H&S CIRC 01: FIRES AS A RESULT OF DOMESTIC COOKING AND REFRIGERATION FACILITIES

The NEC have been made aware that there are increasing instances of fires due to Domestic Cooking and Refrigeration Facilities on Residential Units.

A fire occurring anywhere within a prison could have serious consequences in terms of life safety and/or security breaches. Preventive measures, if successful, reduce the risk of fire occurring in the first place and therefore have equivalence to effective protective control measures.

The risk to life increases exponentially when fire preventive measures are not suitably managed. British Standards set out a basic guide for the selection of ignition sources relevant to site specific risks and the advice given is that prisons should be taken as places of Very high hazard.

Where products are introduced to prisoner accommodation which do not meet the minimum HMPPS fire standards there is an increased and unquantifiable risk to life in the event of fire for both the prisoner(s) involved and for those staff who respond to it. The uncontrolled presence of combustible items raises the already significant hazard of a fire occurring in a cell to a level at which serious injury or fatality is more likely to occur.

The Fire Safety in Prison Establishments PSI states that the responsible person within an establishment must ensure that ignition sources and fire loading is suitably controlled, and that refrigeration and cooking equipment must not be in sleeping rooms or escape routes.

Please ensure that your establishment is PSI compliant and that any fires as a result of Domestic Cooking or Refrigeration facilities are reported to helen@poauk.org.uk 

Please make all members aware of this Circular.

 

Yours sincerely

MICK PIMBLETT
Deputy General Secretary