In advance of the proposed 8 day Fire Brigade strike, which will take place between 12.00 – 14.00 and 23.00 – 0.00 from Saturday 09th August 2014 until Saturday 16th August 2014, it is imperative that businesses implement a more robust fire safety plan.

The Fire Brigade strike will impact across England and Wales. Although the Fire Brigade Union have indicated in the event of a major fire incident they will exempt fire fighters and operation managers from the strike action if they volunteer to help, there is an increased probability of non-attendance of the Fire Brigade during this time period - or attendance with a significantly delayed or reduced contingent.
To reduce the likelihood of a major fire incident during the proposed strike period the following actions are recommended:

1. Any hot works, where practicable, should be minimised during this period and if absolutely necessary additional fire watchers should be posted.

2. Staff should be alerted to the Fire Brigade strike event on the morning of the action.

3. Where there are fire alarms with a delay before staff evacuation the delay should be removed and staff immediately evacuated in the event of an activation of the fire alarm during the proposed strike period. This modification can be controlled under a Modification Control Form.

4. A housekeeping audit should be undertaken on the evening before, or the morning prior, to the proposed strike period with specific areas to review including:

• External storage against buildings
• Smoking controls
• Combustible materials stored under lighting
• Combustible materials stored too close to portable heaters
• Overloaded electrical systems
• Accumulation of waste materials
• Review of contractor work areas
• Are all fire doors and shutters in good working order?
• Are all fixed fire protection systems fully operational?
• Is there a copy of the site incident plan at the fire alarm panel?
• Are all fire exits clear and the emergency lights in good working order?

5. Sprinkler impairments, including any planned preventative maintenance activities, should be avoided during the proposed strike period.

6. Where sprinkler systems have diesel fuelled pumps the fuel storage tanks should be topped up prior to the strike event.

If you have any queries or questions about the above matter then ideally speak with either your broker or your insurer directly to discuss further.

Source: Liberty Mutual Insurance