Good management of fire safety on premises that cater to members of the public is essential to ensure that fires are less likely to occur. If a fire occurs, it is likely to be contained quickly, effectively, and safely, and everyone on your premises can escape to a place of total safety easily and quickly.
Demonstrating your understanding of public safety is part of your licence application, and completing a fire risk assessment is vital and mandatory.
Fire Risk Assessment
If you employ five or more people or if you are a licensed premises, you should keep a written record of your fire risk assessment and any significant findings. It should also be reviewed regularly, especially if any changes to the premises are made. This will identify what you need to do to reduce the fire risk and keep you, your employees and your patrons safe. You need to have an emergency plan for dealing with any fire situation, and it should be based on the outcomes of your fire risk assessment. The purpose of an emergency plan is to ensure that people know what to do if there is a fire and that the premises can be evacuated safely. An evacuation drill should be carried out regularly to ensure your emergency plan works. The guides below are for all employers, managers, occupiers, and owners of small and medium (accommodating 300 people or less) and large places of assembly (accommodating more than 300 people) places of assembly, including:
Small and Medium Places of Assembly
- Public houses
- Clubs
- Village halls and community centres
- Churches and other religious centres
- Marquees and tents
- Sizeable community centres and village halls
The Fire Risk Assessment Guide can be viewed below and contains further relevant information.
Large Places of Assembly
- Sports stadia
- Exhibition and conference centres
- Large nightclubs
- Churches, cathedrals and other places of worship
- Sizeable community centres and village halls
The pro formas here are intended to be used as guides for carrying out a fire risk assessment. Should you adopt one of these for your business premises, then it is important that the content captures any unique aspects of the premises' design, as well as how the building is actually used.
If you want more information on fire risk assessments, fire extinguishers and risk information boxes click here.
Calculating Occupancy Figures
As the owner of a licensed premises, you will need to calculate the occupant capacity to assess the means of escape. We have produced some guidance on how you should do this here:
Other Guidance
For further guidance on your responsibilities as an employer, owner or landlord, please see:
