Arson Attack Closes School

Just as the new school year is about to commence, the all too familiar scene of arson attacks on schools looks set to keep some establishments either closed or in crisis.

On Sunday 25^th August 2019, a School in Dunfermerline for 1400 children was significantly damaged by fire and is facing a very challenging new term.

Passive fire safety measures can help minimise and slow the spread of fire. RES can provide Fire Stopping services such as installation, maintenance and repairs for your school or educational premises.

See our case study on Fire Stopping for Berkshire Schools for an example of our work.

Aqueous Film Forming Foam (AFFF) fire extinguishers are appropriate when used to fight fire caused by burning substances such as wood. They are also suitable for fires involving the igniting of flammable liquids such as petrol. This is because of the nature of the foam extinguisher, as the foam inside can expand and engulf burning liquids and objects. The foam can also soak into materials that are on fire, such as fabrics. Inside a foam fire extinguisher there is a certain amount of water, which cools the fire down while the foam starves the fire of oxygen, helping to minimise its spreading action.

The main body of an AFFF foam fire extinguisher is typically red. The identification field will be cream coloured for ease of recognition.

Foam fire extinguishers are great for use in the office and home. Care should be taken when cleaning up foam discharge from the extinguisher, or the actual extinguisher’s disposal, as the foam inside is carcinogenic and has the ability to poison. Always recycle a fire extinguisher responsibly. At RES, our fire extinguisher servicing engineers can recycle your extinguisher for you so that it is disposed of in a responsible manner.

RES Fire Protection Engineers offer foam fire extinguisher services, including the following:

Fire extinguisher sales and hire

If you require a new foam fire extinguisher, we can meet your requirements. All of our fire extinguishers are produced to European Standard EN3, with a five year guarantee. We offer discounts for large quantity orders. If you’d rather hire a fire extinguisher, we can provide hire services for up to six months.

Fire extinguisher servicing

We can service portable fire extinguishers, hose reels, trolley units and fire blankets to ensure that they are suitable for use in line with current legislation and British Standards. All work undertaken is carried out by BAFE registered technicians. We also have an emergency call-out service, on hand 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Refills for fire extinguishers

Our engineers can refill all makes and types of fire extinguishers at our premises and with our service vans, 5 days a week from 8am-5pm.

Chrome and stainless steel fittings

We offer stainless steel signage for action signs, prohibition signs and fire-fighting signs in relation to your foam fire extinguisher. We can also provide single or double stands for your extinguishers.

Foam fire extinguishers from RES

If you require foam fire extinguisher sales, hire, maintenance or repairs, RES engineers can carry out a comprehensive service to meet your business requirements. We cover the South of England including London, Berkshire, Bracknell, Windsor, Middlesex & Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex & Kent, West & East Sussex, Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Newbury and the surrounding areas.

We provide practical and cost-effective fire risk assessment services and foam fire extinguishers for our clients to keep their business and staff protected in the event of a fire.

Fire safety training is not just a legal requirement for all businesses in the UK – it is also extremely important in saving lives and protecting a business from the damage of a fire. All staff within a business should be well informed on how to deal with and reduce fire risks, while exercising knowledge of how to evacuate a building safely in the event of a fire.

At RES Fire Protection Engineers, we offer detailed and informative fire and safety training for all employees within your business. Our courses investigate the potential causes of a fire, how fire behaves and spreads to other areas of a building, and what you can do to prevent this from happening. We talk delegates through important steps they must take if a fire breaks out, how to use fire extinguishers and other emergency evacuation procedures. All courses are designed to be engaging, interactive and informative.

The Regulatory Reform Fire Safety Order 2005 states that all staff should receive a course in basic fire safety training and attend regular refresher sessions. We have fire safety training courses that can be provided at your business premises for your convenience. We can also schedule courses to take place when annual servicing of your fire extinguishers is required.

We offer various safety training courses, including:

Hands-on practical extinguisher training

We provide basic training on how to use an appropriate fire extinguisher in your premises. In this course, delegates will be provided with an explanation on how each piece of equipment works. Training sessions last no more than 30 minutes, with capacity for up to 20 people per course.

Pricing:  £175 + VAT per course

Fire awareness training

Our comprehensive fire awareness training course lasts up to 2 hours and covers the RRFSO 2005, the law, duty of care and fire risk assessment, causes of a fire, what to do when discovering a fire, the Fire Triangle, fire safety checks and how to carry them out, use of fire extinguishers, British and European Standard fire safety signage legislation and fire prevention. There will also be an opportunity for delegates to ask our trainers any questions they may have.      

The course is followed by a live practical portable extinguishers training session to give delegates some experience. Suitable clothing should be worn.

Pricing: £360 + VAT per course.

Fire Marshall training

This course gives delegates practical and engaging fire extinguisher training, along with additional information on how extinguisher use relates to your company’s fire marshalling procedures. The course covers the main duties of a fire Marshall, the process of record keeping and liaising with enforcing authorities, evacuation and emergency procedures, natural human responses to a fire and how to report a fire hazard. Training lasts approx 3 hours, for up to 12 people.

Pricing: £450 + VAT per course (includes courses 1 and 2)

If you require extra capacity on a course, we charge an extra £27.50 per additional person attending above the maximum number of course delegates.

Fire safety training with RES

If you require fire safety training for your employees, RES offer suitable classes to meet your needs and current legislation. RES has highly experienced fire risk assessment officers, alongside well-trained fire safety trainers. We cover the South of England including London, Berkshire, Bracknell, Windsor, Middlesex & Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex & Kent, West & East Sussex, Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Newbury and the surrounding areas.

For more information or to book a course, call: 0800 731 0727 or email sales@extinguishers.co.uk

Choosing a fire alarm system

Fire alarm systems are essential to all businesses and corporate/commercial use buildings in case of a fire. Fire alarm systems save lives by alerting occupants within a building of the present danger so that they can evacuate a building quickly and safely in the event of a fire.
The type of fire alarm system installed in a building depends on the structure of the building, the purpose of the building and how these two criteria relate to current fire safety legislation. All non-domestic premises including common parts of houses in multiple occupations (HMOs), those premises used by the self-employed (including family-run businesses) and the voluntary sector must comply with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Mains Powered Systems

BS 5839-6:2019 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises.

Types of fire alarm system
Fire alarm systems all generally work in the same way. If a fire or smoke detector detects fire or smoke, or if someone breaks the glass on an alarm system wall unit (known as a manual call point), an alarm will sound to warn people in the building that they need to evacuate due to the risk of fire. It is also possible to have a fire alarm system that sends a signal to a local fire brigade so they are sent out to the building as soon as the alarm is raised. There are four main kinds of fire alarm system, these are:
⁃ Conventional
⁃ Analogue addressable
⁃ Addressable
⁃ Wireless

Conventional fire alarm systems
With a conventional fire alarm system, there are a number of detectors that form a network that is wired to a main control panel in zones. A ‘zone’ is a circuit, and normally there is one ‘zone’ or ‘circuit’ per floor in a building. A conventional alarm system enables you to determine which zone the alarm was first raised in. This makes it easier to determine where the fire originally started and is essential information for firefighters. There is typically an end of line device on all circuits for monitoring. There must always be a zone plan clearly displayed next to the fire alarm control and indicator panel for reference purposes.

Analogue addressable fire alarm systems

With an analogue addressable fire alarm system, you can receive details about individual detectors so that you have a higher level of detail in comparison to details of a ‘zone’ where the fire started. This type of alarm system is most common in large commercial buildings to give better identification of a fire’s source. As a result, they can be more expensive. The fire control panel receives details from each detector device regarding whether there is smoke, heat or a fire present.

Addressable fire alarm systems
Addressable fire alarm systems are similar to conventional systems, except that the control panel is able to find exactly where the alarm was first raised. The alarm system is wired as a large loop, with multiple devices connected. This enables a person to quickly determine an alarm’s location. The positives of an addressable fire alarm system include better handling of false alarms, better reliability, lower wiring costs, and a large loop that is less likely to lose connection.

Fire alarm system design
If you hire a fire alarm system designer, they will need to determine the following information:
⁃ The type of system that is required
⁃ The parts of the premises that need a fire alarm system
⁃ How occupants will be affected
⁃ How the fire brigade will be contacted (i.e. should the device need to do this for you)
⁃ How many manual call points you will require
⁃ Fire safety procedures currently in place
⁃ Any other ongoing work that is currently taking place in the building (contractors may have to be consulted)

Wireless fire alarm systems
Although a wireless fire alarm system is more expensive, for some types of building (such as a listed building), where wiring for a fire alarm system is not do-able or permitted, a wireless system makes a great solution. With a wireless system there are no cables present between the control panel and detection devices, so there is no need for cable testing. All wireless systems must comply with EN54-25 standards, and must have multi-frequency links to ensure that signal strength is high at all times.
RES is an approved Hyfire wireless alarm installer – a brand that is synonymous with advanced and innovative wireless fire alarm solutions. The Hyfire system integrates both wired and wireless devices with industry-standard control equipment.

Fire alarm systems from RES
RES provides comprehensive fire detection and alarm system design solutions, as well as installation and testing/maintenance services to ensure that your building complies with British Standards BS5839 Pt1.

Depending on our inspection of your premises, we may recommend the following products to you that we can install:
⁃ Manual call units (also known as ‘break glass’ units
⁃ Point detectors (to detect smoke, fire, heat, radiation or carbon monoxide)
⁃ Multi-sensor detectors (to reject false alarms by working with currently installed detectors)
⁃ Optical beam detectors (for larger spaces)
⁃ Line type heat detectors (detectors for averse conditions or large industrial spaces such as car parks)
⁃ Aspirating fire detectors (fire detectors that analyse the air and send this air to a central detection unit through pipes)
⁃ Wireless fire alarm systems
⁃ Visual alarms and beacons (in case there is a risk of audio fire alarms not being heard in the cases of disability or building occupants wearing ear defenders)

RES covers the South of England including London, Berkshire, Bracknell, Windsor, Middlesex & Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex & Kent, West & East Sussex, Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Newbury and the surrounding areas.

RES has highly experienced fire risk assessment officers, alongside well-trained fire alarm system designers, technicians and engineers. We provide cost-effective yet high quality, industry-standard fire alarm systems for our clients to keep their buildings and occupants safe.

Fire Door Safety Week – 23-29 September 2019

RES have pledged it’s support for Fire Door Safety Week – 23-29 September 2019. This year the important annual campaign  aims to raise the awareness of the critical role fire doors play in protecting us when we’re asleep. We hope to bring our customers infographics, videos, guides and guidance to help make the campaign a success.

For more information visit https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk

Our logo can be seen here https://www.firedoorsafetyweek.co.uk/supporters/

You can also follow the campaign via Twitter https://twitter.com/FDSafetyWeek

Check out this “5 MOST COMMON FIRE DOOR FAULTS” infographic

Internal fire doors are used to maintain the compartmentation of a building that is on fire, thereby reducing the risk of a fire spreading. They also give access to escape routes, whilst limiting the passage of smoke throughout the building. Many insurance policies for businesses and commercial buildings require the installation of internal fire doors as a requirement to protect the building and its contents. Another use for fire doors is that they give firefighters more protection when they are attempting to put out a fire.

The majority of internal building doors are made from timber, which will give a most basic level of protection against the spread of a fire. However, only doors that confirm to Fire Door Standards BS476 and BS8214 will give the best level of protection. Internal fire doors are made from metal and are rigorously tested to ensure they meet guidelines and provide the best protection possible against the spread of fire. Such testing is carried out by a door being subjected to hot gas and fire, and a note of the time taken for the door’s integrity to be compromised. Internal fire doors should also have fire-resistant glazing, hinges and self-closing abilities.

Why use internal fire doors?

Fire doors should be inspected once every six months to ensure that they still have the ability to provide the desired level of protection against fire and smoke. Around 3 million internal fire doors are installed in the UK every year, and they are often a first line of defence in a fire to prevent the chance of it spreading throughout a building. It is vitally important that fire doors are well-maintained and are installed to the correct specifications to ensure that they can always protect the occupants of a building. Unfortunately, maintenance of internal fire doors is often not considered until it is too late. It is also common for occupants within a commercial building to have a lack of knowledge regarding their proper use, leading to instances such as fire doors being left open, or damage being left unrepaired.
Fire doors must be used near stairs or corridors where smoke could potentially pass through and spread.

We cover the South of England including the counties of Berkshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent including London, Aldershot, Basingstoke, Beaconsfield, Bracknell, Egham, Farnham, Guildford, Henley on Thames, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Marlow, Newbury, Oxford, Reading, Slough, St Albans, Staines, Swindon, Watford, Windsor, Woking, Wokingham.

All internal fire doors need to adhere to the following regulations:
⁃ They must be heavier than normal internal doors.
⁃ Door closers must be fitted so that they close automatically.
⁃ Seals must be fitted around the edges of the doors so that they can expand to block gaps (and prevent smoke from spreading).
⁃ Fire-resistant glazing must be fitted into windows on the doors.
⁃ Handles and other fittings on the doors must be fire-resistant to ensure they can be opened safely in an emergency.

An internal fire door FD30 should resist fire for 30 minutes. A FD60 fire door should resist fire for 60 minutes. The amount of time it takes for a fire door to actually resist a fire depends on the circumstances, including where the fire is in relation to the door, the burn rate, and what is being burned at the time.

Internal fire doors from RES

If you require internal fire door installation, maintenance or repairs, RES can carry out a comprehensive service to meet your requirements. We cover the South of England including the counties of Berkshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent including London, Aldershot, Basingstoke, Beaconsfield, Bracknell, Egham, Farnham, Guildford, Henley on Thames, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Marlow, Newbury, Oxford, Reading, Slough, St Albans, Staines, Swindon, Watford, Windsor, Woking, Wokingham.

RES has highly experienced fire risk assessment officers, alongside well-trained fire door technicians and engineers. We provide practical and cost-effective fire risk assessment services and interior fire door installation for our clients to keep their business and staff protected in the event of an emergency.

All internal fire doors must be certified. Check for a label on the top or side of one of the doors to ensure this. You should also check that the gaps around the sides and top of the doors are less than 4mm when closed. You should just be able to fit a £1 coin in the gap (as a way to determine whether the gap is too big).

All seals around the fire doors should be in good condition, with no damage. If they are damaged, they will need repair, as the performance of the doors could be compromised as a result. A final check is to ensure that the doors close properly. You can do this by opening the doors halfway and then letting them go, to see if they close by themselves. If they stick onto the frame and do not close effectively by themselves, they will need further examination and repair.

If you require internal fire door installation, maintenance or repairs, RES can carry out a comprehensive service to meet your requirements. We cover the South of England including the counties of Berkshire, Middlesex, Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex, Kent including London, Aldershot, Basingstoke, Beaconsfield, Bracknell, Egham, Farnham, Guildford, Henley on Thames, High Wycombe, Maidenhead, Marlow, Newbury, Oxford, Reading, Slough, St Albans, Staines, Swindon, Watford, Windsor, Woking, Wokingham.

A fire risk assessment takes into consideration the current precautions being made regarding potential fires, and whether or not they are adequate enough. In a fire risk assessment, a simple drawing of a premises is drawn up that highlights a building’s general structure, storage areas, accommodation areas and how they are used. It should identify potential hazards such as combustible equipment/products and those people at risk, alongside action that should be taken. If a fire does occur, it is a good idea to have this drawing to hand to give to the fire service to help them understand a building’s layout. Combustibles are typically circled in red.

Causes of fire

A fire risk assessment will typically identify potential fire hazards and sources of ignition. For a fire to ignite and spread, it requires heat or a flame, and oxygen to fuel its reach. By keeping potential ignition sources and fuel apart, the risk of a fire can be significantly reduced, meaning that risks to people and building structure are also greatly decreased. It is important to identify heat sources and any sources of ignition that could create a fire in a workplace (such as a gas cooker in an office kitchen). Other less obvious risks can be from chemical sources or electrical. Potential fire sources are:

• Faulty electrics such as lighting, wiring, leads and adapters
• Lighters, candles, smoking equipment, and matches
• Sparks and flames from working processes within a workshop such as welding, grinding or cutting
• Heat caused by friction
• Static electricity
• Ovens, microwaves, deep fat fryers and other electrical cooking apparatus
• Equipment that burns oil
• Heaters
• Flammable materials such as paper, wood, cardboard and polyurethane foam
• Flammable liquids such as solvents/paint
• Arson
• Carelessness and lax health and safety procedures, such as employees smoking near flammable materials
• Poor housekeeping

The role of the ‘Responsible Person’

Regarding fire risk assessment, the ‘Responsible Person’ is required by the Fire Safety Order to ensure that appropriate action is taken to minimise fire risks. Typically, the ‘Responsible Person’ is an owner of the property being assessed, or someone in a position of power within the business with a degree of responsibility. The role of the ‘Responsible Person’ is to ensure, on a risk-assessment basis, that the building and its employees are safe at all times and that all fire risks are minimised as much as possible. Their duties also include:

• Identifying fire hazards and removing them
• To establish fire safety procedures to protect employees
• Taking steps to reduce the chances of a fire igniting
• To ensure that all people based within a building leave its premises safely and quickly in the event of a fire via a well-rehearsed fire drill
• Taking action to limit the spread of a fire, should this happen

A Responsible Person can also have an assistant who is well trained in fire hazard/risk-based situations. The Responsible Person does however remain responsible for fire risk assessment at the company and its related procedures at all times. All of the above should be straightforward procedures without additional expense to a company. If however a building does not comply with building regulations and fire hazard procedures are not in place, it is especially important to have a fire risk assessment and instruction from an authoritative body such as RES Fire Protection Engineers, who can advise on building occupancy and potential fire risks.

Identifying hazards

When you have identified fire hazards within a building, you need to take steps to remove them in order to reduce the chance of a fire occurring and spreading. You can do this by:

• Completely removing the hazard (in certain situations)
• Reducing a hazard to the point where risk is minimal
• Replacing the hazard with a safer alternative or moving it to a different location within the premises
• Adhering to a fire safety policy to prevent hazards in future

Areas containing fire hazards are generally low, medium or high risk. Low risk areas often give those nearby enough time to react to them, with minimal risk of ignition. Medium risk areas are most parts of a general building, and high risk areas often carry a great chance of ignition where a fire could spread quickly.

It is important to ensure that a building complies with health and safety regulations and that fire exits and routes of escape are clearly pointed out to those in a building in case of a fire. Consider whether you have enough fire exits and whether they are well lit and unobstructed. Fire fighting equipment such as extinguishers should also be positioned within easy reach and wall mounted close to fire exits. Fire alarms should also be heard by all those within the building, and all staff should be trained in what to do in the event of a fire.

The term ‘fire hazard’ has two important components – the first is the possible instance of a fire occurring, and the second relates to the consequences and effects of a fire if it happens. It is always important to consider the environment and equipment stored in a place of work to ensure that there are no combustible substances that are present in a manner that could ignite and cause a fire to spread.

What is a fire hazard?

For example, if flammable liquids are in storage in a building, there is a high risk of a ‘fire hazard’ due to the liquids being flammable and potentially exacerbating the spread of a fire in their combustibility. In another example, a workshop may have equipment that could cause a fire, but this fire could potentially be contained if there are no other flammable items or liquids present, ensuring that the fire does not spread to other areas of a building. Many risks can be reduced to low levels with careful storage and good housekeeping.

RES provide a comprehensive Fire Risk Assessment service for areas including London, Berkshire, Bracknell, Windsor, Middlesex & Surrey, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Essex & Kent, West & East Sussex, Reading, Maidenhead, Slough, Newbury and the surrounding areas in accordance with the RRFSO.