BS5306 Part 8 2023: Selection and positioning of portable fire extinguishers.
If you survey or risk assess a site, how do you know what it actually needed? Is it a guesstimate? Or do you follow the best practice guidance which is BS5306 – Part 8?
In the current climate there has never been more of a need to demonstrate competency and quite frankly to cover your back!
In a role as complex as your own you may well be thinking “What, something else to consider?” I can understand this, there is so much for you to have to think about and assess. Even so, my strong advice to you would be yes, you do need to know and please don’t leave any gaps in your assessment.
I don’t claim to be able to advise you about your role. I can only talk to you about my particular specialisation which is fire extinguisher protection. There is specific knowledge required here, a system of calculations and procedures that you may not be aware of.
Historically if there have been extinguishers on site, the view has been that if it looks like there’s enough and they been serviced in the last 12 months then this will do. It won’t.
If you don’t measure your judgement on this against a set of standards, how can you prove that your opinion of enough equipment is actually enough? Using the ‘suitable and sufficient’ route is vague.
An opinion is subjective, one person’s view of ‘enough’ won’t match another’s.
In a worst case scenario, for example, and you are stood in front of a judge defending your assessment, how is “I guessed” going to work out for you?
How has this happened?
There’s been a bit of an issue in the industry where somehow it has become ok to roughly guess at this. I mean, how?
I’m not blaming anyone for this, it’s become somehow accepted as normal. In fact, there is a reason for this but here is not the place to go into this.
There is far more to this speciality than many people realise.
BS5306 – Part 8 is about correctly evaluating a building in terms of quantity, placement and positioning of fire protection equipment. Something that when learnt and absorbed takes moments to assess.
To be honest I have worked with surveyors, fire risk assessors and service managers who don’t know what part 8 is. You cannot correctly evaluate a building without the knowledge of this.
Consequences
Customers premises are being left non-compliant, potentially putting people and buildings at risk of harm. A small fire that could be contained, with the right equipment in the right place, prevents a much bigger event. Something that could harm someone or burn a building to the point of affecting livelihoods.
Fire extinguishers are first aid, a preventative measure that is somehow ignored or classed as irrelevant. All preventative measures for fire safety should be classed as important, don’t you think?
Integrity – Doing the right thing when no one is watching
When the fire risk assessment is incorrect, you probably won’t be aware of the difficulty this can cause for engineers on site who are working to the British standards. There is a conflict that occurs when making recommendations to customers who believe the fire risk assessment over a trained engineer.
As an engineer, in the dim and distant past, I came up against this often, sometimes being accused of trying to make money out of additional sales. The customer refused the recommendations as they deemed them unnecessary, because they believed the fire risk assessment.
This of course is extremely uncomfortable to deal with, it’s personally insulting. It also means that the customer’s premises are left non-compliant.
Most people are not aware of the trail that can be left behind if the fire risk assessment, with regard to extinguishers, is not correct in the first place.
You could cover your back with suggesting that the customer contact the fire protection provider to ‘sort out’ the extinguishers. But does this cover your responsibility to advise that customer? You could be advising them to contact someone who is not getting it right either.
Integrity is doing the right thing when no one is watching and I know this is important to you. You wouldn’t be reading this otherwise.
The Details
This is a 2 day course specifically designed for your role. It includes BS5306, Parts 3 & 8 but only the specific parts that apply to you.
You’re not going to be inundated with standards and clauses but clear explanations, easily understandable procedures and a layered approach to understanding calculations and correct evaluations. With a lighthearted presentation, this is an engaging and interesting course, and you will probably be surprised at just how much you didn’t know.
Presented at your premises or venue of your choice, giving us the opportunity to practically evaluate the site that you’re on as part of the training.
The opportunity is there for you to also have on-site training as a follow up.
£650 per candidate plus travel expenses.
What others say:
I am sure most fire companies out there want to give their clients the best service possible and be able to rest at night knowing that their clients are compliant and suitably protected. I have met Stephen James many times over the years and would have no hesitation recommending him as an honest and very competent engineer and trainer!”
FAQs
We haven’t got the facilities.
We can discuss where the training could be held.
How far will you travel?
To wherever you are within the UK and Ireland. Overnight stays will be chargeable as further expenses.
Is there an exam?
No.
Is this course accredited?
No but I will teach you to the British Standards which is ‘best practice’.
Are there any course notes?
Yes
Is there a certificate?
I will issue a certificate of attendance.
Will you work with less than 3 candidates?
Yes, please get in touch for costings.
What are your terms and conditions?
You can read these here: