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Last update:
18 November 2008

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Trust, Property & Legals : New Fire Safety Rules 

Fire Safety Regulations
 
New fire safety regulations, under the title The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, came into force on 1st October 2006. The regulations may sound very onerous and daunting, but most churches will find there is little extra work necessary over and above what they are already doing on fire safety measures. However, please read carefully the summary set out below and do make use of the attached forms if they are helpful. 
 
The new regulations cover ‘general fire precautions’ and other fire safety duties that are needed to protect ‘relevant persons’ (i.e. church employees, members of the congregation and users of the church buildings) in the event
of a fire in or around the buildings. The regulations require fire precautions to be put in place where necessary and to the extent that it is reasonable and practicable in the circumstances of the case.
 
Responsibility for complying with the Fire Safety regulations rests with the ‘responsible person’. In the case of the URC, the church elders are the responsible persons, though we recommend that one person is given the specific responsibility for complying with Fire Safety regulations. This may well be the church’s property officer.
 
The responsible person must carry out a fire risk assessment, which must focus on the safety in case of fire of all ‘relevant persons’. It should pay particular attention to those at special risk, such as the disabled and those with special needs, and must include consideration of any dangerous substances liable to be on the premises (such as liquid fuel or asbestos). The fire risk assessment will help identify risks that can be removed or reduced and to decide the nature and extent of the general fire precautions needed to be taken to protect people against the risks that remain.
 
If five or more people are employed by the church, the significant findings of the assessment must be recorded; otherwise, it is simply necessary to show that an assessment has taken place. If five or more people are employed by the church, pleas ensure the Synod Office is aware of this.
 
These are some of the fire safety duties that must be complied with:
  • A ‘competent person’ (this could be the same as the ‘responsible person’) must carry out any of the preventative and protective measures required by the regulations. A competent person is someone with enough  training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to be able to implement these measures properly.
     
  • If the church employs any staff, they must be provided with comprehensive and relevant information on the risks to them identified by the fire risk assessment, the measures that have been taken to prevent these and how they will be protected if a fire breaks out.
     
  • Any employees must also be consulted about nominating people to carry out particular roles in connection with fire safety and about proposals for improving the fire precautions.
     
  • Volunteer workers and other non-employees, such as temporary or contract workers, must be informed of the relevant risks to them and be provided with information about who is the nominated ‘competent person’ and about the fire safety procedures for the premises.
     
  • If church buildings are used as a workplace by another organisation, such as a nursery school or a counselling centre, there must be co-operation with the responsible person from the organisation. They must be informed of any significant risks found and reduce/control those risks that might affect the safety of their employees.
     
  • The presence of any dangerous substances and the risk of fire this poses to relevant persons must be considered.
     
  • A suitable means of contacting the emergency services must be established and they must be provided with information about any dangerous substances on the premises.
     
  • Appropriate information, instruction and training must be provided for any employees, during working hours, about the fire precautions in the workplace. This must be provided when they commence employment and from time to time during the period of their employment.
     
  • The responsible person must ensure that any equipment provided in connection with fire fighting or fire detection and warning, together with the premises and all emergency routes and exits, are covered by a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in efficient working order and in good repair.
     
  • If the church has any employees, they must co-operate to ensure that the workplace is safe from fire and its effects, and must not do anything that will place themselves or other people at risk. 
Sample forms
Further information

The statutory order is at www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2005/20051541.htm.  Information about the new regulations is at www.communities.gov.uk/fire/firesafety/firesafetylaw. 


More detailed guidance is in the following publications, which can be downloaded: