Pre Christmas fire safety inspections in shops and licensed premises

In the lead up to Christmas, fire safety inspectors from Wiltshire Fire & Rescue Service will be checking local shops and licensed premises.

Group Manager Julian Parsons, from the Technical Fire Safety department, said: “It is our experience that, during the run up to Christmas, shops carry a lot more stock than normal. This can lead to exits and escape routes on shop floors and store rooms being obstructed or blocked off completely - which obviously puts staff and customers at risk. I would urge managers to ensure that their fire risk assessments are up to date and that the effect of extra stock is assessed.”

He added: “Another area of concern is pubs and clubs, as the festive season has a greater likelihood for such places to become overcrowded. This is particularly dangerous - there are lots of case studies from all over the world where there have been multiple fatalities caused by fires in overcrowded licensed premises. All managers should make sure that their fire risk assessments are up to date, and that the proper systems and procedures are in place to ensure their establishments do not become overcrowded. In particular, they should check that their fire escape routes and exits are unobstructed and freely available during opening times.”

To check that this advice is being followed, fire safety inspectors will be undertaking a number of unannounced inspections throughout Wiltshire and Swindon during December.

A range of information about the work of the Technical Fire Safety department and the requirements of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 can be found at www.wiltsfire.gov.uk

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