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Fire safety law in England and Wales changes on October 1 and Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service wants to make sure those affected are aware.
The new rules, approved by Parliament last year, will apply to virtually all premises and the legislation covers nearly every type of building, structure and open space except for private homes and individual flats in a block or house, although communal areas will be affected.
The main change sees the onus for fire safety now being placed fully on the person responsible for any premises in England and Wales where "people gather".
Put simply responsibility for fire safety will lay with:
* employers
* those who are self-employed with premises
* voluntary organisations
* people responsible for buildings with public access and
* any contractor who exercises a degree of control over any premises.
These ‘responsible persons’, as they are referred to in the legislation, will have a duty to ensure the safety of everyone who uses their premises and those in the immediate vicinity who may be at risk if there is a fire.
One of the main implications means these people will have to carry out a assessment of the risks of fire and take steps to reduce or remove that risk, something that must be reviewed regularly. Enforcement will, in most cases, be carried out in Norfolk by the fire and rescue service.
Chris Boulton, Area Manager (Fire Safety) at Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service, said: "The safety of the people of Norfolk is our priority and that will not change. What is changing is the fire safety law and our role within it. Responsibility for fire safety will lie with designated individuals who must ensure premesis comply with the law and our role is to help make sure that happens, especially in what might be considered the more high risk premises. We will look to resolve any issues through discussion where we can and ultimately we are all working towards the same end, namely protecting the people of Norfolk and making our already safe county even safer."
The Department for Communities and Local Government has been running a campaign to raise awareness of the new laws amongst those affected. They have targeted 1.6 million premises with a leaflet explaining the main changes and what needs to be done to comply with the Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 .
Anyone who believes they may be affected is can find further information at www.firesafetylaw.communities.gov.uk or Click Here for the Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service's pages on this subject.
For further information please contact:
Martin Barsby, Communications Officer, Norfolk County Council Fire Service
Tel: 01603 819759
Email : martin.barsby@fire.norfolk.gov.uk |
