Fire Safety - What has changed in construction

Aug 23 2023 1:19PM

Fire safety is crucial for any building, especially schools. You need to make sure that your fire safety equipment and procedures are up to date and effective, so that staff and students know how to act safely in case of a fire. Our team at Arion can help you with your fire safety management and improvement. Here are some steps to follow.

Step 1 – Fire Safety Management

The law requires that schools do a fire risk assessment under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. We suggest that you do this often, as it can help the students remember how to behave during a fire alarm and where to find the nearest fire exit if they get separated from their class. In a school, everyone should know what to do if the fire alarm goes off. By checking the fire drill system, the staff can make sure that the fire exits are used properly and that there is no crowding of classes trying to get through one door. It also trains the students on how to act if there is a real fire.

Step 2 – Passive Fire Precautions

This means slowing down the spread of fire and smoke between floors, walls, and doors. Fire-resistant construction can offer 30, 60- or 90-minute protection. But you need to keep these barriers in good condition to ensure this level of protection. Fire doors are an important part of a building’s passive fire protection, as they separate rooms and corridors to keep escape routes clear for as long as possible.

Step 3 – Active Fire Precautions

This means detecting, alerting, stopping or containing a fire. One of the most important things in this step is to know how to test a fire alarm. A faulty fire alarm can be very dangerous, as it can take longer to notice a fire, and by then it may be too late. By testing the alarm system regularly, you can reduce false alarms and be sure that your alarm is working well and will alert you if there is a fire. Other useful installations to consider include emergency lighting, fire suppression and sprinkler systems, dry and wet risers, public address voice alarms and fire extinguishers.

What are your responsibilities in regard to fire when carrying out construction projects?

Depending on your role in the construction project, you have different responsibilities in regard to fire safety. Here is a summary of what you need to do:

Client -

Make sure there is a construction phase plan that includes project-specific fire risks and procedures in case of fire. Provide relevant pre-construction information such as existing general fire precautions (GFPs), building layout and any presence of hazardous materials such as flammable or combustible materials. Principal Designer -

Make sure that fire risk is identified, eliminated, and controlled, including challenging the decisions made by the designers to make sure they have done their duties. Work with the principal contractor to help in the planning, managing, monitoring, and coordinating of fire risk in the construction phase. Designers -

Consider the risk of fire when designing the construction project, including choice of building materials and process of build. Consider off-site fire risk such as impact on neighbouring properties and their emergency escape routes. Principal Contractor -

Work with the client and principal designer in relation to identified fire risks. As the responsible person, make sure that a site-specific fire risk assessment is part of the construction phase plan, along with a review process. Make sure that programming considers fire mitigation measures. Make sure that fire mitigation measures are implemented. Coordinate contractors and organise their cooperation to make sure that fire mitigation measures are in place and maintained.