Issue 24.3 | EDUCATION BUSINESS MAGAZINE
Written by the Fire Industry Association (FIA)
A false alarm The Chief Fire Officer’s Association (CFOA), in combination with the FIA, highlighted the impact of unwanted fire signals. The publication, ‘Reduction of Unwanted False Alarms 2010’, states that unwanted fire signals divert ‘essential services from emergencies, putting life and property at risk’, are ‘a drain on public finances’, and are a ‘disruption to training of operational From educating pupils about the dangers of false alarms, to personnel’. In the period between December 2014 and March of 2015, Fire considering the flammability of paper display boards, fire safety and Rescue Services in Glasgow attended in schools is more complex than you think. The Fire Industry premises with false alarms 1908 times – Association shares what you need to know an outstanding average of 119 times per week. Figures for other cities across the UK are the same or even worse than this. Additionally, on a more school-based level, there are further impacts for false alarms. The FIA spoke with a number of teachers to gain further insight into the consequences of false alarms. Jason Pickett, a Year 6 teacher from Berkshire noted that false alarms ‘cause disruption to lessons’ and can also cause teachers to ‘lose preparation time’. When it comes to false alarms, it’s all a matter of education. If the bright young ones of the school discover that pressing a fire alarm button (technically known as a manual call point or MCP) equals ‘out of lessons excitement’ as Pickett put it, then there are two strategies you can try. First, educate everyone New about the dangers of false alarms. Second, researc install covers from BR h E over the manual a n FIA has d call point to The issue of fire safety within schools is and hospitals have a ‘duty to s h o w n detecto avoid damage a sensitive one; there are many factors take general fire precautions’ rs can a that ctivate or deliberate to consider, especially in a place where in order to minimise the risk from fa ults if t activation in the parents place their trust in the school to of fire. A ‘responsible person’ he are not case of a nonsafeguard their children from harm. has the duty to ensure the correctly y fire. A localised A school that makes inadequate provisions safety of employees and ‘all installe d or ‘squawk alarm’ towards their fire safety could suffer from relevant persons who are not mainta can also be put in routine disorganisation and disarray when employees’, i.e. the children, ined place as a second practising a regular fire drill, or worse, any contractors or agency staff, deterrent, so that when actual fatalities in the event of a real fire. or other general visitors onsite. the cover is lifted, a sound is Thankfully, government statistics for 2013 In the case of a school, the ‘responsible created specific to that call point. In that 2014 show that schools have the lowest person’ could be someone within the instance, teachers can react, preventing the rate of non-fatal casualties in the UK, with local authority for state maintained fire alarm from being activated and give only four in 1,000 fires creating casualties. schools, the person who has control of the appropriate discipline to the child activating However, in a place where potentially hundreds premises (e.g. a caretaker or health and the alarm for the fun of getting out of class. of both staff and children are present, the safety manager), the headteacher, or a However, false alarms are not just a result case for minimising the risk is still strong. nominated deputy. It would be their duty of deliberate or malicious activation. It is a sad fact that the Fire Industry to ensure that all fire risk assessments Association (FIA) noted that in 2011/12 are regularly reviewed (and up-to-date), Faulty installations there were 700 fires in schools in the UK. The that the maintenance of the fire safety New research from the Building Research effects on schools can be devastating – loss equipment and alarm system is routinely Establishment (BRE) in conjunction with the of educational buildings, a drop in teacher carried out, and to schedule routine testing FIA has shown that detectors can activate and pupil morale, perhaps even disruption of all equipment pertaining to fire safety. from faults if they are not correctly installed to those all-important exams and a real A paper produced by HM Government or maintained, or even from dust or steam. At and actual loss to valuable teaching time. entitled ‘Fire Safety Risk Assessment – this precise moment in time, it is unclear as to Educational premises’ highlights the need to whether the age of the detector is a factor in The ‘responsible person’ identify high-risk individuals, and to ‘inform the creation of false alarms from malfunctions, Who is accountable for ensuring pupil students of the relevant risks to them’, as but some European Union countries such as safety, and maintaining a robust fire safety well as provide them with ‘information about Austria and Germany recommend replacing management strategy? The Regulatory Reform who are the nominated competent persons’ smoke detectors every eight years. Certainly (Fire Safety) Order 2005 clearly outlines that and the fire safety procedures. Whilst many a study by Kings College London reported E all non-residential buildings, such as schools schools are highly efficient at ensuring their
Fire Safety
Fire safety in schools is a complex issue
pupils understand what to do in the event of an alarm, they perhaps may not highlight to staff and children the cost of false alarms.
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