Fire Strategies

Fire Strategies by the professionals!

What's the purpose of a Fire Strategy?

A fire strategy is a detailed, easy to understand document, specifically tailored to a building, reviewing all aspects of the building’s fire safety features including construction, compartmentation strategy, means of escape & other fire safety features/measures - Including management arrangements in place to ensure it is fit for use for the end user of the premises or intended purpose group.

What's included in a Fire Strategy?

Means of warning – Analysing the standard of fire detection required for the premises:

Is the premises required to be linked to an alarm receiving centre in order for the soonest possible arrival of the fire & rescue service (FRS)?

Where other actions are required to be taken automatically in the event the alarm is raised, are they effectively implemented & interfaces with the alarm & detection system suitably established (such as for the release of fire doors, fail safe for secured doors to open, or impacts on ventilation systems to prevent the spread of smoke etcetera?)

Means of escape – Analysing the travel distances & whether the existing escape routes leading to a place of ultimate safety are suitable & sufficient for all persons at risk in the premises & the intended capacities.

Provision of emergency/external lighting & signs to aid escape, as well as emergency plans displaying designated evacuation routes do escape routes lead to a place of ultimate safety?

Internal fire spread/passive fire protection – Analysing the level of internal protection required along escape routes (including protected routes, fire doors, the treatment of service penetrations & joints in construction) is necessary in order to ensure fire separation is achieved to aid safe evacuation & meet other fire safety objectives including those required by Building Regulations (such as for maximum compartment size) or those implemented at the behest of the building owner/operator (such as to protect areas of high financial or strategic value) consideration should also be made of specific requirements for linings to ensure that surface flame spread is effectively minimised – Is the existing compartmentation satisfactory?

External fire spread – Analysing the possible degree of further damage should the fire spread externally via breakout, across roofs, via cladding or other materials used on the external envelope, or through the transfer of heat to adjacent buildings

Access/facilities for the FRS – Ensuring all provisions satisfy both the Building Regulations & the local fire authority, which includes reviewing external vehicle access; hydrants; & establishing if there is a requirement for rising fire mains, access points, firefighting lifts etcetera

Other factors – These may include the use of sprinkler or other suppression systems, smoke control & ventilation systems & such like. The implementation of such systems may be used to compensate in a building with increased risks present, such as extended travel distances, limited means of escape, large compartment sizes or significant life risk (such as in healthcare) etc - Commonly in such circumstances, an approach in line with BS 9999 or a fire engineered solution will be implemented

Fire safety management for the building – Including the adopted evacuation strategy & fire safety training specific to the building staff employed to work there, addressing any specific fire risks within the premises & detailing particular duties which should be performed during an evacuation for certain staff.

Company policy & procedures to be implemented such as maintaining compliance with fire risk assessments; maintenance & testing of internal systems; implementing in house fire door checks; arranging planned preventative maintenance (PPM) schedules for the fire protection systems & any other relevant services; management of contractors & creating hot work permits etcetera

Our fire strategies are completed by our professional fire safety team, who are all qualified to

L4 Fire Safety Diploma level & members of the IFE.

With our incredible knowledge & experience we provide a professional consultancy which will support

your project to achieve compliance.