A fire alarm sounding during a busy school morning, a care home shift change or an office meeting is not the time to discover that an extinguisher has not been serviced or staff are unsure where to assemble. Effective fire safety is built into normal site management long before an emergency occurs. For duty holders, it means having proportionate controls in place, keeping them maintained and making sure people can act quickly when it matters.
The responsible person must consider the premises, the people using them and the work carried out there. A small office, a warehouse, a shared commercial building and a healthcare setting may all need different controls. The objective remains the same: reduce the likelihood of fire, provide early warning and enable everyone to leave safely.
Who is responsible for fire safety?
Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 in England and Wales, the responsible person is usually the employer, building owner, landlord, facilities manager or another person with control over all or part of the premises. In practice, responsibility may be shared. What matters is that no gap is left between the parties responsible for the building, its maintenance and its occupants.
The responsible person must take general fire precautions so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes completing and regularly reviewing a suitable fire risk assessment, providing appropriate fire precautions, maintaining systems and equipment, and giving staff the information and training they need.
For premises with five or more employees, a written record of significant fire risk assessment findings and the measures taken is generally required. Even where a written record is not mandatory, clear documentation remains good practice. It provides evidence of the decisions made, helps new managers understand the site and makes periodic reviews more efficient.
Start with a suitable fire risk assessment
A fire risk assessment is the foundation for sensible compliance. It should identify hazards that could cause a fire, the people at risk, the precautions already in place and any further actions required. It is not simply a form to file away. It should reflect how the premises actually operate.
Common ignition sources include faulty electrical equipment, overloaded extension leads, cooking equipment, portable heaters, smoking materials and hot works. Fuel sources can include waste, paper storage, packaging, flammable liquids, furniture and combustible building materials. Oxygen sources, including ventilation systems and medical oxygen, may also affect the speed and severity of a fire.
Particular attention is needed where people may need help evacuating. This can include visitors unfamiliar with the site, young children, residents, patients, lone workers and people with reduced mobility, hearing or visual impairments. A personal emergency evacuation plan may be appropriate for an individual, while a general evacuation plan should cover visitors and others whose needs are not known in advance.
Review the assessment when there is a significant change, such as refurbishment, a new process, altered layouts, an increase in occupancy, a change in staff capability or an incident or near miss. A periodic review is also necessary because workplaces change gradually. Storage areas fill up, escape routes become obstructed and temporary arrangements have a habit of becoming permanent.
Prioritise actions by risk
Not every issue has the same urgency. A wedged-open fire door on an occupied corridor, for example, needs prompt action. A minor improvement to signage may be planned, provided the existing route remains clear and adequately marked. Recording actions with an owner and target date turns an assessment into a workable plan rather than a list of observations.
Keep escape routes and fire doors effective
A clear route is only useful if it remains available when a fire occurs. Escape routes, stairways, final exits and external assembly routes should be kept free from storage, deliveries, furniture and waste. Doors on escape routes must be readily openable in the direction of escape where required, without a key or special knowledge.
Fire doors are a critical part of passive fire protection. When correctly specified, fitted and maintained, they slow the spread of fire and smoke, protecting escape routes and giving people more time to evacuate. A fire door that is propped open, damaged, poorly aligned or fitted with unsuitable hardware may not perform as intended.
Routine visual checks should look for obvious damage, gaps, missing seals, loose hinges, defective closers and doors that do not fully close into the frame. The required frequency of formal inspection depends on the building, door use and risk profile. High-traffic environments may need closer attention than a lightly used office area.
Maintain alarms, emergency lighting and extinguishers
Fire precautions only provide protection when they work. Maintenance should be planned, recorded and carried out by competent people in line with the relevant standards, manufacturer guidance and the findings of the fire risk assessment.
Fire alarm systems need regular testing so faults are identified early and occupants remain familiar with the alarm signal. Emergency lighting needs routine functional checks and periodic full-duration testing. The precise testing regime should suit the system and site, with results recorded in the fire safety logbook.
Fire extinguishers should be correctly located, accessible, suitable for the foreseeable fire risks and professionally serviced. A water extinguisher may be suitable for ordinary combustible materials, but it is not appropriate for every hazard. Electrical equipment, cooking oils and flammable liquids require different considerations. The right provision depends on the risks identified, not on placing the same extinguisher at every point in the building.
Portable electrical equipment also deserves attention. Damaged cables, overloaded adaptors and poorly maintained appliances can create an avoidable ignition risk. A proportionate electrical maintenance programme, including Portable Appliance Testing where appropriate, supports wider fire prevention and helps identify equipment that should be repaired, replaced or removed from service.
Give staff clear, practical instruction
A written procedure is valuable, but staff must understand what it means in practice. Induction training should explain the alarm, exit routes, assembly point, reporting arrangements and the role of fire wardens or marshals. Refresher training is particularly important after changes to the site, evacuation procedure or workforce.
Fire wardens should know how to support an evacuation without placing themselves in danger. Their role may include encouraging people to leave, checking designated areas if safe to do so, reporting relevant information to the responsible person and helping account for occupants at the assembly point. They should not attempt to fight a fire unless they have been trained, it is safe and the evacuation process is not delayed.
A fire drill tests whether the arrangements work under realistic conditions. It can reveal practical issues that drawings and checklists do not show, such as a noisy workshop where the alarm is difficult to hear, staff directing visitors to the wrong exit or an assembly point located too close to a vehicle access route. Record the outcome, address shortcomings and communicate any changes.
Manage contractors, visitors and shared premises
Contractor activities can introduce new hazards, particularly hot works, temporary electrics, intrusive maintenance and work that affects fire stopping or alarm systems. Contractors should be briefed on site procedures before work begins. Where high-risk work is planned, permit-to-work controls and agreed isolation arrangements may be necessary.
In multi-occupied buildings, fire safety arrangements need coordination. A managing agent may oversee common areas and building-wide systems, while individual tenants remain responsible for their own demises and staff. Confirm who tests the alarm, maintains extinguishers, inspects communal fire doors, manages evacuation and communicates defects. Assumptions are a common source of compliance failure.
Visitors need simple, visible information and staff support. Reception teams, meeting hosts and event organisers should know how visitors will be directed and accounted for during an evacuation. This is especially relevant in schools, healthcare settings and premises receiving members of the public.
Make compliance manageable
The most reliable approach is to build fire safety into ordinary facilities management. Keep a central record of assessments, servicing, tests, drills, training, faults and completed remedial actions. Set reminders before inspection dates are due, and ensure defects are escalated rather than repeatedly noted without resolution.
Outsourced support can reduce the administrative burden, but the responsible person cannot outsource accountability. Choose competent providers, provide accurate site information and make sure findings are understood by the people who can authorise action. Janus Safety Solutions plans work around each site to support compliant maintenance with minimal disruption to normal operations.
Fire safety works best when it is treated as an active duty of care, not an annual appointment. A maintained extinguisher, a closing fire door and a confident member of staff may seem like small details on an ordinary day. Together, they can make the difference between a controlled evacuation and a serious incident.