Closing fire risk assessment actions with Automist

A fire risk assessment is how the various potential threats by fire to life and property can be exposed, to identify the general fire precautions to be taken. As noted above, it is one of the duties with which the responsible person is charged by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRFSO).

There are five key steps:

• Identify the fire hazards, including the three elements of the fire triangle: heat/sources of ignition; sources of fuel; and sources of oxygen. 
• Identify the people at risk: this includes people in and around the premises and those who are especially vulnerable in a fire situation, such as the disabled.
• Evaluate, remove, or reduce, and protect from risk: this includes an evaluation of the risk of a fire starting and the risk to people from a fire; the removal and/or reduction of fire hazards or risks to people from a fire; and the supply of fire protection.
• Record, plan, inform, instruct, and train: this includes recording any major findings and appropriate action taken; the preparation of an emergency plan; informing and instructing relevant people.
• Review: the fire risk assessment must be regularly reviewed and changes to the plan of execution made, as necessary.
   

How can Automist help?

Step three of the Fire Safety Risk Assessment duties the responsible person with the protection of people and property from the risk of fire. This does not simply involve the removal or reduction of fire hazards but also the introduction of measures to enable the rapid and efficient evacuation of people from the properties in a fire situation and to limit the damage to property caused by the smoke and flames.

Examples of such measures include the installation of Automist which uses an electronic trigger to operate earlier before the temperature required to burst the glass bulb of a traditional concealed sprinkler. This helps to reduce smoke and maintain survivable conditions, as the accumulation of toxic gases is the biggest killer in domestic fires. Automist can be retrofitted with minimal disruption on a flat-by-flat basis – enabling social landlords to prioritise works based on the individual needs of their residents and fire safety requirements.