Good question. This depends on a whole range of factors but generally the answer will be yes although of course it depends on what you need looking at. Most fire safety advisors are actually fire risk assessors whose job it is to advise on fire safety issues and provide recommendations on how to improve the fire precautions within your building.
All commercial premises and some residential properties should have a fire risk assessment carried out and for those with 5 or more employees, those findings should be recorded. For residential properties, it is the common areas that require a fire risk assessment and also Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO). The current fire safety legislation in place is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which came into force on 1 October 2006. The Housing Act 2004 applies to flats themselves within blocks of flats or HMO’s and so it depends on the location you are asking about as to what type of fire safety advisor you require and under what piece of legislation. A fire safety advisors job is to provide guidance on a range of fire safety issues including:
?Means of escape provisions
Fire alarms
Fire training
Emergency lighting
Travel distances
Occupancy numbers
Disability procedures including PEEPS (Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans)
External escape routes
Fire doors and compartmentation
Flammable materials
Cooking facilities
Building work control policies
Fire extinguishers
Fire suppression systems
Emergency plans
Record Keeping
Fire Drills
Amongst many more factors – this list is by no means exhaustive.
There will always be a ‘responsible person’ within your company, building or premises that ultimately is responsible for the fire safety precautions within your building and you should find out who that person is – it may be you!
If you are asking about whether you need a fire safety advisor for your own private dwelling, you are best going directly to your Local Authority and asking them the question, they will be able to put you in touch with a local fire safety advisor who can advise you – the legislation is different for single private dwellings.
If you are in a workplace and carrying out a minor alteration within your building that may not need the advice of a fire safety advisor but if in doubt, please feel free to email your question to info@whalefire.co.uk
We are here to help and have a team of fire safety expects throughout the country to provide advice and a whole range of fire safety services – www.whalefire.co.uk