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The Guide aims to help the end-user or persons responsible for fire safety in all types of commercial premises understand their duties under fire legislation in England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The Association understands that fire law can often be complex and confusing, so this Guide has been designed as a user-friendly document which can be referred to alongside (not in replace of) the legislation.

The Best Practice Guide is free and available in the Responsible Persons area of the FIA website (www.fia.uk.com) as a PDF or online-page turning version. Print copies of the Guide are available at no extra cost by emailing your request to info@fia.uk.com.

In a recent survey carried out by the FIA, nearly a third of employees nationwide admitted that they wouldn’t know what to do in the event of a fire. The FIA therefore felt that there was a need for a free digestible booklet that easily explains how staff and owners of commercial properties can make their buildings fire safe.

The 27-page Guide discusses the responsible person’s legal duties and includes a five-step guide to fire risk assessments followed by a breakdown of various protective measures. These measures include fire detection and alarm systems, means of escape, emergency lighting and signage as well as fire fighting equipment. With 20% of bosses (in the same FIA survey) saying that there has been a fire in their workplace, the Enforcement section of the Guide should help employers understand the consequences of not complying with fire legislation before a fire occurs.