Fire safety regulations

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order

To enable Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service to meet the changing needs of the community, we occasionally need to gather information on non domestic premises in the county. 

If you only have responsibility for one area of a building e.g. a floor in a multi-occupied office block, then your responses should only refer to those areas you occupy.

This questionnaire will enable us to tailor our service to the business community in two critical areas, these being Fire Safety and Emergency Response.

The information you provide will enable us to do this, as well as allow us to provide our fire fighters with site specific Risk Information to assure their safety, should they attend a fire at your premises. This information in conjunction with the emergency response information will enable us to review our operational preparedness and ensure all our services are effectively and efficiently provided throughout the county.

The fire safety law (The Regulatory Reform 'Fire Safety' Order) requires the 'Responsible Person' to carry out a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risks to which 'Relevant Persons' are exposed and identify the general fire precautions needed to comply with the new legislation.

As the 'Responsible Person' you are required to ensure compliance with the new Regulations. In order to assist you, we have enclosed a leaflet which gives further details of the definition of 'Responsible Person' and 'Relevant Persons'.

Questionnaires can be obtained from the Operational Planning department at:

Operational Planning
Cumbria Fire and Rescue Service
Carleton Avenue
Penrith
CA10 2FA

Tel: 01768 812547

It is important to note this questionnaire is not a Fire Risk Assessment, and is intended for use by ourselves to determine a preliminary risk level for your building, and to ensure safety of our crews.

For further information about the Regulation Reform (Fire Safety) Order, please visit the Communities and Local Government website.

Purpose built flats

Most fires occur in domestic dwellings, therefore it was recognised that a block of flats as a building containing many such dwellings had the potential for a higher risk to people should fire break out. The standards used in the construction of blocks of flats have been embodied in Building Regulations, which, now as then, ensure that adequate fire safety provisions are incorporated when they are constructed. 

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the FSO) came into force in October 2006. It brought the common parts of blocks of flats within the scope of mainstream fire safety legislation for the first time. 

The fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats guide is intended to meet the needs of housing providers and enforcing authorities for guidance tailored to purpose-built blocks of flats. These buildings are only a small part of the scope of other guidance documents. This guide is intended to assist responsible persons to comply with the FSO and the Housing Act 2004. Accordingly, it is expected that enforcing authorities will have regard to this guide.

The guide is to ensure adequate fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats, regardless of age. Practical advice is offered on how to assess the risk from fire and how to manage fire safety in such buildings. The guide also includes case studies based on the commonly found issues in blocks of flats, with suggested fire safety solutions.