UK schools’ fire hazard is on the rise

Education institutions need to tackle hazards and minimise the risk of fire

As one-in-six school buildings in England currently require urgent repairs, iHASCO is urging education institutions to tackle hazards and minimise the risk of fire.

A recent investigation found that 13% of schools have not carried out a fire risk assessment, with a worrying 1-in-10 revealing they do not have an electrical test certificate. Instead of idly waiting for a disaster to happen, iHASCO’s newly updated Fire Awareness Course helps schools ensure that all staff understand the key steps to improving fire safety and the correct procedures in case of a fire.

New data has shown that almost one in six school buildings in England require urgent repairs and that 13% have not carried out a fire risk assessment.

Worryingly, the same investigation found that 10% of schools do not have an electrical test certificate, the risks, it would now seem, are higher than ever in schools.

As the education sector faces a catastrophe in waiting, eLearning provider iHASCO is urging education institutions to tackle fire hazards with the launch of its updated Fire Awareness Course.

Due to the nature of staff responsibility within the education sector, minimising the risk of fires in schools is crucial. This comes down to investment in the infrastructure, for example, a recent survey highlighted that even new schools aren’t fitted with fire sprinklers, and investment must also be made in providing staff with the right tools and knowledge to safeguard pupils and students from fire hazards.

London Fire Brigade calls for sprinklers to be installed in every school: Today, Wednesday 7 August, the London Fire Brigade issue a press release which calls for sprinklers to be installed in every school. The department has recently undertaken a call… https://t.co/WBjXUYh9Om pic.twitter.com/Wdii61gDOl

— FE News (@FENews) August 7, 2019

The updated Fire Awareness Course is designed to help educational institutions address the latter and ensure that all staff understand the key steps to improving fire safety. The course helps schools meet compliance requirements under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 as it mirrors current legislation and highlights best practice.

It can also be completed in just 35 minutes, saving staff valuable time while still covering key areas, such as the nature of fire, fire growth and development, fire signage, fire hazards, emergency procedures for those working in education and how to use the different fire extinguishers.

“Fire awareness is a key piece of training, a legal requirement in fact, for anyone working in the education sector. We all want to keep schools safe, so it is imperative that we help school staff understand the risks that fire poses and enable them to minimise fire hazards where possible. School buildings are evidently not in ideal shape, but by ensuring that staff know what to do in emergency situations, school managers and boards can make an important step towards keeping everyone on-premises safe,” says Alex Wilkins (Tech.IOSH), Head of Business Development at iHASCO.

“The updated course follows our philosophy that eLearning should be engaging and enjoyable in order to be effective. That is why we have reduced its duration by almost half an hour and added fantastic animation and graphics to keep learners engaged,” Wilkins added.