Fire Safety (OBU-HAS-PROC-08.00)

1.1 Fire safety is a priority for the University, and it will ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the risk from fire will be appropriately managed in accordance with the requirements of current legislation including (but not limited to):

• Health and Safety at Work Act 1974.
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).

1.2 This document sets out the organisation and responsibilities for the prevention of fire at Oxford Brookes University, with the intention of minimising the incidence of fire and the impact on employees, students and visitors.

1.3 Fire safety is everyone's responsibility. All employees, students, contractors and visitors are required to take reasonable care for the safety of themselves and others to achieve the highest standards of fire safety. This includes minimising the amounts of combustible materials present in buildings, ensuring the safe use, storage and disposal of flammable substances, ensuring fire doors are not propped open and complying with the University smoking policy.

2.1 This procedure applies to all premises and activities under the University’s control. It sets out the framework by which the University expects to meet its fire safety duties. The procedure also applies to all employees, students, contractors and visitors at Oxford Brookes University.

2.2 If there is more than one occupier within a building, all parties must take all reasonable steps to coordinate and cooperate with each other to ensure preventative and protective measures are undertaken.

2.2 Where third-party and partnership properties do not fall under university control, this policy does not apply to the owners/managers of those properties. However, the University expects assurance from the management of these properties that similar standards are maintained.

Tackling a fire

3.1 No members of staff or students are expected or required to use a fire extinguisher to tackle a fire. The only exception to this is where a fire may be blocking the last available exit. 

3.2 The prime responsibility of individuals in the event of a fire alarm is to evacuate the building as swiftly as possible. The only exception to this is where a fire may be blocking the last available exit.

3.3 Certain staff, such as security officers, estates assistants and laboratory technicians may receive detailed training on tackling a fire as part of their roles but using an extinguisher to fight a fire remains voluntary.

Responding to a Fire Alarm (Staff and Students)

3.3 In the event of a fire activation, all staff are required to:

• Leave by the nearest emergency exit. Do not stop to collect personal belongings.
• As they leave, encourage all others to leave also, making a note of anyone who does not appear to be leaving.
• Once outside of a building move to the nominated assembly point and encourage others to move there too.
• If they have noted that someone has remained in the building, notify security, a member of ECS response team or a member of the Fire and Rescue Service (if they are in attendance).
• Remain at the assembly point (even if the alarm has been silenced) until a member of security, ECS response team of Fire and Rescue Service advises the otherwise.

Responding to a Fire (Staff and students)

3.4 In the event of discovering a fire:

• Stay calm, shout ‘Fire’ and activate the fire alarm by pressing the centre of the red call point.
• Follow the steps at para 3.3.

4.1 Refuge - areas within the building which are accessible for disabled access and where it will be easiest for fire service teams to evacuate disabled persons in the event of an emergency.

4.2 General Emergency Evacuation Plan – a document outlining a building's layout, evacuation procedures, and equipment used during emergencies, particularly for those with limited mobility.

4.3 Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan - a customized plan developed for individuals who might need assistance or have difficulties evacuating a building during an emergency. It outlines the specific actions and support needed for their safe evacuation, ensuring they can reach a place of safety.

5.1 The Vice-Chancellor is designated as the "Responsible Person" under the RRO, for the University and as such is responsible for ensuring that: 

• General fire precautions are taken for the safety of employees, students, contractors, visitors and members of the public.
• A positive fire safety culture is promoted across the University and arrangements are in place for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of the preventive and protective measures.
• Adequate resources are allocated to the management of fire safety.
• On a day-to-day basis, responsibility is delegated for the discharge of their duties to members of the Vice Chancellor’s Group (VGC) through the Registrar and Chief Operating Officer.

5.2 Pro Vice Chancellor Deans and Directors of Service Units are responsible (so far as is reasonably responsible) for:

• Promoting a positive fire safety culture in their area of responsibility. 
• Notifying the Health and Safety Department/ECS of all material changes (of which H&S/ECS may not be aware) to the buildings that have the potential to affect the fire strategy of the building.
• Ensuring appropriate processes are in place for staff to undergo the required fire safety training at the prescribed frequency.
• Ensuring activities and processes falling under their control that present a fire safety risk are risk-assessed and brought to the attention of the fire safety advisor, H&S team and/or ECS staff as appropriate.
• Where fire risks are identified, processes are in place to ensure necessary steps are taken to reduce or mitigate the risks to fire safety and suitable control measures implemented.

5.3 Director of Estates and Campus Services is responsible for: 

• Promoting a positive fire safety culture across the University.
• Facilitating the arrangements for the effective planning, organisation, control, monitoring and review of preventive and protective measures.
• Ensuring that all new buildings and refurbishments are designed, specified and constructed in accordance with all relevant fire safety legislation.
• The building fabric, fire safety systems of the premises, and equipment provided in connection with assuring fire safety are maintained by the ECS, are fit for purpose and in efficient working order in all Oxford Brookes University premises.
• Ensuring that the University is meeting its legal obligations for fire safety in respect of all premises it leases to third parties, including tenants.
• Ensuring appropriate mechanisms are in place for the required testing, inspection and maintenance of all fire protection equipment. 
• Ensuring a twenty-four hour, seven days a week, 365 days a year response to fire alarms and communication to the emergency services as required.
• Ensuring that adequate resources are allocated to the management of fire safety.
• Ensuring arrangements are in place to conduct fire evacuation exercises of each building.

5.4 Deputy Director of Estates is responsible for: 

• Developing, implementing, monitoring and reviewing processes to ensure all equipment associated with general fire precautions (fire detectors, fire extinguishers, emergency lighting and fire alarm panels) are appropriately tested, inspected and maintained.

5.5 Director of Occupational Health and Safety is responsible for:

• Ensuring arrangements are in place for the completion of all necessary fire risk assessments (FRAs) in line with current requirements.
• Identifying fire safety training and development needs within the University and putting appropriate programmes in place to develop the necessary competencies and positive fire safety culture.
• Liaising with the Local Authority Fire and Rescue Service concerning audits and inspections of University properties.
• Agreeing arrangements, where necessary, for specialist advisors to provide additional support (e.g. DSEAR).
• Ensuing appropriate advice is available to support and assist in the development of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) when required.

5.6 Fire Safety Advisor has a responsibility to:

• Create and maintain the University Fire Safety procedure and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan processes in consultation with all relevant stakeholders.
• Undertake fire risk assessments in accordance with the schedule outlined at para 5.17. 
• Act as the University’s subject matter expert on fire safety, providing suitable and sufficient fire safety and report and advice the Director of Occupational Health and Safety and others within the University as appropriate.
• Monitor fire safety legislation and British Standards to provide timely information to the University as appropriate to its activities and the impact of any relevant changes.
•  Ensure staff receive suitable information, instruction, and training to enable them to meet their fire safety related roles and responsibilities Investigate the causes of fires and create reports for management where relevant, including recommendations for appropriate action to prevent reoccurrence and to comply with management responsibilities under this procedure.
• Maintain the university Gerda Boxes ensuring they are placed in optimal locations and contain up to date information.

5.7 ECS response team is comprised of Security and Campus Service staff and the function is to: 

• Respond to a fire alarm and interrogate the fire panel to establish the status of the activation.
• Where safe and appropriate to do so, check the building/area to ensure no-one remains in there.
• Liaise with the Fire and Rescue Service (if in attendance) and assist as directed and notify them of anyone who remains in the building.
• Notify those that have evacuated the building when it is safe to enter the building.
• Where appropriate, escalate through their management structure if the incident is significant enough.

5.8 Line Managers and Student Supervisors are responsible for ensuring that: 

• Employees and students have adequate information and training so that they understand what to do in the event of a fire emergency.
• They nor their staff make alterations to building fabric or rooms where these will affect fire escape routes or fire protection facilities without appropriate consultation at an early stage.

5.9 All university employees & students

Employees have a responsibility to:

• Observe all instructions, information and training intended to secure safety, including fire safety.
• Cooperate with the University on matters of fire safety.
• Not misuse or interfere with any building fabric or equipment provided in connection with assuring fire safety, including propping fire doors open using unapproved means.
• Report any obvious defects or shortcomings in university fire safety equipment, arrangements, or procedures.
• Take steps to reduce or mitigate risks if a work risk assessment identifies an activity is likely to adversely affect fire safety and inform the Facilities Manager so that the fire risk assessment can be updated accordingly.
• Ensure visitors they are hosting leave the building in the event of a fire alarm and go to the fire assembly area.
  

Students have a responsibility to:

• Disclose medical conditions or disabilities that would affect their ability to escape a building in the event of fire.
• Cooperate with the university as required, to develop a Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan to facilitate a suitable assisted means of escape.
• Undertake required induction sessions on first arrival at university residential accommodation and familiarise themselves with the information (including fire safety.
• Observe all instructions, information and training intended to observe fire safety.
• Cooperate with the University on matters of fire safety.
• Not misuse or interfere with any building fabric or equipment provided in connection with assuring fire safety.
• Report any obvious defects or shortcomings in fire safety arrangements or procedures.

5.11 Contractors

It is the hosts responsibility so far as is reasonably practicable that contractors:

• Assess the fire safety risks arising from their works or activities and implement control measures including use of the Permit to Work process where appropriate, taking permit application lead times into account.
• Cooperate with the University on all matters of fire safety.
• Have received appropriate information and instruction to enable them to comply with this policy and the University’s emergency arrangements.
• Obey instructions relating to fire safety given by an authorised University member of staff.
• Will not carry out any work that affects building integrity or fire compartmentation unless managed by the Estates and Campus Services Maintenance team.

Evacuation

6.1 Details of evacuation procedures are presented in section 3.

Evacuations with assistance:

6.2 Every building with a passenger lift will have refuges and associated communication systems installed, maintained, and tested.

6.3 Building evacuation plans will include workable/achievable means of escape for people who would need assistance to always evacuate. General Emergency Evacuation Plan (GEEP) or Personal Emergency Evacuation plans (PEEP) must not rely on fire service intervention to work.

6.4 The general principle for PEEPs is to ensure so far as reasonably possible that people are able to move to a place of safety in the event of a fire activation. For students who require a PEEP, the university will aim to arrange their teaching sessions on the ground floor to facilitate a safe evacuation.

6.4 Further details on the GEEP and PEEP processes is provided in Appendix 1.

Evacuation Drills

6.5 Evacuation drills for all University buildings are coordinated and undertaken by ECS. The Fire Safety Advisor will be involved in the drills to provide oversight that the evacuation process is effective. Records of the drills are made available to the Fire Safety Advisor.

Fire alarms

6.6 Fire alarms in university buildings are tested in line with current statutory compliance requirements. The university will follow guidance provided in the current British Standard.

6.7 Security officers from ECS will attend all University building fire alarms as quickly as possible, depending on other work commitments and their location at the time. Security officers will not always be "First Responders" at fire alarm incidents.

6.8 Security staff are expected to respond to incidents or requests by staff/students to attend any security-related incidents. This could include fire alarm activations and assist persons as appropriate. Officers will dynamically assess how to respond given the nature of the incident.

6.9 All building fire alarm systems are monitored via an approved system.

6.10 Building fire alarm systems will incorporate sirens and red flashing beacons for areas where hearing a fire alarm is difficult due to ambient noise levels, or where it can be anticipated people with hearing difficulties may be.

6.11 Every University-controlled building with a fire detection and alarm system will have a red fire document box located near the fire alarm panel. The box will contain all relevant fire safety information for the building, or the location of where further information can be found, which will include, Plans, and specialist site specific information for use by the fire service.

6.12 Other testing records will be held centrally by the ECS Team.

Statutory Compliance Testing

6.13 A number of general fire precautions are provided to limit the impact of a fire occurring and its effects. These include fire alarm systems, sprinkler systems, emergency lighting, fire extinguishers, fire suppressant systems, dry risers and smoke ventilation systems. All have specific requirements placed on them concerning inspection, testing and maintenance. These are detailed in Appendix 1.

6.14 All inspection, testing and maintenance are coordinated by ECS and details of completion are recorded in ServiceNow.

6.15 Weekly testing of fire alarms in those buildings for which the University is responsible is undertaken by ECS staff.

6.16 Tenant’s responsibilities for the management of fire safety within the buildings/areas they occupy, will be specified in their contracts.

Fire Risk Assessments

6.17 Fire risk assessments are completed for all buildings for which Oxford Brookes University has responsibility. The frequency of the assessments and reviews are as follows:

6.18 A full list of buildings and the frequency of review is held by the Health and Safety Team. This list is not definitive and is liable to change as and when the profile of a building changes or as indicated by the FRA or review.

6.19 Where deficiencies are identified by the FRA, the Health and Safety Team will advise the responsible party of the action required and maintain an appropriate record to rectify the issues and set timescales for completion.  Depending on the nature of the recommendations it may be more appropriate for remedial actions to be prioritised through the universities ‘Maintenance Investment Plan’ Project Panel.

Escape Routes

6.20 Consultation with ECS and H&S Department must take place before any modification is made to a building that may result in an alteration to any escape route.

6.21 Fire doors are not to be propped open by unauthorised devices (such as wedges).

6.22 Specialist devices designed specifically for the purpose of holding open fire doors are tested to ensure they close in the event of a fire alarm. Where these are needed staff are to contact ECS who may in turn seek advice from the University’s Fire Safety Advisor.

Evacuation Chairs

6.23 All buildings with a lift also have evacuation chairs. The exact number is based on the size and occupancy levels of the buildings. Additional chairs may be provided dependent on the results of individual’s Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans.

Communication

6.24 Findings from the annual fire evacuation exercises will be shared with the Health, Safety and Welfare Strategic Committee, Faculties and Directorates as appropriate and through the local H&S Team Briefing.

7.1 All employees are required to complete the online H&S Essentials course every three years. This includes fire safety awareness information.

7.2 Specific training will be given by the Fire Safety Advisor to any member of staff who is required to use an extinguisher in the event of a fire.

8.1 ECS holds all relevant certificates/reports in relation to the inspection, maintenance and testing of fire safety equipment and ensure this is available when requested.

8.2 The Health and Safety Team holds records of all FRAs completed.

9.1 This procedure will be reviewed every three years or before if it is evident that changes are required. 

• Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO) 
• Equality Act 2010
• Housing Act 2004, as regards fire safety 
• Fire Safety Act 2021 The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022
• Building Safety Act 2022 (The Fire Safety Order (FSO) was amended by the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) and came into effect on October 1, 2023)