fire regulations

[bacchus]

How come some bed and breakfast places still operate without the fire regulations in place when the rest of us have outlaid quite a bit of money to comply with the law

[Martin_Sach_CE_EASCO]

There are no "fire regulations". The law is in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and all owners are required to do their own risk assessments and implement the conclusions. What you need to do depends on the circumstances of the particular property.

Martin

[joyful]

I am utterly annoyed that having spent out to comply with the Fire Safety Reform order many, many, many are not doing a jot about it. At least the graded accommodations have had to give "sight" of their Fire Assessment to the Assessors from Visit Britain. It is a step on the way to doing it if nothing else. The only good news is that the Fire Authority are doing "blitzs" on towns. They hit a small village near me last year and put enforcement notices on quite a few pubs, hotels and B&Bs in the village giving them some time to get the work done. They then came back and OKd it. You can see a list of enforcement notices on local Fire Authorities web site as it is now Freedom of Information. Makes very interesting reading!!!

[Town guest house]

All of us should be aware that the acceptability of the fire safety provisions which we make is one man's opinion. Our premises had had a Fire Certificate for years but the Fire Officer who visited suddenly decided that many of the building's features were now unacceptable.

Have B&Bs and guesthouses suddenly become more risky places for the general public?
There are no statistics to support this position.

[boshers]

The Chief Fire Officers Assocation have produced a concise guide to Fire Safety Law for sleeping accomodation providers, including a written example of a Fire Risk Assessment. You can find our more and download a copy here:

Holiday Home Insurance Blog - Complying with Fire Safety Law (http://www.holiday-home-insurance-uk.blogspot.com/2009/08/complying-with-fire-safety-law-for.html)

[Martin_Sach_CE_EASCO]

All of us should be aware that the acceptability of the fire safety provisions which we make is one man's opinion. Our premises had had a Fire Certificate for years but the Fire Officer who visited suddenly decided that many of the building's features were now unacceptable.

Have B&Bs and guesthouses suddenly become more risky places for the general public?
There are no statistics to support this position.



Remember that Fire Officers are not deities. You can informally ask to speak to his boss. If that gets nowhere you are entitled to appeal to the magistrates court against an enforcment action that the Fire Officer takes, if he does. Make sure you know your stuff before you do, though!

[joyful]

Apparently most fires take place in domestic premises which is what a B&B is on the whole. I complied as I you can bet an insurer would be looking at what you have or haven't done in the event of a fire.

[boshers]

Members may find the following article of interest. Although aimed at Furnished Holiday Let Owners it is equally as relevent to B&B proprietors. It contains links to useful guidance and specimen forms for Fire Rish Assessments.

http://holiday-home-insurance-uk.blogspot.com/search/label/Fire%20Safety%20Risk%20Assessment

How come some bed and breakfast places still operate without the fire regulations in place when the rest of us have outlaid quite a bit of money to comply with the law