Tackling fires and the cost of extinguishers in educational premises
A fire within an educational building can cause devastation, let alone put young lives at risk. With a 1 in 20 chance of a fire breaking out in your premises there is good reason to ensure that you have adequate firefighting provisions to tackle small fires. Balancing this fact against tight budgets can cause some educational establishments a huge headache. The P50 service-free range of fire extinguishers helps address these issues, giving you all the firefighting power that you need while also saving you up to £300 over the lifetime of each extinguisher. The P50s are available as foam, powder and wet chemical extinguishers and are constructed from composite plastic with an aramid core for strength. All other components are made from stainless steel and chrome plated brass and as such the extinguisher will not corrode, no matter how harsh the environment. These extinguishers have a 10 year warranty and do not require an annual service by a trained extinguisher service engineer or a refill after five years. They only require an annual visual inspection by one of your team – you save the money for the annual service visit and the cost of the refill. After 10 years the extinguishers can be factory refurbished, giving you another 10 years lifespan. P50s save you money and are kinder to the environment. For more information visit www.safelincs.co.uk or call our Customer Care Team 0800 612 6537
Reducing the cost of fire safety provision in education
Every year, around 700 school fires occur in the UK. This figure only takes into account school fires that were attended by the fire brigade; in reality, this figure is probably much higher. London Fire Brigade stated in 2018 that school fires in London had increased by 34% in just one year. Having the ability to react swiftly in the event of a fire can reduce collateral damage and save lives as well as minimising the impact on the local community. It is, therefore, crucial that you have the right equipment at hand and that staff have adequate training. In 2010 the FIA (Fire Industry Association) found that 88% of fires were successfully extinguished with a fire extinguisher. Many schools, colleges, and universities have reduced budgets and are now trying to find cheaper ways to meet all their legal duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety 2005) Order, without compromising on safety. The P50 service-free fire extinguisher is one way that can help you reduce costs and meet your legislative requirements. Improve your extinguisher provision and save costs The range of P50 service-free extinguishers can not only offer you a dramatic reduction in the cost of your extinguisher provision they can also provide you with much better coverage across your site. Manufactured from an aramid fibre similar to Kevlar, the material bullet-proof vests are made from, a P50 extinguisher is lighter than a traditional extinguisher and will not corrode. These extinguishers are manufactured to BS EN3, the British standard for fire extinguishers. They do not require an annual service by an external extinguisher technician and don’t need refilling after five years. All that is needed is a simple annual visual inspection that can be completed by your handyman or site manager, significantly reducing your costs. You will no longer have to cope with the disruption of escorting an external technician around your premises. As well as saving money by eliminating the need for an external extinguisher technician to carry out an annual inspection, the P50 can offer you further cost savings. This is achieved through the manufacturer’s 10-year warranty, which after refurbishment can be extended for a further ten years, giving you an extinguisher with a 20-year service life! When installing P50 service-free extinguishers, it is often possible to reduce the number of extinguishers that you require, as, for example, the P50 foam extinguisher has a much higher rating than a traditional foam extinguisher (P50 foam rating: 13A 183B, traditional foam rating: 13A 113B). In addition to this, a P50 foam extinguisher can be used on live electrical equipment of up to 1000 V, meaning that you don’t need to install any additional CO2 extinguishers to tackle any electrical equipment fire hazards. This is a great benefit. With only one extinguisher covering all your fire hazards, your staff can be confident that they are using the correct extinguisher for all types of fires that may face them. Save time as well as money With traditional extinguishers, you will need to ensure that the technician attending your premises has the correct DBS check. If the technician does not have an enhanced DBS, you will have to arrange for a staff member to accompany them around your site to service each extinguisher. This can put a strain on staffing resources and is not cost-effective. The annual visual check for a P50 extinguisher is instead completed by one of your staff, meaning you do not need to worry about these issues. Your staff member can work independently, already having their DBS clearance as part of their role with you. Case study An education complex and primary school in Darlington made the switch to P50 service-free extinguishers. The educational complex now saves around £1,500 per year. That equates to a staggering £15,000 over the 10-year life span of the P50 extinguishers! This complex had a total of 65 extinguishers on site. This educational complex also has a swimming pool and some outside locations that they needed covering. The non-corrosive P50 were ideal for these areas as well. Reduce your carbon footprint We are all being asked to consider ways that we can contribute to reducing our carbon footprint, and the education sector is no different. The P50 reduces CO2 emissions, as no engineers have to travel to site and the P50 extinguisher also halves chemical usage, as the contents have to be exchanged only after 10 years instead of the normal 5 years. Phase-in P50 extinguishers To ensure that you are not replacing existing extinguishers that still have service life left, we can offer you a phase-in approach to their replacement. You only replace those extinguishers that are at the end of their service life. For further information about the P50, please call Safelincs 0800 612 7954 http://www.safelincs.co.uk/p50/ service@safelincs.co.uk
Only 15% Of New Schools Built With Sprinklers
By Iain Cox, Chair of the BSA Of the 673 new schools built and open under the government’s flagship school programme, only 105 were fitted with sprinklers. With hundreds of schools in the UK having a fire each year, this alarming statistic once again only emphasises that money spent on dealing with the aftermath of fires should be being spent on sprinklers. The BSA shares the concerns of Labour MP and former teacher Stephanie Peacock who said: “The ridiculous thing is that we spend far more rebuilding and repairing schools after fires than we would have paid to install sprinklers in the first place.” School fires have a devastating impact on both a school and a community. Measures such as sprinklers drastically reduce the amount of damage done when there is a fire, and enable schools to get up-and-running quickly, reducing the cost, both economically and socially, to the public. On the 24th April, the Selsey Academy opened the doors to its rebuilt premises after a fire devastated the original, unsprinklered school in August 2016. In the interim, pupils were taught in temporary classrooms in four locations in the Selsey area and then temporary school portakabins until the new school was completed. Sadly, the trust that runs it has confirmed the new school has been rebuilt without sprinklers. Commenting on the lack of sprinklers in schools, Iain Cox, Chairman of the BSA, said: “This is another case of value engineering, where the cost of installing sprinklers has been cut out without any idea of the potential impact. Surely, it is better to protect the asset, so you won’t have disruption and the lost opportunity?” Ensuring the safety of a building’s occupants is considered the bare minimum under current regulations, but it is clearly not the optimal outcome. A sprinkler system would serve to protect both the occupants and the building, allowing students to return to normality far more rapidly and with considerably less disruption to teachers’ already hectic schedules. Furthermore, the Association of British Insurers says the most expensive school fires typically cost around £2.8 million to address, and over the past four years an average 24 of these large-loss fires have occurred every year, totalling £67.2 million. Currently, sprinklers are mandatory in new school buildings in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. The government advises that even a single missed day of education can have significant effects on future exam results. The installation of sprinklers could limit the damage from fire; significantly reducing the potential disruption to the students’ school life. The same misconceptions about cost and the impact of disruption can be seen across the commercial and industrial sector. The BSA is calling for better education on the substantial benefits that fire sprinklers can deliver to the business community and wider economy. Fire does not discriminate; whether it is a school, a car park a warehouse or an office, fires happen on a regular basis. However, they can be contained and extinguished by systems such as sprinklers to ensure that life is not put at risk and businesses, jobs and the economy are protected. For more information about the Business Sprinkler Alliance visit www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org
Only 15% Of New Schools Built With Sprinklers
By Iain Cox, Chair of the BSA Of the 673 new schools built and open under the government’s flagship school programme, only 105 were fitted with sprinklers. With hundreds of schools in the UK having a fire each year, this alarming statistic once again only emphasises that money spent on dealing with the aftermath of fires should be being spent on sprinklers. The BSA shares the concerns of Labour MP and former teacher Stephanie Peacock who said: “The ridiculous thing is that we spend far more rebuilding and repairing schools after fires than we would have paid to install sprinklers in the first place.” School fires have a devastating impact on both a school and a community. Measures such as sprinklers drastically reduce the amount of damage done when there is a fire, and enable schools to get up-and-running quickly, reducing the cost, both economically and socially, to the public. On the 24th April, the Selsey Academy opened the doors to its rebuilt premises after a fire devastated the original, unsprinklered school in August 2016. In the interim, pupils were taught in temporary classrooms in four locations in the Selsey area and then temporary school portable cabins until the new school was completed. Sadly, the trust that runs it has confirmed the new school has been rebuilt without sprinklers. Commenting on the lack of sprinklers in schools, Iain Cox, Chairman of the BSA, said: “This is another case of value engineering, where the cost of installing sprinklers has been cut out without any idea of the potential impact. Surely, it is better to protect the asset, so you won’t have disruption and the lost opportunity?” Ensuring the safety of a building’s occupants is considered the bare minimum under current regulations, but it is clearly not the optimal outcome. A sprinkler system would serve to protect both the occupants and the building, allowing students to return to normality far more rapidly and with considerably less disruption to teachers’ already hectic schedules. Furthermore, the Association of British Insurers says the most expensive school fires typically cost around £2.8 million to address, and over the past four years an average 24 of these large-loss fires have occurred every year, totalling £67.2 million. Currently, sprinklers are mandatory in new school buildings in Scotland and Wales, but not in England and Northern Ireland. The government advises that even a single missed day of education can have significant effects on future exam results. The installation of sprinklers could limit the damage from fire; significantly reducing the potential disruption to the students’ school life. The same misconceptions about cost and the impact of disruption can be seen across the commercial and industrial sector. The BSA is calling for better education on the substantial benefits that fire sprinklers can deliver to the business community and wider economy. Fire does not discriminate; whether it is a school, a car park a warehouse or an office, fires happen on a regular basis. However, they can be contained and extinguished by systems such as sprinklers to ensure that life is not put at risk and businesses, jobs and the economy are protected. For more information about the Business Sprinkler Alliance visit www.business-sprinkler-alliance.org
Voice is Choice for Schools
Well documented research into human behaviour in emergency situations shows that 75 percent of people react immediately to clear authoritative voice messages in the event of fire. Education is one sector where voice commands that instruct and direct students and staff on how to leave a building or other area during an emergency is widely recognised as the most efficient and safest solution. The advantage of using multi-message voice sounders in schools and colleges is that traditional fire alarms can be mixed with everyday messages such as class change, rather than the customary practice of schools using the fire bells or sounders to announce class changes which has the potential for confusion during an actual fire or routine test. A recent extensive voice sounder installation illustrates the merits of the multi-message solution. A fire safety system upgrade at Harwich and Dovercourt High School, a mixed secondary school and sixth form with academy status serving more than 1,200 students aged 11 to 18 years, has 110 Vimpex Fire-Cryer Voice Sounders at its heart to help protect students and staff. Such a busy, multi-use facility as a senior school demands a bespoke evacuation and warning system solution. Installed by life safety systems specialists Anglia Fire Protection Ltd., the system comprises 24 Vimpex wall mounted Fire-Cryer and 86 high output Midi Fire-Cryer Voice Sounders, with custom built voice message controllers built to the customer’s specification. Vimpex’s Fire-Cryer Voice Sounders can be programmed to produce bespoke messages and tones specifically designed for the educational environment. Vimpex’s Fire-Cryer is the only voice sounder system available with a range of discreet ceiling mounted voice sounders through to high output IP66 voice sounders. The Fire-Cryer range is the most extensive range of voice sounders available on the market today with five models to choose from and literally millions of message combinations, ensuring that any site requirement can be fulfilled. The units require no special wiring and can be retrofitted to existing installations. They can be fully synchronised and have a low current consumption allowing simple replacement of existing sounders and bells. www.vimpex.co.uk
The Fire Safety Order
The Fire Safety Order 2005 requires that all businesses, including schools and all other educational establishments, have an up-to-date fire risk assessment and that staff receive instruction in fire safety procedures. Legislation also requires that fire risk assessments are reviewed on a regular basis (recommended to be at least annually). It is critical that there is a suitable and sufficient set of procedures for staff to follow in the event of a fire emergency. Therefore, all staff must receive appropriate training in those procedures must be tested by carrying out regular fire evacuation drills. It is also strongly recommended that all staff should receive instruction in general fire safety awareness. Such training would enable staff to fully understand the fire hazards and risks in their respective areas and, therefore, hopefully help prevent a fire from occurring in the first place. In many schools, there may also be a requirement for senior staff to be designated as Fire Marshals; to have particular responsibilities in the event of fire. DB Fire Safety has vast experience in dealing with all kinds of educational establishments; specialising in carrying out fire risk assessments and providing training to staff. Our training courses can be provided on site or can be accessed via our variety of e-learning courses. These are modular and can be accessed remotely as time allows. From our offices in Peterborough, we cater for clients throughout England and Wales and offer a FREE 24hour consultancy service. For more information regarding fire risk assessments or staff training, call 0800 246 1945 OR Email info@dbfiresafety.com Find out more
Fire safety in schools: a guide
Ashfords legal, professional and regulatory services experts offer advice on how to keep your pupils safe in the event of a fire, and what to do to ensure you are meeting regulations on fire safety in schools… Following the Grenfell Tower tragedy in June last year, the importance of fire safety systems has come in to focus. One sector reviewing this area is education. Many school buildings have cladding which is not fire resistant and contains asbestos. Often, schools are not fitted with sprinkler systems. Angela Rayner, the shadow education secretary, recently announced that a future Labour government will put sprinkler systems in all new school buildings and pay to remove asbestos and flammable cladding from existing sites. This commitment forms part of a £14 billion capital investment pledged by Labour, which the party claims will “bring all schools up to a good standard”. In addition, the government has been forced to review the guidance on sprinklers in schools having previously claimed that additional spending on sprinklers would outweigh any savings in preventing damage to school buildings. The guidance was previously the subject of a consultation in August 2016 which proposed changes to its wording. The changes were notable as they removed the expectation that most new school buildings would be fitted with sprinklers. Despite criticism of the changes suggested in the consultation, the government insisted the recommendation was only a change of language, not of actual rules governing sprinkler installation. However, figures released recently by School’s Week revealed that of the 260 schools rebuilt as part of phase one of the government’s priority school building programme, just 74 have, or are planned to have, sprinklers fitted. Furthermore, according to David Amess, chair of the all-party parliamentary group for fire safety, since 2010 the proportion of new school buildings installing sprinkler systems has plummeted from 70 per cent to 35 per cent. Requirements for fire safety in schools: Schools are required to undertake risk assessments to identify the general fire precautions needed to safeguard the safety of occupants in case of fire, including their safe means of escape. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) fire legislation has become simplified. The Department for Communities and Local Government has produced a guide for schools – fire safety risk assessment: educational premises. The guide deals with the provision and management of fire safety. You will need to: ensure procedures are in place to reduce the likelihood of fire; maintain fire detection and alarm systems; ensure staff and pupils are familiar with emergency evacuation procedures; and calculate the numbers of persons likely to be in any areas of assembly and ensure your exit capacities are sufficient for those numbers. It is important that: fire risk assessments are kept up to date; and fire precautions remain current and adequate (they should be reviewed in detail when significant alterations are made to a school’s premises). Ashfords is a national provider of legal, professional and regulatory services. If you require support in relation to fire safety or further information please contact a member of Ashfords’ Regulatory Consultancy team.
Fire Safety in Schools: What Can be Done?
Pupil safety in schools is paramount. From anti-bullying policies to teaching pupils about being safe online, a large portion of a child’s school day revolves around security and protection. This includes fire safety. All education facilities are required by law to implement a stringent fire policy, with alarms, evacuation procedures and risk assessments. But with the tragedy at Grenfell, which subsequently highlighted flammable cladding on a number of schools, many are calling for improvements. But what steps can be taken? And what additional practices should be implemented? Simple Measures Commenting on this issue, and on what improvements could be made, experts at Rocburn stated that the government needs to review fire safety across the board: “The UK recently saw the serious effects of fire damage in Grenfell Tower (sadly leading to the loss of life) and it’s important that the government and fire regulation rules are reviewed in terms of the exterior (and interior) materials used. Long term plans could be simple measures such as, reviewing what materials are not highly flammable and considering how the better design and structure of fire escape routes could potentially improve the process for when people exit a building.” Interior systems are vital in making sure every occupant is aware that there is a potential hazard and frequent drill procedures can help everyone to practice responding to alarms. Our products such as the smoke control system are governed by standards such as BS EN12101 and it’s these checks that make sure our equipment is the best it can be.” Building Improvements While new school buildings have been designed with better fire safety regulations, many older buildings need further development. As such, Labour have recently pledged £14billion to install sprinklers, but what improvements can school leaders make? “Everyone at Rocburn continuously look for ways to keep our smoke ventilation amongst other products the very best. A well-designed smoke control system for schools can not only protect the occupants within the building but improve external efforts from local firefighters and on-site operations. The Education sector has taken cuts over a period of years and that doesn’t just disturb the children’s rights to have the best education, it can affect their safety too. It’s crucial the schools look to attaining the latest and safest smoke ventilation and fire safety equipment.” Education Finally, in addition to updating building safety and procedures, schools also need to put a greater emphasis on education. Although teaching should take precedence, better fire education could help to save lives. While providing this within budget constraints can be difficult, a spokesperson from Rocburn stressed its importance: “A lot of the time, schools have a set budget in which will be split across the departments. Education for the students does come first, in most cases however there could be ways schools could educate children from the offset. This might include fire safety drills more regularly and showing children in education the dangers of how a fire can spread.”