AnonyMouse_1999 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 HI All I know we are seemingly buried underneath a mountain of policies/procedure/risk assessments but wonder if anyone has a specific risk assessment relating to fire?? We have a fire policy and procedure and a record book of all fire drills carried out. We were visited by the fire officer today and he was NOT a happy chappy at all 'Failed' was the word he repeatedly used :wacko: and he has given us 6 months to rectify things We were criticised (very heavily!) for not having a specific risk assessment relating to fire and for not having signed documents by all staff to say they have been informed/shown and understand about the risk of fires and how to evacuate the building in an emergency. He went on and on and on :rolleyes: :unsure: We have the choice to buy 'the book' for £12 or download the risk assessment form and guidance from a website. He said that we were sent a letter in 2005 and all this became law in 2006 It sounds a classic excuse to say we didn't get the letter but it's the truth (whole truth and nothing but the truth!) but just wondering how/why I didn't become aware of the change in legislation some other way. Are you all filling in fire risk assessment forms and signing here there and everywhere??? Clearly our comprehensive fire polices.procedures and records of practices is not enough by a long way. I have downloaded the form and the guidance to go with it (147 pages of it) Really hope someone will be in the same boat and say 'I haven;t got one either!' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I did download it a couple of years ago - yes and printed it out - all 147 pages of it! so my staff could read it. Since then it has sat in the H&S file, unloved and unwanted. I thought that the whole point of the new legislation was that we did our own stuff, and they didn't visit us any more Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I did find a free Fire Risk Assessment on the internet which you got a free password for and just answered the questions, totalled up the score and it gave you an overall risk rating (bit like a magazine quiz!). We use this with our detailed Fire Drill which is posted all around the building and in every staff member's pocket. I cannot find the site now, but I found it originally by Googling Free Fire Risk Assessment. This has reminded me that it must be due to be updated soon (sigh) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_1999 Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 Thanks Cait Apparently the new legislation did away with the fire certificates we used to have. We have always had a chap come regularly (how regularly i don't know!) to 'service' fire extinguishers etc but this fire officer just phoned out of the blue - he is obviously 'doing the rounds' and was fairly insistant on making an appointment. I feel slightly better that your paperwork is unloved and unwanted as I have been on some sort of guilt trip all day thinking I should have been aware of it all (irrespective of the letter we did not receive). This chap is putting 'all we need to do' in a letter and will be back to check it is all done/up and running! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I'm with you on this one Geraldine-I didn't know things had changed! But don't you find this with most things? Such as holiday entitlement and increase to minimum wage. I find out most of these changes through this forum. Linda Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_19762 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Geraldine 'I haven't got one either' Something else to worry about/add to my 'to do' list. sunnyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Thinking about it we had something similar Geraldine, a few years back now. We got a letter but never saw the chap again! One thing he was very unhappy about was that our computer equipment is plugged into a 4 gang plug ( as my dad calls them) where you plug four things into a block and plug that into a wall socket. Tut tut says fireman, very bad form! I asked how we work the computer otherwise as everywhere has only single sockets in the building. Not my problem says he. So I unplugged while he was there (it was nearly tidy up time anyway) and then plugged back in the next day! I don't see how we can do otherwise as the building isn't ours to change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_1999 Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 I'm with you on this one Geraldine-I didn't know things had changed! But don't you find this with most things? Such as holiday entitlement and increase to minimum wage. I find out most of these changes through this forum.Linda You have no idea how good this makes me feel I was feeling generally pretty rubbish when I came home today! Sorry to add something to your to do list sunnyday! Thank you too Holly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 This is the one I downloaded in 2006 - is it still the right one? EducationalPremisesfullguide.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Just noticed why it's unloved - If there are 5 or more employees you need to record it all, if not, it's good practice but .... (There's only the 4 of us) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I haven't seen that before but it looks comprehensive Cait. The thing we had was super simple and didn't have pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_1999 Posted February 26, 2009 Author Share Posted February 26, 2009 That's the one I downloaded today - when I will actually read 147 pages I am not quite sure!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I'm not sure I ever read it all - just a few lines of each page as it was printing probably! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_8282 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Ohhhhh no something else to do!!! I'm in the same county as you Geraldine --- oh I can hear my phone ringing in the morning even now!!!!!! ..but thanks for the warning- for-warned is for-armed as they say. xxx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_8282 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 Just noticed why it's unloved - If there are 5 or more employees you need to record it all, if not, it's good practice but .... (There's only the 4 of us) Right well that ones sorted then...........I'll just sack a couple of workers!!! only joking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_79 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 We recently had to have fire training, with the fire brigade, which involved among other things practising with the fire extinguishers. It has to be renewed annually. We are in a school so may be different? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I got these from my local fire officer if they are any use to anyone Fire_Register___MOM___30.06.03.doc Fire_Risk_Assessment_1.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_8282 Posted February 26, 2009 Share Posted February 26, 2009 I got these from my local fire officer if they are any use to anyone Thank you jojom....... I can now sleep knowing I no longer need to sack staff in morning...... They look 'do-able' documents it makes more sense to have a few pages that can read and understood easily - than 147pgs which no-one will ever read!! xx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Thanks - I'll have a squint at those this weekend Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Luckily my husband is a Health and Safety advisor who does fire risk assessments so he did ours for us. Have to make use of men somewhere! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_8466 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 I got these from my local fire officer if they are any use to anyone I was just having a quick look through the fire risk assessment and under section 12 "fire evacuation" it asks if staff are aware that it is their first duty to raise the alarm. Do you think that means shouting 'fire! fire!', or ringing the fire brigade? Or am I being dense? Also, I noticed under section 4 "fire prevention" it asks if there are large ashtrays in each room and if they are regularly emptied! Perhaps its in need of a bit of an update! Useful document though - MrsWeasley will be going through this next week! Just don't tell her will you? Maz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Haha - I'm not going to tell her! I'll leave that delight to you Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_19762 Posted February 27, 2009 Share Posted February 27, 2009 Just noticed why it's unloved - If there are 5 or more employees you need to record it all, if not, it's good practice but .... (There's only the 4 of us) Huge sigh of relief! sunnyday Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_19920 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 we work within a school site and have been told that if there was a fire we just evacuate the room and on no account should we attempt to tackle the fire. seems like even schools have different rules Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_13453 Posted March 1, 2009 Share Posted March 1, 2009 Well that's the same as us in a Preschool. But it's sensible to know how to use the equipment anyway. We're not meant to try and tackle it ourselves. However, it may be only a really small electrical fire that can be safely extinguished by staff, and the wait for the fire brigade could make matters worse Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MaryEMac Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 As we are on a school site, the head teacher said that we didn't have to do one as she would do a whole site one. We had some firemen in to assess how many parents and children we could have for Tots group and I was told that I had to write what fire hazards there were in the room and how we would monitor it. That was all. Last year when the school sent in the man to check the extinguishers, one needed refilling and he asked if I knew how to let off an extinguisher. When I said know he let me do it so that I would know in the future. Mary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 30, 2009 Share Posted March 30, 2009 There was a thread on this topic some time ago when the regulations changed. It does sound as if we need to take this seriously, evee said: "I attended a fire risk assessment course covering all the new changes. Basically any premises that isn't a domestic premises needs to do a thorough fire risk assessment by law. We were shown slides of the template risk ass form they recommend and it was quite long over quite a few pages but seemed simple enough to fill in. I am still waiting for my certificate and with that they promised copies of the slides which show an example copy filled in. We were given a blank from to take but he said he was best to wait till we get the slide copies before attempting to fill it in. Whoever is the fire safety officer in the premises is fully responsible for these forms and they were quite harsh when they said that if there happeneded to be a fire with a fatality and our risk ass form was not doen properly or not at all then the fire officer risks imprisonment". I am not clever enough to link to the topic but I think you may be able to follow this link http://www.foundation-stage.info/forums/in...art=#entry64505 to evees message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted March 31, 2009 Share Posted March 31, 2009 I've done the (very boring) Fire Marshall training and have had a Fire Safety Assessment in place for a year or two. It's a bit scrappy but does the job. In fact I updated it manually this year which I hope is ok because it does take a while to type in all the little boxes! I'll post mine here for you to share! Oops, I think the page alignment has moved itself, you might need to adjust it slightly. FIRE_RISK_ASSESSMENT.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnonyMouse_12805 Posted April 1, 2009 Share Posted April 1, 2009 Gosh tat's a very comprehensive document, how often is this filled in? I have uploaded ours which is nothing like yours, very basic but we have used it for years and we complete once a year. May be of use to othersFire_rskass.doc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 2, 2009 Share Posted April 2, 2009 (edited) The aim is to update it annually I have just done an update and found that it was much easier than the first time, it was more ticking boxes or adding a brief comment rather than the detailed info I put in initially. I might append a column of boxes to the RH side for updates which would make life a lot easier again! I just took a look at yours and that's great if it works for you. I know that mine addresses the specific issues raised in the official guidance tho. Edited April 2, 2009 by Guest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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