Loss analysis Main category: Retail Sub category: Shopping centres Jan 2009 to Dec 2017: During this period, large loss fires in retail premises accounted for 9.9% of all large loss fires


The numbers: There were 522 large loss fires in retail premises, 14 of which occurred in shopping centres. Fires in shopping centres accounted for 0.26% of all large loss fires and 2.7% of fires in retail premises


Cause Retail premises Shopping centres Time of day Retail premises


Shopping centres Impedances


Retail premises Shopping centres


Accidental 48.5% 42.3%


8.3%


Deliberate 27.6% 50.0%


14.8%


11.7% 7.4%


Unknown/unassigned 23.9% 7.7%


00:00 - 06:00 06:00 - 12:00 12:00 - 18:00 18:00 - 00:00 17.2% 14.8%


15.4% 7.4%


Total 66


0


Access 47


0


Acetylene Inadequate water 4


0


7 0


Unknown 47.0% 55.6%


Resources 8


0


The cost: Fires in retail premises account for 11.0% of estimated financial losses in all large loss fires, with an average loss of £737,849 per fire. Fires in shopping centres account for 2.1% of the estimated large losses in retail premises, with an average cost of £515,103 per fire


Insurance component


Retail premises Shopping centres Business


Building 44.8% 52.1%


interruption 31.5% 16.0%


Fires in shopping centres cost on average £1,355m2


a significant change to the nature of the goods being sold, the volumes of materials being stored or the layout of the shop. It should also consider the potential for deliberate fire raising, and identify any vulnerable areas that may be out of sight of staff. The potential for out of hours intruders should also be considered. Storage of combustible materials, idle pallets and similar materials outside the centre should be minimised. Combustible waste needs to be stored in enclosed metal skips or bins which, wherever practicable, are sited at least 10m clear of buildings and 2m away from boundary walls or fences. The area should be enclosed to deny intruders access. Where flammable liquids (such as cleaning


materials and white spirit) are on sale, only minimum quantities consistent with sales requirements should be on display. The remainder should be stored safely in stock rooms with access restricted to staff. Care should also be taken to ensure that goods are not stored or displayed within 0.5m of automatic fire detectors or lighting. Any secondary fire escape routes for the public


and staff should be prominently signed, and not pass through stock rooms or similar areas of higher fire risk. Spread of fire should be minimised by effective compartmentation, with a shop, stock room, staff areas and common circulation routes separated to provide at least an hour’s fire resistance. As part of the fire compartmentation regime,


contractors that breach elements should be required to install suitable fire stopping where necessary, in


Contents Loss of rent 6.5%


16.2%


3.5% 8.4%


Machine and plant


2.6% 0.7%


, whereas those in retail premises cost £1,364m2


accordance with the FPA Design Guide, to maintain the designed fire rating of the structural elements. When a new shop is at the design stage, the


installation of a water sprinkler system should be seriously considered. Systems should be designed, installed, commissioned and maintained in accordance with the LPC Sprinkler Rules incorporating BS EN 12845, by a company certificated through an independent UKAS accredited third party certification body. Also at the design stage, or where determined by an FRA, consideration should be given to installing smoke curtains and effective smoke venting systems to prevent smoke logging, and to keep exit routes passable for the maximum period of time. Ventilation systems may also be required by FRSs. Close cooperation needs to be established with the local FRS so as to be aware of typical response times, ensure that water supplies in the area are adequate for firefighting purposes (including sprinkler systems where installed), and confirm that access points are suitable for vehicles. Where necessary, communication should be established with the local authority to keep FRS access routes clear of parked vehicles. Lastly, as for all businesses there should be an


effective emergency plan in place to ensure the resilience of the centre. One way of approaching this is to complete the ROBUST business continuity and incident management planning software, available 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 JULY/AUGUST 2018 57


Stock Other 7.6% 5.5%


3.5% 1.1%


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