A Fire Safety Plan for the University of Central Lancashire - Term Paper Example

Fire Safety Plan Student’s Name Course/Subject Name Tutor/Instructor’s Name 06/05/2012 ABSTRACT This is a fire strategy management plan that will seek to address the issue of fire safety within the Maudland building in the University of Central Lancashire. It outlines all the detailed steps to be followed and proper ways of addressing fire emergency. Table of Content Fire Safety Plan 1 ABSTRACT 2 INTRODUCTION 5 Fire safety policy statement. 5 Fire safety management structure. 6 Evacuation strategies 8 Emergency response 8 Fire alarm and detection. 10 Maintenance and testing of fire safety systems. 10 Staff training and fire drills. 12 Fire Safety Training Sessions 13 Fire risk assessment. 13 Record keeping 14 Auditing and updating of this manual 14 Conclusion 14 List of References 15 ABSTRACT 2 INTRODUCTION 4 Fire safety policy statement. 4 Fire safety management structure. 5 Evacuation strategies 6 Emergency response 6 Fire alarm and detection. 8 Maintenance and testing of fire safety systems. 8 Staff training and fire drills. 9 Fire Safety Training Sessions 11 Fire risk assessment. 11 Record keeping 12 Auditing and updating of this manual 12 Conclusion 12 List of References 13 INTRODUCTION A fire safety management plan is important to everyone since it prevents the massive loss of lives and property. Preparedness for disasters that occur every day is the best preparedness for extraordinary disasters, as stated by Kreimer (2001). Fire can result to lose of lives, injuries and damage on properties among other devastating effects. Therefore a fire management plan can be defined as a plan that outlines a detailed arrangement that can be used to, implement, control, monitor and review fire safety standards and to always ensure that these standards are employed (County Durham and Darlington 2012). Fire safety policy statement. According to UCLAN, fire safety policy statement should reflect the significance that the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) shall implement to the safety of its staff, service users, members of the public and persons who may be affected by its activities in relation to fire safety. The following fire safety policy statement will be used at the University of Central Lancashire. Fire safety management is designed for everyone in the schools, within departments, every premises heads and those who control all facilities in the university, to always maintain and apply fire safety management objectives within their areas of control and power in the university. The objectives to be covered include: 1. To provide alternative means of escape in cases of fire outbreaks. 2. To ensure that all the buildings are well maintained, installation is constantly put under check and equipments are always functional in cases of fire outbreaks. 3. To outline all the safety precautions and all the steps that should be followed in cases of fire outbreaks. 4. Ensure that alarms, hose reel and all the fire fighting equipments are properly maintained. There will be a provision of manuals, pamphlets and posters to every school and departments in the University to ensure that everyone is kept alert in cases of fire emergencies. These pamphlets will be found at the Maudland building main entrances, Goods and delivery entrance of the building, the Lobby rooms, visitors’ information area and the reception. Fire safety management structure. The person with the overall responsibility for fire safety:- Structure of organization Setting objectives, policy and procedures Identify person responsible to tasks / actions Checks and the implementation of standards Responsible Person: Head School of Forensic and Investigative Sciences Position: Dean The person with responsibility for fire safety risk assessment: Carrying out fire safety risk assessment Review of fire safety risk assessments Competent Person: Safety supervisors Position: Head of departments The person with responsibility for the maintenance programme: Fire detection and warning system Emergency lighting Escape routes Fire safety signs and notices Fire resisting walls, partitions and doors Electrical appliances and premises installations Competent Person: One in charge of the building Position: Building and maintenance manager, electrician Review fire safety plan Competent Person: One aware of all escape routes and knowledge on how tackle fire emergencies Position: Safety supervisors The person with responsibility for staff training: What to do in the event of fire What to do upon hearing the fire alarm Liaison with the fire service Emergency shutdown procedures Fire fighting arrangements Competent Person: A person with competent knowledge on how to tackle fire incident. Position: Fire wardens Evacuation strategies It is a set of plans to ensure that all those people trapped in a building are landed to safety. In Maudland building the following evacuation strategies will be used: All the people in the building including students, lectures and staff should call the emergency number 911 provided, on the phone located near the fire assembly area. That will be found in between the Building and the Shelter Cycle store. Always run to safety in case you hear fire alarm bells, smoke detectors or see fire; alert others immediately. Evacuate to assembly area; close all the door windows and shatters if all are at safety. In case of fire the occupants should leave the building in the EXIT door provided. If you are unable to evacuate immediately, close room door and signal those outside or use your phone. Do not enter in to the building unless the Dean has confirmed it as safe. Ensure all the people have been evacuated to fire assembly point. Should account for all the people in the building, and search for missing persons. The Dean of the school should also inform the fire fighting team of how the fire started and any important information that might be related with the fire spreading. But if fire is not traced in the building he will inform the building occupants, meet the fire service team and describe to them the whole situation. Emergency response It will consider identifying the different working and studying hours of the occupants of the building. It would also seek to identify any locked doors, alternative escape routes and safer grounds for vacating the building in cases of a fire outbreak. It will be obtained through training of users on how to use fire equipments, how to register visitors at the fire assembly point, ensure everyone can operate the fire alarm effectively, ensure that everyone is trained properly on evacuation and ensure all visitors have information on emergency. Visitors will be made aware of the emergency plan by being provided with manuals at the Lobby and visitors’ waiting rooms. Come up with possible and appropriate ways of informing people of alternative escape route that are available in the building. This will be done through fire action notices, training people concerned, emergency EXITs properly named and rout age sign properly indicated, while provision of pamphlets and manuals on fire safety. The escape routes will be properly indicated to make the people aware, also maps to EXITs provided. Come up with proper ways of informing people what they should do in cases of fire outbreaks. For example how they should evacuate to a safer place, inform them of not using the lift unless it is Lift 2 that will be designed using the British standard BS5588, only to evacuate the building using the nearest exit route, not return to the building at any point unless confirmed it is safe and ensure they remain at the assembly point for the count. Disabled people in the building taken out through ramp in the building. Identify all the power points that include science labs, kitchens in the building, welding points, analytical lab, chemical store, Forensic science and chemistry labs, fire fighting lab, cookery and hot technological machines that might be dangerous. During fire outbreaks shut them down. All the door entrance at both entrance 1 and 2 will be automatic to ensure that all the people entering the building at night use swiping cards, this will ensure that number of people inside the building is known appropriately. Location of the fire assembly point will also be properly indicated, and each assembly point indicated in order of groups as students, lecturers, staff and visitors. The fire assembly point will be located near the shelter at the ground floor, and will be named according to groups i.e. students, staff and visitors. Fire fighting will be done by fire wardens and fire marshals in case the fire spreads rapidly. Contingency plans will also be established, this will carter for provision of alternative alert system in case the alarms, and smoke detectors fail. This will include ringing of the manual bells found at the fire fighting room, chemical laboratories, research rooms, use of hand loudspeaker also in the room and signalling people to move to safer place. Re-entering the building, will be announced by the Dean of the school of Forensic and Investigative Sciences, after receiving a confirmation report that the fire has been completely put out and there is no sign of any other fire outbreak at the scene. Fire alarm and detection. The fire alarm will be placed in every corridor and room to ensure that people can hear and respond to it as fast as possible. Immediately the alarm goes off all the building occupants will be required to vacate immediately. These rooms will include the staff offices, students’ research rooms, fire fighting rooms, all the laboratories, Lobby rooms and visitors’ rooms. Maintenance and testing of fire safety systems. Smoke alarms will be installed, the operation of the alarms will be tested after every three weeks, regular battery replacement when the signal shows low battery, and alarms replaced after two months. This will be done by the help of the fire warden. The smoke alarms will be properly placed in the staff offices, Lobby rooms, Entrance 1 and 2, laboratories, chemical stores, the corridor of the building and students’ research rooms. Exit signs and emergency lighting will be replaced by the A2 fire standard that calls for the replacement to be done after every 6 months; it will be done by the electrician in charge of the Maudland building. The Exit signs will be properly indicated to lead to the escape route, using both Lift 2 and the stairs and ramps provided. Fire extinguishers will be installed appropriately, and tested as per the AS 1851 standard, their replacement will be done where Level 1 replaced after 6 months, Level 2 after 12 months and level after every 5 years. The processed will be conducted by Licensed Fire fighting personnel. Fire extinguisher will also be found in the fire fighting room, others will be found near entrance 1 and 2, at the lobby rooms, in the corridor to staff offices, in all fire breaking points like kitchen, in each laboratory and chemical labs and all student research rooms. Fire Hose Reel will be installed using the A 9 Fire Safety Standard, and will be replaced after five months with regular checks, it will be done by licensed fire fighting appliance contractor. Main hose reels’ will be found in the fire fighting room, other hose reel will be placed near entrance 1 and 2, in between the corridor to the staff offices and at entrance to the laboratories. Closed Circuits Television will also be fixed, and checked after every two months to ensure they function appropriately; it will be done by a licensed CCTV expert. The fixation will be done in every room, carefully monitoring and observation made by fire warden in the fire fighting rooms provided. Staff training and fire drills. Training is a virtual tool to ensure that fire safety management strategies and policies are implemented effectively. The training addresses fire prevention and arson awareness, equip the staff and even student with competent knowledge on fire safety. The proposed training will seek to reach staff in the building and students. Effective training will be formulated and carried out after every 6 months; any new worker or student will begin training immediately they seek employment or are admitted in the building respectively. The training will include: Definite steps to be followed in cases of fire outbreaks. The location of emergency exits and alternate doors. Where fire fighting equipments have been located and how to use them effectively. How to alert people using the alarms in case the smoke detectors malfunction in an emergency. The location of the assembly point and the different assembly points for each category. The training to be provided will give the building occupants a systematic process on how the fire situation will be curbed and controlled effectively. Each staff will be assigned individuals, to whom they will be in charge and ensure that they have guided them to safety appropriately. All the responsibilities that will be drawn to each worker will be left with the head of department. An evacuation study will be conducted after every 6 months, in order to provide an effective evacuation plan in case of fire outbreaks. The training will be conducted at the fire fighting room. The emergency evacuation plan will be supplied in the whole building via posters, pamphlets and manuals. Fire Safety Training Sessions New Employees: Induction Programme Current Employees: One / Two training session per year Fire Wardens: One / Two training session per year specific to their duties Managers: One / Two training session per year specific to their duties and including fire safety risk assessment, responding to fire hazards, fault reporting procedures, liaising with the fire service, record keeping, induction of new staff, fire safety policies and procedure. Fire risk assessment. According to the fire safety act (2004) Fire Risk assessment is defined as a set of requirements in line with the Regulatory Reform Order and are a structured approach to determine the risk of fire occurring in a premises or from work activities, and identifying the precautions for eliminating, managing or reducing the risk. The fire risk assessment will be conducted and reviewed after every year, but it will be altered especially when there is change of occupation. The method adopted will seek to find out: High risk- It will be indicated by assessment of up to not 4 weeks. Medium risk- Assessment will take approximately 6 months. Low risk- Assessment test will last for a period of not less than 12 months. The risk assessment will include the number of people involved, location in the building, physical and mental capabilities of occupants. The findings of the will be made known to the people concerned within the organization, which will include staff, students and visitors among other occupants. Record keeping Recording keeping is an important event to ensure that incidents of fire are correctly and adequately tackled. The Dean of the School of Forensic and Investigative sciences will provide a form with the details of each and every person at the evacuation site. It will outline age, name, category of individual for example staff, student, visitor or other, records of injury or burns, death if reported, causes of fire and emergency response taken. Auditing and updating of this manual The review of this safety plan will be carried out after every one year to ensure it is effective. The manuals and pamphlets provided will be edited after a period of 3 months, to ensure they match with the updated safety standards. Conclusion A fire safety plan should be aimed at giving specifications for planning, organization, control, monitoring and actual review of the fire safety measures and provisions in a building. It should include a clear fire management structure aimed at ensuring responsibilities are fairly distributed in case of fire. Evacuation plans should be properly laid and equipments correctly set up to ensure that fire emergencies are tackled. The designed fire safety management plan for the University of Central Lancashire is aimed at reducing loss of lives, destruction of property and injury caused by fire outbreaks. List of References County Durham and Darlington, 2012. Fire Safety Management and emergency plan [doc] Available at: [Accessed 5 April, 2012] Department for communities and local government, 2010.Fire safety law and guidance documents for business [doc] Available at: [Accessed 6 May, 2012] Kreimer, A., 2001. Managing disaster risks in Mexico. World Bank Publication. Nottingham County Council, 2007. Fire Safety Policy Statement [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 5 May 2012] Queensland Fire and Fire and Rescue team, 2006. Fire Safety Management Plan [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 6 May 2012] Salford Community, 2011. Salford Community Safety Strategy [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 5 May 2012] The Department of Health Social, Science and Public Safety, 2005. Fire safety [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 6 May 2012] United Kingdom Government, 2004. Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004 original [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 6 May 2012] United Kingdom Government, 2004. Fire future documents [pdf] Available at: [Accessed 6 May 2012] United Kingdom Government, 2005. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 [pdf] Available at: Read More

These pamphlets will be found at the Maudland building main entrances, Goods and delivery entrance of the building, the Lobby rooms, visitors’ information area and the reception. Fire safety management structure. The person with the overall responsibility for fire safety:- Structure of organization Setting objectives, policy and procedures Identify person responsible to tasks / actions Checks and the implementation of standards Responsible Person: Head School of Forensic and Investigative Sciences Position: Dean The person with responsibility for fire safety risk assessment: Carrying out fire safety risk assessment Review of fire safety risk assessments Competent Person: Safety supervisors Position: Head of departments The person with responsibility for the maintenance programme: Fire detection and warning system Emergency lighting Escape routes Fire safety signs and notices Fire resisting walls, partitions and doors Electrical appliances and premises installations Competent Person: One in charge of the building Position: Building and maintenance manager, electrician Review fire safety plan Competent Person: One aware of all escape routes and knowledge on how tackle fire emergencies Position: Safety supervisors The person with responsibility for staff training: What to do in the event of fire What to do upon hearing the fire alarm Liaison with the fire service Emergency shutdown procedures Fire fighting arrangements Competent Person: A person with competent knowledge on how to tackle fire incident.

Position: Fire wardens Evacuation strategies It is a set of plans to ensure that all those people trapped in a building are landed to safety. In Maudland building the following evacuation strategies will be used: All the people in the building including students, lectures and staff should call the emergency number 911 provided, on the phone located near the fire assembly area. That will be found in between the Building and the Shelter Cycle store. Always run to safety in case you hear fire alarm bells, smoke detectors or see fire; alert others immediately.

Evacuate to assembly area; close all the door windows and shatters if all are at safety. In case of fire the occupants should leave the building in the EXIT door provided. If you are unable to evacuate immediately, close room door and signal those outside or use your phone. Do not enter in to the building unless the Dean has confirmed it as safe. Ensure all the people have been evacuated to fire assembly point. Should account for all the people in the building, and search for missing persons.

The Dean of the school should also inform the fire fighting team of how the fire started and any important information that might be related with the fire spreading. But if fire is not traced in the building he will inform the building occupants, meet the fire service team and describe to them the whole situation. Emergency response It will consider identifying the different working and studying hours of the occupants of the building. It would also seek to identify any locked doors, alternative escape routes and safer grounds for vacating the building in cases of a fire outbreak.

It will be obtained through training of users on how to use fire equipments, how to register visitors at the fire assembly point, ensure everyone can operate the fire alarm effectively, ensure that everyone is trained properly on evacuation and ensure all visitors have information on emergency. Visitors will be made aware of the emergency plan by being provided with manuals at the Lobby and visitors’ waiting rooms. Come up with possible and appropriate ways of informing people of alternative escape route that are available in the building.

This will be done through fire action notices, training people concerned, emergency EXITs properly named and rout age sign properly indicated, while provision of pamphlets and manuals on fire safety. The escape routes will be properly indicated to make the people aware, also maps to EXITs provided.

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