Firefighters' Industrial Action - Additional
Fire Safety Advice for Schools
A firefighters' strike does not by itself make fires any
more likely - in school or anywhere else. Schools should
open as normal, but extra vigilance and contingency
planning will both be necessary.
The advice below is intended to help schools to prevent
fires, to get help quickly if there is a fire, and to make
advance arrangements that will minimise the chances of a
fire turning into a disaster.
This advice is intended for schools but much will
also be relevant to other types of educational
establishment.
Both staff and pupils should be encouraged to visit the
website
www.firekills.gov.uk
for advice on fire safety in the home.
Contingency planning
- Check that staff, pupils and regular visitors know
what to do in the event of fire and that evacuation
procedures actually work - have a fire drill now.
- Consider whether there are ways of minimising
disruption caused by the loss of irreplaceable
paperwork, e.g. by keeping duplicate copies of critical
coursework elsewhere or in a secure fire resistant
store.
- Consider and plan how to handle non-fire
emergencies - such as a jammed lift - for which you
might otherwise have phoned the fire brigade. Contact
and confirm with the local council any revised
arrangements for handling flooding or similar incidents
in the school.
- Make sure all maintenance agreements are
up-to-date, and that fire safety equipment such as fire
alarms and fire-fighting equipment has been
checked.
- Review internal arrangements for the safe storage
and handling of chemicals, e.g. those used in science
work and in swimming pools.
- Schools with a history of wilful fire raising
incidents might want to consider whether additional
precautionary measures are needed (e.g. night
watches).
- Check that insurance arrangements are up to
date.
Planning for Special Circumstances
- Review arrangements for activities out of school
hours. In particular, check that staffing levels are
adequate and that staff are aware of evacuation and
safety procedures. Consider the need for an accurate
record of who is present outside normal lesson time
where this is practical. Consider whether special
activities and events such as firework displays may
need to be cancelled or moved to another site.
- Consider whether additional staff will be needed to
help with the evacuation of boarding schools, special
units and any other premises that have pupils with
disabilities or special educational needs. Emergency
evacuation plans may need to be at individual pupil
level, e.g. where complex lifting and handling, or
behaviour management is required.
- Schools that have pupils with disabilities or
special educational needs could consider preparing a
"pack" to have available in case of emergency
evacuations. This could include a register of pupils
with their individual medical and medicine needs, a
portable medicine safe (including instructions on
application) and any essential emergency medical
equipment.
Fire Prevention
- Consider stopping 'hot work' during the course of a
dispute, especially that related to construction and
maintenance.
- Ensure all fire doors are kept closed to limit the
spread of fire and smoke.
- Keep premises clear of all kinds of refuse and
waste both internally and externally.
- Keep readily combustible materials in a safe
place.
- Ensure that all electrical equipment and
installations are regularly tested and maintained and
that any defects are reported promptly.
- Ensure heating appliances are a safe distance from
woodwork and combustible materials.
- Ensure every point of entry is secure against
intruders.
- Check last thing at night to ensure that equipment
is safely shut down, no cigarettes are left smouldering
and that fire doors are closed etc.
In the Event of a Fire:
- Sound the fire alarm and ensure complete evacuation
as quickly as possible.
- Unconfirmed automatic fire alarms that alert local
fire services will generally not be given priority. It
is essential to
dial 999 to confirm a fire has
occurred and assistance is needed.
- Ensure you provide the operator with an accurate
street address to assist the attending crews
- Let the operator know whether there are people on
the premises and how many (because people will get
priority). This is particularly important if people are
present outside normal school hours e.g. breakfast
clubs, after-school activities.
- Let the operator know if there are people with
restricted mobility on the premises.
- Let the operator know if the fire involves highly
combustible or hazardous substances (e.g. cooking oil
in kitchens, chemicals in science laboratories).
- Arrange for someone knowledgeable to be stationed
at the entrance to guide the crew on the layout of the
premises, position of the nearest fire hydrants
etc.
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