SUMMER 2023 SPRINKLERS LET US SPRAY! A national campaign has highlighted the role of sprinklers in reducing the risk of fire to staff and premises As business owners, you must do all you can to reduce the risk of fire on your premises and ensure the safety of staff and customers. Electrics and electrical equipment are among the biggest causes of fire in businesses, so ensuring these are safe will reduce the risk to your staff and premises. Have your fixed wiring tested periodically normally every five years by a competent person, and have an inspection process in place for portable appliances and equipment. This type of testing should be carried out once a year, and staff should visually inspect equipment before they use it. Doing a full fire risk assessment will not only help you identify potential dangers within your business so you can put in place control measures, but it will also support your compliance with fire-safety law. Look at what could cause a fire and then consider how you can remove that risk. If this is not possible, think about how you could control the process to reduce the risk of fire. Sprinklers not only save lives, property and businesses, but they also enhance firefighter safety West Midlands Fire Service (WMFS) has recently been supporting National Sprinkler Week, run by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC), and it backs the installation of such systems. Sprinklers not only save lives, property and businesses, but they also enhance firefighter safety, said a spokesperson for WMFSs fire safety team. We wholly support the installation of sprinklers and other suppression systems where appropriate, which can only help to make the West Midlands safer, stronger and healthier. Research by the NFCC and the National Fire Sprinkler Network (NFSN) into the effectiveness and reliability of sprinkler systems found that they operate on 94% of occasions and extinguish or contain the fire virtually every time (see boxout, The case for sprinklers). Chief fire officer Terry McDermott, NFCC lead for sprinklers, said: The evidence speaks for itself. Sprinklers are very effective and provide strong fire-safety protections as part of a fire-safety package. The case for sprinklers In 2017, the NFCC and the NFSN published Efficiency and effectiveness of sprinkler systems in the United Kingdom: An analysis from fire service data. Five years of data on fires in premises with sprinklers was collected from 47 fire and rescue services across the country. In total, 2,294 incidents were analysed, of which 75% were in non-residential buildings and 18% in dwellings. The report found that sprinkler systems: n Operated on 94% of occasions, demonstrating very high reliability n Extinguished or contained the fire 99% of the time when they operated n Were 100% effective in controlling fires in purpose-built and converted flats. In 2019, further research was conducted into the performance of sprinkler systems, and found that: n There was not a single fatality in a building (other than a dwelling) where sprinklers were fitted and could be expected to work n If sprinklers are fitted, whether in a dwelling or other type of building, you are half as likely to be harmed by a fire n If you are injured, your chances of going to hospital are reduced by 22%. The NFCC continues to work closely with the British Automatic Sprinkler Association and encourages fire services to input case studies to the Sprinkler Saves website. You can follow the national sprinkler campaign on Twitter, using #ThinkSprinkler. Credit: Daniel Hodgkins, watch commander, WMFS Image: Shutterstock / Ching Design47 Anonymous Hotline For further information, please contact your local Trading Standards Service For up-to-date news stories and information, follow us on 0300 303 2636 Is your sector being undermined by unscrupulous traders operating outside the law? Report them via Trading Standards Anonymous Hotline or online and help level the playing field for honest businesses.