Fire Safety Policy

1. Introduction

1.3. Policy Statement

1.4. B3Living will ensure, as far as reasonably practicable, that outbreaks of fire do not occur; and if they do occur, the fire policy aims to minimise the impact of such occurrence on life safety.

1.5. All workplaces, retirement housing and the common areas of flats will have a fire risk assessment carried out and suitable procedures and systems for controlling fire risks put in place.

1.6. This policy sets out the arrangements that B3Living have put in place to manage and control the risks from fire.

1.7. A Fire Risk Management Strategy has been produced that sets out the roles and responsibilities within B3Living for managing and controlling fire risks. A related procedures manual is also being drafted to replace the existing Fire Management Plan.

1.8. B3Living accepts that there exists a risk of fire in all of the buildings that it is responsible for and will take all reasonably practicable measures to reduce these risks to an acceptable level.

1.9. B3Living also accepts that there is a risk of fire being introduced from some of the work that it does. This includes hot works and working with flammable substances.

1.10. B3Living will take all reasonable steps to ensure that any work carried out that could introduce a risk of fire will be undertaken in accordance with any relevant risk assessment and safe system of work and any control or preventative measure is adhered to.

1.11. Managing fire safety ensures that fires are unlikely to occur, if they do occur, they are likely to be controlled or contained quickly, effectively and safely. If a fire does occur and grow everyone in the premises is able escape to a place of total safety easily and quickly.

1.12. B3Living will:

► Appoint a competent person to assist in undertaking fire safety.
► Assess the risks from fire.
► Identify the risks that can be removed or reduced.
► Identify any issues that need attention.
► Assess the nature and extent of the general fire precautions needed.
► Review the assessment regularly.
► Record the significant findings.
► Ensure that fire procedures, prevention measures and precautions are in place and working properly.
► Provide employees and non-employees with information on the risks identified in the fire risk assessment and emergency arrangements.
► Co-operate and co-ordinate with other responsible people in shared premises.
► Consider the presence of dangerous substances and the risk they present.
► Equipment connected to firefighting, detection and warning, routes and exits are covered by a suitable system of maintenance.
► Provide information, instruction and training for employees when first employed and periodically.
► Communicate with employees on the risk from fire and outcomes of assessments. This will be achieved through the Health and Safety Committee and Workplace.
► Ensure that suitable and sufficient resources are available for compliance with this policy, for all servicing requirements, fire risk assessments and for any works arising.
► Prepare a scheme for preventing or controlling the risk were recommended by the risk assessment.
► Implement, manage and monitor all precautionary control measures identified.
► Identify any issues that need attention.
► Keep records of all such measures.

2. Scope

► This policy applies to all buildings where B3Living is required to protect colleagues and customers from the risk from fire.

2.1 For those buildings where B3Living is not a duty holder for asbestos this policy and associated management plan are out of scope. However, as part of our continuing due diligence B3Living will request fire safety documentation from the duty holder or its managing agent.

3. Responsibilities

3.1 As an employer B3Living is the duty holder in relation to fire safety, for B3Living this is the Chief Executive. The duty holder has appointed The Executive Director (Operations) as the responsible person to take overall responsibility for controlling any risk identified from fire and the implementation of the Fire Safety Policy and other associated documents in conjunction with the Head of Asset Management and Compliance and the Head of Repairs and the Property Manager (Repairs, Cyclical, Fire). Others in the organisation will have key roles as defined in the Fire Risk Management System.

3.2 All employees are responsible for protecting their own health and safety and must comply with the points set out in this policy.

4. Aims and objectives

4.1 Fire Risk Management Strategy

4.1.1 B3Living has developed a Fire Risk Management Strategy (FRMS) which is in accordance with BS 9997:2019 ‘Fire risk management systems – requirements with guidance for use’.

4.1.1 Adopting and following the requirements set out in BS 9997 is a recognised and approved method for developing, implementing, maintaining, and improving a fire risk management system.

4.1.2 The purpose of such a system is to provide effective fire prevention and fire safety management commensurate to the organisations activities, people, and premises.

4.1.3 This policy must be used in conjunction with the Fire Risk Management Strategy.

4.2 Fire risk assessment

4.2.1 The fire risk assessment is a methodical look at the premises. All fire risk assessments will be documented.

4.2.2 B3Living will carry out fire risk assessments for properties as defined in the Fire Management Plan.

4.2.3 A number of factors need to be considered as part of the fire risk assessment. This includes:

4.2.4 Identify fire hazards, including: sources of fuel, sources of ignition and additional sources of oxygen

4.2.5 Identify those at risk and identify those especially at special risk

4.2.6 Reduce the risk to as low as is reasonably practicable

4.2.7 Decide what physical fire precautions and management is necessary to ensure the safety of people in the premises

4.2.8 Though there will be common factors in B3Living’s premises being assessed the individual nature of each site should be taken into account.

4.2.9 The fire risk assessments will be reviewed at least every two years for general needs blocks and workplaces and yearly for retirement housing or following any significant changes such as change of use, change in management arrangements or following any modifications.

4.3 Preventing and controlling the risks from fire

4.3.1 A written scheme for preventing and controlling fire risks has been prepared and this is documented in the Fire Management Plan.

4.3.2 The risk from fire will normally be controlled by measures that do not allow fire to start.

4.4 Selection, training and competence of staff

4.4.1 B3Living will identify those staff who will have responsibilities in relation to managing fire risks and that they are suitably competent and experienced to carry out their duties.

4.4.2 Suitable training will be provided for those identified as managing fire and training will be periodically refreshed to maintain competence. The health and safety training matrix sets out the training requirements for staff in relation to fire safety.

4.4.3 B3Living may engage contractors to undertake fire work on its behalf. When using contractors B3Living will ascertain the competency of the contractors it employs.

4.5 Record keeping

4.5.1 All risk assessments and significant findings will be recorded.

4.5.2 Copies of training certificates and course details will be held for those staff with responsibilities for managing fire.

4.5.3 Written details of the prevention and control of risks of fire including the following: results of any maintenance and testing of fire warning systems (alarms, smoke and heat detectors), testing and maintenance of fire extinguishers and emergency lighting, maintenance of any signage and means of escape and compartmentation, logs of any visits by contractors, will be recorded.

4.5.4 All relevant information will be held on SharePoint.

4.5.5 All records will be retained for six years.

5. Equality, diversity and inclusion

5.1 This is an important safety policy, and it will be applied as consistently as possible across all properties to ensure the safety of customers, staff and other parties who may be present in our buildings.

5.2 Information about those customers who may need assistance with evacuation from a building will be made available to the Fire and Rescue Service.

5.3 An initial equality impact assessment has been carried out and any adverse negative impacts can be mitigated.

6. Data protection and information security

6.1 B3Livings policies and procedures for data protection apply to this policy. Information about customers will be made available to the Fire and Rescue Service in compliance with our data protection policies and procedures.

7. Customer voice

7.1 Customers have not been consulted on this policy as it is meeting a statutory obligation.

7.2 Feedback from customer complaints and compliments will be reviewed and changes considered where possible or relevant. However, this policy delivers a legal requirement which B3Living is bound to comply.

7.3 Customers will be consulted as to their evacuation needs.

8. Compliance

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 places specific duties on employers to ensure the health, safety and welfare of employees, as well as the health and safety of other persons who may be affected by their work activities.

• Under the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 employers must assess significant risks to the health and safety of both employees and other persons who may be affected by their work activities.
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires employers and controllers of premises to manage and control risks from fire.
• The Building Regulations 2010 Part B sets out the standards required for fire safety that applies to building work and material changes to existing properties.
• PAS 79-2:2020 Fire Risk Assessment, Housing, Code of Practise, guidance and a recommended methodology for assessing fire risks. (Currently under review by BSI)
• The Fire Safety Act 2021
• The Fire Safety (England Regulations 2022
• The Housing Act 1996
• The Housing Act 2004
• The Building Safety Act 2022

9. Risk Management

9.1.1 The potential risks relating to this policy have been identified and are being managed in line with our Risk Management Policy.

9.1.2 The Board reviews its risk appetite in key areas of the business annually.

10. Health and safety considerations

10.1.1 This policy is key to fulfilling our health and safety obligations.

11. Linked policies, procedures and guidance

• Fire Risk Management System (FRMS)
• Tool Box Talk 21 Fire safety