Fire safety in schools: Is your fire risk assessment up to scratch?
The importance of fire safety in schools cannot be understated. Not only are fire risk assessments crucial to protecting hundreds (maybe even thousands) of students and members of staff, but also preventing property damage that could incur hundreds of thousands worth of repairs. As such, property managers need to make sure they are carrying out fire safety audits thoroughly, regularly and judiciously in schools.
Of course, this is much easier said than done - especially given how intimidating the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order of 2005 looks. Here at Crysp, we hope to demystify the process of conducting these audits so property managers can carry them out more effectively and feel assured that they’ve done everything necessary to protect their staff and students, whilst ensuring they’re adhering to regulations. So, without further ado, let’s dive in:
What is the legal requirement for fire risk assessments in schools?
The main piece of legislation in place for fire safety in schools is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order of 2005 (RRFSO). This document stipulates all the legal requirements that property owners must adhere to in order to remain compliant and ensure school premises are safe. These regulations are in place to ensure:
School fire risk assessments are carried out
There is a fire safety and school evacuation policy
Procedures are put in place to deal with incidents and ensure school staff, pupils and visitors are evacuated safely
School staff are trained in fire safety procedures
Whole-school fire drills are practised regularly
Clear means of escape are provided and maintained throughout the school
There are fire safety notices and signs across all school buildings
Emergency lighting, fire detection equipment, alarms and extinguishers are in place in classrooms, corridors and other spaces.
Who is responsible for fire safety in schools?
Every school should have a designated ‘responsible person’ in the form of a fire safety manager who is responsible for ensuring that the property is meeting all of the RRFSO requirements. Fire safety managers are usually the headteacher or property owner of the school, but other qualified persons may assume the role. Multiple people can work together on fire safety management in schools. Below is a list of people who are suited to this position:
Landlords & property owners
Employers (i.e. Headteachers or School Leaders)
Facilities managers
Risk assessors
What is a school’s fire safety manager responsible for?
A fire safety manager has a number of duties they must carry out to meet all the health and safety requirements for their school. These duties usually include:
Conducting school fire risk assessments
Delivering fire safety training to school staff
Communicating information about fire safety to school staff
Creating emergency protocols for the school
Implementing and enforcing fire safety measures throughout school premises
How do you carry out fire risk assessments in schools?
Fire risk assessments in schools should be conducted at least once per year to ensure that current fire safety protocols remain adequate and in line with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order of 2005. There are 5 key steps to carrying out fire risk assessment in schools, which we’ve covered below! If your fire safety manager doesn’t feel confident that they can carry out this audit correctly, then you should hire a professional risk assessor to help. Crysp’s Fire Assessment Team can help you complete your school fire risk assessment by undertaking an in-person inspection of your education establishments to ensure you’re compliant.
Identify the hazards
First and foremost, you need to identify where potential fire hazards could be in your educational premises. Fire safety managers should go through each room and zone of the school to identify these safety hazards, paying particular attention to high risk areas. Common fire hazards in schools include electricals, flammable stationary and science equipment.
Identify the people at risk
After pinpointing the various fire safety hazards in your school, you need to then identify who these hazards might put at risk. It’s very important to remember that teachers and students aren’t the only ones who could be impacted by fire safety. Other members of staff, like caretakers and IT technicians, should also be considered.
Evaluate the risks
Once you’ve established who is at risk and what the risks are, you can evaluate these fire safety hazards. This part of a risk assessment involves identifying the potential harm that could be incurred from these hazards and how severe this harm could be. From here, you need to establish ways to prevent, remove or reduce hazards at the school. For example, having sufficient fire escapes in the school would reduce the risk of people getting trapped during a fire.
Record, instruct and train
The next step is to record everything you’ve learned from your assessment into a logbook designated to fire safety in your educational premises. Within this book, you should include everything we’ve discussed above, alongside specific actions that need to be taken for the hazards. It’s also important to include details about the fire safety training that is necessary for these hazards in your logbook. Training should be regular and thorough so all members of staff feel confident in what they need to do should an accident occur.
Review and update
Last but not least, you need to consistently review and update your fire risk assessment. Generally, it’s recommended that you conduct one of these audits at least once per year for schools. However, if your school has recently invested in new equipment or a new building, then it’s important to assess these latest additions and then update your logbook again.
What are the most common causes of fire in schools?
It’s good to have a general awareness of what fire hazards you should be on the lookout for in your educational premises, so we’ve put together a list of the most common culprits. Please note that this list doesn’t encompass all potential fire hazards!
Electrical equipment
Electrical equipment poses a significant risk to fire safety in educational premises. Poor maintenance, defective wiring and infrequent PAT testing can all increase the risk of an electrical fire occurring, so make sure to stay on top of these things.
High risk zones
Most secondary schools have classrooms for design & technology, IT, food technology and science. Within these rooms, there tends to be dangerous equipment, such as cookers and bunsen burners. As such, you should pay particular attention when conducting your fire risk assessment in these high risk zones.
Arson
The majority of school fires are caused by arson (when someone deliberately sets fire to property). That’s why it’s so important to ensure that your educational premises are fitted with sprinklers and security cameras, with the latter helping to deter arsonists.
Student accidents
Between childhood and adolescence, young people are more likely to engage in risk taking behaviour because of how puberty affects their brain development. As a result, they aren’t quite so attuned to how their actions could put themselves or others in danger. This means a lot of school fires are caused by student accidents, such as smoking on property or being irresponsible in high risk zones.
How can you ensure fire safety in your school?
There are a number of protocols that school fire safety managers can put into place to prevent fires from occurring or escalating. Here are a just a few of these protocols:
Ensure you have emergency evacuation procedures in place and that staff are trained on them
Have designated assembly points where staff and students can gather in case of emergency
Make sure you have adequate fire escapes throughout the school and that these are accessible for those with disabilities
Install an adequate amount of sprinklers throughout the school
Install smoke alarms and ensure they have working batteries
Maintain equipment that could cause fires
There is no doubt that fire safety in schools is a huge responsibility and can cause a lot of stress and anxiety for those responsible for ensuring schools are compliant with regulations - especially across multiple sites. But Crysp is here to help. Our online compliance management system for schools takes all the strain away from managing risk and paperwork, and our team of expert health & safety advisers are here to help.
Contact Crysp now for a chat about a fire risk assessment for your school or multi-academy trust.
Read our comprehensive Compliance Guide for Schools for more useful information on managing health & safety in educational establishments.