FIRE SAFETY SERVICES
There is a legal requirement under the Fire Safety Order, to complete and keep documentation on all aspects of your fire safety provisions, from the initial fire risk assessment report, to fire evacuation plans, strategies, and staff fire training and any servicing and maintenance work carried out on your fire provisions.
Fire Safety Documentation Overview
All documentation could be used in evidence in any legal proceeding taken out by the fire and rescue service if a fire occurs at your premises. The documentation should include records of all servicing contracts for fire alarms, emergency lighting, portable fire extinguishers, staff training, visits by the fire service, fire incidents and false alarm etc. This is not an exhaustive list and there are many more documents required to be kept by the nominated ‘responsible person’.
Frequently Asked Questions about Fire Safety Documentation
Below you will find answers to commonly asked questions.
Yes, the fire safety order makes it very clear that documentation must be kept, to prove that servicing and maintenance of fire provisions in your premises is and has been carried out as per all the British Standard Codes of Practices.
This has never been challenged legally by the fire service as far as we are aware. We as a company have agreed for centralised systems to be acceptable provided that those records can be investigated by either your fire risk assessor or the policing authority (fire service) when deemed necessary. There is a sound argument that if you did have a fire and the fire documentation was all paper based you could lose it in the fire, so electronic copies are always a safer bet.
We always recommend that you keep a three year rolling program of inspection and testing records. This would be enough proof should you need to show that all records were currently up to date and that you had contracts running for servicing and maintenance of your fire provisions.
A fire logbook should contain all your servicing and maintenance agreements. We can provide a bespoke logbook depending on your particular type of premises and occupancy. The content should include fire alarm system, emergency lighting, portable