Kingfell Consulting - Fire Strategy
The term
“fire strategy” is widely used yet it is questionable whether it is fully
understood, even by those in the industry. Kingfell Fire Engineers follow the
methodology contained within PAS911 to ensure a consistent and high level
approach to delivering fire safety within the built environment.
The specification
follows a logical path from consideration of the key inputs to the delivery of
the final strategy, encompassing a series of sub-strategies. The seven key
inputs are:
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Management and system audit –
assessment of current procedures and systems for existing buildings and those
planned for new and concept buildings. Such information can give a realistic
insight into what may or may not work.
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Mandatory framework – consideration of
the relevant legislation and special requirements of bodies such as insurers.
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Objectives setting – consideration of
what may be important requirements, including life safety, building, business
and environmental factors.
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Risk and hazard assessment – a
requirement of current legislation, but other factors associated with hazards
are included.
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Building characteristics – the layout,
structure and internal processes.
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Occupant characteristics – the types of
people using the building and their needs.
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Practical issues – consideration of the
limitations and constraints in preparing the strategy.
Q: Do all buildings require a fire strategy?
A: No – unfortunately many buildings do not have a fire strategy and the design basis for the building and fire safety information is often not available to the responsible person for the premises.
Q: Is there a standard format for developing a fire strategy?
A: Kingfell identified that there was no common format or approach for developing a fire strategy therefore we developed and wrote the Publicly Available Specification PAS911 Fire Strategies – Guidance and framework for their formulation to assist in the safe and cost effective design of buildings.