Fire Safety Policy

Part of Fairhive's Health & Safety Framework - Level 1 policy.

1. Introduction

1.1. This policy outlines how we will meet our duty of care to manage and comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Building Safety Act and Social Housing Act, along with any associated regulations and industry best practice guidance in relation to fire safety, where applicable, in the individual properties, communal spaces and work places we own and manage throughout their lifecycle.

1.2. We aim to protect our employees, contractors, visitors and residents as required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulation 1999 and all related regulations listed in section 4.

1.3. This policy is not intended to provide detailed technical guidance on fire safety or procedures. Staff should refer to the key legislation and technical guidance in section 4.

2. Policy Statement

2.1. Our Assistant Director of Health and Safety holds the legal responsibility of the duty holder (the person with primary responsibility for H&S within Fairhive Homes Limited). However, they have nominated the Head of Planned Maintenance and Compliance, as the person to oversee the implementation of compliance against this policy and any associated procedures. They will minimise the risks and manage fire safety within the domestic and commercial assets under our management.

2.2. We will meet our legal obligations as a landlord and seek to provide assurance that fire safety is adequately managed, ensuring the safety of our residents, contractors, employees and the general public.

2.3. We will ensure that all fire safety equipment and installations in our dwellings are installed, maintained, tested and serviced to the required standards and that they are inspected at appropriate intervals to minimise the risk of fire, damage to property, injury and death.

2.4. We will survey and test our homes and communal spaces in accordance with all related regulations and industry best practice guides.

2.5. We will ensure that we hold all necessary safety records, testing certificates and reports, for example Landlord Gas Safety Records (LGSRs) & Electrical Installation Condition Reports (EICRs) for all properties where required.

2.6. We will ensure that all stock requiring a Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) in accordance with all relevant regulations is held on file and reassessed at suitable regular intervals.

2.7. We will keep accurate records, including all certification, condition reports and asset information up to date and saved digitally.

2.8. We will appoint only competent, qualified and accredited assessors for the FRA surveys, and contractors in the delivery of upgrades, inspections and repairs.

2.9. We will provide appropriate training to ensure relevant employees have up-to-date knowledge of legislative requirements and best practice through a mixture of tool box talks, e-learning and webinars.

2.10. We will ensure all related compliance areas comply with both their individual legislation and related fire safety regulations and all testing, inspection and installation certificates are available digitally.

2.11. We will seek to raise awareness of fire safety amongst our residents, including their responsibilities in terms of their own personal safety.

2.12. All works relating to responsive repairs or planned works will be carried out by competent persons and will comply with the appropriate fire safety certification.

2.13. Where 3rd parties have a responsibility towards fire safety within premises which we either own or lease properties, we will take legal action against any residents of an individual dwelling or commercial leasehold unit, not permitting access to enable any essential fire safety works and surveys required.

3. Fire Risk Assessment Frequency

3.1. Fire Risk Assessments will be carried out;

Independent Living Schemes, blocks categorised by Fairhive as ‘Greater Risk’ due to complex or unusual layout or structure and Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO’s) a full Type 1 FRA will be renewed annually.
General needs and communal areas, reviewed by competent person and a full Type 1 FRA renewed every 2 years.

These frequencies are above the regulation requirements and may be subject to change based on any of the following:

Review of the FRA held, highlights any reason it may no longer be valid.
A change to legislation.
Following major refurbishment or a change to the layout of the building.
Following any major incident or fire.

3.2. Remedial actions arising from Fire Risk Assessments:

The FRA assessor will categorise FRA actions in the following manner:

The FRA assessor will categorise FRA actions in the following manner
Risk Category	Definition	Recommended Timescale for Action
Urgent	Measures are required immediately to control a significant risk to persons from fire. This may include specified short-term interim measures to address a specific issue to reduce the level of risk to a lesser level where additional measures may be required to subsequently reduce the risk to a tolerable or trivial level within a specified time frame.	Immediate/within 1 month
High	Measures are required within a specified time frame to control a high risk to persons from fire.	3 months
Medium	Measures are required within a specified time frame to control a moderate risk to persons from fire.	6 months
Low	Measures necessary to address a statutory requirement rather than to prevent exposure of persons to risk from an outbreak of fire.	12 months
Advisory	To consider the comments made by the assessor to enhance the fire safety of the premises.	N/A

4. Evacuation Strategy

4.1. Evacuation strategies will be specific to the building. Residential accommodation across our stock generally will have a ‘stay put’ policy. Residents have the option to stay put, should it be safe to, or unless advised by the Fire Service at any point in time.

4.2. Evacuation strategies will be reviewed at the time of each new FRA survey and recommendations for any changes to simultaneous evacuation or other change, either temporary or permanent, will be considered within a month from receipt of survey or other relevant information.

4.3. Office spaces have a simultaneous evacuation strategy. All necessary training for responsible persons and regulatory required drills will be conducted as required.

5. Impacts

Resident/Employee Implications -

We will communicate to all residents the importance of fire safety, and enforce access for safety inspections to ensure resident safety.

We will ensure that all relevant employees are suitably trained to allow them to safely undertake their duties relating to this policy and associated procedures. We will have suitable procedures to ensure all adhere to this policy.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion -

We will ensure that this policy is applied fairly and inclusively and in line with our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy.

Value for Money -

We will ensure all procurement of major works follows our procurement regulations. Repairs contractor rates vs DLO is reviewed regularly and consultant rates are competitive.

Data Protection -

A data sharing agreement is in place between us and any contractor used to enable correspondence to be sent to residents to book appointments. Our inhouse operatives and office staff are required to complete online learning for understanding and compliance with data sharing.

Accountability -

We will take on responsibility for all matters of fire safety and act accordingly to ensure the safety and education of residents, visitors and employees, doing this by ensuring we comply with all necessary legal requirements and standards. We will also ensure all staff and contractors working on and within our assets are suitably qualified and trained for the tasks they are performing.

Quality -

We look to ensure that our residents are safe in their own home by supporting the provision of well-maintained homes which are in line with legislative and regulatory requirements.

When things go wrong -

Residents can communicate concerns through our formal channels: via telephone, email, our website or our social media channels.