Imagine that you have received a letter from the fire department notifying you of an upcoming inspection. What do you do? ๐คฏ
๐ฆบ Fire safety is extremely important in businesses that cater to the public. We will try to provide you with a guide that outlines what you need to have in place and how this can be addressed in Runwell.
โ ๏ธ Please note that this article is intended as a guide and cannot guarantee that you will pass your next inspection. However, it provides tips and tricks to help you address the most important aspects of ensuring good fire safety.
๐ผ Documentation:
Owners and operators should be familiar with the fire safety requirements applicable to the building. Fire drawings and fire concepts should be available. These should be uploaded to Key Documents i Runwell. Remember to ensure that the documentation is activated in Emergency Procedure so that the documentation is displayed when you click on the Inspection button.
๐ฆบHow to identify hazards and how to reduce risk?
It is important to conduct a thorough risk assessment to identify hazards and reduce risk. Read more about that here.
Further, one must develop an action plan that helps reduce the risk. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to creating an action plan, but a typical action plan consists of:
Fire safety meetings where, for example, reported deviations are discussed, employee training is conducted, and risk assessments are evaluated.
Fire safety rounds (self-inspections) conducted at weekly or monthly intervals.
External inspections
Training of employees
โ๏ธ Fire Safety Meetings:
We at Runwell recommend that you schedule 4 annual fire safety meetings where fire safety is the focus. To document these meetings and their content, we recommend setting up a dedicated fire safety calendar. How this is done, can you find here. Employees should also have regular fire drills. We recommend that you schedule them in the calendar to ensure they are not forgotten. Document the plan for the drill, its execution, and evaluation. It is also required to keep a participant list, which can be easily done by inviting employees to the calendar event.
๐งโ๐Fire Safety Inspections:
We at Runwell recommend conducting weekly fire safety inspections. We have provided an example checklist of items to review during a fire safety inspection. This routine is available in your "Tasks and Events" module. You can also create your own checklist by following this guide. Remember to connect the tasks to your emergency preparedness procedure so that your fire safety inspections are displayed when you click on the control button. Any deviations or findings discovered during the fire safety inspections should be documented in the Feedback module. This allows for proper follow-up and corrective actions to address any identified fire safety issues.
What should be checked during a typical fire safety round?
Fire alarm system
Sprinkler system
Emergency lighting/Evacuation signs
Firefighting equipment
Smoke hatches/smoke ventilation
Escape routes
Fire compartment boundaries
External conditions
Note: Remember that this may vary from building to building, and you must assess the risks and determine what needs to be checked based on your premises.
๐โโ๏ธ External control:
Annual external inspections of the fire alarm system, sprinkler system, emergency lighting/evacuation signs, firefighting equipment, smoke hatches/smoke ventilation, and gas installations should be carried out. These inspections should be conducted by qualified personnel. We recommend that you enter them into the "Service Providers" module (remember to link them to the emergency procedure). Here, you can enter the supplier's name, contact person, agreement details, and all reports. Learn more here. Remember to create tasks in the "Tasks and Events" module for these inspections, so that you don't forget to schedule them.
๐ฉโ๐ Training of employees:
Employees are expected to be familiar with fire drawings and fire instructions. Furthermore, they should be able to document that employees have completed this training. In Runwell, you will find fire safety courses that are linked to your key documents, such as fire drawings and fire instructions, as well as more general fire safety training. Runwell automatically documents who has taken the course for you.
๐งโ๐ The fire department's fire safety round:
The fire department is likely to conduct a thorough inspection of the premises during a control visit. They will check the following:
Orientation plan should be displayed near the fire panel
Escape plan should be displayed near the fire panel
Fire instructions should be displayed near the fire panel
Visual check of the fire alarm system
Check of the sprinkler system (log)
Check of emergency lighting/exit signs
Visual check of fire extinguishing equipment with date stamping
Fire compartmentation
Escape routes should be free from blockages
We hope this article has been helpful in your fire prevention efforts! Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. โ