Viewpoint Keeping buildings safe for occupants in the current pandemic crisis has never been more challenging, writes Mike Floyd


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UILDING OWNERS and managers have to carefully weigh up the safety of staff and occupants, in terms of possible infection routes


and social distancing for those within. This has to be a balanced approach, so as not to degrade ongoing fire safety measures. It might seem an easy option to suspend all such work for the time being to minimise additional infection risks. However, this would potentially raise the risk of not detecting and containing any fire to an acceptable standard. Fire risk assessments (FRAs) would soon be largely invalid, as various systems fell below British Standards (BS) provisions for their care. The government has made statements to clarify the situation, Security Minister James Brokenshire commenting on 23 March: ‘Security & fire safety personnel can play a vital role at this time of national challenge. People working in these sectors who are essential to national infrastructure are ‘key workers’ for the purposes of the Government’s guidance on COVID-19.’ He reinforced this on 14 April: ‘Many roles within


the fire and security industry provide vital support to critical services as well as relieve pressure on the emergency services. For those workers who cannot work from home, the guidance is clear that they are allowed to travel and attend work if it is safe to do so and they, and other members of their household, are not symptomatic. With regards to school places, the guidance published by the Department for Education advises schools that they should continue to offer provision to the children of critical workers. I would expect schools to consider staff in those essential roles in the fire industry to be critical workers.’ The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 has not been suspended, so all its maintenance provisions remain in force, specifically section 17 (1): ‘Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons the responsible person must ensure that the premises and any facilities, equipment and devices provided in respect of the premises under this Order or, subject to paragraph (6), under any other enactment, including any enactment repealed or revoked by this Order, are subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair’. It would also be nonsensical to abandon


such measures when lower risk buildings such as offices are in low usage, but higher risk residential


blocks are almost full all the time! Even more critical are all buildings associated with the NHS and other infrastructure such as GP practices, pharmacies and external care providers’ management offices. The repercussions of an extensive fire in a hospital


at any time are very serious, but within the next few months would be catastrophic. Therefore, all active systems – fire alarms, sprinklers, smoke control and emergency lighting – should continue to have checks, tests and repairs in line with BS requirements, as far as lockdown controls allow. Additional liaison with building managers will clearly be required to ensure any items are suitably cleaned before work commences. Wearing of specific personal protective equipment (PPE) in certain areas might also be required. Service technicians should also have a regime for cleaning servicing tools and equipment before and after each different site is visited. Passive systems are always the forgotten warriors in


fire strategies, so with such high traffic in NHS facilities, fire doors are getting raised rates of wear and abuse. With so few hospitals sprinklered, we over rely on them to contain a fire during the initial phase, until action can be taken. Only a properly serviced fire door seals well enough to prevent smoke transfer during this time. Concerns about cladding issues have drowned out other important areas of action in recent years, and firestopping and cavity barrier systems play an important ‘out of sight’ role similar to fire doors in containing and slowing down fire and smoke spread. These should continue to be inspected where accessible and appropriate repairs made. It would also be unwise to suspend any regular


FRA reviews during this period. The assessor might spot that temporary changes made for the pandemic could impact on escape provisions, or overly extend times required to escape. Building managers can be overwhelmed by the sudden changes needed for COVID-19, and be too close to see impacts in other areas. Finally, the same provisions apply to our colleagues in the security sector, who are also carrying out equivalent important tasks and roles. In particular, large shops would be unmanageable at present without the extra stewarding of access and social distancing measures by such staff


Mike Floyd is an associate trainer in passive fire protection at the FPA. For more information, view page 3


www.frmjournal.com MAY 2020 29


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