New fire safety legislation for Scottish B&Bs

The Scottish Government has just revealed new and simplified fire safety measures to reduce the costs for owners of bed-and-breakfast establishments in the country.

Following a review of the current guidance, these new proposals are expected to slash the costs incurred to install the appropriate fire safety equipment on their premises by about 90 percent.

Community safety minister Fergus Ewing, who announced the new rules, said:

“The new measures reduce costs and red tape, while helping businesses continue to provide a safe environment for their guests.

“This is legislation that will help the people who need it most, during what has been a challenging economical climate, and will allow them to focus resources on providing the best service they can.”

In the past, the B&B owners were responsible for carrying out risk assessments and fire services also had authority in enforcing any necessary measures. Now, proprietors can apply the required fire safety cover as suitable for their property as part of an agreement with fire officials.

Hamish Fraser, chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) Highlands and Islands, explained:

“B&B and self-catering owners are determined to ensure the safety of their guests, but a better system needed to be found.

“The FSB engaged with government and fire officials with the aim of finding a solution to protecting the safety of guests while ensuring the tourism industry stayed competitive.

“Today’s publication is another step towards that goal.”

Ensure the safety of your hotel guests

There have been quite a few reports of hotel fires in the news recently, with old buildings in particular being especially susceptible to catching alight. Therefore, if you are a hotel owner or administrator of the premises it is necessary to consider arranging a fire safety risk assessment on the premises.

As you are primarily responsible for the people staying in your hotel you need to make sure that you have installed all the required fire fighting and safety equipment required by law. In addition to this you need to employ staff who are trained in fire safety and the set procedures to follow in the event of a fire.

Fire safety in places like hotels, guest houses or bed and breakfast establishments is unique to most other businesses in that the majority of the people on the premises are guests, not employees. Therefore, these people will not be aware of your fire safety policy and the procedures set in place.

A fire safety course for people working within the hospitality industry has been designed to train your staff as fire wardens, while particular emphasis will be given to important tasks such as checking that all guests have been accounted for, all rooms have been cleared and ensuring that everybody on the premises remains as safe as possible should an event like a fire occur.

Probe begins into Conservative club blaze

It has been reported that an investigation has been launched following a fire in a local Conservative club, which destroyed the building caused a number of homes in Newhaven to be evacuated in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Sussex Police have so far found nothing to suggest that arson was to blame, but the investigation is still in its early stages as it took some time before the site was deemed safe for examination.

Fire crews were called to the club at 10 to 1 on Saturday morning as the flames started to take hold of the premises. It took the firefighters 10 hours to bring the fire under control as the roof had caved in, causing a greater risk to the fire teams.

There were no major injuries reported, but a firefighter had to go to hospital for a broken hand.

Residents in homes close to the Conservative club in South Way had to be evacuated to safety and some roads are still closed to the public. Motorists have been advised to avoid this area of Newhaven.

The local people of Newhaven are in shock as the club was deemed part of its history and was used by many organisations in the East Sussex town.

Fire Warden Training – Newcastle

Very informative, very well presented, very relevant – SS

Very informative & useful, this training will easily be transfered to work & life, it was excellent – VM

Better than I thought really interesting too – DH

Well presented Dave kept everyone on task and interested – KC

Loved the course especially the demo’s that we did outside – MN

Very informative & clear, extremley relevant as responsible for children safety – LR

Very interesting & informative, relevant in the workplace and home too – RJ

Good mix of resources, very informative – JFG

The training has given us lots to work on in our setting, it has made me think of a fire instruction and what I can do at home – SC

Very informal and useful – KB

Fire fighters evacuate Essex hospital

A hospital in Chelmsford, Essex which provides out-patient services was evacuated last Thursday morning by fire crew, following a fire which started in a waiting room.

The fire was reported to have involved chairs catching fire and so everybody within St John’s Hospital in Wood Street had to be cleared from the building by the fire fighters.

When Essex Fire and Rescue Service arrived at the scene, the area was filled with heavy smoke and it took them 20 minutes to get the blaze under control. It was later revealed that nobody had been injured in the fire.

This situation just goes to show that fire safety in medical centres and hospitals is important, as you are dealing with members of the public who are coming and going from the premises at any given time. This is why, with this added degree of difficulty (in determining who is in the building at the time of a fire), staff need to be trained in handling these kinds of situations.

Another thing which needs to be taken into account is that many of the people at hospitals will be suffering from physical conditions and other ailments so your employees need to be aware of how to deal with these occurrences.

Therefore, it may be necessary to send your staff on a Fire Safety in Medical Centres and Hospitals course, which will cover all of the areas mentioned above, while incorporating the key points of the Fire Warden course too.