As you will read within this article, it explains how long a Fire Risk Assessment will take for a Fire Safety Assessment within Northamptonshire. This also outlines the process that a Fire Risk Assessor will undertake during a Fire Risk Assessment for shops, offices and other premises.
Small Shops And Offices
A single-unit shop, café, or office will typically take about 1-2 hours to complete a fire risk assessment for a premises of this size. The assessor will undertake a walk through of the entire premises and check out the escape routes. He or she will also check the fire doors and test the call points to see if they are working and are easily accessible. In addition, the assessor will require information with respect to the number of occupants and the times when they are present on the premises.
Larger Or Mixed-Use Buildings
Multi-story buildings, converted offices, and mixed-use premises such as shops with flats above will require half a day or more to complete the fire risk assessment. The assessor will need to check each floor of the premises and list all of the people that use them. He or she will then need to consider how fire could spread between different parts of the premises and between different units. For example, a building of shops below residential flats will require the assessor to consider the spread of fire between the shops and the flats.
What Slows The Visit Down
Unforeseen issues can prevent a Fire Risk Assessment from being completed within the allocated time. For example, locked plant rooms or risers with keys unavailable on the day mean the Fire Risk Assessor will either wait or return at a later date. Storage of products in corridors leading to fire doors in shopping areas and other premises also create additional time for Fire Risk Assessors to record and take photographs of these items. In addition, the absence of a current floor plan for Fire Risk Assessments of larger buildings means the Fire Risk Assessor will have to sketch a simple plan of the floors to aid the assessment, this can add up to 20-30 minutes for a small building and up to an hour or more for a larger building.
Higher-Risk Building Types
For example, Higher Risk Premises, such as HMOs, will require additional checks to establish the sleeping risk and whether each room has an adequate means of escape. Care homes will require an assessment of the compartmentation and how residents can evacuate in the event of an emergency as they may require assistance to escape. Warehouse type premises will require an assessment of the storage and the layout of the stock, the width of the aisles and how the goods are arranged in relation to the exits. All of these types of premises are treated as Higher Risk by Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service and as such would require a more detailed assessment and therefore more time on site. There is published guidance on Northamptonshire’s local authority guidance that covers this in more detail.
The Write-Up Afterwards
This time can vary greatly from a few days to a couple of weeks depending on the complexity of the building and other commitments of the assessor. For simpler assessments such as a small shop or office with no findings a report could be produced within a few days. More complex assessments such as larger mixed-use buildings with a variety of action points could take longer to collate and complete properly.
Why Staff Availability Matters
While it would be helpful for someone who knows the building to be available throughout the visit to answer specific questions, in reality the length of time that it takes to complete a Fire Risk Assessment is affected by the availability of staff. The National Fire Chiefs Council sets out the recognised process for a five-step fire risk assessment for premises and in the guidance sets out how long each of the 5 steps should take. However, as Fire Risk Assessors are only human, the speed at which they can complete each step can be affected by the availability of staff on the visit to answer specific questions.
Booking Lead Times
The booking of a Fire Risk Assessment with Fire Risk Assessment Northamptonshire typically takes around 1-2 weeks to book in quieter months. However in the busier end of year period, when most Fire Risk Assessments need to be renewed by insurance, lease etc, this can be up to several months in advance. This is particularly important for Fire Risk Assessments that fall due for review in December and/or January, and we would recommend booking an assessment by the end of November, latest.
Getting Ready Beforehand
By having a few items ready prior to the assessment taking place you can greatly reduce the overall time frame. These items would include a copy of previous fire risk assessment reports, your current fire safety log book for testing and maintenance of equipment, and a list of any recent building work including the installation of new partition walls and changes to rooms etc.
Knowing what to expect on the day of your fire risk assessment and having the previous fire risk assessment report, fire safety log book and any building alterations (e.g. new partition walls etc.) that have occurred since the last fire risk assessment ready, will save a lot of time.
