Fire Safety Policy Langton Hotel Ltd. Version 1 12.2.2020
Policy Statement:
Langton Hotel Ltd. is committed to providing a safe environment for its staff, customers, contractors and visitors. Part of this safety responsibility is in the provision and management of fire safety systems and procedures. All members of Langton Hotel Ltd. staff, customers, contractors and visitors have a statutory responsibility in ensuring compliance with the law and complying with the fire safety provisions defined within this policy.
In the event of fire, the safety of life will override all other considerations, such as saving property and extinguishing the fire.
If a fire is discovered, the alarm will be raised immediately. This should be the first action taken upon discovery of any fire, however small.
All employees are empowered to take this action if they believe there is a fire and no authority should be sought from any other person. Langton Hotel Ltd. will always support employees who operate the fire alarm system in good faith, regardless of whether or not it is ultimately determined that a fire existed.
Responsibility for summoning the Fire Service is outlined in the Fire Emergency Plans section of this document.
Langton Hotel Ltd. does not require persons to attempt to extinguish a fire, but extinguishing action may be taken if it is safe to do so. Guidance on the circumstances under which firefighting should be avoided or discontinued is be included in staff fire safety training.
Immediate evacuation of the building must take place as soon as the alarm sounds. All occupants, upon evacuation, should report to the pre-determined assembly points, namely:
- Opposite the main Entrance on John Street, or,
- Assembly Point in Langtons Hotel Car Park.
Staff should remain as calm as possible and if required help any customers, visitors, disabled persons or contractors on the premises to evacuate.
Where possible and safe to do so, Fire Wardens must check all rooms in their designated sweep area to ensure all customers and staff evacuate the building.
Re-entry of the building is strictly prohibited until the Fire Service Officer in charge declares it is safe to do so. Silencing of the fire alarm system should never be taken as an indication that it is safe to re-enter the building.
Employees should report any concerns regarding fire procedures, so the practice can investigate and take remedial action if necessary
Fire Prevention:
In order to control fire safety risks, Langton House Hotel has developed safe systems of work. We are committed, to ensuring that these safe systems of work are effective in controlling our fire safety risks.
Our policy, therefore, is to:
- identify, in carrying out our normal risk assessment procedure, those activities that require a safe system of work
- identify safe methods of work for these activities;
- where necessary, these will be written formal safe systems of work
- implement these systems using the expertise of our employees involved in the work activities
- monitor the workings of the safe systems through workplace inspections and reviewing accident/incident statistics derived from our accident reporting procedure.
The person responsible for managing our safe systems of work is Edward Langton
We can only ensure the success of these safe systems with the full co-operation of all our employees. The aims of the fire risk assessment will be to:
- identify any fire hazards
- reduce the risk of those hazards causing harm to as low a level as reasonably practicable
- decide what physical fire precautions and management arrangements are necessary to ensure the safety of people in the building if a fire does start.
Fire Protection
Langton House Hotel Ltd. will, in consultation with employees and their representatives:
- Ensure any deaf or hearing impaired persons on the premises are aware of the activation of the fire alarm and ensure the provision of PEEP’s so that disabled persons are given assistance to evacuate the building
- Appoint persons to be responsible for specific procedures in the event of fire, including:
- The person responsible for summoning the Fire Service
- Fire wardens
- Those responsible for carrying out roll calls or supervising evacuation assembly points
- Fire incident controllers responsible for liaising with the Fire Service upon arrival
- Regularly stage fire evacuation drills
- Keep escape routes clear and inspect daily
- Inspect the Fire Escape Doors daily and make sure they are clear of obstacles inside and outside
- Test and inspect fire-fighting equipment and fire warning systems
- Provide adequate fire safety training to employees,
- Provide Fire Warden and Fire Marshall training to those allocated these responsibilities.
Procedures in the Event of Fire:
- Activate the nearest and/or safest fire alarm upon discovery of any fire, however small.
- Do not rely on automatic fire warning systems. Summon the Fire Service without delay by phone as automatic methods of transmission can fail.
- Only attempt to extinguish a fire if it is safe to do so.
- Evacuate the building as soon as the alarm sounds.
- Employees should be familiar with the procedure through the staging of regular fire evacuation drills.
- Do not wait to conclude meetings or telephone calls or to collect belongings.
- Switch off any equipment if possible and close windows
- Close doors behind you as you leave if appropriate
- Report to the pre-determined assembly points.
- Do not re-enter the building until the Fire Service Officer in charge declares it is safe to do so.
- Fire wardens must check that each area of the building has been evacuated and report this to the Fire Marshalls at the assembly points.
- The Fire Incident Controller will liaise with the Fire Service on attendance and facilitate their access to the building
Administrative Procedures:
Full records of fire precaution measures are kept in the fire log. This information should be entered by the “responsible person” and should include:
Fire Drill Reports:
- The times and dates of drills
- The time between sounding the alarm and the last person leaving the building
- Details of any issues raised in the post drill de-brief by Fire Wardens, Fire Marshalls or members of staff
Fire Alarm Testing:
- The times and dates of tests
- The ability of staff and public to hear the alarm/see flashing lights during the test
- The awareness of staff and customers as to what the alarm represents
Fire Fighting Equipment, Emergency Lighting and Alarms Maintenance:
- The times and dates of inspections
- Maintenance and servicing records
- Details of Specialist Companies engaged in the serving and maintenance of equipment.
Staff Training Requirements:
Staff training records are kept in the Safety Statement Appendix 1.
All new staff should read the Fire Safety Policy as part of their induction process.
All members of staff should be aware of the procedures in case of a fire.
Contractors and part-time staff must be informed of the fire arrangements on arrival at the premises.
The person responsible for organising and co-ordinating fire training is Edward Langton
All new and existing staff should know:
- Who is responsible for ensuring the correct fire procedure is carried out
- Who the fire wardens are
- The location and usage of all fire extinguishers
- Emergency Evacuation Routes
- The location of “break glass” fire alarm points in all sections
- The emergency fire evacuation procedures
Monitoring and Review:
This fire policy will be reviewed annually or after any fire-related incident or change in guidelines. All fire-related incidents, including false alarms and “near misses”, should be investigated thoroughly and the fire risk assessment amended as necessary.
Professional fire safety advice should be obtained for this review where required.
Changes arising from the results of any review should be communicated to staff and all persons concerned.
Summary Policy Statement:
In the event of fire, the three most important actions are the following.
- To raise the alarm.
- To summon the Fire Service.
- To evacuate the building — attempts to extinguish the fire should only be made if it is safe to do so.
Policy reviewed 26th August 2023
Review scheduled 26th August 2024
Edward Langton, Director Langton Hotel Ltd. | 12/2/2020