1. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Fire Safety & Housing Paul Dryden Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service

2. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service How did we get here? Legislative Background Stakeholder Working Group Joint Protocol Guidance Next steps

3. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Legislative Background Two major pieces of legislation were being drafted by teams in adjacent offices at ODPM

4. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Why two pieces of legislation? The Housing Act 2004 applies to all residential housing and deals with all aspects of ‘fitness’ The Fire Safety Order deals with fire safety issues in all premises except private domestic areas

5. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

6. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The Housing Act 2004 Covers every type of residential property Tenure neutral Uses Housing Health & Safety Rating System (HHSRS) to ensure safety is at least ‘average’ Sets some mandatory conditions for all HMO’s Introduces mandatory licensing of some HMO’s

7. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The Fire Safety Order 2005 Carry out a risk assessment Make premises as safe as reasonably practicable Dynamic – changes depending on the risk Onus on the ‘responsible person’ Relevant persons?

8. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Fire Safety Order 2005 Only applies to ‘common areas’ but will need to take in account risk generated in private areas Does apply to common systems… Does apply when a ‘prohibition order is considered

9. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service What are the issues? Overlap in powers Dual enforcement Article 43 of the FSO Mandatory licensing conditions

10. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Happy days? Prescribed standards Appropriate extractor fans, fire blankets and fire doors Appropriate fire precaution facilities and equipment must be provided

11. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Stakeholder Group Brought together in October 2006 To develop a generic protocol that can be offered to Housing Authorities and Fire and Rescue Authorities to adopt to assist both enforcing authorities to work efficiently in managing the fire risk in housing.

12. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service

13. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Everybody has days that make them think - ‘what was going on in my head when I did that’

14. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The Protocol A protocol has been drawn up to avoid dual enforcement as far as possible This sets out which regulator will normally take the lead

15. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service However…. Both Authorities can always take action in any property where it is more appropriate Depending on available resources either Authority may inspect Data should be shared so that guidance and enforcement is more efficient

16. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The Protocol Allowed…consensus to emerge between four hundred local authorities, forty-two fire and rescue authorities and several landlord or managing agent associations.

17. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Guidance To consider the advantages and scope … of written guidance to assist operators and enforcing authorities to comply with legislation and apply physical and management standards in a fair, consistent and proportionate manner.

18. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service LACORS offered to manage the process and the cost was jointly shouldered by LACORS, CIEH & CFOA Published July 2008

19. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Is it any good?

20. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Pragmatic Fire Safety? Guided by practical experience and observation rather than theory Pragmatism allows fire safety provisions which are manageable in environments that are not subject to constant management

21. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The hot water heating system is unsuitable for safe use

22. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Protected Routes Ideally 30 min F/R with fire doors with strips and seals But “Sound construction” of escape route allowed in Single family houses with 2, 3 and 4 storeys Shared houses with 2 storeys Bedsit HMO’s with two storeys No ‘egg box’ doors and good partitions

23. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Sound construction

24. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service The other side! Couple fast asleep upstairs for several hours

25. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Lobbies No lobbies required on any type of tenure until more than 4 floors

26. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Who is this protecting?

27. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Fire Detection and Warning All AFD and Warning systems based on BS 5839 Part 6 No BS 5839 Part 1 requirements unless part of a mixed commercial/residential building

28. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Appropriate levels of detection? The emphasis is on suitable detection and warning whilst managing false alarms We know from experience that excessive false alarms lead to disabling the system Striking a balance

29. The Chief Fire Officers’ Association The professional voice of the UK fire and rescue service Thank you… Any Questions?