Fire Safety for Festival and Short term self catered lets

The Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 and the Fire Safety (Scotland) Regulations 2006 makes property owners responsible for taking measures to protect guests from the risks of fire. There are many different ways in which a fire could start in your property and so having a good understanding of the risks that fire poses to your property and your guests is vital to ensure their safe stay and complying with relevant legislation.

There are three core areas to Fire Safety Law compliance:

1. Fire risk assessment – conduct a thorough review of the risks of fire within your home, the people that will be visiting your property and the measures you need to put in place to keep them as safe as possible.
2. Improve and implement the appropriate fire safety measures as a result of issues highlighted in the assessment and in accordance with legislation.
3. Keep the fire risks and measures taken under regular review.

These practical fire safety measures are a good place to start: –

• To have functioning Smoke Alarms in both hallway and living room along with a heat detector alarm in the kitchen. All alarms should be interlinked, i.e. so that all alarms will simultaneously sound if one activates.
• Install Carbon monoxide detector(s) (i.e. adjacent to any gas boiler / appliances)
• Provide a Fire Blanket in the kitchen (a dry powder fire extinguisher is also recommended)
• All upholstery must comply with Furniture & Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 – i.e. your furniture will probably not comply with legislation if it was manufactured between the years 1950 to 1988.
• Make an Emergency Fire Action Plan – to include simple instructions for guests like keeping doors closed at nightime (to limit spead of fire) and advising of the route of escape from the property (i.e. it might be appropriate to post a map of fire escape route on the back of the front door) and providing the telephone number for the Fire Service.

The Scottish Government has produced some further practical guidance, which home owners contemplating leting out their property should read, please click the link below: –

Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Small Bed and Breakfast and Self-Catering Premises –http://www.gov.scot/Resource/0041/00418066.pdf

In addition, The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) offer free home (i.e. domestic premises) fire safety visits (HFSVs) comprising an assessment of fire risk within the home at that time and the provision of advice on preventing fires, avoiding fire spread and formulating an escape plan in event of fire. Additionally, SFRS staff may on occasion, if available and appropriate, fit long life battery operated smoke and heat alarm(s). Note that a HFSV is neither a substitute for responsible persons complying with their specific legal obligations under the Fire (Scotland) Act 2005 nor does it signify compliance by persons with any other legislative requirement or standard. To arrange a free Home Fire Safety Visit: call 0800 0731 999; or visit www.firescotland.gov.uk

We appreciate that this information raises as many questions as it answers and are very happy to discuss with you Fire Safety at the time of visiting your property.

Posted in: Landlord with property to let