Fire Detection & Alarm Systems
Regulatory and policy* changes put the onus on the customer,
through
the 'responsible person', to be able to provide
evidence that their fire system is fit for purpose
and has been designed, installed, commissioned and maintained in
accordance with the relevant British Standards.
The most effective way of achieving this is
to contract Third Party Certificated fire companies.
If you are involved in the
- design
- installation
- commissioning / handover
- maintenance
of fire detection and alarm systems and you
want to endorse of the quality of your work, you
may wish to consider achieving NSI Gold or Fire Silver
approval.
NSI inspects companies to the requirements of the
BAFE Fire
Protection Industry Modular Scheme SP203.
Further information is available at www.bafe.org.uk
Two levels of approval
NSI offers two levels of approval - Fire Gold and Fire Silver.
Both levels must meet the standard requirements as listed below,
yet deciding on Fire Gold or Fire Silver will depend on the
situation of your business.
All NSI approved companies:
meet the technical requirements of the BAFE SP203 modular
scheme
- meet the highest business performance standards
- meet all relevant British and European standards for technical
performance
- provide a high level of staff training and supervision to
industry best practice standards
- are comprehensively insured to protect customers and staff
- are inspected every six months by professional auditors
including random customer site visits
NSI Gold approved companies:
- meet industry specific ISO 9001:2000 Quality Management System
standard
- offer a high level of insurance specification and
preferment
Fire Gold
NSI's premier fire scheme, Fire Gold, is
designed for companies wishing to meet the industry's highest
standards by achieving business excellence through
ISO 9000 Quality Management, as well as displaying technical
expertise by meeting the appropriate British and European
Standards.
Fire Silver
NSI's Silver scheme is designed for smaller or
new companies and is often used as an entry-level scheme for those
wishing to progress to Gold. Companies wishing to enrol on the
Silver scheme will still need to meet the required high level of
technical competence.
Fire Safety Legislation
From 1st October 2006 a change in
legislation came into force across England,
Scotland and Wales, which affects fire safety in
non-domestic premises.
It requires any business or organisation that
employs the services of companies to install
and/or maintain their fire protection systems, to take the
responsibility to ensure that they and the system
comply with the new legislation.
By contracting an NSI Fire Gold or Fire Silver
approved company you can ensure the requirements
of the legislation relevant to fire protection
systems are met.
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO). What is the Fire
Safety Order?
Introduced under the Regulatory Reform Order,
the Fire Safety Order (England & Wales) aims to simplify,
rationalise and consolidate the myriad of existing legislation.
This should also lead to an annual estimated
total cost saving of approximating £1.7m for businesses, as
fire certificates will no longer be required.
Longer-term savings in excess of £100m should
be achieved due to a reduction in workplace fires.
When did the Order take affect?
It came into force on 1st October 2006.
What are the Order's requirements?
The Fire Safety Order requires that employers
designate a 'responsible person' to carry out fire
risk assessments that include;
- the safety of employees and visitors to the
site
- fire fighter safety when entering the site
during or following an incident
- protection of property
- employees' job security
- environmental impact
What are the implications for businesses?
- fire certificates will no longer be
issued
- each individual company will be responsible
for fire safety
- all businesses must conduct Fire Risk
Assessments which must be documented where there are five of more
employees or the premises is licensed
- fire officers will have greater authority to
gain access to premises and remove samples following a fire
- each location will have an identifiable
'responsible person' who takes full corporate responsibility
- the 'responsible person' should contract a
competent supplier, relevant to fire safety products and services,
who has 'the appropriate skills and experience'. They should have
proof of this so that it can be produced at an inspection, pre or
post incident. Certification provided by an NSI Fire Gold or Fire
Silver approved company achieves this
Who is the 'responsible person'?
- the employer with control of the workplace
or,
- the person with overall responsibility for a
building or,
- the occupier of the premises or,
- owners of premises such as empty
buildings
For further information, click
here
Fire (Scotland) Act 2005
New fire legislation came into force on 2
August 2005. Part 3 of the Act introduces a new fire safety regime
for premises other than private dwellings and came into affect
towards the end of 2006.
This is to allow those with responsibilities
under the new legislation to become familiar with them.
Details of requirements with regard to Fire
Risk Assessments and fire safety measures will be set out in fire
safety regulations.