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Fire Protection Services

Fire Queen Limited offers a Comprehensive range of Fire Protection Services & Maintenance, but understanding what your business or premises need can seem complicated.

We have listed some of the more commonly questions Fire Queen get asked; if you have further questions please just call or fill in the contact form

Customer Support Team

0800 731 2748

To arrange a free survey or discuss your requirements with a Technical Advisor.

Fire Safety Products

Do you know which Fire Safety products your business or building needs; Fire Queen Limited will guide you to the right products for your specific needs.

We have listed some questions which we are frequently asked; if you need more help & can’t find the answer, call us on 0800 731 2748 or fill in the contact form

A. If you are the owner, employer or landlord then you are responsible for Fire Safety and are classed as the ‘Responsible Person’. The Responsible Person must;

  • Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment.
  • Consider people who may be at particularly risk
  • Eliminate or reduce any Fire Risks as far as possible
  • Provide Fire precautions to deal with any remaining risk
  • Put in place any additional Fire Safety measures where flammable or explosive materials are stored
  • Create an emergency plan and document their findings
  • Review their findings as necessary.

A. It is the responsibility of the management to make sure that staff are adequately training on what actions to do in the event of a fire. Training should be given at time of induction to the workplace or ideally in the first month of employment. It is down to the discretion of the management as to how often refresher training should take place, however it should be given at least once a year.

Training should be undertaken by a competent person and a record should be kept. It can be carried out in many ways such as in-house, class room based course or distance learning course.

Everything that staff members needs to know is comprehensively covered in the Esky Fire Safety training.

A. A Fire Risk Assessment is an evaluation of your place of work which will identify potential hazards and will determine any risks in your workplace.

Every business and block of flats is required by law to have an individual who is designated as the “Responsible Person” This person is responsible for the building’s fire safety.

The job of the designated Responsible Person is to ensure that all relevant fire safety tasks are conducted and that any necessary action is taken in order to prevent fires from occurring and to prevent death or injury if a fire takes place. But this is not an easy task and takes knowledge and experience.

As the responsible person is, you are the one who needs to ensure that a valid fire risk assessment is made on your building whether it is a residential dwelling or a business.

Small business owners are usually the Responsible Person for their premises unless someone else from the team is nominated.

For tower blocks and blocks of flats, the Responsible Person is usually the managing agent or landlord, but it may be a Residents’ Association member. If your business premises or apartment block  normally has over 4 residents at once, then you are legally required for your fire risk assessment to be documented.

You can find an example of a Fire Risk Assessment Form here

It is worth noting that the Responsible Person in blocks of flats is only responsible for common areas, e.g corridors, lifts, stairwells and lounges. Residents have responsibility for ensuring that their own flats are safe from fire.

The fire risk assessment should be completed by a “competent” individual. You don’t have to be a qualified Fire Risk Assessor, but you must be able to  fully assess your building or apartment block or premises against a whole range of factors.

A short guide to making your premises safe from fire is available RRO Making Premises Safe

We have provided an example of a Fire Risk Assessment Form that you can review. Fire Queen, as part of their Fire Protection Services can prepare a Fire Risk Assessment for your property or business.

FireRiskAssessmentForm

  • Check if staff have experienced any problems with the fire alarm system,
  • Check on false alarms
  • Check if there are any outstanding actions in the log book
  • Check mains and standby power supplies
  • Disconnect sounders
  • Inform Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) of temporary disconnection
  • Disconnect signalling
  • Test a minimum of one detector and one call point per zone
  • Check panel for ‘alarm’ indication
  • Reset the fire alarm system
  • Reconnect all sounders
  • Check ‘alarm’ indication on fire alarm panel
  • Check all sounders are functional
  • Check any auxiliary units
  • Confirm with ARC that test signal was received
  • Check all detectors and call points at least once a year
  • Check battery connections and fluid level
  • Repair any minor faults
  • Log date, time and results of test in Fire Safety Log Book
  • Answer any questions from the customer

A service call report sheet will be completed during your maintenance visit, which will record any deficiencies to the system and recommend work required to maintain a fully operational, compliant fire alarm system.

Most of the fire extinguishers that these shops sell are of the disposable type and cannot be serviced; instead they usually have a discard by or replace by date printed on the body somewhere. These fire extinguishers are really for cars, caravans and houses.

When you have a business, there are laws in place which require you to have the extinguisher regularly tested, so you should always make sure you buy one which can actually be tested.

I should ask an extinguisher company to check it for you.

The short answer is once every 12 – months; this is the recommendation of a code of practice written by the British Standards Institute called BS5306-3:2003. You can have the serviced more regularly if your Risk Assessment identifies the need, but most types of property and business stick with the annual check. Your own regular checks are also important; just to ensure that the fire extinguishers are still in position, have not been set off or damaged. These self checks should be done at least once a month and recorded in a register or fire logbook.

One answer is that it is a requirement of fire safety law and if you don’t have them regularly serviced, you are indeed breaking these laws. Practically however, fire extinguishers are mechanically operated items, most containing some kind of high pressure gas or charge inside. The service is to make sure that they will work if they are needed and that they are safe; otherwise they are just ornaments and may even be dangerous.

Your service provider should advise you on this but there is a British Standards code of practice called BS5306-8:2000 which covers the type and best locations to have your extinguishers.

I remember a few years ago when I started out as a service engineer, most rooms would have their own fire extinguisher, but nowadays they are generally put next to fire exits or on routes leading to the fire exits. This is to encourage people to make their way toward an exit, as this is usually where the fire alarm points are; then, once the alarm has been activated, you can pick up the fire extinguisher and walk back toward the fire knowing that the exit is clear behind you.

The Fire Brigade may be willing to give some training, but you will probably have go to one of their centres, and you will also have to pay for the course. We do provide the training and it will at your own premises. We have a number of different packages available ranging from free User Tutorials through to in depth Fire Warden training. If you complete the contact section on our website, somebody will ring you to discuss.

To be a competent person, the person should be registered as a BAFE Technician. This is the recognised standard for competency. Most types of fire extinguisher should be discharge tested and recharged once every five years. Exceptions are Co2 (carbon dioxide) which do not require a discharge test and some types of stored pressure Dry Powder which may be factory sealed or disposable in nature. Discharging water extinguishers is straight forward but environmental concerns need to be addressed when discharging foams and powders. It is also a good idea to let a member of staff discharge the extinguisher before it is recharged; there is no substitute for hands on training.

It is your decision as to whether this is acceptable as defined by your own fire risk assessment. I would advise that it is acceptable within limitations. Our own courses are charged for as a complete package and can accommodate up to 10 persons. The course costs £385 + vat; this covers all 10 persons. The course would still cost the same however if only 1 person attended, so it could make sense to included everyone to start with and deal with it in one hit.

Alternatively, the Fire Brigade and possibly some other organisations run courses where you could send one person, who would join people from other companies, but I do not know the cost of this.

 

The fire protection trade has a number or third party approval schemes looking at many aspects of the business.

By far the most important approval is BAFE.

Click this link for more information regarding BAFE and similar schemes that ensure quality and reliability.

The amount you should pay depends on the number and type of fire extinguishers you have, and also the type of service option.

I have asked one of our Technical Advisors to contact you; he will provide a quotation for us to carry out the service which you can compare with your current service provider.

Good question; it depends on a number of factors I suppose. If they are good quality, Kitemarked and purchased from a reputable supplier, they should last at least 10 years. Harsh environmental conditions, poor maintenance or misuse can drastically reduce this but you need to make sure the engineer explains or even shows you the ones which need replacing, as unfortunately; some firms operate commission based incentives.

This is Alcohol Resistant Foam. Are you using an alcohol based liquid where you work? Most foam extinguishers contain a type of foam which although effective on most types of solids and liquids, but it does not work on alcohol. The alcohol breaks down the normal foam, stopping it from creating a blanket over the burning material, so if you or the insurance company have identified an liquid containing alcohol, and it is in sufficient quantity or use to require a fire extinguisher, you need to specifically ask your service provider for AR Foam.

It sounds to me like you have used a Co2 (carbon dioxide gas) type. With you saying that it is black, it must be at least 12 years old as they all became red in 1996. You cannot just get it refilled because of its age; it must undergo something called an Overhaul Service which includes fitting a new valve, pressure testing the body and usually repainting. Most service providers will be able to swap your empty one for a full one which has undergone the Overhaul Service and as long as you have it checked every year it should last for 10 more years.

I guess it is because nobody has yet invented one which can put out all the different types of fire. Water is the traditional type and it does a good job on wood, paper, cloth etc. but it is not effective on burning liquids, gasses or electrical equipment.

Foam can do the job of water and most liquids but is more expensive and still not generally safe if used on electrical equipment.

Powder extinguishers come close to being truly multi-purpose as they work on everything water and foam can deal with, are safe with limited effectiveness on electrical equipment and can even be used on gas fires. The downside is they cause widespread dust which can cause problems with equipment, visibility and breathing.

Co2 extinguishers are the most effective on electrical equipment and can even be used on burning liquids in a limited capability, but they do not work well on wood, paper etc.

It gets more complicated with different types of foam, powder and even something called Wet Chemical, so it is important to survey your building and activity properly before deciding which types you need.

If you want to review all the types of extinguishers and which ones your business needs take a look here   or call our Customer Support Team on 0800 731 2748

Fire extinguishers are available in different types, with each one having specific fire classes that they are suitable for use on. Fire extinguishers meeting the current British Standards (BS EN3) should have a red body (RAL 3000) and an agent specific colour band, covering between 5-10% of the surface, relating to the extinguisher contents. Your building will probably need a range of different types, when you complete your Fire Risk Assessment you will identify the different fire hazards and will need to ensure that each fire type has the appropriate fire extinguisher. Fire Queen offer a range of services, we can produce a fire risk assessment and identify the measures required to ensure your building is fire safe. To review the different types of fire extinguishers we have compiled the details here

The starting point to identify what fire extinguishers, emergency lighting,  fire safety signage your business requires will be your Fire Risk Assessment. To understand what your responsibilities within fire safety for your building are you could refer to the BAFE website.

https://www.bafe.org.uk/fire-safety-for-your-business

Fire Queen is a full member of BAFE and can help your business with a range of Fire Protection services and Fire Safety Products.

The following information is provided for guidance purposes, and should not be relied upon for the purposes of a fire risk assessment, in which case, British Standard 5306-8:2000 should be referred to.

Fire extinguishers are ‘rated’ on their ability to extinguish test fires. In the case of class A, a wooden crib of specific size and length is ignited, and the amount of burning crib that can be extinguished is measured.

Traditionally, the ‘basic’ extinguisher for general use is the 9-litre water, which can extinguish 1.3m of the standard wooden crib fire, and is rated 13A (the decimal place is dropped). Ratings are marked on extinguisher bodies, e.g. 13A, 70B.

British Standard 5306 contains formulae for calculating the number of class A extinguishers as follows: floor area (m2) x 0.065 divided by the extinguisher rating.

This can be a little complicated for the layman, so to simplify things, as a rule of thumb in factories, offices and shops etc, one 13A extinguisher covers 200 square metres of floor area.

To calculate how many 13A extinguishers are required, divide the floor area by 200, and round up.

Example: floor area 1300 square metres:

1300 ÷ 200 = 6.5
Round up to 7
7 x 13A water based extinguishers.

There should be a minimum of 2 extinguishers per floor, unless the upper floor area is very small i.e. below 100m2, and in single occupancy, in which case, only one extinguisher is required on the upper floor.

Where it is desirable to have smaller, lighter extinguishers, foam, or water with additives, can be used to reduce weight whilst maintaining fire fighting capability. e.g. 6 Litre AFFF foam spray extinguishers are usually rated at 13A, but are approximately 30% lighter than 9 litre water.

Specialised extinguishers should also be provided to cover classes B (Liquids), D (Metals), E (fires involving electrical apparatus) and F (cooking oils and fats), e.g. foam, carbon dioxide or powder.

Location of Fire Extinguishers

Fire extinguishers should always be permanently mounted on wallbrackets or stands in conspicuous positions where persons following an escape route can easily see them, e.g. close to exits.

The intention is to encourage people to move towards the exit, rather than go further into danger. It is usual to locate extinguishers adjacent to fire alarm call points, so people can actuate the fire alarm before picking up an extinguisher.

Extinguishers should generally be situated so that it is not necessary to travel more than 30m to reach one.

Extinguishers provided for special fire risks should be sited near to the risk, but not so near as to be inaccessible or place the operator in undue danger from fire. e.g In a kitchen, next to the door rather than next to the cooker.

Mounting Fire Extinguishers

Small extinguishers weighing up to 4 kg should be mounted with the carrying handle about 1.5m from the floor, whilst larger, heavier extinguishers should be mounted with their handles at about 1m. Care should be taken to ensure that injury is not caused by extinguishers being dislodged and falling onto people.

Signs

The health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) regulations 1996 requires that where extinguishers are placed in positions hidden from direct view, their location should be indicated by signs and, where appropriate, directional arrows.

Excessive Temperatures

The contents and/or operation of extinguishers is affected by temperature, and extinguishers conforming to BS EN 3 are marked with their operating temperature range. Extinguishers should not be exposed to temperatures outside this range.

It is possible to obtain water and foam extinguishers containing anti-freeze.

If you are referring to the foam which is applied from a fire truck or tender, then, so far as I know, it does not have a gas. The foam is a solution of water and foam concentrate and is expelled by pressure from the mains water supply or a pump. It is likely that the nozzle has a means to draw in air as the solution flows through in order to aspirate (make it more foamy).

Foam from a fire extinguisher does have a gas; it is not there to generate the foam. In the absence of mains pressure or a pump, it is needed as an expellant. The gas used in this instance is usually nitrogen, but can also be carbon dioxide or simple compressed air.

Fire blankets and small fire extinguishers can be wallmounted at a maximum height of 1.5m to the top. Small extinguishers are anything up to 4kg in gross weight.

All extinguishers with a gross weight of more than 4kg can be wallmounted at a maximum height of 1m to the top.

Since1996, all approved fire extinguishers have been coloured red.

Water conducts electricity (in fact it is the impurities within the water) and so is unsafe to use on fires involving electricity. The current may not conduct along the actual jet of water, but it surely will travel along the floor or any other wetted surface.

Electricity itself does not burn; it has no substance. It is merely present when something else is on fire. Imagine a photocopier which is on fire and still plugged into the electrical supply; we would refer to this as an electrical fire, but if the electricity is switched off, it is actually the plastic components which are on fire.

This is one of the reasons why we have different types of fire extinguisher.

Fire Safety Legislation

The Law

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers general Fire Safety in England & Wales.

In Scotland, the requirements of general Fire Safety are covered in Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

In the majority of premises, local fire & rescue authorities are responsible for enforcing this Fire Safety legislation. The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) has enforcement responsibility for construction sites, nuclear premises, & on ships under construction or undergoing repair.

Here are some FAQ regarding Fire Safety legislation in the UK.

Who is Responsible for Your Fire Safety?

In most circumstances, the owner, employer or occupier of the premises is responsible for ensuring & maintaining correct Fire Safety & procedures; this person is known as the “Responsible Person”.

If you do not own your business premises & especially if you share a multi-occupancy building,  carefully check the terms of your lease. Generally, businesses are responsible for the part of the building they occupy.

As the Responsible Person, you must carry out a Fire Fisk Assessment of the premises & review it regularly; you must also share your findings with your staff & possibly the occupiers.

Here are some questions & answers about your Fire Safety Responsibilities.

Most fires are preventable. Those responsible for workplaces and other buildings to which the public have access can avoid them by taking responsibility for and adopting the right behaviours and procedures.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 covers general fire safety in England and Wales.

In Scotland, requirements on general fire safety are covered in Part 3 of the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005, supported by the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006.

In the majority of premises, local fire and rescue authorities are responsible for enforcing this fire safety legislation. HSE has enforcement responsibility on construction sites, for nuclear premises, and on ships under construction or undergoing repair.

For more information click here

A. It is the responsibility of the management to make sure that staff are adequately training on what actions to do in the event of a fire. Training should be given at time of induction to the workplace or ideally in the first month of employment. It is down to the discretion of the management as to how often refresher training should take place, however it should be given at least once a year.

Training should be undertaken by a competent person and a record should be kept. It can be carried out in many ways such as in-house, class room based course or distance learning course.

Everything that staff members needs to know is comprehensively covered in the Esky Fire Safety training.

A. A Fire Risk Assessment is an evaluation of your place of work which will identify potential hazards and will determine any risks in your workplace.

A “Safety Officer” has no legal powers, however, an Inspector from the Health and Safety Executive has the power to issue:

A Prohibition Notice which suspends an activity immediately until such time as either an appeal is successful (unlikely) or a dangerous procedure, machine or similar is made safe. (HASAW Act Section 22)

An Improvement Notice which requires low risk procedures or machines etc. to be rectified within a set period of time – which must be more than two weeks as there is a two week appeal allowed – again unlikely. (HASAW Act Section 21)

A Caution which specifies the hazard and which allows the person who has committed the misdemeanour to sign that he/she is aware that they have contravened the law and accepts responsibility. ( I have only seen one of these in 30 plus years!)

He can also issue a letter explaining where the faults are and the actions he would expect to rectify such faults. This is the usual way that the law is enforced.

You must schedule a full test of your emergency lighting solutions at least once every year. If your system is supposed to give you three full hours of light when the mains power goes off, the test has to last for at least three hours.

All emergency lighting systems should be tested monthly.  This is a short functional test in accordance with BS EN 50172:2004 / BS 5266-8:2004.

The duration of the test should be sufficient to ensure that the emergency light operates correctly, whilst minimising any damage to the system components

A written safety policy is required by anyone with five employees or more. Section 2(3) Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HASAW Act) – though the Act does not mention 5 employees!

There is not a definitive time frame (that I am aware off) for the frequency of this type of training, nor a duration for which a certificate lasts.

A fire risk assessment needs to ask if the training provided is sufficient; it needs a quantifiable answer based on your own circumstances.

If nothing has changed in the 10-year period and you are still up to speed with the information and techniques, you could argue that nothing further is required.

We normally follow the lead of other similar training courses such as First Aid and Health and Safety and go with a recommended period not exceeding 3 years between refresher courses.

In accordance with the British Standard code of practice [BS5306-3:2003] for maintenance of portable fire extinguishers, and BAFE Specification, all fire extinguishers must be serviced at least once every 12-months.

The water and foam units you have must also undergo a 5-yearly Extended Service [Discharge Test and Recharge].

There is not a requirement to have them replaced after 10-years, but some companies advise this at the end of a warranty period; usually 5 or 10 years.

In our experience, fire extinguishers can remain in service for up to 20-years where environmental conditions are favourable and proper maintenance is carried out.

An exception is factory sealed disposable units which should have a “discard by” date clearly printed on the body of the extinguisher; normally small capacity powder units designed for cars and purchased from high street stores.

A. If you are the owner, employer or landlord then you are responsible for Fire Safety and are classed as the ‘Responsible Person’. The Responsible Person must;

  • Carry out a Fire Risk Assessment.
  • Consider people who may be at particularly risk
  • Eliminate or reduce any Fire Risks as far as possible
  • Provide Fire precautions to deal with any remaining risk
  • Put in place any additional Fire Safety measures where flammable or explosive materials are stored
  • Create an emergency plan and document their findings
  • Review their findings as necessary.

A. It is the responsibility of the management to make sure that staff are adequately training on what actions to do in the event of a fire. Training should be given at time of induction to the workplace or ideally in the first month of employment. It is down to the discretion of the management as to how often refresher training should take place, however it should be given at least once a year.

Training should be undertaken by a competent person and a record should be kept. It can be carried out in many ways such as in-house, class room based course or distance learning course.

Everything that staff members needs to know is comprehensively covered in the Esky Fire Safety training.

A. A Fire Risk Assessment is an evaluation of your place of work which will identify potential hazards and will determine any risks in your workplace.

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