Case Histories
"A fire-lec Fire Safety Risk Assessment gives me peace of mind and makes my job easier"
David Mayhew of West Kirby Letting Ltd uses fire-lec for Fire Risk Assessments in the communal areas of the apartment blocks that he manages; it's a very effective way for him to ensure compliance with the new fire laws. "A Risk Assessment reinforces our advice, making my job easier to put forward to the residents what work needs to be done."
"fire-lec was the logical choice"
"We use the fire-lec service because it's from gas-elec who also do 90% of all our gas and electrical inspections. gas-elec are reliable and professional, and were the logical choice to do the fire inspections as well."
Some of the issues fire-lec pointed out, says David, hadn't even occurred to him; for example the requirement for log books to record the monthly inspections.
Other hazards highlighted by the fire-lec inspections included a lack of inter-linked smoke detectors, emergency lighting that failed to come on and no signage for exits. Another common problem was obstructions in the common hallways such as furniture, fridge freezers, toys, prams, bikes and even a piano!
"It's quite wrong to assume new builds will pass all the tests"
"One of the blocks fire-lec inspected," says David, "had no signs for the emergency exits, the lift door wasn't shutting, and there were no locks on the communal electric cupboards and lift motor rooms. Anyone could get in and damage the electrics or, even worse, a child could get killed."
"Besides being a legal requirement, I think the safety risk assessments give everyone peace of mind - us, the tenants' association and anyone appointed as a responsible person."
"fire-lec saved our time and gave us a clear written report"
When the firm of The Jolly Williams Partnership - Solicitors and Advocates in Westbury, Wiltshire - needed a fire inspection of their four-floor period building, they chose fire-lec, part of the gas-elec group, to carry out their fire safety risk assessment.
"It came down to time," explained partner Jeff Williams.
"We're so busy doing our own job, looking after our clients' interests, that it's difficult to find time for things like a fire inspection yet it's obviously very important."
Jeff met gas-elec regional manager Richard Curl at a local business meeting. "What particularly impressed me was that Richard approached the fire inspection in the same way that we approach our clients matters especially where there is a lot of detailed legislation involved. We try to clear away all the jargon, explaining everything in plain language and provide solutions. That's exactly what he did. He took a practical, methodical approach and gave us an easy to read report with recommendations at the end of it."
"The fire-lec inspection recommended several areas that simply had not occurred to Jeff before."
"Because we are on four floors and the top floor is let out to other businesses, the main fire doors on each floor are keypad locked - at the requirement of our insurers. Although you can open these from the inside by turning a lever, fire-lec pointed out that, in the event of a fire, this could cost critical seconds. The assessment suggested linking the doors to our fire system so that the locks are released in the event of a fire.
I particularly liked the way the report was written," added Jeff. "It was colour-coded, so I knew which items were a priority, and which were recommendations for good practice and not quite so urgent."
"I suppose we could have done it ourselves, but the fire-lec inspection was a great saving of our time and at a reasonable cost. It was efficient and provided us with a clear written action plan - just like the way we help our clients."
fire-lec - Contact us today and let us take the heat off your business!
Register for fire-lec services today
Calling Experienced
Fire Officers
GAS-ELEC SAFETY SYSTEMS
Brooklyn House, Money Lane, The Green, West Drayton UK, UB7 7PQ
Telephone : 0845 868 6050 | Fax : 01895 445 229 | E-mail Us