Fire engineering methods are increasingly being incorporated into building design to enable developers to meet functional building requirements with regard to means of escape and fire fighting. Attending fire crews often have to interact with these, sometimes complex systems and therefore need accurate, concise and up to date information when devising firefighting tactics

The voluntary Risk Information Box scheme encourages the responsible occupier of a building to provide up-to-date information at the point of use. Occupiers/employers are, after all, best placed to maintain such information and carrying out this exercise will assist in their fire risk assessment process. The system is intended to be simple, developed as part of the risk assessment process and easily maintained.  It is essentially a box containing plans and information about the building in a standard format.

The information in the plans box is not intended to replace the normal information gathering and familiarisation carried out by fire crews but will assist in this process.

      

Information Box Contents

The risk information boxes will provide information, which should be simple and useable but contains key information needed by operational crews at the time of an incident.

The following are the essential items:

1. Simple plans and or schematic representations of the building to include locations of high risk processes, utility services cut-off points etc.
   
2. Any relevant information relating to equipment and fixed installations associated with fire safety such as automatic smoke detection, sprinklers and smoke extraction including basic operating instructions.
   
3. Contact names/numbers of the responsible person(s) for the site.
   
4. Any other information relevant to the site, premises or occupancy. e.g. IT Server for business continuity

Simple single line plans should be provided of typical floor plan layouts and any relevant fire resistance, access, fire-fighting facilities, equipment, services and hazards etc should be shown. Schematic fire system plans may also be necessary dependant on the complexity of the building.

It is preferable that only Fire Service information is stored in the box

The Risk information Boxes should be sited such that they are readily accessible to attending fire crews, inside the primary Fire Service access points into the building or alongside the fire alarm panel.

They should be ideally fitted 1200mm from ground level to the bottom of the box, but no more than 300mm above or below this height

When the purchaser informs the Fire Service that the contents of the box have been completed, the availability of the Fire Risk Information Box will be added to the Fire Services Mobilising system, were the information will be used, in the event of an incident at that premises.

      

Who is Responsible for Providing and Maintaining the Contents?

As a general principle, the person responsible for Health and Safety within the organisation or premises will be responsible for ensuring the boxes are provided and secured in the best position as well as agreeing the contents with a member of the fire service. Provision must also be put in place for regularly reviewing the relevance of the information contained (minimum annually).

Operational fire crews and Fire Safety officers will have the option to check the contents of the boxes when visiting the premises.

Click here to view - List of typical items to be considered for inclusion on site plan

Click here to view - List of typical items to be considered for inclusion on floor plans etc.

Click here to view an example of a plan

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