Enforcement of means of escape under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The request was partially successful.

Dear Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service,

Please provide under Freedom of Information:

1. The number of low, medium and high-rise residential buildings in your area (or your current/best estimate of them) covered by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

2. The total number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the owners of these buildings relating to means of escape (Articles 14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI

3. The number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the owners of these buildings specifically relating to the identification of vulnerable and disabled residents, and planning for their escape (Articles 14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI

3. Copies of the notices referred to in (3)

4. The fire authority's current policy

Yours faithfully,

Elspeth Grant

Freedom of Information, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

Dear E Grant,

 

Freedom of Information Act Request – Reference: 1649

 

Thank you for your request for information about Enforcement of means of
escape under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

 

Your request was received on 23^rd June 2021 and we are dealing with it
under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000/Data Protection Act
1998.  We will respond to you as soon as possible, but at the latest by
21^st June 2021.

 

If you do not hear from us by this date, please contact the Executive
Support Office on 01606 868403 or by email to [email address].

 

Thank you for your co-operation.

 

Kind regards,

 

Kirsty Jennings

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service,

Clemonds Hey, Oakmere Road,

Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2UA

Tel: 07929 805 040

 

 

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Freedom of Information, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

1 Attachment

Dear E Grant,

 

Your request, received on 23^rd June 2021, Reference 1649

 

1. The number of low, medium and high-rise residential buildings in your
area (or your current/best estimate of them) covered by the Regulatory
Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

 

2. The total number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the
owners of these buildings relating to means of escape (Articles 14(2)(b) &
15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI

 

3. The number of deficiency and/or enforcement notices served to the
owners of these buildings specifically relating to the identification of
vulnerable and disabled residents, and planning for their escape (Articles
14(2)(b) & 15 (1)(b)), since the 30th October 2019 to the date of this FOI

 

4. Copies of the notices referred to in (3)

 

5. The fire authority's current policy covering the evacuation of disabled
people from multi-occupancy buildings during a fire

 

Our response, 08/07/2021

 

1.     The estimated number of low, medium and high-rise buildings in
Cheshire that are enforceable under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety)
Order 2005 is 237 according to our SAFFIRE (Safety from Fire Information &
Recording System) database. This number increases year on year as more
developments are proposed and completed. This was also verified against
our annual Home Office return with a slight variance.

 

2.     The number of enforcement notices served to the owners of these
buildings, relating to means of escape and procedures for serious and
imminent danger, since the 30^th October 2019 until 23^rd June 2021 is
eleven. This is in contradiction to the current Enforcement Register,
which has 74 enforcement notices issued to Clearwater Quays. For this FOI
request, it is recorded as one notice issued. The number of informal
notices/deficiency notices for the 2019/2020 return was three. Further
time would be required to gather this information for the remainder of the
timeframe when our systems administrators have capacity. Our SAFFIRE
system can be quickly interrogated for formal action however a more in
depth analysis of the system is required for informal notices.

 

None of the notices issued to the responsible persons of these buildings
specifically relate to the identification of vulnerable and disabled
residents. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 always refers to
the ‘safety of relevant persons’ throughout Part 2 – Fire Safety Duties.
This distinction, of relevant persons, will include all persons who are
vulnerable or disabled. It is the responsibility of the responsible person
of each building to determine not the fire and rescue service.

 

3.     None required.

 

4.     The request for the Fire Authority’s current policy covering the
evacuation of disabled people from multi occupancy buildings during a fire
is an operational request. Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service have adopted
the NOG SOP 1.1.0 Fires in Buildings, which provides guidance regarding
the evacuation of buildings; however it is not specifically provided for
the evacuation of disabled persons.

 

The responsible persons for the buildings will need to have considered
this when conducting a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment of the
building. The evacuation strategy and any additional resources or
equipment required will be identified during this assessment process. 

 

 

Response prepared by:

Lee McGarity, Station Manager, Protection (Engineering)

 

 

Notes

If you have any queries about this information, or, if you would like any
further assistance with this information, please contact Lee McGarity on
telephone number 01606 868700 or by e-mail to
[email address]

If you are still dissatisfied with any aspect of our response to your
request, please contact us by email at
[1][email address] or write to the Information
Manager at the address below. We will endeavour to assist you, and then
advise you how to progress a formal review if you require.

 

 

Kind regards,

 

Kirsty Jennings

Cheshire Fire & Rescue Service,

Clemonds Hey, Oakmere Road,

Winsford, Cheshire, CW7 2UA

Tel: 07929 805 040

 

 

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