Fire Risk Assessments for Holiday Parks
As winter is the off season for British holiday parks, it is the perfect time to ensure maintenance and preparations are carried out for the summer ahead. A thorough fire risk assessment should be included during this time to ensure your park meets fire safety standards and complies with the law. Regular fire risk assessments of your premises will help ensure the safety of your employees, customers and park as well as helping to reduce the likelihood of a fire occurring. This article will take an informative look at fire risk assessments in holiday parks and why they’re necessary.
What is a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessment is a thorough and methodical examination of your property, premises and the activities which are carried out there; the likelihood of a fire breaking out and causing harm is then judged. The assessment will identify fire hazards and a list of of improvements and/or precautionary measures that will need to be made in order to reduce the risk of harm if a fire does start. Legally, fire risk assessments must be carried out to ensure you comply with fire safety legislation.
Who should carry out a fire risk assessment?
The person responsible for fire risk assessments in the holiday park will be the owner/employer. They are classed as the ‘responsible person’ and it is up to them to carry out the fire risk assessment themselves, or to enlist the services of a ‘competent person’(i.e. a professional risk service, to carry it out for them). If you don’t have the necessary expertise or time to perform the assessment yourself, it is advised that you get in touch with a professional fire risk assessor. These professionals will carry out the comprehensive examination for you and ensure you meet all required fire safety regulations.
How do you carry out a fire risk assessment?
The fire risk assessment is an extensive examination of your business. The assessment has to cover:
- Identification of all fire hazards
- Identification of the people at risk
- Evaluation, removal or reduction of these risks
- Recording the findings, creating an emergency plan, informing, instructing and training relevant people (i.e. employees)
- Reviewing and updating the assessment regularly
When should you do a fire risk assessment?
A fire risk assessment should be carried out before your holiday park opens for business. This will ensure that you have all the necessary and reasonable fire safety precautions in place – these could include designated fire assembly points, and sufficient distribution of fire extinguishers across the holiday park.
Once you have completed your initial assessment, you will have to review it periodically as part of the safety requirements. Generally, it is best practice to carry out inspections on a yearly basis, to ensure you keep on top of any changes within your business. Certainly if there are big changes in the holiday park, you should organise an updated assessment. Changes could include additional caravans in a caravan park, the addition of new buildings/facilities on the site or a change in what an existing building is used for.
Fire-fighting equipment
It’s important to remember that the Park Owner has a legal obligation to provide fire-fighting equipment throughout the park’s areas. In the case of a park with static caravans, the equipment should be located where it is visible, unobstructed and within 30 metres of the furthest mobile home. Equipment should be weatherproof, carry an alarm and also bear a Fire Action Notice – see our page on fire extinguisher cabinets and our Sentinel E100 brochure for more information.
How Cheshire Fire can help
If you need a fire risk assessment carried out for your holiday park or business, contact Cheshire Fire. Our professional assessors are fully accredited and highly qualified to carry out a comprehensive examination of your premises. We truly are experts in fire safety, from risk assessments to equipment installation. Get in touch today for any enquiries about the products and services we offer.