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Fire Protection in Care Homes

December 15, 2020/0 Comments/in Fire Protection, Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

A government report relating to fire showed that 47% of all fatalities from fires in England were people aged 65 and above with the most common cause being overcome by gas and smoke. Based on this the elderly are 10 times more likely to die in a fire than young people. For this reason, it is paramount that fire procedures within care homes must be meticulous. There is a lot more to consider than just a clearly signed fire exit or strategically placed fire extinguisher.  Care home residents are often less mobile or completely bed bound, they could suffer from illnesses such as dementia or hard of hearing. All of these health issues pose significant concerns when considering fire safety and protecting residents in the event of a fire.

Who is Responsible?

Fire safety measures and the requirements are covered under the Fire Safety Order and the Care Act which is regulated by the Care Quality Commission. Under the Fire Safety Order, a responsible person must be appointed to have overall responsibility for fire safety. This is the employer, owner or controller of the premises. In a care home, the responsible person is usually the care manager.

The appointed responsible person/care manager is required to do the following:

  • Take all reasonable fire safety precautions to protect their staff and residents
  • Carry out a fire safety risk assessment and have it reviewed regularly
  • Eliminate or reduce dangerous substances within the care home
  • Premises is fitted with appropriate fire-fighting and fire detection equipment
  • Routes to fire exits are clear of obstructions
  • Carry out fire evacuation drills and ensure plan is sound
  • Appoint fire wardens to assist in managing fire safety
  • Ensure all dangerous substances used within the care home are labelled and stored away
  • Maintain fire protection systems to ensure they are working
  • Ensure fire safety procedures are communicated to employees and visitors
  • Train all employees on fire safety

Completing a Fire Risk Assessment

It is a legal requirement for the responsible person to get a fire risk assessment done for the care home premises and it will need to be reviewed and updated as appropriate. The fire risk must show that reasonable precautions are taken against all risks identified in order to protect the safety of their employees and residents. As care homes are high risk, the responsible person would need to ensure that the person carrying out the risk assessment has sufficient qualifications in fire safety.

The risk assessment is required to identify the potential ways a fire could start within the care home, identify all the people at risk, evaluate those risks and what steps are going to be taken to remove or reduce them and include evacuation plans, routes and trainings that staff and residents will have relating to fire safety.

Evacuation Plans, Drills and Training

The responsible person must devise an evacuation plan for the care home. It is a legal requirement for this to be in place and it must be frequently rehearsed in the form of a drill. Employees will need to be aware of the evacuation plan and when drills are to take place. Additionally, fire wardens must be appointed, the number required is dependent on the number of staff employed at the premises. For residents with health concerns that will impact on their ability to evacuate the premises, a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) will need to be completed outlining their condition and what action needs to be taken to mitigate risks. A PEEP needs to be completed before the resident joins the care home and will need to be reviewed 14 days after they arrive once the staff have got to know their needs. It will then be reviewed every 6 months or if there is a significant change to the residents’ health.

Fire Protection Systems

The fire precautions that have been outlined in this article so far have all come under the category of fire safety management. This is one of three precautions that the Fire Safety Order requires a workplace to have installed. Alongside fire safety management, the responsible person is required to have adequate passive and active fire protection systems in place. Whilst fire safety management is generally something the responsible person can do with some assistance from compliance manuals, the installation of active and passive fire systems require the knowledge and expertise of professionals and so it will be the job of the responsible person to find them.

Active fire systems are installed to detect and suppress fires. This can range from smoke detection systems within residents’ rooms and the rest of the care home to a sprinkler system set up in the building to actively keep the fire at bay until the fire brigade arrive. It is important that the correct fire-fighting equipment and systems are installed and reviewed to ensure that all are in good working order.

Passive fire protection systems are the use of fire-resistant materials to compartmentalise the care home to slow the spread of fire and smoke, protect the structural integrity of the building and to provide time for all staff and residents to evacuate the building without causing accident or injury.  Having enough time to evacuate a burning building full of elderly residents with health concerns is going to be paramount for any care home and so it is vital that these systems are of good quality and installed to a high standard.

Put simply, implementing good fire safety within your care home could be the difference between life and death. This is a legal requirement and if the responsible person of the care home fails to carry out any of these requirements, they will be facing charges of negligence and prison time.

The Broadsword Promise

At Broadsword, we understand the responsibility that care managers have to comply with the law, protect their building and ensure the safety of their staff and residents. This is a job that needs to be done correctly, first time.  As a FIRAS accredited company, Broadsword have the knowledge and expertise to ensure fire safety compliance for all required works without the need for additional contractors. It is our promise to you to carry out work to the highest standard and the utmost professionalism. Care managers never need to worry again with the peace of mind of total fire protection.

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Fire Protection within Schools

October 15, 2020/0 Comments/in Fire Protection, Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

The impact of a large-scale fire would have devastating consequences to a school for all involved.  Putting aside the unthinkable possibility of loss of life to staff and students, there are also logistical issues to consider including: dealing with the aftermath, loss of important school work, school closures, job losses and complying with investigations. Negligence in fire safety is not something a school governing body wants to contend with and so it is of the utmost importance to ensure fire protection is complied with. It is crucial that schools familiarise themselves with the information detailed below and understand the responsibility that they hold.

Fire Safety Responsibility within Schools

Fire safety within schools was previously the responsibility of the owning local authority until 2006 with the introduction of the Regulatory Reform of Fire Safety Order 2005 (also known as the Fire Safety Order). This order was introduced to standardise the fire safety requirements of all work places so as to protect people in the event of a fire in or around the premises.

One of the key changes that the order made, is that the responsibility of fire safety for schools was transferred from the local authority to a named ‘responsible person’ within the school. This tends to be either the head teacher or the school governing body; however, if any employee holding a fire safety obligation within their contract, like a maintenance manager, failed to carry out their duties, they would also be held responsible and liable for prosecution if necessary.  Under the order, the responsible person is required to take general fire precautions to ensure the safety of the employees and students within the school and to ensure that the premises that they operate from is safe for all relevant persons. One of these requirements is to carry out a fire risk assessment, to identify any significant risks that can be reduced or removed and stating any other general fire precautions needed to ensure fire safety and compliance.

The government guide Fire Safety Risk Assessment – Educational Premises was published to assist the responsible person with completing the fire risk assessment along with outlining the basic fire safety measures required within schools to remain compliant.

What are the Fire Safety Requirements for Schools?

According to the Fire Safety Order, fire safety requirements can be divided into three groups: passive, active and fire safety management.

  • Passive fire protection compartmentalises a building through the use of fire-resistant doors, walls and floors. Breaking a building down into smaller compartments slows the spread of fire and smoke preventing early structural collapse and allowing everyone inside the premises to safely evacuate. Passive fire protection is seen as a building’s ‘first responder’ to a fire. With the correct materials it allows the necessary time for safe evacuation and for active fire protection systems to kick in and suppress the fire.
  • Active fire protection systems are installed to detect and suppress fires. This can range from smoke detectors to automatic fire suppression such as sprinklers that can minimise the damage caused by a fire.
  • Fire safety management relates to the systems the school has in place to prevent a fire from occurring and what to do in the event of a fire including: an effective fire evacuation plan, fire safety training for staff and maintenance logs of installed fire protection systems.

The Role of the Responsible Person

As the designated responsible person for the school premises, it is their job to ensure that both the active and passive fire systems are installed and well maintained within the building. Building inspectors and fire safety experts will recommend that the work is carried out by a FIRAS accredited company. A company holding the FIRAS certification will have the knowledge and expertise to ensure that the work is not only done to the highest standards but in full compliance of the law which guarantees the safety of your employees and students.

In terms of fire safety management, it is the duty of the responsible person to prepare an evacuation plan, appoint fire marshals to assist with the evacuation and to arrange fire drills to take place frequently so the plan is rehearsed. Added consideration must be given to boarding schools where students may be asleep when a fire breaks out as well as evacuating students with reduced mobility.

In addition to an evacuation plan all schools must have a fire safety policy that includes the following details:

  • An outline of the legislation and the guidance available
  • A statement of intent regarding fire safety
  • The name of the responsible person
  • Policy for planned fire safety arrangements including an outline of fire protection systems
  • Fire Safety induction for new employees
  • The means for summoning the fire services
  • Notes for the management of electrical equipment in the event of a fire
  • A visitor book for signing in and out
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Highwood Construction in Westergate

July 21, 2020/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers
Another flag ship site for Highwood Construction in Westergate, West Sussex.
This 60 bed assisted care development is progressing well with Broadsword undertaking all of the metal partitions, Drylining, Tape & Jointing plus the Floor Screed works. We are currently 2 weeks ahead of the issued programme! Keep up the good work!new site New Site New Site
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Life Build Solutions for Broadsword Screeding

July 7, 2020/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Work on site for one of our valued clients Life Build Solutions begins today for Broadsword Screeding with the installation of RIW Blue Damp Proof Membrane prior to laying Xtratherm insulation and floor screed.

Life Build Solutions Life Build Solutions

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Work continues on the Botley Grange residential care home

July 6, 2020/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers
Great progress being made by the Broadsword team at the prestigious 68-bed Botleigh Grange residential care home.
Despite COVID-19 related material shortages every team member is pulling together to make sure works continue to run smoothly!
Photo Credit: Highwood Group
highwood
https://broadswordgrp.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/broadsword-logo.png 0 0 joannevickers https://broadswordgrp.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/broadsword-logo.png joannevickers2020-07-06 12:02:232020-07-27 12:04:21Work continues on the Botley Grange residential care home
Boris Johnson

Boris Johnson promises thousands of construction jobs to boost recovery

June 30, 2020/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Prime minister Boris Johnson has confirmed his government’s commitment to using construction to help rebuild the economy in the wake of the coronavirus crisis.

He has pledged to fund 40 new hospitals and provide large-scale investment in roads and rail projects.

A statement from Downing Street said the government was committed to an immediate £5bn package of capital investment in infrastructure projects, although some of those specifically named – such as a £1.2bn spend on schools – had been announced before, including in the Infrastructure and Project Authority’s pipeline of planned projects two weeks ago.

Johnson said a taskforce called ‘Project Speed’ would be set up to “scythe through red tape” and get projects delivered faster and hinted at changes to procurement rules to speed up appointments.

He said: “With every flood-defending culvert that we dig, with every railway station, hospital or school that we build, we will of course be tackling the next wave of this crisis by helping to create thousands of high-paid, high-skilled jobs.

“Because we know in our hearts that the furloughing cannot go on forever, and as the economy recovers we also know that the jobs that many people had in January are also not coming back or at least not in that form; we know that is the biggest and most immediate economic challenge that we face.”

A long-awaited National Infrastructure Strategy is due to be released in the autumn, Downing Street confirmed.

Balfour Beatty chief executive Leo Quinn welcomed Johnson’s speech: “The prime minister’s commitment to accelerate the UK’s long-term infrastructure pipeline is a critical factor for the country’s recovery. As well as stimulating regional and national economies, it will generate vast employment opportunities across the country and help provide our younger generations with employable skills. Without this, following the fallout from COVID-19, we could see widespread structural unemployment issues,” he said.

But Pinsent Masons infrastructure partner Jon Hart warned that the “eye-catching” commitments lack substance. He said: “The previously announced ‘pipeline’ contains a number of anomalies in respect of projects that have already been announced.

“During such an economically turbulent time, the government needs to remove uncertainty around approaches to procurement, particularly for schools and hospitals,” he added. “It will be interesting to see how tendering processes can be sped up and how the public-sector capacity gap within government for procuring schemes, when coupled with the industry’s own skills shortage, is going to be addressed.”

Federation of Master Builders chief executive Brian Berry called for the repair and maintenance sector not to be overlooked in government investment plans, and called for a VAT cut to boost that market.

UK Green Building Council chief executive Julie Hirigoyen said there needs to be more investment in specific measures to hit net-zero carbon emissions targets by 2050. She said: “The plans announced by the PM today make no reference to energy efficiency – perhaps the most urgent of all infrastructure priorities – that can create jobs right around the country, improve health and reduce costs to NHS, and increase consumer spending power by lowering energy bills.”

Source: Construction News

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Air Sealing

The Importance of Air Sealing

May 29, 2020/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Air sealing is the process of restricting air movement through tiny cracks and gaps in your house. When you run heating or ventilation in your home this builds pressure. If leaks and gaps are present it can transfer conditioned air to the outside reducing efficiency. Air leakage can account for around 30% of a home’s heating costs. Air sealing prevents the loss of this conditioned air by filling in the tiny cracks and gaps.

A massive amount of energy is wasted due to the air leaking from cracks, holes and gaps in your house. This can cause several issues in your house spanning from thousands of pounds worth of repairs to medical issues. You can protect your home and family by air sealing your home. This will prevent high energy costs and create a comfortable living environment.

How Air Leakage Affects your Home?

Air leakage not only affects energy loss but also contributes to house deterioration. Obvious air leakages will be easy to spot and easily resolved; however, hidden air leakages are the root problem and can be harder to find and treat. Air that leaks must be replaced and is usually drawn in from the ground. If you don’t have an effective vapour barrier, moisture can be absorbed causing mould development, water damage or animal infestations. Moisture can enter your home using the tiniest gaps. This can aid in the damage of your home’s foundations.

How to Air Seal your Home

Depending on the location, cracks can be sealed with caulk, spray foam or weather stripping. In general, you should apply caulk to cracks no smaller than ¼ of an inch and foam for anything larger though exceptions can vary. To see whether your home needs air sealing, you should perform a check of the following areas in your home:

Exterior

  • Windows and Doors – Apply a low expanding foam insulation around the frame, caulk at the frame and drywall intersection and consider adding storm panels to single pane units.
  • Pipes/Vents/Exhausts/Air Intakes – Caulk around the perimeter of all penetrations to the outside walls.
  • Trim – Caulk around the perimeter.

Interior

  • Windows and Doors – Caulk at frame and drywall, install weather stripping if needed. Add insulation or weather stripping to loft access panels.
  • Baths and Showers – Caulk around the bath or shower and wall intersection and around the plumbing fixture perimeter.
  • Plugs and Switches – Apply low expanding foam around the perimeter of the electrical box.
  • Lights – Apply caulk around the light trim
  • Trim – Caulk around the trim
  • Pipes and Ductwork – Caulk all wall penetrations, insulate hot and cold pipes, tape duct joints and seams and insulate ducts in any unconditioned spaces.
  • Fireplace – Keep damper closed when fireplace isn’t being used or install glass gasketed doors to the opening of the fireplace.
  • Basements and Crawl Spaces – Caulk or foam the foundation wall and rim joist intersection and seal any cracks in the wall.

What are the Benefits of Air Sealing?

  1. Energy Efficiency – The energy consumption of your house usually depends on the age of it. New houses are built with energy efficiency in mind, whereas older houses can tend to use a lot more. Both new and old houses can benefit from air sealing but the changes in efficiency to older houses can be dramatic with anything upto a 50% saving on energy expenses.
  2. Increase of Indoor Air Quality – Fresh outdoor air is a good way of increasing indoor air quality; however, this should be controlled using a ventilation system and not through cracks and gaps in your home. These gaps are uncontrolled and can carry moisture, pollution and allergen into your home causing a whole host of problems including medical issues like asthma and allergies.
  3. Prevent Mould Deterioration Around your Home – Mould spores travel through the air and can be traced pretty much anywhere. They can be taken along by the wind and end up in all sorts of nooks and crannies of your house including attics, basements and crawl spaces. If the tiny cracks and gaps in your home aren’t filled and these spores mix with the moisture that has infiltrated into your home mould will begin to appear in these spaces. Air sealing maintains these areas of your home causing them to be dry and prevent the spread of mould.
  4. Increase a Comfortable Environment in your Home – Cracks and gaps in your home can cause drafts, noticeable temperature differences in rooms and cold floors and walls. This can create a very unpleasant living environment which can be made infinitely better by air sealing.
  5. Prevents House Deterioration – Toxins, pollution and mould can all impact on your home’s foundations. Air sealing will prevent all of these particles from entering your loft and crawl spaces causing water damage, vermin infestations and mould development.
  6. Cost Effective – Making air sealing repairs is relatively inexpensive and starts saving you money as soon as it’s done. Your energy bills will improve, along with your air quality and your peace of mind that you will not need to pay out on unnecessary repairs due to air leakage.

Broadsword Group are experts in Air Sealing for our residential and commercial customers to find out how we can help you seal your property or project contact us today.

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Passive Fire Protection in Residential Buildings

April 17, 2020/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Passive fire protection has been implemented since the 17th century. During the Great Fire of London, in 1666, it was proved that the wooden construction of the surrounding buildings had exacerbated the blaze contributing to the destruction of 13,200 houses, 87 churches, 52 livery company halls and obliterating the city’s infrastructure.

In response to this, King Charles II instructed for all buildings to be made of stone and for the roads to be widened. In addition to this, the government introduced the 1667 London Building Act, which, among its laws, stipulated that buildings be constructed with masonry to resist the break out of fire and prevent the spread of it. It was thought that passive fire protection was created at this time.

Whilst building regulations have improved significantly since the 17th century, there is still more work to be done to ensure that correct modern standards are correctly implemented. According to Home Office statistics, the number of fires that the Fire Services have to attend and the number of deaths that are caused by fire related incidents are increasing.

The Importance of Passive Fire Protection

Passive fire protection is built into the walls and floors of buildings to separate them into areas of manageable risk. Each area is able to prevent the spread of the fire to other areas. The idea is that the fire is contained long enough in one of these areas for occupants to evacuate from the building and for the fire brigade to fight the fire.

Most products of passive fire protection resist the fire instead of fight it. Fire resistance is achieved through constructions such as columns, walls, floors and doors. Each of these constructions will be able to resist fires in one of three ways:

  • resist structural collapse
  • resist heat conduction
  • resist the passage of smoke and noxious gases

All floors in a building must have components that resist fires in all three ways.

Passive Fire Protection in High Rise Residential Buildings

In the event of a fire, high rise buildings are designed to provide fire resistance that ensures the prevention of the fire spreading from where it originated. This can only be relied upon if the fire resistant materials were compliant with building regulations at the time of construction and they have been properly maintained and managed throughout their lifetime.

Due to the reliance of a high-rise building’s passive fire protection, residents are asked to stay put in the event of a fire breaking out. This is thought to be the safest option for them as the alternative may see residents leave their place of safety. Unfortunately, as we know in the recent events of Grenfell, the stay put method can only be relied upon if the appropriate passive fire protection is installed. If it isn’t, it can prove fatal as it did that day when 71 people tragically lost their lives.

Passive Fire Protection and the Law

Building owners who own property that do not pass regulations are now able to be prosecuted under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 with some sentences going as far as being custodial. Since this came to pass, more emphasis has been placed on buildings being compliant.

Under the Buildings Regulations of England and Wales, contractors have the responsibility of handing over appropriate fire safety information to a ‘responsible person’ on completion of the building or extension of the building and it first being occupied.

Furthermore, the fire safety information given should include all design measures in appropriate detail and accurate enough so the ‘responsible person’ understands what they need to do to maintain the building safely. Building work should have been completed with adequate and proper materials sufficient for their intended use.

Despite the specific detail that these regulations go into, it is very common for built in passive fire materials, to not be compliant.

Overcoming Non-Compliance

Currently, the construction of a residential building requires the input and expertise of many fields – from architects to fire engineers to contractors. Throughout the process, the building undergoes many inspections to ensure compliance. In her interim report into the Grenfell fire, Dame Judith Hackitt acknowledged that it is therefore difficult to focus the blame for non compliance on one specific area.

She recommended in her report that there is a process change and that duty holders be tasked with ensuring compliance to a new body made up of the Health and Safety Executive, Local Authority and Fire and Rescue Professionals. This new body would be called the Joint Competent Body.

If this were adopted and implemented, it would ensure not only that more residential buildings were constructed compliantly but be able to sanction duty holders if they weren’t.

Further Incentive for Getting Things Right

Passive fire protection items that are condemned at handover or any time after fall on the responsibility of the construction company to correct. Items that are enclosed within the building can be extremely costly to repair possibly resulting in the loss of millions of pounds. This would undoubtedly bring its own financial implications.

Improvements

Small changes to attitudes and processes could reap significant improvements in passive fire protection compliance.

It is important for the sake of a building’s fire compartmentalisation that drawings are understood accurately and that architects are encouraged to be more specific of what design and materials are used.

Principal contractors should be discouraged from splitting passive fire protection into different sub-contracted packages. This method could lead to a lack of focus and could result in non-compliance.

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congratulations

Homes Tradesman of the Month!

February 7, 2020/0 Comments/in Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Congratulations to Mick Dixon for receiving Inland Homes Tradesman of the month award!

 

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fire

How does Passive Fire Protection work?

February 5, 2020/0 Comments/in Commercial, Home Page news feed, News /by joannevickers

Passive fire protection (PFP) is an essential component of structural fire protection and fire safety in a building. PFP attempts to contain a fire or prevent the fire from spreading to other parts of the building by the use of fire-resistant walls, floors and doors. A fire protection system for any building will have the following:

  • Active Fire Protection – Manual or automatic fire detection or suppression
  • Passive Fire Protection – Compartmentalising the building with fire resistance walls and floors. Organising the building into smaller fire compartments prevents or slows the spread of fire from its origin to other spaces in the building. This will limit the potential damage to the building and it gives the building occupants time to initiate their emergency evacuation drill and for them to get to safety.
  • Fire Prevention – Minimising potential situations that a fire could break out and educating the occupants of the building on fire safety systems and how they should be maintained and emergency procedures including how to notify fire service response and emergency evacuation.

Any surface that is used for fire resistance is required to have a fire rating. Surfaces are rated by being fire tested where surfaces are exposed to temperatures upwards of 1100°C. Many of these tests are undertaken to test the survivability of the surfaces under realistic conditions.

A lot of Passive Fire Protection systems use many different materials in the design and construction of their systems. Most common endothermic building materials include calcium silicate board, concrete and gypsum wallboard. During fire testing, concrete slabs have been known to emit water as they boil and gypsum commonly loses all its strength when exposed to fire. The use of endothermic materials is established and proven to be sound engineering practice. The chemically bound water inside these materials sublimes. During this process, the unexposed side cannot exceed the boiling point of water. Once the hydrates are spent, the temperature on the unexposed side of an endothermic fire barrier tends to rise rapidly. Too much water can be a problem, however. Concrete slabs that are too wet, will literally explode in a fire, which is why test laboratories insist on measuring water content of concrete and mortar in fire test specimens, before running any fire tests.

PFP measures also include the use of intumescent (a substance that swells under heat exposure) or ablative materials. Any of these surfaces on their own would not be effective against exposure to fire and so need to be organised into a highly effective system that is subject to rigorous testing at multiple times.

Passive Fire Protection is designed to contain the fire in its place of origin, preventing the spread of fire and smoke for a limited amount of time. Firestops, fire walls and fire doors undergo the above-mentioned fire testing and fire resistance is usually determined in how many hours these particularly materials can contain the fire for. Their certification will provide the limitations that are present with these materials.

Unlike Active Fire Protection, Passive Fire Protection does not usually involve any form of activation or degree of motion with the exception of fire dampers and fire door closers which must move, open and shut in order to function as well as all intumescent products which rely on swelling to operate effectively.

There are mainly two types of Passive Fire Protection; intumescent and vermiculite. With vermiculite protection, the structural steel members are covered in a thick layer of hydrous phyllosilicate mineral that undergoes significant expansion when heated. This is a cheaper option to the intumescent materials but is not aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, if the environment is corrosive, then the vermiculite is not advisable as there is a possibility of water seeping into it and will make it difficult to monitor corrosion. Intumescent fire protection is a layer of paint with a coating system along the structural steel members. The thickness of this coating depends on the steel section used. Intumescent coating is relatively low in thickness which makes it more pleasing to the eye and produces a nice finish with an anti-corrosive nature.

In the event of a fire in a building, the steel structure will eventually collapse once the steel hits its critical core temperature of around 550°C. Passive fire protection will delay this by creating a layer between the steel and the fire. This can potentially add another 2 hours to the integrity of the structure saving lives and damage to property inside the building.

If you require a competent fully accredited fire protection company, you have just found it! Broadsword Fire Protection LTD welcomes your enquiries.

 

 

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    • Fire Protection in Care HomesDecember 15, 2020 - 12:03 pm

      A government report relating to fire showed that 47% of all fatalities from fires in England were people aged 65 and above with the most common cause being overcome by gas and smoke. Based on this the elderly are 10 times more likely to die in a fire than young people. For this reason, it […]

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    • The Importance of Passive Fire Protection within your BusinessNovember 15, 2020 - 11:46 am

      The importance of passive fire protection (PFP) is vital information for any business owner. Whether your company be private or public, passive fire protection could be the difference of life and death for the people in your building and life and death for your business if it were to be found negligent of fire safety […]

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