As we saw with the recent fire at St Mary’s Catholic Voluntary Academy in Derby, the impact of fire within a school can be devastating.
While thankfully no-one was injured during the incident, the long-term effects of building loss for staff, pupils, parents and the wider community is significant. Consequences include a risk to livelihoods, disruption to learning and an increase in financial strain for families, not to mention the ongoing emotional distress caused.
Schools are considered high risk premises when it comes to fire safety. This is due to several factors, such as the size of the building, the number of people occupying it at any one time, the vulnerability of young school children and the potential presence of hazardous materials. There is also an increased risk of arson due to the fact that buildings are often left unoccupied during the school holidays.
Senior management, and those responsible for fire safety within a primary school, must therefore ensure they have the skills and competency required to minimise the risk of fire – whether it applies to their own staff or individuals employed to carry out work on behalf of the school. So, what are the key considerations for primary leaders when it comes to ensuring fire safety best practice?
Schools are much more vulnerable
A study last year by Zurich found that English schools were ‘twice as likely’ to suffer fires than other buildings, with the study including personal inspections of over 1,000 primary and secondary schools. According to its findings, there is a ‘perfect storm’ of risky buildings and ‘poor fire detection and prevention measures’ at play in the UK, with the average fire risk ‘almost double that of non-residential buildings’.
Despite there being a ‘greater risk of a fire starting’, however, inspections by the insurer found that two thirds of schools lack adequate fixed fire protection measures such as sprinklers, while just under a quarter (24 per cent) were rated ‘poor’ for fire detection.
While there is an obvious risk to life in the event of a fire, the same research found that larger school fires cost an average of £2.8m to repair. This means that, although life preservation rightly remains the primary focus, senior management teams must also consider the longer-term financial impact a fire can have and the possibility that the school may not be able to recover following extreme fire damage.
The importance of sprinkler systems
The Government’s Building Bulletin 100 document outlines how school buildings should be designed safely. When it comes to sprinklers, official guidance currently states that “all new schools will have sprinklers fitted. Any exceptions to this will have to be justified by demonstrating that a school is low risk and that the use of sprinklers would not be good value for money”.
The Zurich study also found that only two per cent of the UK schools hit by fires in 2019 had sprinklers, and only 15 per cent of all new build schools constructed and opened in the UK since 2011 have had them fitted. This is a shocking statistic, especially as the installation of sprinklers can automatically reduce the risk of fire spread from the outset. The FPA advises all primary schools to have adequate fire safety systems in place, including sprinkler systems where possible. However, it is also understood that school staff will not always understand their legal obligations or have the skills required in the operation, maintenance and testing of systems.
By seeking support from an accredited third party, headteachers, governors and those responsible for fire safety within a school building can understand the importance of sprinkler systems, how they operate and why they must be maintained for them to work effectively should they be needed.
Building a foundation in fire safety
Legislation requires every school to carry out a fire risk assessment, which must identify hazards and people at risk and put general fire safety precautions in place to ensure the safety of pupils, staff and visitors. Fire hazards, once identified, should be removed or reduced. All staff can help with identifying and eliminating fire hazards and in ensuring that effective fire safety measures are maintained.
Those carrying out fire risk assessments must also have highly specialised knowledge of the specific risks posed in schools to ensure adequate mitigation through management processes and fire protection and prevention systems. Whether they appoint someone within the school as a fire risk assessor or use an external contractor, third party accreditation is the best way to ensure that individuals have the right level of knowledge, experience, and skills to act within best practice and ensure the school building, staff and pupils are not put at unnecessary risk. One of the FPA’s competency pillars is to be ‘self-aware’, which means knowing your limits and when to seek extra support from someone more knowledgeable.
A competent fire risk assessor will also need to identify potentially combustible and flammable materials within the school. This may include the oil used in canteens or kitchens, chemicals for science lessons, workshops or even large volumes of paper. A DSEAR (Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmosphere Regulations 2002) assessment may be necessary where there are risks posed by the storage and use of dangerous substances and may also be a legal requirement.
The fire risk assessment recommendations should be used for schools to build and implement a thorough fire strategy. Fire strategies are a fundamental part of any business’ continuity plan for protecting life and essential property. The British Standards Institution document, PAS 911, refers to a fire strategy as providing ‘a clear set of measures encompassing fire precautions, management of fire safety and fire protection’. It involves the development and implementation of policies that address relevant risks and procedures in line with objectives specific to the business, with an aim to reduce life risk while also protecting business procedures and assets. Although usually developed during the design and construction phase of a new building, this is not always the case and as such can be developed retrospectively.
Planning for evacuation
The fire strategy and fire risk assessment will also require the development and implementation of an effective fire evacuation plan. This should consider, by way of a person-centred assessment, the people at risk, where they are in the building, the risks that cannot be removed or reduced any further and the size/layout and use of the building.
It may be that the person responsible for evacuation is different to the school’s fire risk assessor. Either way, ensuring the safe and timely evacuation of staff, pupils and visitors is an important job, made more difficult by the volume of people that may be occupying the building at any one time. As such they must understand what is expected of them and the implications of not following evacuation plans thoroughly. At its simplest, fire evacuation officers must know where the fire alarm call-points are, as well as the escape routes from the building, designated assembly points and the location of any refuges in which disabled pupils, staff or visitors can wait for further assistance.
Some of the special actions the designated evacuation officer may need to carry out also include:
- Directing pupils in your control to the nearest exit and assembly point.
- Sweeping your area to ensure it is clear before leaving.
- Assisting disabled pupils or staff to the nearest refuge point or out of the building.
- Conducting a roll call or count at the assembly point.
- Switching off electrical equipment.
- Isolating laboratory or kitchen gas or power supplies.
- Ensuring you have received training for any additional duties you are required to perform.
- Participating in regular drills to ensure emergency plans can be put into action when needed.
Schools are one of the most vulnerable building types when it comes to fire, with lives put at risk and the continued and vital education of children jeopardised. As such, it is critical that headteachers and decision makers within schools take the necessary steps to ensure they are operating within fire safety best practice and seeking the appropriate, expert support that can help them minimise the very real risk of fire.
For more information, download the FPA’s free Guide to Fire Safety in Schools, which provides school leaders, governors, building managers and all those responsible for fire safety, with the basic steps that need to be taken to help maintain fire safety standards within a primary school.
What you need to do
Here are the FPA’s essential first steps for when an incident occurs:
- Raise the alarm – If you discover a fire, raise the alarm by shouting ‘FIRE!’ and triggering the nearest fire alarm call point. These will normally be situated on escape routes adjacent to final exits and doors to stairs.
- Call the fire and rescue service – This task will usually be a designated responsibility of, for example, the school secretary or a senior staff member with ready access to a telephone. Some schools may have a monitored alarm and will need to call their alarm receiving centre to confirm there is a fire. What to tell the operator: the location and severity of the fire; whether people are trapped on the premises and whether highly flammable, compressed gases or hazardous substances may be involved.
- Evacuate the building – On hearing the fire alarm, all staff, pupils and visitors should leave the building using the nearest fire escape route and go directly to the nearest assembly point. This should be located outside and away from the building.
- Account for everyone – Once classes have assembled, staff must account for all pupils in their care. This is usually done through a roll call or count. The roll call must include any visitors or contractors. Never re-enter the building until advised by the fire and rescue service or other authorised person that it is safe to do so.
Claire Wright, Head of Training at the Fire Protection Association (FPA)
