In a national dispute on the issue of pay the FBU indicated its intention to ballot members for strike action. The ballot is currently underway and industrial action could commence from mid February.
The potential for disruption to our services is a significant risk and our incident management team continues to meet regularly to implement the business continuity plan for industrial action.
However, this dispute is a national issue that affects our firefighting staff universally and it is possible that the level of resilience available to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service (LFRS) could be significantly diminished, with considerable impact on our service and partners.
If there is a national strike by firefighters, it is likely that our ability to respond to emergencies across the county will be reduced. Fewer than the normal number of fire engines may be able to respond to 999 calls and the time taken to get to emergencies may be increased.
Those with responsibilities under the Fire Safety Order and associated regulations should check their arrangements where any elements of their fire strategy are dependent on specific rapid fire service intervention. Where fire risks and other dangerous conditions are found they should still be reported.
During any period of industrial action, there are no changes to the duties and requirements of Responsible Persons (RP)/those in control of the building. You still need to ensure that you have effective measures in place to prevent and mitigate the risks of fire and should not rely on the fire service to undertake activities, such as evacuation of buildings.
Competent Persons and Responsible Persons should familiarise themselves with the specific guides to fire risk assessment for their type of premises, and also for where a waking watch is in place.
Any buildings which rely on staff to support evacuation, or the closure of public zones and/or control of customer movements need to be supported by appropriate levels of staff during a fire or other emergency. Management should consider the need for appropriate staff resources to allow for this. If these staffing levels are affected by Covid 19 you will need to review your risk assessment and emergency plan and if you believe that your staffing levels are not sufficient to support your evacuation strategy you should contact us at the email address below. If a fire does occur in your premises, you must ensure the fire service is called at the earliest opportunity and inform the operator that an evacuation is in progress.
If you have lifts in your building, you should ensure that, in the event of a lift becoming stuck, clear advice is available on how to contact the responsible maintenance company. Details should be made available in the lift and where lift alarm calls are received in the building.
It’s important to minimise false alarms, as frequent false alarms can cause those in the building to become complacent and reduce willingness to act quickly when the fire alarm is activated. Thankfully, there is a lot you can do to reduce false alarms. Much of it is simple common sense, for example:
- Make sure the fire alarm design suits the premises design and use.
- Make sure the alarm system is properly and regularly maintained.
- Investigate false alarms and work with maintainers to build in measures that prevent unnecessary recurrence.
- Introduce a suitable filtering process – a means to safely investigate why the fire alarm went off BEFORE calling the Fire and Rescue Service.
- Consult with suitable professionals for relevant advice.
- Don’t forget you can talk to us if you are struggling to resolve the problem and need guidance.
As soon as the fire alarm sounds, put into action your normal evacuation routine.
The Fire Safety Order and associated Regulations, place legal requirements upon employers and other responsible persons to ensure the safety of relevant persons from fire. These responsibilities and control measures are designed to protect life regardless of fire service intervention. So, operators of premises that have sought to comply with the law should be able to continue their activities unaffected by the dispute.
In advance of any periods of strike action, employers and other responsible persons should check to make sure that:
- A suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment for the premises is in place, has been reviewed, is up to date and has been acted on.
- Appropriate measures to reduce the risk of fire are in place, and the effectiveness of existing fire precautions are checked.
- Fire precautionary features and installations within the premises or building have been checked and are working.
- The premises emergency plan is up to date and appropriate to ensure evacuation in case of fire without the need for brigade assistance.
- Arrangements for calling the emergency services are reviewed.
- Any staff where relevant have received appropriate training and know what to do in the event of fire.
- Business continuity plans are checked.
Fire safety advice:
During the period of industrial action, it should be noted that we may not be able to respond to fire safety enquiries within our normal timescales.
If you have any queries or concerns further information can be found on the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service website at www.lancsfirerescue.org.uk or please email our Prevention and Protection Department at protectionsupport@lancsfirerescue.org.uk
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