Fire Safety Inspections

Fire Safety inspections are carried out following nationally agreed guidelines so that any advice given to you is consistent and proportionate to the fire risk in your premises and to keep people safe.

We believe that prevention is better than cure and our Inspectors will actively work with you to advise and assist with meeting the standard required.

The Inspection process

Our Inspectors carry out audits in a fair and open manner in accordance with the Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service Enforcement Policy Statement. (Currently under review)

All Fire Safety Inspectors are issued with an Authorisation Card (Service Identification Card) which will be shown to you on request. This gives the Inspector certain powers, which are summarised along with the legislation concerned in the following notes.

During the visit, the Fire Safety Inspector will try to establish whether your premises are safe in case of fire. They might ask questions and ask you to provide evidence to support your answers. They will consider all of the following:-

  • What you are doing to reduce the risk of fire;
  • What you are doing to reduce the risk of the spread of fire;
  • Are there enough escape routes (corridors, stairs and doors) for people in case of fire;
  • What you are doing to make sure that escape routes (corridors, stairs and doors) are safe to use when needed•  What you are doing to detect fire and raise an alarm
  • Whether people understand what to do if fire breaks out
  • What you are doing to fight outbreaks of fire safely
  • What you are doing to ensure that the effects of a fire are as small as possible

Documentation usually required during the visit

During the visit the Fire Safety Inspector will need to view the following documents, where applicable, to your premises. If possible please email these to us prior to the visit at Protection-TFS@hwfire.org.uk  If you are unable to email any of the documents, please ensure they are available at the time of the inspection:-

  • Fire Risk Assessment
  • Records of staff training and fire drills
  • Records of testing and maintenance of firefighting equipment (extinguishers)
  • Records of testing and maintenance of all fire safety provisions including; fire alarm emergency lighting, sprinkler and smoke ventilation and fire resisting doors

Guidance Note

  • Please click the link below to open a copy of the Guidance Note for the Fire Safety Audit Process

How we carry out a fire safety inspection of your premises

Inspection Outcomes

Following an inspection we will inform you of the outcomes which may include:

  • Confirmation of general fire safety compliance of the areas sampled
  • A notice of deficiencies detailing the improvements you need to make to keep people safe from fire
  • The issuing of a Formal Enforcement Notice where serious fire safety deficiencies have been observed which details the corrective action required within specific timeframes
  • The issuing of a Formal Prohibition Notice where serious fire safety deficiencies have been found where it is deemed that the use of the premises involves or will involve a risk to relevant persons so serious that the use of the premises ought to be prohibited or restricted. This Notice takes effect immediately.
  • The issuing of a Formal Alterations Notice, if the Fire and Rescue Authority is of the opinion that any alterations that may be made to the premises would constitute a serious risk to relevant persons
  • Failure to comply with Formal notices is a prosecutable offence under the Fire Safety Order 2005

Failure to comply with Formal notices is a prosecutable offence under Article 32 of the Fire Safety Order 2005. Formal Notices may be appealed within 21 days, after which they are publicly published on the Public Enforcement Register hosted by the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)

Rate Your Visit

Every organisation needs reliable data about what people think, how they feel, and what they want and expect.  Collecting feedback from inspections we undertake allows us to ensure we provide the best service in keeping people safe from fire and to continually improve.

  • If you were recently visited by one of our fire safety officers for a fire safety audit of your premises, the service we provided should have been conducted to the highest standards. 
  • With that in mind, we would be grateful if you would spare just a few moments to tell us exactly what your impressions of our service were, please fill out our Fire Safety Full Audit Questionnaire.
  • If you would like to know how the Service collects, uses and protects your personal information please read our Fire Safety Audit Feedback Privacy Notice.