Bucks businesses reminded of fire risks

Bucks Fire and Rescue say just because some buildings are empty, safety checks are still essential

Group Commander Phill Mould, Head of Protection, who leads the Business Fire Safety team, says the effects of a fire on a business can have major financial consequences:

“We have attended many incidents in commercial premises over the years that have led to devastating effects for the business that operate from them. Sadly, many businesses are unable to recover from the effects left by a significant fire and therefore never reopen.  

“We understand that business owners currently have lots to consider to ensure business continuity, and we ask that fire safety is at the forefront of their minds.

“A maintained and tested fire alarm system gives an early audible warning to anyone inside the premises to escape in the event of a fire. With current restrictions meaning many businesses are empty or having to close temporarily, a maintained fire alarm system that is connected to an alarm receiving centre (ARC) can provide the early warning necessary for the fire service to attend the premises and tackle the fire and mitigate the damage.”

It is a legal requirement for commercial premises to have an 'allocated responsible person' to reduce the risk of fire. The responsible person should ensure the fire alarm system is tested weekly by using an alternative manual call point every time. 

A fully maintained fire alarm system will help to reduce the likelihood of false alarm activations within commercial premises. 

Group Commander Mould added:

“Buckinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service is one of the few fire and rescue services that continues to respond to all automatic fire alarm signals.

“When we attend, the officer in charge will investigate and check that there is no fire situation and give appropriate advice.

“Where there is no fire situation, these alarm signals are deemed as false alarms, resulting in what we term as Unwanted Fire Signals. This places an unnecessary demand on a fire and rescue service’s resources and has the potential that a fire appliance will be unable to attend a real emergency.”

"It is understandable from time to time that a fire alarm may produce a false alarm activation. However, if false alarms become a frequent occurrence with your fire alarm system, people may become complacent and not take the appropriate action when a genuine activation occurs.

“Through work carried out by our Business Fire Safety Team, we have seen the number of false alarms and unwanted fire signals reduce. However, we would encourage businesses to continue to support us and ensure that their fire alarm system is maintained and serviced twice yearly by a competent fire alarm engineer.”

The team have put together a video showing how to carry out a fire alarm test.