Fire Risk Assessments in Blocks of Flats - Pt 1 - Overview and Misconceptions

A Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) provides the backbone of a fire safety plan and is a necessary activity in a purpose built block of flats. Under the terms of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order of 2005, a FRA must be undertaken by the responsible person. This means that the person responsible for fire safety in the building, who could be the building owner or manager or a nominated member of suitably trained staff, must undertake a Fire Risk Assessment themselves or hire someone else suitably qualified to perform it on their behalf.

If an audit is carried out by the Fire Service, as they may do at any time, the Fire Risk Assessment must be seen by the officer and if the FRA has not been carried out, a prosecution is likely to follow which will involve a financial penalty or, in the case of an audit following a fire in the premises with no FRA in place, potentially a custodial sentence for the responsible person.

It is therefore obvious that from a legal standpoint, a current FRA is important. However, from the point of view of preserving life and protecting the building, it is essential.

A Fire Risk Assessment is simply a review of potential causes of fire or likelihood of fire occurring and the implications to safety of individuals and the building if it should occur. Applying this 'cause and effect' scenario to each area of a block's fire safety strategy is simple in theory, but in practice, causes confusion amongst the responsible persons, as they are unsure of the building's fire safety provision and if it is adequate.

Other misconceptions regarding FRA can lead to an inaccurate and unsuitable FRA being undertaken, for example, an FRA should not be carried out while the building is empty. If the block is a new build or has just been refurbished, the FRA should not be carried out until it is occupied. This is because the risk part of the FRA cannot be ascertained until the building is in use. If a landlord or building owner is concerned about the fire safety provision of a block before occupation, he can ask fire engineers to inspect the building and provide a report on the fire safety provision and areas which should be improved upon.

The FRA itself does not always need to be carried out by a qualified fire engineer. Especially in the case of smaller blocks of flats, it may be that the responsible person (having received suitable information and training) can undertake the FRA themselves. However, in some cases, particularly those where the responsible person is unsure about what structural fire resistance is in place within the block, it is important for a more in-depth investigation to take place.

While the FRA relates only to the common areas of a block of flats, it is important that the spread of fire between flats and the common areas is considered and so this might mean that, for example, the fire resistance of the front doors of individual flats remain the responsibility of the block owner.
Next week's blog will look at Fire Risk Assessments in blocks of flats in more detail and will consider the scope of the FRA. In the meantime, if you have any queries about this blog article or wish to discuss your block of flats, please contact Peter Gyere on 020 8668 8663.

The Complete Fire Safety Management Platform - Our aim, at CFSM, is to make the process of becoming fire-safe straight forward, and to use our expertise in fire risk assessment and fire safety management to guide you through each necessary step, resulting in your premises meeting all legal, insurance and ethical fire safety considerations. The Complete Fire Safety Management platform is part of Lawrence Webster Forrest Limited, one of the UK's longest established Fire Engineering and Fire Risk Management Consultancies.