glare) and therefore should be located at least 300 out of direct line of sight when observing the escape route (BS 5266-1.5.3). Staff Training and Fire Drills In training of staff on fire drills, UCLAN will ensure that all staff is trained in the use of equipment, fire panel and all know the fire marshal duties. Some will be assigned the duty of registering visitors at the assembly point and each will be given a duty specific to a certain type of evacuation. Each staff will be trained on how to operate the fire alarm and to ensure that everyone has sufficient instruction and training for fire evacuation. Fire Risk Assessments This should start with identifying the fire hazards for example, source of ignition, fuel and oxygen. Such sources at UCLAN include poor electrical installations, hot surfaces, light fittings and lighting equipment, cooking equipment, hot processes and gases (HM Government 2006, p. 14). The second step in assessment is to identify the people at risk which at UCLAN include students in unsupervised areas, employees of the universities like lecturers, visitors to the university, people unfamiliar with the premises not forgetting the people with disability and the people in the vicinity like travellers (HM Government 2006, p. 16). The third step would involve evaluating the risk of fire occurring, that is accidentally, with omission errors or deliberately (HM Government 2006, p. 17). UCLAN will have to understand as well that fire spreads in three ways: convection, conduction and radiation and thus should aim at fire not spreading to escape routes and open spaces for exit. The hazards that may cause fire should then be removed at this stage through house keeping. That is, keeping combustible materials separate from possible ignition sources; safe storage of flammable liquids, paints and polishes in appropriate containers; safe storage of hazardous items; clearing the escape routes; ensuring fire doors are kept closed; waste control and waste disposal; doing catering in properly designed and protected facilities; and protection from heat-dissipating process (BS 9999: 2008, 44). Therefore, UCLAN will regularly update their records on significant findings and action taken for each. Record keeping Every building like the Media factory thus needs to have its design documented into a fire safety manual that will include the planned fire safety design, the type of management in the building together with staff responsibilities; the operations of the mechanical and electrical systems and routine testing and maintenance requirements (BS 9999: 2008, 41). Audit and Updating of This Manual This manual will be maintained and reviewed to update the current fire safety management procedures and the effectiveness of automatic fire safety systems (BS 9999: 2008). The findings of the regular audits will be included in this manual and changes made. References and bibliography BS 9999: 2008. Code of Practice for Fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings. BSI British Standards. BS 7974. 2004. The application of fire safety engineering principles to fire safety design of buildings. BSI British Standards. BS 5266. 2011. Emergency Lighting Code of practice for the emergency escape lighting of premises. BSI. BS 5499. 2000. Safety Signs Including Fire safety signs: code of practice for escape route signing. BSI. BS 5839. 2002. Fire detection and Alarm response for Buildings. BSI. HM Government. (2006). Fire Safety Risk assessment-educational promises. UK. HM Government. (2006). Fire Safety Risk assessment-open air events and venues. UK. HM Government. (2006). Fire Safety Risk assessment- large places of assembly. UK. HM Government. (2006). Fire Safety Risk assessment-means of escape for disabled people (supplementary guide). UK. Read More