Business safety weekAvon Fire & Rescue Service (AF&RS) is supporting UK Business Week this week by offering safety information to local businesses.

 UK Business Safety Week is organised by Chief Fire Officers Association (CFOA) to ensure business owners understand their legal responsibilities linked to reducing the risk of fire in their premises and ensuring people can safely escape if there is a fire.

 The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order is designed to provide a minimum fire safety standard and if a business is found to be non-compliant it can lead to enforcement which could pose a financial, legal and reputational risk to the business.

Among the activities taking place will be visits by Technical Fire Safety Officers from AF&RS to shopping centres across the local area giving fire safety advice to businesses and carrying out business audits. Officers will also be visiting local restaurants to provide advice on how to clean extraction fans, which is one of the most common causes of fires in food outlets.

Stephen Quinton, Technical Fire Safety Manager said: “UK Business Week provides the opportunity for us to meet with business owners across the local area to help them be legally compliant and ensure their premises are a safe working environment.

 “I would encourage business owners to visit our website where they can find fire safety information and advice.”

Last year AF&RS responded to 2117 false alarms which were in Non-Residential premises. False alarms are a huge drain on fire service resources which could mean a delay in responding to a real incident.

Stephen continued: “Repeated false alarms at businesses could be caused by defective fire detection equipment or because a detector is positioned in the wrong place. If you need support with reducing your false alarms or your fire procedures contact a Fire Safety Officer who will be happy to advise you.”