Is your business safe from fire?

Is your business safe from fire? That is the question Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) is asking as part of Business Safety Week.

The National Fire Chief’s Council’s (NFCC’s) UK Business Fire Safety Week runs from September 7 until 13 and aims to highlight the best ways to keep businesses safe and mitigate damage if an incident occurs. In order to do this, SFRS intends to make sure businesses and their staff have the information they need to prevent, protect and respond to fire incidents in the workplace.

Many businesses have now reopened after being closed due to the Covid-19 pandemic and it is extremely important business owners review risk assessments and escape plans to make sure these are still appropriate and that these take into the account the new social distancing guidelines.

The lead up to Christmas can be a busy time for businesses as well so SFRS is asking people to take the opportunity to re-evaluate plans as they prepare for the holidays, as they may take on extra stock and new or seasonal staff. So far this year there have been 101 fires at businesses within Staffordshire, with 25 per cent being started deliberately.

In Staffordshire, the Service’s dedicated Business Support Team (BST) works with businesses throughout the year, offering free initial consultations, fire safety advice and business support packs. The team has worked with hundreds of local companies and organisations, helping them prevent fires and ensuring that when the worst happens they are fully prepared and equipped. 

Business Support Lead for Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, John Berrisford, said: “Seeing your livelihood go up in flames is undoubtedly a distressing time, but we are on hand to help begin the formal processes of contacting insurers, navigating the minefield of loss adjustment and guiding businesses through their recovery. 

“Our support can be adapted to suit any company. From helping businesses when they start up, guiding them though the various legislative requirements to make sure fire safety is business as usual, to helping established companies with continuity plans and staff training, right through to helping businesses pick up the pieces after an incident. 

“This year has been a challenging year for business owners and we have also been offering advice on ensuring that adaptations to how the business operates take into consideration fire safety precautions. As a service prevention is our priority, we believe it’s far better to protect yourself so it’s much less likely that you will suffer a fire but if you do, then you know everything is in place to help you recover. 

“We’d encourage businesses to visit the dedicated pages of our website for information and advice on how to protect themselves from fire; accidental or arson. The downloadable ‘Resilient Business Software Toolkit’ can be accessed in the business support section of our website. The toolkit is underwritten by leading insurers and is administered by the Fire Protection Association. 

“Anyone who needs help completing the toolkit please get in touch, we are more than happy to provide support.”