Practical tips
Five fire safety checks worth doing in any office
Lots of people, lots of equipment, one building. These are the five things we see slip most often — and what to do about each.
Pro-Active Fire Safety · 4 min read
Most office fire problems are not exotic. They are a wedged fire door, a cupboard stacked in front of an exit, an alarm nobody has serviced since the last tenant, and no one who knows what to do when it sounds.
Get the detection right, and keep it serviced
Why it matters. Early detection is the whole game. Smoke and heat detectors buy the minutes that let people leave calmly rather than in a rush.
What to check. That the system is tested weekly and the result logged, that faults are dealt with rather than silenced, and that it has had its service visits. BS 5839-1:2017 expects at least two a year for most systems.
We install, service and monitor fire alarm systems to BS 5839-1, and issue the certificate after every visit.
Keep escape routes genuinely clear
Why it matters. An exit that is locked, blocked or unlit is not an exit. This is the single most common thing a fire officer picks up.
What to check. Walk the route yourself. Nothing stored in corridors, final exits openable without a key, signage visible from every point on the route, and emergency lighting that actually covers it — including outside the final door.
We install escape route signage to BS 5499 and emergency lighting to BS 5266-1, with the annual three-hour duration test certified.
Maintain the firefighting equipment
Why it matters. Extinguishers are only useful if they work and if they are the right type for the risk next to them.
What to check. Service labels in date, nothing missing from its bracket, CO2 by the electrical risk and wet chemical near the kitchen. Annual service is required under BS 5306-3, with extended service at five years and CO2 overhaul at ten.
We supply, site and service extinguishers, and advise on provision under BS 5306-8 so you have the right type in the right place.
Train the people, not just the building
Why it matters. The best equipment in the world still relies on someone knowing what to do at 3pm on a Tuesday.
What to check. Who your fire wardens are, when they were last trained, and when you last ran a drill. If any of those three answers is vague, that is the gap.
We deliver fire warden training and hands-on extinguisher sessions on site, built around your building rather than a generic slide deck.
Review the fire risk assessment
Why it matters. It is a legal requirement under the Fire Safety Order 2005, and it is the document everything else is specified from.
What to check. The date on it. Offices change constantly — desks move, walls go in, headcount grows — and an assessment written for a different layout is not worth much.
We carry out assessments to PAS 79:2020 and support the works they recommend, so the report gets closed out rather than filed.
If you cannot name your fire wardens, that is the place to start.
Want a second pair of eyes on your office?
Tell us what is on site and what is due, and we will tell you what the standards require. No obligation.
