Fire Policy

It is the policy of Loughborough University to ensure that all employees, students, contractors, and visitors are protected from the risks of fire. To achieve this aim, appropriate fire prevention/precaution measures shall be taken, including minimising the spread of smoke. Also, appropriate evacuation procedures shall be developed, implemented, and periodically tested. All persons shall be provided with sufficient appropriate fire awareness training and instruction. All premises shall comply with relevant fire safety legislation and recognized good practice.

The regulatory framework within which the University operates is provided by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RR(FS)O 2005). This legislation is enforced by the local Fire and Rescue Service, and therefore Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service for most of the University’s estate.

The legislation places a responsibility on a nominated Responsible Person to take general fire precautions as far as is reasonably practicable as to ensure the safety of employees, visitors, and contractors whilst on the Responsible Person’s premises.

Fire safety is also governed by the Building Regulations 2010. It applies to all new buildings and many refurbishment projects. Compliance with Building Regulations 2010 is required by law for all new University buildings. Breaches of Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 can result in legal action taken by the enforcing authority.

This policy details the roles and responsibilities specific for fire safety.

• Combustible material A substance that can be burned.
• Competent person A person with enough training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable them to assist in undertaking the preventative and protective measures.
• Dangerous substance A substance which because of its physico-chemical or chemical properties and the way it is used or is present at the workplace creates a risk.
• Escape routes Routes forming that part of the means of escape from any point in the premises to a final exit.
• False alarm A fire signal, usually from a fire warning system, resulting from a cause other than a fire.
• Fire door A door or shutter, together with its frame and furniture, provided for the passage of people, air or goods which, when closed, is intended to restrict the passage of fire and/or smoke to a predictable level of performance.
• Flammable material Easily ignited and capable of burning rapidly.
• Means of escape Routes provided to ensure safe egress from premises or other locations to a place of total safety.
• Responsible person The person ultimately responsible for fire safety as defined in the RR(FS)O.

Duties and responsibilities of the “Responsible Person”, “Competent Person” and “Duty Holder” and provided below.

The University will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the risk associated with fire will be managed in compliance with the following:

• The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974; (the Act), sets out the general duties which employers have towards employees and members of the public, and employees have to themselves and to each other. These duties are qualified in the Act by the principle of ‘so far as is reasonably practicable’. In other words, an employer does not have to take measures to avoid or reduce the risk if they are technically impossible or if the time, trouble or cost of the measures would be grossly disproportionate to the risk.
• The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 generally make more explicit what employers are required to do to manage health and safety under the Act. Like the Act, they apply to every work activity. The main requirement on employers is to carry out a risk assessment. Employers with five or more employees need to record the significant findings of the risk assessment.
• The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, (RR(FS)O); implements a risk-based approach to fire safety in community, industrial and business premises. It requires the responsible person (usually the employer, owner or occupier) to carry out a fire safety risk assessment and implement appropriate fire precautionary and protection measures, and to maintain a fire management plan.
• The Building Regulations 2010; set out the minimum requirements and basic performance standards designed to secure the health, safety, and welfare of people in and around buildings.
• The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR); require employers to protect workers from the risks from explosive atmospheres. To ensure compliance, Departments and Professional Services are required to:

1. Carry out a risk assessment of any work activities involving dangerous substances;
2. 2. Provide technical and organisational measures to eliminate or reduce as far as is reasonably practicable the identified risks;
3. 3. Provide equipment and procedures to deal with accidents and emergencies;
4. 4. Provide information and training to employees;
5. 5. Classify places where explosive atmospheres may occur into zones and mark those zones where necessary

The University has a responsibility to ensure that we can safely evacuate all occupants of all our buildings. To achieve this, the University will establish a system of personal emergency evacuation plans (PEEPS) and generic emergency evacuation plans (GEEPS), in order to support those who are unable to self-evacuate and those who require additional support. Responsibility for ensuring completion for PEEPS lies with the line manager or disability liaison officer (DLO) in the case of students, however, this process should be collaborative and must include consultation with the individual in question. The University Health and Safety Service and specifically the Fire Safety Team are available to offer support and guidance.

In accordance with fire safety legislation, controlled fire evacuation drills will be implemented or overseen by the University Health and Safety Service for all appropriate University buildings, at least annually.

The drills will monitor the effectiveness of the local evacuation procedures and, where necessary, identify required changes. They will also be used to time the evacuation and compare to a previously determined acceptable time for the relevant building, based on national standards and accepted good practice. In cases where the evacuation takes longer than the expected time, a second drill may be carried out at a later date.

Halls of residence must have completed an evacuation drill by the 2nd week of the 1st semester and a second evacuation drill no later than the 4th week of the 2nd semester.

Reports on the effectiveness of drills will be produced by the Wardens team for each Hall and a copy sent to the University Fire Officer or their Deputy. A standard fire evacuation report form is at Appendix D – Fire Evacuation Exercise Report.

All fire alarms in University buildings will be tested at designated times, Monday to Friday of each week, (as agreed with the University Health and Safety Service). Details of the tests should be entered into the test register which is supplied by the University Health and Safety Service. It is the responsibility of Deans of School, Directors and Head of Professional Service and the Director of the residential organization to nominate an employee to carry out these tests and complete the test register. Defects must be reported immediately to the Maintenance Engineer within Estates and Facilities Management with jobs entered on Archibus. In the event of a complete system failing, the University Health and Safety Service and University Fire Officer or their Deputy should be informed immediately; in turn temporary portable alarms will be provided for distribution throughout the building where possible and appropriate.

All new employees shall be given local fire safety induction training by their Departmental Safety Officer (DSO), or other appropriate person, in the first week of employment. This will include identification of escape routes, location of fire extinguishers and call points, where the assembly point is and any local hazards that they need to be aware of.

Deans of School, Directors and Head of Professional Service must ensure that Fire Marshals have been appointed and have been trained by the University Health and Safety Service.

The Department of Student Services must ensure that all Sub Wardens are trained or have received refresher training, annually before commencement of the academic year. This will include but not limited to evacuation requirements and procedures, reporting incidents, and completing personal emergency evacuation procedures (PEEPs).

Residential students are obliged to attend a fire safety induction session provided by the Hall Warden team. During the session, students will be made aware of the relevant precautions and procedures for the specific residence and will be made aware of the dangers and penalties associated with tampering with fire safety equipment.

The evacuation procedures and the location of assembly points shall be displayed on Fire Action Notices located at strategic points throughout University buildings.

When new buildings or significant alterations are being planned (including change to the premises, organisation or the activities), the Estates and Facilities Management Project Managers shall ensure that the requirements of relevant fire safety legislation, fire risk assessments and recognised standards are considered and that the proposed building/facilities meet the requirements of the University Fire Design Strategy. Details of the proposals shall also be sent to the University Fire Officer or their Deputy and the University Health and Safety Service, who will check them for compliance with fire safety legislation, standards, and good practice.

In accordance with the RR(FS)O 2005, fire risk assessments shall be carried out by the University Fire Officer, their Deputy, or another competent person for every applicable University building and reviewed in accordance with the target frequency illustrated in . The fire risk assessments shall be amended as necessary when circumstances require it (e.g. building changes). They shall be reviewed whenever any changes to structure, layout or usage of the building takes place to ensure their on-going relevance and adequacy.

Supervisors and line mangers shall, as part of their day-to-day duties and during inspections, ensure that fire safety precaution and prevention measures are in place and are working as they are intended to.

Departmental Safety Officers’ shall monitor local arrangements for the provision of training, etc. to ensure that they work satisfactorily.

Fire safety shall be included in audits of departmental and Professional Service safety management system carried out by the University Health and Safety Service.

Operational or Security personnel who become aware of a fire-related incident shall report it as soon as possible to the University Health and Safety Service. In cases where this is done verbally or where health and safety personnel attend fires or false alarms, the standard fire incident report form shall still be completed and forwarded to the University Health and Safety Service using the Assure Go+ reporting system.

Where and when appropriate, a member of the University Health and Safety Service shall carry out an investigation and make recommendations in accordance with health and safety policy.

Data provided by completed incident forms and subsequent investigations shall be analysed periodically by the University Health and Safety Service to identify trends and make recommendations. Appropriate reports shall also be provided to the Health, Safety and Environment Committee and other bodies as required.