Fire Safety Policy

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This organisation believes that staff and service users should be as safe as possible from the threat of fire or from injury in the case of an outbreak of fire. The organisation believes that the best way to ensure this state of safety exists is to have robust fire policies and procedures in place, to ensure that all staff are well trained to cope with an outbreak of fire or an alarm on the premises, and to ensure that appointed fire wardens are in place in accordance with the law.

To this end Stalybridge Music Academy adheres to Outcome 10: Safety and Suitability of Premises of the Essential Standards of Quality and Safety and Regulation 15: of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2010 which relates to

“Safety and suitability of premises; People receive care in,

work in or visit safe surroundings that promote their wellbeing.”

And ensures that the staff understand what to do in the event of an emergency at your music lesson.

Aim of the Policy

This policy is intended to set out the values, principles and policies underpinning this organisation's approach to fire safety. The aim of the organisation is to ensure that, as far as is possible, fires are prevented and that, in the event of a fire, staff know exactly what to do and how to react.

The goals of the organisation are:

To minimise the risk of workplace fire by the use of adequate fire prevention and risk assessment techniques.
To ensure that all staff understand what to do in the event of a fire to ensure that all staff attend fire training at least annually.
To ensure that, in the event of a fire, the Organisations premises can be evacuated as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible.

Stalybridge Music Academy adheres to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. A fire evacuation plan should be agreed as part of the initial health and safety risk assessment in any new premises, or places where the staff of Stalybridge Music Academy are currently undertaking their duties.

The plan should note:

Escape routes.
Fire risks
Evacuation risks.
1. (Is the service user immobile or disabled?
2. Is the evacuation route restricted?)
3. Where evacuation or fire risks are high then professional fire advice should be sought.
4. All service users should be encouraged to adopt fire awareness behaviours.
5. Special evacuation arrangements should be made for service users with limited mobility, wheelchairs or sensory impairments.

On the discovery of or suspicion of a fire staff should:

Remain as calm as possible and raise the alarm immediately.
On the discovery of or suspicion of a fire: staff should remain as calm as possible.
The first person aware of the fire or on the scene should raise the alarm immediately by operating the nearest break glass fire alarm or by shouting: "Fire".
If the suspicion is raised by seeing smoke coming from under a door or by seeing smoke in a closed room staff should on no account attempt to open the door but should raise the alarm and summon the fire brigade as quickly as possible
Evacuate the premises immediately, helping any service users, visitors or relatives on the premises to evacuate as per the evacuation plan
Ensure that everybody who was in the premises is accounted for
Close all doors upon leaving call the fire brigade if not already done
Ensure that any person not accounted for is immediately reported to a fire brigade officer on arrival
Contact the Organisation's head office or on-call if out of hours and report the fire.
Record the details of the incident in the Incident Book in the Administrative Office and fill out any accident forms in the event of injuries.
Staff should:
- Never stop to collect valuables or possessions.
- Never use lifts (except for disabled stair lifts where there is no alternative means of transporting a service user downstairs).
- Never open doors where they can see smoke coming through, unless that is the only means of escape
- Never attempt to re-enter the building until told it is safe to do so by a fire brigade officer. In the Organisation's Premises
Small fires can be fought with the appropriate fire extinguisher, but only if safe to do so and only if the alarm has been raised.
In the event of a fire or of the fire alarm sounding staff should:
- Evacuate the building immediately and go to the nearest designated fire assembly point.
- Remain as calm as possible and help any service users, visitors, disabled persons or contractors on the premises to evacuate.
- Where possible and safe to do so, check all rooms (in particular toilets) to ensure nobody remains in them or are trapped
- Close all doors ensure that any person not accounted for is immediately reported to the organisation manager (or deputy), nominated fire wardens or directly to a fire brigade officer.
The On Duty Fire Safety Warden and is responsible for ensuring that:
- The fire brigade has been called to any fire by dialling 999 and asking for Fire Service
- The fire brigade is met on arrival
- The Fire Sheet is removed from the building and used to account for staff and visitors by roll call
- Any person not accounted for is immediately reported to the fire brigade upon arrival.
The Nominated Fire Safety Warden is responsible for ensuring that:
- Supervising evacuation assembly points
- Carrying out roll calls
- Liaising with the fire brigade on arrival.
Fire Risk Assessment Protocol The Duty Director or their proxy who is the nominated Fire Warden is responsible for carrying out.
- Fire Risk Assessments.
Daily Checks (usually at close of day)
- That all fire doors are closed.
- That all fire exits and stairways are free of clutter.
- That all unnecessary electrical equipment and heaters are turned off.
- That store rooms or rubbish areas do not have smouldering fires.
- That areas where contractors have been working are free of fire hazards.
Weekly checks
- That alarm systems function and can be heard in all parts of the building.
- That all fire fighting equipment is in good repair and are in place.
- That stocks of flammable materials or gases are kept to an absolute minimum and are stored safely away
- That all goods and boxes are safely stored away to minimize clutter, reduce the fuel available to a fire and to enable people to exit the building safely in the event of an emergency.
- That all Fire Instruction and No Smoking notices are in place and have not been obscured.
- That individual rooms do not contain obvious fire hazards such as overfull waste baskets or portable heaters placed close to curtains.
- That all electrical equipment is free of obvious defects such as worn or broken cables and leads.
- That organisation security arrangements are all in place discouraging arson.
Annual checks:
- That fire alarm systems, smoke detectors, emergency lighting, sprinkler systems and firefighting equipment are serviced on an annual basis.
Administrative Guidelines: Full records of fire precautions should be kept in the Fire Log. This information should be entered by the Fire Safety Lead or by one of the designated Fire Wardens and should include:
- For fire drills: the times and dates of drills and the time between sounding the alarm and the last person leaving the building.
- For fire alarm tests: the times and dates of tests.
- For fire fighting equipment, alarms and fittings such as emergency lighting: the times and dates of inspections, of replacements and of servicing. For training: times and dates of training events, who attended and what was covered.
- Registered Manager or Nominated Fire Warden is responsible for ensuring that the Fire Sheets are kept up to date.
Personnel The Fire Safety Lead is responsible for ensuring that the correct fire procedures and arrangements are in place.
- The fire safety lead for the organisation is Andrew Moss Fire wardens are responsible for supporting the fire safety lead are Dru Brumpton-Turner, Chris Caton-Greasley, David Bevins and Rob Cicchirillo
- All new staff should be encouraged to read the policy on fire safety as part of their induction process.
- All members of staff should be aware of the procedures in case of a fire at the organisation premises.
- They should also all be aware of how they must respond in the event of an emergency.
- The Operations Director & Fire Safety Lead are responsible for organising and coordinating fire training.
All new and existing staff should know:
- Who is responsible for ensuring the correct fire procedure is carried out
- Who the fire wardens are.
- The location and usage of all fire extinguishers and where special extinguishers (e.g. those suitable for use on electrical equipment) are located.
- The location of break glass fire alarm points.
- The emergency fire evacuation procedures.
- How to use the telephone systems to call for the fire brigade.