Loss analysis Main category: Sport Sub category: Gyms Jan 2009 to Dec 2017: During this period, large loss fires in sports premises accounted for 1.7% of all large loss fires


The numbers: There were 89 large loss fires in sports premises, 12 of which occurred in gyms. Fires in gyms accounted for 0.2% of all large loss fires and 13.5% of fires in sport premises


Cause Sport


Gyms


Time of day Sport Gyms


Impedances Sports Gyms


Accidental 37.0% 50.0%


00:00 - 06:00 06:00 - 12:00 25.7% 16.5%


13.3% 8.3%


Total 13


3


Access 9


2


Deliberate 42.0% 33.6%


12:00 -18:00 12.2% 16.5%


Unknown/unassigned 21.0% 16.4%


18:00 - 00:00 16.7% 16.5%


Acetylene Inadequate water 0


0


2 0


Unknown 31.4% 42.1%


Resources 2


1


The cost: Fires in sports premises account for 2.0% of estimated financial losses in all large loss fires, with an average loss of £800,625 per fire. Fires in gyms account for 7.4% of the estimated large losses in sports premises, with an average cost of £440,918 per fire


Insurance component


Sport Gyms Business


Building 60.2%


44.4% Fires in gyms cost on average £480m2


interruption 26.0%


31.7%


ventilated to open air and separated from the rest of the building by elements of construction providing a fire resistance of 60 minutes (if stacked side by side or vertically against a wall, the potential speed with which a fire may grow is significantly increased)


•


foam pits should be covered with non combustible material when not in use


Mirrors, which are much in evidence, may present a hazard in the event of fire if there is potential for fire exit signage to be misinterpreted. In the worst case scenario this may lead to people walking in the opposite direction to that intended when trying to find a fire exit. Care should therefore be taken where reflections of exit signs may be visible. Bearing in mind the occurrence of deliberate


fire raising, careful consideration also needs to be given to the security of the premises, and ensuring that there is no conflict between security and fire safety measures. Particular care needs to be given to the means for securing final exits and, if these doors have to be locked or secured when the premises is unoccupied, then robust management measures should be adopted to ensure that the final exits are available for use whenever the gym is occupied.


Security measures may be enhanced by


installing external security lighting, and where appropriate, monitoring the premises with a high quality CCTV system. In common with other premises, the fire risk assessment should be


Contents Loss of rent 8.3%


1.2% 13.4% 0.8%


Machine and plant


2.9% 3.7% , whereas those in sports premises as a whole cost £991m2


reviewed periodically. This will include a review prior to special events or tournaments being held, when there are proposals to change the layout of the premises or the exercise equipment and whenever there may be a significant change to the potential sources of ignition or combustible materials present. A review should also be undertaken if the gym


is to be used by a group of people with hearing or visual impairment. Where there may be a high level of ambient noise, it must be ensured that the fire alarm is sufficiently loud to be heard [a sound pressure of at least 65dB(A) or 5dB(A) above the ambient level]. Where saunas are provided, they should be designed and managed in accordance with the guidance set out in RISCAuthority Recommendations RC50: Fire safety in the construction and use of saunas. The use of candles and other forms of open


flames should be prohibited in massage and treatment rooms. All staff should receive training in how best to assist visitors with a disability or injury in the event of fire. These procedures should be rehearsed during fire drills. Finally, gyms should have an effective emergency plan in place to ensure the resilience of the business. One way of approaching this is to complete


the ROBUST business continuity and incident management planning software, available for free from https://robust.riscauthority.co.uk/


Adair Lewis is technical consultant at the Fire Protection Association


These statistics are based on information supplied by loss adjusters to the FPA on a voluntary basis and not all insurers conducting business in the UK contribute to this dataset. They represent only sums paid out where the total loss is in excess of £100k and are deficient of losses under £100K, deductibles, underinsurance, uninsured, self-insured and captively insured components, which may be significant. In a year, total losses captured typically account for 50% of the ABI declared annual fire loss figure – which is similarly deficient of the same components (except the £100k threshold).


www.frmjournal.com APRIL 2018 53


Stock Other 0.1%


1.3% 0.3% 5.7%


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