Strategic Goal 2: We will improve fire safety in the buildings people live and work in
This goal is focused on our statutory duties to enforce fire safety regulations.
In 2023/24 our key objectives were to:
- Complete 1,500 fire safety audits, targeting buildings that present the highest risk
- Complete 1,000 business safety checks on business premises
- Continue to work as part of the Joint Audit and Inspection Team with Nottingham City Council staff, to inspect multiple-occupation residential buildings
- Promote fire safety in our communities through business engagement and networks
- Proactively work with building owners to reduce call outs to false alarms and people marooned in lifts
Our focus for improvements included:
- Working with regional partners to support the implementation of a new Building Safety Regulator
- Embedding changes in our ways of working in response to new responsibilities imposed by the Building Safety Act 2022
During the year:
- We completed 1,180 fire safety audits
- We carried out 1,039 business safety checks (short fire safety audits)
- We have continued to work alongside our partners as part of the Joint Audit and Inspection Team
- We completed 641 statutory building consultations and 310 statutory licensing consultations
- We conducted 105 shadow inspections in support of staff who are training as Fire Safety Advisers
- We experienced an increase of 8% in the number of incidents which turned out to be false alarms. We continued to work proactively with building managers to understand and address the causes of such incidents
- We attended 181 incidents involving persons trapped in lifts, which is a 2.25% increase on 2022/23
Other Highlights
Our Protection activity is focused on keeping people safe in buildings that are regulated under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 and the Building Safety Act 2022. This statutory legislation relates to non-domestic premises which includes business premises, hospitals and care homes, high-rise buildings and apartment blocks.
Business education and engagement
As part of our statutory duty to educate and advise businesses, our business support team have used a range of activities and methods to engage with local businesses to provide guidance, support and advice on fire safety matters. Following serious fires, the team undertake Business Reassurance and Engagement (BRaE) activities to provide reassurance and support to local businesses, including fire risk assessments, business continuity guidance and information on keeping their premises safe from fire. In 2023/24 the team undertook 9 BRaE initiatives, leading to 66 related engagements with local businesses.
We have continued to provide advice to companies who have business premises within more than one fire and rescue service area through the Primary Authority Scheme.
We have continued to focus on reducing attendances at false alarms, providing support and engaging directly with the businesses and industries where statistics indicate higher rates of attendance.
However there has been an increase in monitored domestic smoke alarm activations which are increasingly being installed in the homes of vulnerable people. This reflects a national trend and can be attributed to a number of reasons.
During the life cycle of the 2022-25 CRMP, Nottinghamshire has seen an increase in the development of high rise residential buildings. This has created an increase in fire alarm systems and provision.
National Fire Chiefs Council guidance has also placed greater emphasis on buildings that are deemed to be of higher risk, requiring enhancements in fire alarm provision in coverage. Both cases have naturally resulted in the generation of increased numbers of unwanted fire signals.
Fire safety inspections
Our Protection department is responsible for auditing and inspecting non-domestic premises as part of our statutory duty.
We work with landlords, business owners and those with responsibility for the management of non-domestic premises to ensure that they comply with fire safety regulations designed to keep the public safe from fire.
Our inspections are undertaken by suitably qualified staff who provide advice, educate and, where necessary, issue advisory and statutory enforcement notices to make sure buildings are managed and maintained in line with the law. We have increased the size of the inspections team to ensure that we can meet increasing demand and keep our communities safe.
We have continued to fulfil our duty as a statutory consultee for fire safety in new developments as part of the building control process.
We continue to develop the skills of the specialist staff within our teams to help ensure that we are prepared to meet the challenges that new legislation will bring in the future. This includes the development of staff in fire engineering, smoke control, sprinkler systems, external wall cladding and fire door safety checks.
Our supervisory managers are now trained to inspect business premises in accordance with the sector competency standards. This increased capacity allows the service to audit lower risk business premises to ensure that they comply with the relevant fire safety legislation.
Consultations
Our work has continued to improve fire safety standards across the county in non-domestic premises as we engage and consult with other regulators including Building Control, Environmental Health, the Health and Safety Executive, Nottinghamshire Police, the Care Quality Commission, Ofsted and the Food Standards Agency.
We are consulted on licensing applications and we are part of the consultation process for all planning applications.
Collaboration
Since the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 became law in January, 2023, we have provided support to businesses regarding the implementation of the new legislation. The legislation has been implemented to improve the safety in high rise residential buildings and provide safety critical information about the buildings to the fire & rescue service.
We are also supporting the new Building Safety Regulator in their work to implement new regulations designed to ensure new and existing high rise residential buildings keep their residents and visitors safe from fire.
The service is supporting this regional response by working in collaboration with our colleagues in Leicestershire Fire & Rescue Service and the Building Safety Regulator, which is part of the Health and Safety Executive, in a collaborative approach to the implementation of the new regulations.
We continue to support the National Fire Sprinkler Network and British Automatic Fire Sprinkler Association to help promote and provide guidance on the installation or retrofitting of sprinkler systems.