guidace otes CHURCH FIRE Versio 6
Cotets Itroductio 3 Electrical wirig i churches 4 Provisio ad use of firefightig equipmet 9 Heatig i churches 13 Church repairs ad restoratio 17 Istallatio of fire alarms 22 Lightig protectio for churches 24 Cadlelit services ad votive cadles 27 Fire risk assessmet 30 Sources of iformatio 34 Attachmets Hot work permit Up to date guidace otes o a rage of importat topics are available o our dedicated web site for church customers at www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters/churchguidace. For ay additioal advice or help please cotact your local Isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor or call our church customer services team o 0345 777 3322. Whilst Ecclesiastical Isurace Group plc has used reasoable edeavours to esure that the iformatio i this publicatio is correct at the time of publicatio, please ote: (a) the iformatio is ot iteded to costitute a defiitive or complete statemet of the law o ay subject, or is ay part of it iteded to costitute legal advice for ay specific situatio; (b) the iformatio may over the course of time become icorrect or out of date; ad (c) Ecclesiastical Isurace Group plc caot accept ay resposibility for actio take as a result of iformatio provided i this publicatio. You should take specific advice whe dealig with specific situatios. The iformatio provided i this publicatio is geeral ad educatioal i ature ad may ot reflect all recet legal developmets ad may ot apply to the specific facts of idividual circumstaces. You assume sole resposibility for the use of this documet ad should obtai specialist advice i relatio to its use i specific circumstaces. Accordigly, Ecclesiastical Isurace Group plc ad its subsidiaries shall ot be liable for ay losses, damages, charges or expeses, whether direct, idirect, or cosequetial ad howsoever arisig, that you suffer or icur as a result of or i coectio with your use or reliace o the iformatio provided i this documet except for those which caot be excluded by law.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 3 Free guides full of practical advice ad iformatio Keepig a church safe is o easy matter. You have to be sure you have doe everythig you ca to miimise the risks to your church, workers ad visitors, ad that everyoe kows what to do if aythig goes wrog. That s why Ecclesiastical has produced a rage of helpful guides o how to keep thigs ruig safely ad smoothly. Writte by isurace experts, the guides give you step-by-step practical support to help you ad your church. You ca fid further guidace o our dedicated web site for our church customers at www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters/ churchguidace. For further iformatio cotact your local Isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor or call us o 0345 777 3322 Moday to Friday. 8am to 6pm (excludig bak holidays). We may moitor or record calls to improve our service. You ca email us at churches@ecclesiastical.com Or Visit www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters About Ecclesiastical Ecclesiastical was established i 1887 to protect the Aglica Church ad we re still committed to doig this today. Ecclesiastical doates all available profits to our owers, Allchurches Trust Limited, a registered charity, eablig the Trust to cotiue to support the church ad other charitable istitutios. pg4 Electrical wirig i churches May fires are caused by faulty wirig or appliaces. pg17 Repairs ad restoratio There is a serious dager of fire or accidet whe works of repair or restoratio are i progress. pg22 Istallatio of fire alarms I additio to break glass poits, protectio should be provided by meas of automatic heat/smoke detectors. Note: Ecclesiastical provides these guidace otes without additioal charge to Ecclesiastical Church Isurace policyholders. This advice is provided to you as best practice guidace from Ecclesiastical Isurace. Please check your policy documets for details of ay coditios specific to your policy.
4 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Electrical wirig i churches Despite icreasigly high stadards of istallatio, umerous church fires ca be attributed to faulty electric wirig or apparatus. It is therefore importat that electricity should be treated with respect. Most Church Authorities are rightly aware that the orga presets a dager area. Geeral All ew electric wirig should be istalled i accordace with the Requiremets for Electrical Istallatios issued by the Istitutio of Egieerig ad Techology (IET). Curret Editio, plus ay formal amedmets uder British Stadard BS 7671. Oly electrical cotractors with Full Scope registratio or membership to work o commercial istallatios with the Natioal Ispectio Coucil for Electrical Istallatio Cotractig (NICEIC), The Electrical Cotractors Associatio (ECA) or The Natioal Associatio of Professioal Ispectors ad Testers (NAPIT) should be employed. Electricias or electrical cotractors who are oly registered to udertake work o domestic istallatios uder Part P of the Buildig Regulatios are ot acceptable. The NICEIC carries out periodic ad radom ispectios of cotractors work; should ay remedial work be required to repair faulty work, the this is carried out at the cotractors expese. The Electrical Cotractors Associatio (ECA) operate a guaratee scheme for the work of their members work doe which does ot comply with the safety requiremets of the regulatios will be rectified, at the members expese. NAPIT operate a similar scheme. Ispectio ad testig Churches should have their electrical istallatios ispected ad tested every five years i accordace with the recommedatios of The Church Buildigs Coucil. The ispectio ad testig should be carried out i accordace with IET Regulatios, Guidace Note No. 3, ad a ispectio certificate obtaied i every case. The certificate should be kept with the church records. The switchgear should be labelled to show: the date of the most recet ispectio; ad the date of the recommeded future ispectio. Portable electrical appliace testig Portable appliaces ca be regarded as ay electrical equipmet capable of beig carried ad, i geeral, coected to the mais supply by a flexible lead ad a plug. Oce coected they are deemed to be part of the electrical system. There are two mai classificatios. Class I appliaces rely o earthig of the coductive case ad oe layer of isulatio coverig its live iteral parts for protectio agaist electric shock, such as a kettle or heater. Class II appliaces are double isulated ad rely o two layers of isulatio betwee the live iteral parts ad the user for protectio agaist electric shock, such as DVD players ad multimedia projectors. The mai differece as far as testig is cocered is that Class I appliaces require a earth cotiuity/bodig test which is ot required i the case of Class II appliaces. The requiremet to ispect ad test portable electrical appliaces arises uder a umber of pieces of legislatio. The Electricity at Work Regulatios 1989 require all systems to be maitaied so as
The Church Authorities should coduct regular, thorough physical examiatios of all portable appliaces ad documet their fidigs.
6 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE If portable heaters are required they should be of the covector or fa assisted type with a thermostatic cut out. to prevet dager. The Provisio ad Use of Work Equipmet Regulatios 1998 require work equipmet (which would iclude portable electrical appliaces) to be maitaied i a efficiet state, i efficiet workig order ad i good repair. There are also geeral duties uder The Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 for employers to provide a safe place of work ad plat ad systems that are safe ad without risks to health. A competet perso must carry out ispectio ad testig. This is someoe with electrical kowledge ad experiece who uderstads the equipmet to be worked o ad the hazards which could arise ad has the ability to recogise if equipmet presets a hazard. Successful completio of a appropriate course, such as a City ad Guilds 2377 Portable Appliace Testig course, would demostrate competecy. There is o statutory frequecy for ispectio ad testig. The frequecy should reflect the risk of the appliace causig damage or ijury ad this icreases with the amout the appliace is used ad the harshess of the workig eviromet. A simple visual check should be carried out by the user every time before use to check for such thigs as damaged plugs, frayed cables ad loose coectios. Ecclesiastical suggests ispectio ad testig o a aual basis iitially, reducig or icreasig the ispectio periods accordig to experiece. Records must be kept of all ispectios, examiatio ad maiteace carried out. Portable electrical appliaces visual ispectio checklist Plug Cracked casig Bet pis Pis ot isulated Icorrectly rated fuse Icorrectly coected wires Loose coectios Loose cable clamp Outer isulatio ot held by clamp or cut short Should be marked BS 1363 Mais lead Cuts Frayig Brittle Kiked Coiled Taped joits Sigs of burig or sigeig Not secured by grommet/ clamp o appliace Appliace Damaged/faulty operatio of o/off switch Damage to casig Loose parts Missig screws Evidece of overheatig Evidece of moisture Accessible fuse holders Exposed cables This is oly a very brief outlie ad is based o our uderstadig of curret law ad practice. No electrical work of ay kid should be udertake by ayoe who is ot sufficietly qualified. The orga Most Church Authorities are rightly aware that the orga presets a dager area yet they ofte allow the dager to be icreased substatially by toleratig o-stadard or amateur wirig o the orga. Orga lights, whether for illumiatig keyboards or for iteral ispectio, should be istalled by a qualified electricia usig permaet wirig. Lights should be istalled so that there is o dager of them igitig timber or music sheets if they are accidetally left o. The wattage of light bulbs should be kept as low as possible.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 7 It is suggested that maiteace lights are fitted above each sectio of pipework withi the orga. The lights should be of the o-heat producig fluorescet type. A waderig lead from a 13-amp socket should be fitted i the lower sectio of the orga ad be fitted with a proper ispectio lamp. All maiteace light switches should be fitted at the etrace to the orga chamber or casework. If a portable electric heater is required for the orgaist, it should be of the covector or fa assisted type fitted with a thermostatic cut-out that operates i the evet of overheatig. The plug should always be discoected from the socket at the ed of each service. Ispectio, maiteace or repair of all pipe orgas, particularly those havig electric or electro-peumatic actios should oly be etrusted to a experieced professioal orga builder. Reliace should ot be placed o the fact that a orga is regularly tued because the tuer may ot have the detailed techical kowledge required to detect dagers i the complex electrical circuitry of a moder orga. The orga builder should be cosulted ad arragemets made for a detailed ispectio to be carried out at agreed itervals. The electric orga blower is frequetly overlooked, as is the specialised humidifyig apparatus, which ofte sits alogside the blowig equipmet. The electric orga blower should be examied at regular itervals by a qualified electricia. This is i additio to regular visual ispectios, whe the orga tuer may be able to observe the blowig apparatus durig the course of a tuig cotract visit ad report aythig felt to be suspect. Humidifyig apparatus should be subject to a maiteace cotract ad be ispected every six moths. Switches icorporatig pilot warig lights should be istalled i the mais circuits to the orga ad acillary equipmet to esure that they are switched off wheever the istrumet is ot i use. Moder electroic orgas should be routiely ispected ad tested for electrical safety by a competet perso. The Istitute of British Orga Buildig, the trade associatio for church pipe orga builders, will be happy to provide help ad assistace. The website address is www.ibo.co.uk Towers Church towers are very ofte a case of out of sight, out of mid. It is most importat that rigig rooms, clock rooms ad bell chambers are ot overlooked whe carryig out ispectios of electrical istallatios ad portable appliaces. Extesios of electrical systems are ofte udertake without authorisatio ad additioal items of electrical equipmet such as fas, heaters ad kettles are ofte brought i without the kowledge or approval of the church officers. Ay ew wirig i the tower should be istalled i accordace with the Requiremets for Electrical Istallatios issued by the Istitutio of Egieerig ad Techology (IET), Curret Editio, plus ay formal amedmets uder BS 7671 by a NICEIC Cotractor, or member of the ECA, or of NAPIT. Advice from a lightig protectio specialist should be sought where exteral electrical equipmet, icludig its cablig, is to be istalled withi oe metre of lightig coductors (icludig earth coductors) as to whether there is adequate separatio or whether bodig is required. Ideally portable electrical appliaces should ot be itroduced ito rigig rooms, but where they are, should be subject to the same routie examiatios as for other portable appliaces.
8 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Portable radiat electrical fires must ever be used i rigig rooms. If additioal heatig is required the heaters should be of the covector or fa assisted type with a thermostatic cut out that operates i the evet of overheatig. Temporary wirig Temporary or extesio wirig should oly be allowed i exceptioal circumstaces. All temporary circuits should be physically discoected from the mais whe ot i use (eve where the mais switches are tured off). Temporary wirig should always be istalled i accordace with the IET Requiremets for Electrical Istallatios (BS 7671) curret editio ad be protected agaist physical damage by meas of armoured cable or coduit. Temporary wirig should oly be allowed for a maximum period of six moths. Permaetly wired socket outlets should be istalled as ear to the locatio of lecters, cribs or Christmas trees etc., as possible. Physical damage Ay evidece of damage to wirig, plugs, sockets or other fittigs should be atteded to immediately upo discovery. Ay wirig istallatios should take ito accout the possibility of physical damage ad be protected accordigly. Trailig cables are a health ad safety hazard. Where essetial, they should be kept to the absolute miimum legth ad should ever be hidde uder carpets, as the risk of physical damage from sharp heels etc. is cosiderable. Electricity at Work Regulatios 1989 The Electricity at Work Regulatios have wide applicatio ad apply to most churches. They require that electrical istallatios are safe ad regularly checked by a qualified electricia workig to the curret editio of the IET 'Requiremets for Electrical Istallatios' (BS7671). I o circumstaces should a utraied perso attempt ay electrical work. Mais circuits Wirig should be arraged so that as may circuits as possible ca be isolated at the mais switches whe the church is ot i use. All power ad exteral circuits should be protected by Residual Curret Devices (RCDs) to reduce the risk of electric shocks.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 9 Provisio ad use of firefightig equipmet The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires that i all premises a resposible perso esures the provisio of suitable fire safety measures. The resposible perso must esure that a fire risk assessmet is carried out, payig particular attetio to those at special risk such as disabled people, those with special eeds ad childre. Every church eeds some firefightig equipmet. The form ad extet of the equipmet required ca vary from a small umber of portable fire extiguishers to hose reels, fire blakets ad a array of fire extiguishers i the largest churches ad cathedrals. This guidace ote describes the more widely used types of extiguishig equipmet ad their applicatio. Note: the miimum for ay church is two portable fire extiguishers. A water oe for orgaic materials such as wood ad paper ad a carbo dioxide oe for electrical fires. Fire extiguishig equipmet The chart o the ext page idicates i geeral terms the type ad umber of fire extiguishig appliaces required. For further details of the various types of extiguishers ad their suitability for differet applicatios please refer to Selectig the appropriate extiguisher. Purchasig recommedatios It is recommeded that firefightig equipmet should be purchased from firms that are members of the Fire Idustry Associatio (FIA), British Approvals for Fire Equipmet (BAFE) or Idepedet Fire Egieerig ad Distributors Associatio (IFEDA). Such firms ca offer expert advice, maiteace facilities ad appliaces that have bee approved by the Loss Prevetio Coucil (LPC). The LPC publishes lists of extiguishers that have bee idepedetly tested i accordace with BS EN3 ad that are maufactured i accordace with a satisfactory quality assurace scheme. Details of suppliers of approved extiguishers ca be obtaied from: - Fire Idustry Associatio Tel: 020 3166 5002 www.fia.uk.com - British Approvals for Fire Equipmet Tel: 0844 335 0897 www.bafe.org.uk - Idepedet Fire Egieerig ad Distributors Associatio Tel: 0844 225 1800 www.ifeda.org Fire extiguisher colours For ew extiguishers oly 5% of the body surface may be coloured to idicate the type of extiguisher. Water Carbo Dioxide Dry powder Foam Red Black Blue Cream Old extiguishers sold before the ed of 1996 are still acceptable ad do ot have to be repaired or replaced util they have become userviceable. Portable fire extiguishers should be sited where they ca readily be see ear the risks for which they are most suitable.
10 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Locatio Geeral areas Very small church Small church Medium size church Large church Orga Type of extiguisher 1 water 2 water 3 water 4 water 1 carbo dioxide Boiler house Solid fuel fired boiler 1 water Gas fired boiler 1 AFFF Oil fired boiler Where electricity ca be switched off 1 foam or AFFF Where ot 1 dry powder Tower rigig room Kitches Electrical equipmet 1 water 1 carbo dioxide 1 fire blaket plus 1 foam or wet chemical 1 carbo dioxide Maiteace All firefightig equipmet should be ispected ad maitaied professioally at least aually by a FIA, BAFE or IFEDA firm. registered firm. Sitig of fire extiguishers Fire extiguishers should be sited i reasoably promiet positios close to where they will be used ad ot hidde behid curtais or locked away i the vestry. Preferred locatios are ear to exits, wall mouted with the carryig hadle mouted 1 metre above floor level. For the orga a carbo dioxide extiguisher, sited fairly close to the istrumet, is recommeded. Traiig The icumbet, churchwardes, members of the PCC, vergers ad volutary workers should lear how the differet types of extiguisher operate ad wheever possible the supplier or local fire brigade should be asked to arrage a practical traiig sessio. Kitches Before usig a fire extiguisher o a fat fire, electricity or gas should be tured off to remove the heat, ad a fire blaket used first to cover the burig object. Boiler rooms The gas supply must be tured off before attemptig to tackle ay secodary fire. Further advice Specific advice about all matters relatig to fire prevetio ca be obtaied from the Fire Prevetio Officer of the local fire brigade. Your local Ecclesiastical Isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor, with their urivalled experiece of church protectio, ca also assist.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 11 Selectig the appropriate fire extiguisher Type Water These use gas or stored pressure to expel the water ad the miimum appropriate capacity is 9 litres. Smaller extiguishers are also available, which by usig a additive have a equivalet ratig of 9 litres. Hydrospray These discharge water i the form of a fie mist. The miimum appropriate capacity is 6 litres, which is equivalet to a ordiary 9-litre water extiguisher. Carbo Dioxide (CO2) To match the effectiveess of oe 9-litre water type, two CO2 extiguishers, each havig a capacity of 4.5 kilograms, are eeded. Dry Powder To match the effectiveess of oe 9-litre water type, oe 4.5 kilogram dry powder extiguisher is eeded. Foam (Aspiratig) A 9-litre foam is equivalet to a 9-litre water type. Foam (AFFF Spray) A 9-litre foam is equivalet to a 9 litre water type; smaller capacity extiguishers may be used, but the umbers should be icreased to equate to the umber of 9-litre extiguishers required. Wet Chemical A type of extiguisher specifically desiged for fires ivolvig cookig oil. Advatages Water is the most effective aget for extiguishig fires i orgaic materials such as wood, paper or textiles. Water type extiguishers are the easiest for iexperieced people to use effectively. They are smaller, lighter ad hece easier to use tha a stadard 9-litre water extiguisher. Suitable where electricity is ivolved. Leaves o residue so will ot cause additioal damage to electrical apparatus. Useful agaist fires ivolvig petrol, paraffi, oil, etc. Withi a church, dry powder extiguishers should oly be situated i boiler houses. The most efficiet extiguisher for dealig with fires ivolvig oil or other flammable liquid. A relatively ew developmet for extiguishers, desiged as a geeral-purpose replacemet for Halo. Suitable for use o both flammable liquids ad orgaic materials such as wood, paper or textiles. More effective tha foam, CO2 or dry powder for cookig oil fires. The most effective extiguisher for deep fat fryers. It ca also be used o wood, paper ad textiles. Disadvatages Water must ever be used i a attempt to extiguish fires ivolvig petrol, paraffi, ay oils or hot fat. It is both dagerous ad ieffective. There is a dager of electric shock to the user if a stream of water is directed o to apparatus cotaiig live electrical circuits so they are ot recommeded for use, for example, i or ear photocopiers, computers or other electrical equipmet. Extiguishers usig a soda-acid reactio to expel the water should ow be replaced with extiguishers meetig curret stadards. Their use is restricted to the same materials as water, but if accidetally discharged oto electrics there is a much-reduced risk of electric shock. Much less efficiet tha water agaist fires i orgaic materials. Dry powder extiguishers cotai a mixture of chemicals with the potetial to cause cosiderable damage to the buildig fabric ad cotets due to its corrosive ature where moisture is preset. It is also abrasive. The provisio of a combiatio of water ad carbo dioxide portable fire extiguishers will be suitable for most fire scearios. Where there are existig dry powder extiguishers steps should be take to esure they are ot beig used i iappropriate places, for example, i close proximity to pipe orgas, paitigs, textiles ad electroic equipmet. High possibility of a electric shock if directed o to electrical equipmet. Use oly o oil-fired boilers if the electricity supply ca be tured off quickly ad easily. Traiig i the correct use of these extiguishers o flammable liquid fires is vital. Desig miimises risk of electric shock if used o electrics. Applicatio to flammable liquids is easier tha the aspiratig foam extiguisher, but will oly deal with smaller fires, ad may ot be the best extiguisher for oil-fired boilers. Should ot be used o electrical fires.
12 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Number of fire extiguishers The umber of extiguishers required will vary accordig to particular circumstaces but i geeral it is cosidered that there should be oe 9-litre water extiguisher or equivalet for each 200m 2 of floor area or part thereof, with at least oe per floor. Additioal extiguishers should be provided i boiler houses or kitches ad i ay areas above groud floor level where activities take place (orga lofts, meetig rooms ad rigig chambers, etc.). P50 Fire extiguishers The P50 low-maiteace extiguisher is the latest developmet i the UK fire extiguisher idustry. These extiguishers are certified to EN3 with a 20 year life, requirig o discharge testig or re-fills for 10 years. The P50 is desiged to remove corrosio ad reduce maiteace because it oly requires a simple visual ispectio ad checkig of the gauges. If these extiguishers are selected, you must maitai writte records of the extiguisher to iclude purchase date, ispectio dates, coditio details ad ay repairs udertake. Fire alarms Early detectio ad warig of fire is vital if damage is to be limited ad the istallatio of a automatic fire detectio system should be cosidered. Professioal advice should be sought ad Ecclesiastical cosulted before proceedig alog this route. Ay fire alarm system should comply with BS 5839 Part 1: P1/L1. If at all possible it should also iclude remote sigallig to a alarm moitorig statio (coformig to BS 5979). It is also recommeded that the system is desiged, istalled, commissioed ad maitaied by a LPS 1014 Certificated Fire Detectio ad Alarm System firm or a istaller accredited uder the British Approvals for Fire Equipmet (BAFE) adopted SP 203 scheme. Further iformatio is give i the sectio Istallatio of Fire Alarms.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 13 Heatig i churches May differet forms of heatig are used i churches, all presetig differet fire hazards. These otes summarise the mai problem areas. Detailed advice o the choice ad istallatio of heatig apparatus is give i Heatig your Church ISBN 9780715175705, published by Church House Publishig. All heatig apparatus should comply with the relevat British Stadards ad Buildig Regulatios, be istalled i compliace with the relevat British Stadard Codes of Practice ad be operated carefully i accordace with the maufacturers istructios. Gas istallatios All persos fittig piped gas must, by law uder the Gas Safety (Istallatio ad Use) Regulatios 1998, be registered with the Gas Safe Register, a register of certified istallers qualified to work o gas fittigs ad appliaces. They will esure registered istallers are competet to carry out the work they are registered for, ad ivestigate ay allegatios of usafe workig practices. As the regulator with resposibility for gas safety, the HSE oversee the scheme. Apart from the obvious fire ad explosio hazards, the dager of carbo mooxide poisoig from the use of faulty equipmet is ever preset. Regular maiteace is therefore essetial. Chimeys ad f lues Chimeys ad flues are a major source of dager ad should be ispected ad swept regularly. Ispectio of the chimey is ot ormally icluded i a maiteace cotract with a heatig egieer so special arragemets may eed to be made i cosultatio with the church architect. Flue pipes should be istalled well clear of woodwork or other combustible material ad should ot pass through the roof uless it is possible to cut back woodwork for a distace of 250mm all roud ad provide a collar of metal, eartheware, or other icombustible material. Boiler rooms Wherever possible, boiler rooms should be of fire-resistig costructio with a exteral door oly. If a boiler room has to be withi the buildig the it should be costructed to the appropriate stadard of fire resistace idicated i British Stadard BS 5410, irrespective of the type of fuel used. The boiler room should ever be used to store rubbish or other combustible material. Other items should be stored at least oe metre clear of the boiler. Oil fired heatig systems Oil fired systems should be istalled i accordace with the relevat sectios of both British Stadard BS 799 for Oil Burig Equipmet ad BS 5410 Code of Practice for Oil Firig. Referece should also be made to the Fire Protectio Associatio recommedatios for Oil Fired Istallatios RC9. Of particular importace is the provisio of a automatic fire valve i the oil supply pipe close to the poit where it eters the heatig chamber, or preferably i the tak chamber if that is adjacet, operated by a fusible lik mouted over the oil burer ad by a quick-release mechaism sited close to the heatig chamber door. Ay oil-fired systems should be maitaied by a OFTEC registered egieer. All heatig apparatus should comply with the relevat British Stadards ad Buildig Regulatios.
Ay heatig systems used i rigig rooms must be with the full kowledge ad approval of the church officers.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 15 Apparatus should be operated i accordace with the maufacturers istructios which should be clearly displayed i the heatig chamber or else be readily available for cosultatio by resposible persos. Regular expert ispectio ad maiteace is ecessary both for safety ad for efficiet operatio of the apparatus. Oil storage taks should be istalled i accordace with the Cotrol of Pollutio (Oil Storage) (Eglad) Regulatios 2001. This requires the use of a bud or catchpit, which will cotai ay leakig oil. Similar regulatios apply i Scotlad. More detail is cotaied i the Guidace Note 'Health ad Safety. If the recommedatios i BS 5410 caot be complied with, the care should be take to site taks clear of ay widow or doorway opeig ad well away from ay lightig coductor. If a tak has to be sited withi the heatig chamber the it should be isolated from the boiler by a solid brick or cocrete block wall at least 115mm thick. The tak chamber should be leak-proof ad of sufficiet volume to hold the cotets of a full tak plus 10% to allow for expasio. Fixed oil fired space heaters should have fire valves (ormally the sprig-loaded type) fitted i the oil supply pipe close to its poit of etry ito the buildig ad also close to each heater. With these type of heaters, combustible materials should ot be allowed to come i cotact with the heater body ad should preferably be stored at least 1 metre away. This could be ecouraged by the use of suitable guards or the whole floor area hatched deotig a restricted storage area. Electric heatig systems Geerally speakig fixed electrically powered heatig systems are acceptable if istalled i accordace with the Regulatios for Electrical Istallatios issued by the Istitutio of Egieerig ad Techology (IET), Curret Editio, uder British Stadard BS 7671. The systems should be fixed ad have ay heatig elemets eclosed as i electric uder pew tubular heaters or protected by adequate metal guards. Electric pael heaters for pew heatig should be costructed etirely from o-combustible materials. Pael heaters usig timber or hardboard to sadwich the electric heatig elemet are usuitable ad must be avoided Ecclesiastical should be cosulted before the istallatio of pael pew heatig is first cosidered. Portable heaters Portable heaters should oly be used i a church whe there is o alterative. Paraffi ad oil fired heaters ad others desiged specifically for use i idustrial, agricultural or commercial buildigs should ever be cosidered for use i church eve as a temporary measure. Heaters should be carefully sited well clear of woodwork or other combustible materials ad, where possible, protected agaist the possibility of beig kocked over or moved accidetally by the fittig of guards. Heaters should ot be left uatteded for log periods or used whe the buildig is uoccupied ad should ever be moved while alight. Reserve stocks of liquid petroleum gas (LPG) bottles ad cyliders for cabiet type heaters should be kept to a miimum ad preferably be stored i a locked ad well-vetilated outbuildig or secure compoud. Cyliders should ideally be chaged i the ope air. Where this is ot practical the operatio should take place i a wellvetilated area away from ay source of igitio. After the coectio has bee made the valve o the ew cylider should be opeed cautiously i order that ay leakage may be detected before a serious escape ca occur. All hot water heatig systems fuelled by oil or gas should be protected agaist freezig.
16 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE It should be remembered that heatig appliaces usig LPG as their fuel source create large amouts of water vapour i the atmosphere which ca seriously damage the fabric of the buildig, particularly assistig with the early oset of rot i timber. Portable electric radiat heaters are dagerous i a public buildig ad oly covector or fa-assisted types fitted with a thermostatic cut-out that operates i the evet of overheatig should be used. They should be positioed well away from ay combustible materials to avoid the risk of fire damage. Parishes should be aware that the Electricity at Work Regulatios 1989 require the ispectio of electrical equipmet havig a lead/cable ad a plug ad which ca be easily moved from place to place. Heatig i towers Heatig systems i churches very rarely exted ito the rigig room i the tower. This ofte leads to the itroductio of usuitable ad uauthorised heaters that are ot icluded i routie ispectios. Ay heatig systems used i rigig rooms must be with the full kowledge ad approval of the church officers. Portable electric radiat fires or liquid petroleum gas cabiet heaters must ever be used. It is essetial that the wirig istallatio ad umber of sockets is adequate for the heaters beig used. This must be checked by a NICEIC, ECA or NAPIT electrical cotractor ad the fixed wirig upgraded if ecessary. Heaters must oly be used whe someoe is preset i the rigig room ad should be switched off at the socket whe ot i use. Protectio agaist frost damage All hot water heatig systems fuelled by oil or gas should be protected agaist freezig by the istallatio of oe or more frost-stats which are desiged to operate the heatig system whe the exteral ambiet temperature falls to a pre-determied level. They should be sited outside the buildig (i weatherproof covers) o the orth side ad also o the east side where appropriate. Isurace cosideratios Ecclesiastical should be advised well before ay chage is made i the existig heatig system. Faculty applicatios Parochial Church Coucils are remided that a Faculty applicatio will probably be required prior to ay work beig carried out. Heaters should be of the electric covector or fa assisted type with a thermostatic cut out that operates i the evet of overheatig ad must be icluded i the regular programme of portable appliace testig.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 17 Church repairs ad restoratio There is a serious dager of fire or accidet whe works of repair or restoratio are i progress ad Church Authorities should, i their ow iterest, exercise close supervisio of all such works. They should also impress upo the clerk of works, or the geeral forema, the eed for a thorough ispectio wheever work ceases for a meal break or at the ed of the day to make quite sure that there are o sigs of icipiet fire caused by blow lamps, surreptitious smokig or temporary uapproved electric circuits. Basic precautios All workme should be show the locatio of fire extiguishers ad be told where resposible officials or telephoes ca be foud i the evet of a emergecy. The local Police ad Fire Brigade should be advised if major repair works are to be udertake. Durig the cotract period, resposible church officials should ispect the church carefully at the ed of every workig day esurig that all is i order. Wheever possible, irregular visits should also be made durig the day. Smokig Smokig should be prohibited throughout the site if possible ad must ever be permitted i the buildigs or where flammable liquids or vapours are preset. Where permitted, it should be cofied to a desigated area with adequate waste disposal arragemets, ad the area thoroughly ispected at the ed of each workig day. Temporary electric wirig Ay temporary electric wirig should always be istalled i accordace with the IET Regulatios for Electrical Istallatios (BS 7671) Curret Editio. Circuits should be physically discoected from the mais supply at the ed of the day eve where the mais switch is tured off at ight. Where there is a risk of mechaical damage to wirig, suitable protectio should be provided or the wirig re-routed. Waste material Esure that it is clearly arraged that all fittigs are upacked outside the church. Paper, straw, crates ad other waste materials should be removed for disposal ad should ot be burt i the churchyard or i the church boiler. Attetio to the removal of trade ad other combustible waste o a daily basis is essetial. Asbestos Before ay maiteace or costructio work is udertake it is essetial that you are aware of ay asbestos which may be preset i the buildig ad that it is either removed or measures are put i place to esure it is safe. There are two types of asbestos survey that ca be udertake, a Maagemet survey, or a Refurbishmet ad Demolitio survey. A Maagemet survey may be appropriate where simple ad routie maiteace work is beig udertake but otherwise a Refurbishmet ad Demolitio survey should be udertake. A competet perso must be employed to udertake the survey of the premises to idetify asbestos cotaiig materials (ACMs). The survey should be carried out i accordace with the HSE Guidace Asbestos: The survey guide. Further iformatio is available i the Guidace Notes 'Health ad Safety'. Smokig should be prohibited if possible ad should ever be permitted i the buildig or where flammable liquids or vapours are preset.
Durig the cotract period, resposible church officials should ispect the church carefully at the ed of each workig day esurig that all is i order.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 19 Your architect will eed to be closely ivolved with all stages of the survey process, ay removal of asbestos ad ay subsequet pla for maagig asbestos. All cotractors will also eed to be kept iformed. Hot work permit A permit to work system must be adopted where hot work is beig udertake uless there is o risk of damage to ay surroudig property. It is essetial that a hot work permit system is i place where roof work is beig udertake. The perso omiated to authorise hot work, ormally the fire or safety officer, must have experiece or traiig i the problems associated with hot work ad be of suitable status to esure compliace with the procedures. Prior to the commecemet of work a hot work permit should be obtaied from the authorised perso. This should be doe o every occasio that hot work of ay type is udertake withi or upo the fabric of established buildigs or ay structures or plat i the ope. This procedure should also apply to costructio sites oce fittig out has commeced, ad to all buildigs which are beig refurbished. A hot work permit should ot be issued without cosiderig the sigificace of ay other permits to work i the viciity, or adjacet processes which may ivolve the use of flammable liquids or gases. A hot work permit should also be issued for a specific task that is udertake i a clearly idetified area. Hot work permits should ot be issued for protracted periods. Separate hot work permits should be issued for work which exteds from morig to afteroo periods. Before completig the first part of the hot work permit, the perso resposible for carryig out the work should complete the checklist show o the hot work permit to idicate that fire protectio measures are adequate, suitable precautios have bee take ad the equipmet to be used is safe. If the perso authorised to issue the hot work permit is ot satisfied with the arragemets, further measures may be requested, ad ay additioal coditios should be etered i the space provided. The earliest time at which a fial fire-check should be made will also be specified. This will ormally be at least oe hour after the time of expiry of the hot work permit, whe work must be complete. If traied persoel will ot be available to make this check (for example i the case of a permit issued late i the day) work must ot be commeced. The hot work permit should be completed i duplicate, with the top copy beig haded to the perso resposible for carryig out the work. The secod copy should be retaied by the issuer who may wish to ispect the site of the work or istigate spot checks to esure that coditios have bee met ad that work is complete before the hot work permit expires. The completed form should be retured to the issuer ad retaied for future referece. A Hot work pro-forma is attached. Staied glass widows, particularly those of historic iterest, should be suitably protected agaist accidetal damage. Altar oramets ad other valuables should be locked away while work is i progress.
20 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Flammable materials Provisios should be made for gas cyliders, paits, oils ad ay other flammable liquids or materials to be stored outside, well away from the buildig i secure, lockable, adequately vetilated compouds. Smokig must be prohibited i storage areas. Buildig materials are attractive to thieves ad precautios should be take to prevet their uauthorised removal. If sprayig of roof timbers is udertake, this should oly be doe i a well-vetilated atmosphere ad all forms of heatig switched off util work is complete. Illumiatio of the work area should be by meas of suitable low temperature fluorescet lightig. Haloge lights must ot be used. Site huts Huts provided for workers breaks or storage should be erected well away from the church ad be adequately secured. The orga Special precautios may be eeded to prevet damage to the orga by water or dust such as coverig with polythee sheetig. There is a possibility that the orga blower housig may cotai asbestos. Seek specialist advice from the orga builder. Staied glass Staied glass widows, particularly those of historic iterest, should be suitably protected agaist accidetal damage either metal mesh or temporary boardig ca be cosidered. Theft While work is i progress, altar furishigs ad other valuables should be locked away i the vestry or be removed to the home of a resposible official for safekeepig. You should esure that easy access to roofs is preveted by arragig for ladders to be removed ad suitably secured at the ed of each workig day. Scaffoldig is valuable ad attractive to thieves ad practical measures should be take to esure, as far as possible, that both fixed ad ufixed scaffoldig is ot at risk from uauthorised removal. Site security Keep the geeral public away from the area of the works by erectig suitable barriers ad warig otices. Access via scaffoldig must be preveted by removal ad securig of low-level ladders ad it may be ecessary to erect perimeter security fecig to keep itruders well away. The base of ay scaffoldig should be eclosed with either timber or metal hoardigs to a miimum height of 3.5 metres. I some istaces alarm protectio of the scaffoldig may be desirable. Specialist systems exist for this purpose ad have proved to be most effective. Workmes tools, plat ad ufixed buildig materials should ot be left usecured o the site. Provisio should be made for a lockable compoud or site hut. CDM Regulatios The Costructio (Desig & Maagemet) Regulatios apply to all costructio work i Great Britai. You should be aware of your resposibilities uder these regulatios. As a cliet a idividual or orgaisatio for whom costructio work is beig carried out, you have a umber of specific duties uder the CDM Regulatios; The guidace to the CDM Regulatios summarises the duties of a cliet as follows: Make suitable arragemets for maagig a project. This icludes makig sure: - other dutyholders are appoited; - sufficiet time ad resources are allocated; Makig sure - relevat iformatio is prepared ad provided to other dutyholders; - the pricipal desiger ad pricipal cotractor carry out their duties; - welfare facilities are provided.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 21 A project is otifiable to the HSE if the costructio phase will be loger tha 30 days ad have more tha 20 workers o site simultaeously at ay poit i the project or 500 perso days of costructio work. Isurace Ecclesiastical should be advised as soo as buildig work is cotemplated. We will issue a Buildig works questioaire to be completed by the architect ad Parish who should idicate the isurace obligatios of the Church Authorities uder the terms of the cotract. I certai circumstaces, the employers (ie the Church Authorities) may eed to arrage additioal isurace cover i respect of: (a) (b) the existig structure together with the cotets ad, the works ad all ufixed materials ad goods other tha builders plat, tools ad other equipmet. Copies are available from: The Fire Protectio Associatio Lodo Road, Moreto i Marsh, Gloucestershire GL56 0RH. or ca be dowloaded from the Fire Protectio Associatio website www.thefpa.co.uk Faculties Before udertakig ay repair or restoratio you will eed to cosult with the Church Architect, Archdeaco or Diocesa Advisory Committee as you will eed a Faculty for most work to the church. Certai mior matters, however, come uder the de miimis list. These are trivial matters ot requirig a Faculty. They ca iclude routie repairs ad maiteace up to a specified fiacial limit. If i ay doubt you should cosult with your Archdeaco as to whether or ot a Faculty is eeded. The Church Authorities must ascertai that the builders have effected suitable isuraces agaist Public Liability (Third Party) ad Employers Liability risks ad that such isuraces have bee exteded by specific referece to protect the iterests of the Church Authorities. A copy of the isurace policy schedule or a letter of cofirmatio from the builders isurace brokers must be obtaied. For major works, (usually where the cotract value exceeds 1,000,000) Ecclesiastical will require that the cotract is subject to the Joit Code of Practice o Fire Prevetio o Costructio Sites, joitly published by the Costructio Federatio ad The Fire Protectio Associatio
22 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Istallatio of fire alarms These otes are iteded to provide guidace to Parochial Church Coucils that wish to istall or update a fire alarm. Doig so may result i a premium discout. I additio to break glass poits, protectio must be provided by meas of automatic heat/smoke detectors. These otes provide a basis upo which to obtai comparative quotatios although i all cases a visit by a Ecclesiastical Isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor will be required i order to approve ay specificatio prior to istallatio work beig carried out. Geeral The buildig should be protected by a automatic fire alarm system istalled to BS 5839 Part 1. The cotrol pael must have keypad operatio ad be aalogue addressable. The system must be desiged, istalled, commissioed ad maitaied by a LPS 1014 Certificated Fire Detectio ad Alarm System firm, or a istaller accredited uder the British Approvals for Fire Equipmet (BAFE) adopted SP 203 scheme. There must be a aual maiteace cotract. The specificatio must iclude cofirmatio by the alarm compay that subcotractors will ot be used or specify the extet to which sub-cotractors will be used. Sigallig I order to obtai the higher levels of discout, remote sigallig must be icorporated to a permaetly maed moitorig statio coformig to BS 5979. Detectio I additio to break glass poits, protectio must be provided by meas of automatic heat/smoke detectors of either the poit or beam variety. All equipmet must be LPC approved. Faculty applicatios Parochial Church Coucils are remided that a Faculty will be required prior to ay work beig carried out. Alarm discouts I order to qualify for a discout, i additio to the system beig istalled as set out above, the Fire ad Rescue Service must be able to atted the church withi 20 miutes. The amout of the discout will deped o the extet of the system ad the method of sigallig. The followig are i descedig order from the highest to the lowest discout. Full buildig protectio to P1/L1 with remote sigallig. Part protectio (P2/L2) with remote sigallig. Full buildig protectio with audible sigallig assumig someoe is able to act upo hearig the alarm operate. Part buildig protectio with audible sigallig assumig someoe is able to act upo hearig the alarm operate. Discouts caot be give util the buildig has bee ispected by a Ecclesiastical Isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 23 Importat otes It is the resposibility of the party implemetig the above specificatio to esure that the implemetatio does ot cotravee ay statutory or Local Authority requiremets, eg uder the Health ad Safety at Work Act, ad other relevat legislatio. Prior to cotract, copies of desig drawigs ad/or specificatios are to be forwarded to Ecclesiastical for approval.
24 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Lightig protectio for churches Churches have always suffered from the effects of lightig. Although approximately 80% of Aglica parish churches are thought to have a lightig protectio system, some 90% of these are of the tower oly type, comprisig a sigle Frakli rod leadig from the top of the spire or tower to a earth stake buried i the groud. Cosideratio should be give to the istallatio of surge protectio equipmet. Prior to August 2008, systems should have bee istalled to BS 6651, Code of Practice for Protectio of Structures agaist Lightig. A typical system, geerally described as a Faraday Cage system, comprises a mesh of coductors at itervals laid over the roof ad dow the walls of the buildig, ad coected to earth by earth electrodes. Most existig systems, however, predate the recommedatios of BS 6651 ad have chaged very little over the last 100 years. Most churches will beefit from a lightig protectio system, ad i may cases a tower oly system should provide a acceptable level of protectio. A tower oly system will provide a theoretical zoe of protectio based o a 45-degree agle from the top of the tower or spire to the groud. The higher the tower or spire relative to the legth of the buildig, the greater the area of the church protected. What are the chaces that lightig will strike? Statistics idicate that a church with o lightig protectio is about five times more likely to suffer structural strike damage tha oe with lightig protectio. Furthermore, the risk of damage to electrical systems ad equipmet i uprotected churches is icreased by about 50%. Paradoxically, a lightig coductor will make a buildig more rather tha less liable to attract a strike. However, its purpose is to direct the eergy withi a strike to earth where it ca be discharged safely. A strike to a uprotected buildig may still discharge safely for example dow a rai-wet masory surface; however, because the discharge is ucotrolled, there is a greater risk of structural damage to a uprotected buildig. Earthed metalwork such as wirig systems ad piped services that iadvertetly form part of the discharge path, may also be damaged. Typical lightig damage to churches There are two types of lightig damage, amely direct effects to the structure ad idirect effects to the electrical wirig ad equipmet. Direct effects are usually mior, damagig copigs ad piacles mostly o the tower or spire, however, there is also a risk of fire. There is also the possibility of secodary damage from fallig masory. Eve mior damage, however, ca be costly to repair where high level access is required. Most idirect effects from lightig damage result from voltage surges causig shutdow or malfuctio or the complete burout of electroic systems such as alarms, boiler cotrols, soud reproductio systems, computers, telephoes ad electroic orgas. All such equipmet is at risk of damage from uwated voltages kow as surges, spikes or trasiets. These surges ca be very damagig to electroic compoets, such as prited circuit boards, ad may result i a loss of a facility such as a fire alarm system, computer or telephoe system. The most commo ad the most damagig surges are those caused by lightig which produces voltage surges o overhead ad udergroud cables, both power ad commuicatios.
Most churches will beefit from a lightig protectio system, ad i may cases a tower oly system should provide a acceptable level of protectio.
26 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Approximately six out of te isurace claims for lightig damage to churches are for damage to electrical wirig ad equipmet rather tha structural damage. Cosideratio should be give to the istallatio of surge protectio equipmet. After a period of ruig i parallel, from the ed of August 2008, BS 6651 has bee replaced by BS EN 62305. The ew stadard icorporates hudreds of chages ad is cosiderably larger ad more complex. There are four mai parts coverig (1) Geeral Priciples, (2) Risk Maagemet, (3) Physical Damage to Structures ad Life Hazard ad (4) Electrical ad Electroic Systems withi Structures. The protectio of electroic equipmet is ow a itegral part of the stadard. Whilst BS 6651 recommeded that lightig protectio systems should be ispected ad tested at fixed itervals, preferably ot exceedig 12 moths, the maximum iterval uder the ew stadard is four years; it may be coveiet to reduce this to two ad a half years to fit the quiqeial ispectio cycle, with a aual visual ispectio by a church officer. A ispectio ad test is also advisable followig a strike or suspected strike as some damage may have occurred. Records of all ispectios ad tests should be maitaied. There is a rage of devices tailored for the protectio of differet types of equipmet ad it is essetial that specialist advice is obtaied before istallatio. Oly electrical cotractors with full scope registratio or membership to work o commercial istallatios with the Natioal Ispectio Coucil for Electrical Istallatio Cotractig (NICEIC), The Electrical Cotractors Associatio (ECA) or The Natioal Associatio of Professioal Ispectors ad Testers (NAPIT) should be employed. Mais surge protectio devices should always be istalled i accordace with BS 7671, the Istitutio of Egieerig ad Techology (IET) Requiremets for Electrical Istallatios, Curret Editio. Istallatio of ew systems It is usual for a church-appoited architect or buildig surveyor to take the lead i these matters ad to liaise betwee church authorities ad other bodies, icludig Eglish Heritage where appropriate. A suitably qualified specialist istaller will eed to be appoited ad all relevat statutory regulatios, icludig those uder the Health & Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 must be followed. Ecclesiastical policy Istallig a lightig coductor system is ot usually a policy coditio where cover agaist lightig damage is provided. However, istallig lightig protectio, as part of a risk assessmet strategy, together with its ogoig maiteace ad testig, ot oly serves to protect the buildig for future geeratios to ejoy, but should help to reduce claims costs i the loger term. This is oly a brief summary of a very complex subject. Specialist advice must always be sought before istallig ay electrical equipmet ad istallatio must oly be udertake by competet persos. The desig of a lightig protectio system should be carried out by a specialist such as a cosultig egieer, preferably a member of the Associatio of Cosultig Egieers, with experiece i lightig protectio systems. Oly specialist cotractors with experiece i this kid of work should be employed for the istallatio, such as members of the Associatio of Techical ad Lightig Access Specialists (ATLAS).
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 27 Cadlelit services ad votive cadles The use of cadles i church is a very importat part of worship. However, it is importat to remember that they ca be the cause of major fires ad serious ijuries if ot used correctly. Simple precautios should mea that cadles ca be used safely. Choice of cadle Good quality slow-burig cadles are best. Cheaper, caterig-quality cadles will bur dow quickly, ad the flame may soo get dagerously close to foliage or decoratios. Had-held cadles Great care eeds to be take where people are give cadles to hold, especially where large umbers are ivolved. Apart from the risk of igitig flammable materials, molte wax ca cause damage to clothig ad is very hot. Purpose-made cadles are available, ad should be used with proper slide-o card drip trays. Eve greater care is ecessary where childre are ivolved. Childre should be properly supervised ad care take to esure that they do ot stad too close together ad, i particular, ot too close behid oe aother as there is a risk of both clothig ad hair beig set alight. Processios while holdig cadles are probably best avoided. Placig of cadles Cadles must be kept clear of all combustible materials icludig flammable decoratios, foliage ad electrical equipmet. Ideally cadles should be placed i metal holders o o-combustible surfaces such as stoe or brick. Fire extiguishers Fire extiguishers must always be readily available where cadles are beig used. Water extiguishers are the most suitable for dealig with burig foliage, paper ad wood. Staff must kow where the extiguishers are ad how to use them. Traiig ca be provided either by your fire extiguisher supplier or the local Fire ad Rescue Service. Water must ot be used o electrical equipmet. Fire blaket A fire blaket may be a better way of dealig with certai fire situatios, ad you should have at least oe available. They are particularly suitable for dealig with burig clothig. Meas of escape If a fire should start you must be certai that people ca get out of the buildig quickly. All doors must be ulocked ad be capable of beig opeed quickly. Lightig Stewards should have torches so that ay mior problems ca be dealt with, without turig o the mai lights. I the evet of a fire or other serious emergecy the mai lights must be tured o immediately. Procedures It is strogly recommeded that a team of stewards is appoited ad that each perso has specific duties i accordace with a list of writte procedures. A specific steward should be appoited to each door ad must esure that it opes easily before the service starts. Fire extiguishers must always be readily available where cadles are beig used.
28 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Similarly fire extiguishers should be allocated to specific stewards, who should kow how to use them. For large services, a traied first aider with first aid equipmet should be available. Aoucemets The perso leadig the service should be aware of the fire risk, ad i the evet of a emergecy be ready to ask everyoe to leave i a orderly fashio followig the directios of the stewards. The safe use of votive cadles Votive cadles of the tea light type ca bur for a log time, become very hot ad are self-supportig. Our advice would be to avoid this type of cadle ad to use the type which has to be supported either o a pricket stad or placed i sad. This would also avoid someoe maliciously placig them uder or ear combustible material, begiig a fire without the cadle fallig over ad self-extiguishig. Someoe should always be preset if votive cadles are used. A church should ot be left uatteded with cadles still burig. Whe the church is locked up at ight, ay cadles still alight must be extiguished. A fire extiguisher ad fire blaket should be kept close at had to deal with ay emergecy. Combustible materials should be kept well away from the votive cadle stad which should also be placed o a o-combustible floor (ot carpet). Slips of paper are ofte used to make requests for prayers ad sometimes are placed o a Prayer tree. These must be well away from the votive cadle stad. Curtais should ot be allowed to blow ito a lighted cadle. Esure that ay box used to collect moey for votive cadles is placed so that people puttig moey i the box are ot likely to come ito cotact with a burig cadle. Oe of the greatest risks with votive cadle stads is persos reachig over already burig cadles to place a ew oe i the stad. This usually happes because the frot rows fill up first ad there are oly empty spaces at the back of the stad. We would suggest that a church official, verger, welcomer etc. keeps a watch o the votive cadle stad ad carefully moves lighted cadles from the frot to the back to esure that there are always empty spaces at the frot of the stad.
Ideally cadles should be placed i metal holders o o-combustible surfaces such as stoe or brick.
30 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Fire risk assessmet The Govermet are committed to reducig death, bodily ijury ad damage caused by fire. To implemet this iitiative the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) which took effect from 1 October 2006 repealed ad replaced over100 pieces of previous fire safety law. Protect people by providig fire precautios such as fire extiguishers, emergecy escape routes ad exits. Applicatio The RRO applies to all busiesses, places of worship ad the volutary sector. It does ot apply to private dwelligs i sigle occupatio. A Resposible Perso is required to coduct a comprehesive risk assessmet i order to: idetify ay possible dagers ad risks icludig sources of igitio idetify people who may be at risk, especially those workig aloe or i isolated areas, childre or parets with babies, the elderly or ifirm ad people with disabilities evaluate the level of risk, ad remove or reduce ay fire hazards where possible protect people by providig fire precautios such as fire extiguishers, emergecy escape routes ad exits record ay major fidigs ad the actio take, prepare a emergecy pla, iform ad istruct relevat people, such as stewards, ad provide ay ecessary traiig review the fire risk assessmet regularly ad make chages where ecessary. Where five or more persos are employed a formal record of ay sigificat fidigs ad remedial measures, which have or may eed to be take, must be made. We would advise that irrespective of the umber of employees, or eve if you have oe, that you make a record of your risk assessmet ad record the measures you have put i place. Resposible Perso The Resposible Perso ca be oe of the followig: employers with cotrol of the workplace perso with overall maagemet cotrol of a buildig occupier of the premises ower of premises if a empty buildig ladlord where the buildig is i multi-occupacy. Competet Perso The Resposible Perso must appoit oe or more Competet Persos to assist i udertakig the prevetative ad protective measures. A perso is regarded as competet where they have sufficiet traiig ad experiece or kowledge ad other qualities to eable them to properly assist i udertakig the prevetative ad protective measures. Govermet guidace documets The Govermet has issued a rage of detailed guidace otes. These iclude Small ad Medium Sized Places of Assembly (up to 300 persos) which icludes churches ad church halls ad Large Places of Assembly (over 300 persos) which icludes large churches ad cathedrals. A etry level guide A short guide to makig your premises safe from fire ad a fire risk assessmet form are also available. This ad all of the other guides ca be dowloaded from: www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safety-yourresposibilities/fire-safety-advicedocumets
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 31 Udertakig a fire risk assessmet Fire risks must be assessed either as a separate exercise or as part of a geeral review of health ad safety. Ay fire hazards withi the premises will eed to be idetified icludig possible igitio sources (eg electrical wirig or processes usig the applicatio of heat). The use ad storage of combustible materials, together with the presece of flammable liquids ad gases eeds to be oted. Aother hazard to documet is the susceptibility of the premises to arso attack. Although it is ow illegal to smoke i most premises the cotrol of smokig ad the disposal of smokig materials also eed to be oted. Reasoable firefightig equipmet must be provided. As part of the iitial risk assessmet, a record must be made of all firefightig equipmet. This icludes portable fire extiguishig appliaces, hose reels, dry ad wet risers, sprikler systems, smoke vetig systems ad ay other apparatus or equipmet provided to deal with a fire. The locatio of fire hydrats ad the accessibility of the premises for Fire Brigade appliaces should also be oted. Checks that eed to be made: Whether or ot a fire ca be detected ad people wared withi a reasoable time. Details of ay existig fire detectio system ad other methods for raisig the alarm eed to be recorded. Ayoe who may be i the buildig should be able to get out safely i the evet of a fire. This meas lookig at fire exit routes, sigage ad emergecy lightig, ad recordig the existig arragemets. Everybody who is i the buildig eeds to kow what to do i the evet of a fire. This meas examiig existig arragemets for evacuatio, writte fire procedures, staff hadbooks ad mauals, ad iductio ad refresher traiig courses for staff. Fire safety equipmet should be properly maitaied. This icludes lookig at existig service ad maiteace cotracts ad procedures for routie ispectios. A check also eeds to be made of the effect a fire i your premises would have o eighbourig premises so that they ca take the appropriate actio. If five or more persos are employed the sigificat fidigs of the fire risk assessmet must be recorded. We would strogly recommed, however, that all fire risk assessmets are recorded irrespective of the umber of employees. A writte record is ivaluable evidece that a fire risk assessmet has bee carried out. Are ay chages required? Havig oted the existig situatio, the ext stage of the assessmet is to decide whether ay chages to the existig arragemets are required icludig the itroductio of additioal safety measures. The followig will eed to be cosidered: The first stage is to examie the various hazards that have bee idetified ad what cotrol measures ca be itroduced to elimiate or miimise the risks as far as reasoably practicable. The best possible cotrol measure is to elimiate the fire hazard altogether. This may be achieved, for example, by the removal of rubbish ad combustible materials that are o loger required or the prohibitio of smokig from the etire site. The substitutio of hazardous materials with less hazardous couterparts ca reduce the fire risk. For example, replace solvet-based paits, thiers ad cleaers with water-based couterparts or oes with higher flash poits. If hazards caot be elimiated or substituted, the risk ca be reduced by the itroductio of egieerig cotrols such as the use of metal cabiets for storig flammables. Ideally, large quatities of
Idetify ay possible dagers ad risks icludig sources of igitio.
CHURCH FIRE GUIDANCE NOTES 33 flammables should be stored i a purposebuilt detached buildig away from the mai premises. A decisio will eed to be made whether there is a eed to upgrade existig fire detectio ad warig methods. If the premises are such that a fire could go udetected for some cosiderable time or people could be workig i a part of a buildig ad be uaware of the eed to evacuate, a automatic fire detectio ad warig system is probably required. Improvemets may also be required to escape routes. This may require the provisio of additioal fire exit doors. As a miimum, steps will eed to be take to esure that all exit routes are kept clear of obstructios ad that fire exit doors ca be opeed easily from the iside without the use of keys, cards or digital locks. Additioal fire exit sigs ad emergecy lightig may also be required. Is additioal firefightig equipmet required? As a geeral guide, oe water fire extiguisher with a ratig of 13A is required for each 200m 2 of floor area. I additio, other extiguishers such as carbo dioxide for electrical hazards will be required. The fial part of the assessmet will be to form a emergecy pla. It will eed to iclude the actios to be take by staff i the evet of a fire, evacuatio procedures ad the arragemets for callig the Fire Brigade. The ecessary traiig will eed to be udertake to esure that all staff kow what to do. A periodic review of the fire risk assessmet is ecessary to esure that the procedures are ameded to take accout of ew processes, chage i the umber ad locatio of employees ad alteratios to the buildigs. The regulatios are eforced by the Fire Authority who may ispect the premises to check that the regulatios are beig carried out. Followig a ispectio of the premises, the Fire Authority may issue a eforcemet otice requirig safety work to be carried out. If they cosider that there is a serious risk to people from fire, a prohibitio otice could be issued restrictig the use of the premises util remedial actio is take. Coclusio I practice there is very little chage from the situatio prior to the implemetatio of the ew Order. The eed to carry out a fire risk assessmet has ot chaged, although this ow applies to all premises ad ope air evets, ad there is o loger the eed for there to be at least oe employee for it to be a legal requiremet. The assessmet ow also requires the Resposible Perso to thik about the effect of a fire o their eighbours. Guidace o Fire Risk Assessmet has bee produced by the Commuities ad Local Govermet orgaisatio. Whilst the otes are detailed, they are desiged to be used by lay people. The itroductio to the guidace says that it is ot prescriptive ad that there is o obligatio to adopt ay particular solutio i the guide if fire safety ca be met i some other way. However, if you are uable to apply the guidace the you should seek expert advice. For example, churches do ot ecessarily have to have fire alarm systems, fire exit sigs, emergecy lightig or outward opeig doors if the risk assessmet shows that these are ot ecessary. However, arragemets must be i place to esure that a fire ca be detected ad that persos ca evacuate the buildigs safely. For example, stewards should have torches ad be positioed to ope exit doors. Eforcemet The Order is eforced by the Fire Authorities who ca eter premises at ay reasoable time without force ad issue Improvemet ad Prohibitio otices.
34 GUIDANCE NOTES CHURCH FIRE Sources of iformatio The Health ad Safety Executive www.hse.gov.uk Royal Society for the Prevetio of Accidets RoSPA House, 28 Calthorpe Road, Edgbasto Birmigham, B15 1RP Tel 0121 248 2000 Fax 0121 248 2001 Email help@rospa.com www.rospa.com The Fire Protectio Associatio Lodo Road, Moreto-i-Marsh Gloucestershire, GL56 0RH Tel 01608 812500 Fax 01608 812501 Email fpa@thefpa.co.uk www.thefpa.co.uk Food Stadards Agecy Aviatio House, 125 Kigsway Lodo, WC2B 6NH Tel 020 7276 8829 Email helplie@foodstadards.gsi.gov.uk www.food.gov.uk Eviromet Agecy Natioal Customer Cotact Cetre PO Box 544, Rotherham, S60 1BY Tel 03708 506 506 Email equiries@evirometagecy.gov.uk www.eviromet-agecy.gov.uk Commuities ad Local Govermet 2 Marsham Street Lodo SW1P 4DF Tel 0303 444 0000 www.gov.uk/govermet/orgaisatios/dep artmet-for-commuities-ad-localgovermet
Hot work permit Issuig orgaisatio Permit o. A. Proposal To be completed by the perso resposible for carryig out the work Buildig Exact locatio of proposed work Nature of hot work to be udertake I have completed ad submitted the Checklist ad uderstad the scope of the work ad precautios to be take. Siged Date Name (BLOCK CAPITALS) Positio Cotractor (where applicable) B. Agreemet To be completed by the fire officer or other omiated perso - the issuer of the Permit. This Hot work permit is issued subject to the followig coditios: Date ad Time of issue of permit Time of expiry of permit* A fial fire check of the work area shall be periodically udertake for oe hour immediately after the hot works have bee completed ad before the permit is siged off Additioal coditios required The above locatio has bee examied ad the precautios checklist that accompaies this form has bee complied with. I have carried out a risk assessmet ad cosider that there is o reasoably practicable alterative to doig the job usig hot work. I have bee provided with evidece of appropriate Public Liability isurace. Siged Date Name (BLOCK CAPITALS) Positio
C. Followig completio of work To be completed by a member of staff or cotractor resposible for the work before returig this permit to the issuer The work area ad all adjacet areas to which sparks ad heat might have spread (such as floors below ad above, ad areas o other sides of walls) have bee ispected ad foud to be free of smoulderig materials ad flames. Stub eds of weldig rods ad other hot waste materials have bee removed ad disposed of safely Ay isolated automatic fire detectors or detectio zoes have bee reistated All equipmet, icludig gas cyliders, has bee removed to a safe area Time ispectio completed This must be filled i oe hour after hot works have bee completed. Siged Date Name (BLOCK CAPITALS) Positio Cotractor (where applicable) D. Sig off by issuer of permit The hot work has bee completed. Ay detector(s) or zoes of the fire alarm system that were isolated have bee fully reistated. Siged Date Name (BLOCK CAPITALS) Positio * It is ot desirable to issue permits for protracted periods. Fresh permits should be issued, for example, where work exteds from morig to afteroo. Note: where work is beig carried out by a cotractor, the issuer of the permit should esure that the cotractor has complied with the requiremets prior to work beig carried out, ad should be satisfied that the area is free of fire whe work is completed. Procedure for Hot work permits 1 The perso omiated to authorise hot work, ormally the fire or safety officer, must have experiece or traiig i the problems associated with hot work ad be of suitable status to esure compliace with the procedures. 2 Prior to the commecemet of work, a Hot work permit should be obtaied from the authorised perso. This should be doe o every occasio that hot work of ay type is udertake withi or upo the fabric of established buildigs or ay structures or plat i the ope. This procedure should also apply to costructio sites oce fittig out has commeced, ad to all buildigs which are beig refurbished. 3 A Hot work permit should ot be issued without cosiderig the sigificace of ay other permits to work i the viciity, or adjacet maufacturig processes which may ivolve the use of flammable liquids or gases. 4 A Hot work permit should also be issued for a specific task that is udertake i a clearly idetified area. Hot work permits should ot be issued for protracted periods. Separate Hot work permits should be issued for work which exteds from morig to afteroo periods. 5 Before completig the first part of the Hot work permit, the perso resposible for carryig out the work should complete the checklist show below to idicate that fire protectio measures are adequate, suitable precautios have bee take ad the equipmet to be used is safe. 6 If the perso authorised to issue the Hot work permit is ot satisfied with the arragemets, further measures may be requested, ad ay additioal coditios should be etered i the space provided i sectio B. The time withi which a fial fire check should be made is also specified i sectio B. This will ormally be a hour after the time of expiry of the Hot work permit, whe work must be complete. If traied persoel will ot be available to make this check (for example i the case of a permit issued late i the day) work must ot be commeced. 7 The Hot work permit should be completed i duplicate, with the top copy beig haded to the perso resposible for carryig out the work. The secod copy should be retaied by the issuer who may wish to ispect the site of the work or istigate spot checks to esure that coditios have bee met ad that work is complete before the Hot work permit expires. 8 The completed form should be retured to the issuer ad retaied for future referece.
Hot work permit checklist Wheever practicable the use of hot work should be avoided ad a safer way employed. If you caot comply with the followig poits, do ot go ahead with the work. Fire protectio 1. Where spriklers are istalled they are operative I spriklered premises, hot work should ot be carried out whe the water supply to the sprikler system is shut off. 2. Where a automatic fire detectio system has bee istalled it will be kept operative. Oly the zoe where the hot work is beig carried out will be isolated for the period whilst the hot work is i progress. 3. A traied perso ot directly ivolved with the work will provide a cotiuous fire watch durig the period of hot work ad for at least oe hour after it ceases, i the work area ad those adjoiig areas to which sparks ad heat may spread 12. Eclosed equipmet (taks, cotaiers, dust collectors etc.) has bee emptied ad tested, or is kow to be free of flammable cocetratios of vapour or dust Equipmet 13. Equipmet for hot work has bee checked ad foud to be i good repair 14. Gas cyliders are sited at least 3 metres from the burer ad have bee properly secured i a vertical positio ad fitted with a regulator ad flashback arrestor 15. Hazardous materials will be removed from the hot works locatio as soo as work is completed 16. Ay lit tar boilers will ot be left uatteded 4. At least two suitable extiguishers or a hose reel are immediately available. Both the persoel udertakig the work ad providig the fire watch are traied i their use 5. Persoel ivolved with the work ad providig the fire watch are familiar with the meas of escape ad method of raisig the alarm/callig the Fire Brigade Precautios withi 10 metres (miimum) of the work 6. Combustible materials have bee cleared from the area. Where materials caot be removed, protectio has bee provided by o-combustible or purpose-made blakets, drapes or screes 7. Flammable liquids have bee removed from the area 8. Floors have bee swept clea 9. Combustible floors have bee covered with overlappig sheets of o-combustible material or wetted ad liberally covered with sad. All opeigs ad gaps (combustible floors or otherwise) are adequately covered 10. Protectio (o-combustible or purpose-made blakets, drapes or screes) has bee provided for: Walls, partitios ad ceiligs of combustible costructio or surface fiish All holes ad other opeigs i walls, partitios ad ceiligs through which sparks could pass 11. Combustible materials have bee moved away from the far side of walls or partitios where heat could be coducted, especially where these icorporate metal Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1JZ Ecclesiastical Isurace Office plc (EIO) Reg. No. 24869. Registered i Eglad at Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1JZ, UK. EIO is authorised by the Prudetial Regulatio Authority ad regulated by the Fiacial Coduct Authority ad the Prudetial Regulatio Authority.
Cotact us For further iformatio cotact your local isurace Cosultat ad Surveyor or call us o 0345 777 3322 Moday to Friday 8am to 6pm (excludig Bak Holidays). We may moitor or record calls to improve our service. You ca email us at churches@ecclesiastical.com Or visit www.ecclesiastical.com/churchmatters Other useful cotacts Ecclesiastical Fiacial Advisory Services: 0800 107 0190 www.ecclesiastical.com/getadvice Ecclesiastical home isurace: 0800 917 3345 www.ecclesiastical.com/churchworker Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester GL1 1JZ Ecclesiastical Isurace Office plc (EIO) Reg. No. 24869. Registered i Eglad at Beaufort House, Bruswick Road, Gloucester, GL1 1JZ, UK. EIO is authorised by the Prudetial Regulatio Authority ad regulated by the Fiacial Coduct Authority ad the Prudetial Regulatio Authority. Ecclesiastical Isurace Office plc 2015 PD2257 6 08/15