Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, Business Fire Safety Team

24/03/2025

On 1/4/25 we will be renaming our team, we will be changing our name to Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service "Business Fire Safety Team".
This follows a project and associated survey carried out in Hertfordshire where we consulted businesses about our team and services..
We feel this name better reflects what we do and will make it more obvious to people looking for help with fire safety in their business who to contact for help. The term "fire protection" is, we feel, better understood by those already working in, or working with the fire safety industry.
This will not change the areas of work we are already involved in but will hopefully mean businesses in Hertfordshire will have a clearer path to our team.

06/08/2024

Is your business arson safe?

14/06/2024

This week, on Monday and Thursday we welcomed Housing officers from every district council in Hertfordshire for some refresher training and planning exercises in relation to fire safety in HMO's (houses in multiple occupation).
Fire Safety Inspectors sat with Housing officers from the areas they covered and worked through fire safety measures required in two sets of plans of real HMO's.

Stevenage Borough Council Dacorum Borough Council Watford Council Hertfordshire County Council St Albans City and District Council Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council East Herts Council North Herts Council

07/06/2024

Please see the important information below from the CROSS safety reporting website.

It will be of interest to all those involved in Fire Safety, Planning, building design, architects, building control and approved inspectors.

Approved Inspectors and building control bodies are increasingly accepting horizontal mains as a solution to meet the firefighting vehicle B5 access requirements of Approved Document B (ADB).

09/05/2024

The Institute of Fire Engineers have produced this useful guide, find it here:

https://www.ife.org.uk/write/mediauploads/documents/Fire_Regulations_all_sectors_guide_final.pdf

24/04/2024

Yesterday one of our team did a presentation at an AFSA (Asian Fire Service Association) development day.
The day was centered on connecting with our communities. The presentation covered a project looking at diverse business owners and why there is a higher amount of enforcement activities associated with businesses owned or run by people from BAME communities.
It was interesting to hear what other fire services have discovered during researching the same subject, the similar findings and the findings which were unique to Hertfordshire and other areas.
The project and subsequent report which was carried out last year made suggestions about how the fire service in Hertfordshire and other areas could change the way they work to reduce risk for businesses and the public in Hertfordshire and ensure all businesses had a clearer path to high quality fire safety information, and relevant departments in fire services that assist businesses with fire safety.

21/03/2024

Please see the details below of an important event being held next month.

23/02/2024

Yesterday we welcomed members of HCPA (Hertfordshire Care Providers Association) for our fourth in a series of development sessions to help those running care facilities in Hertfordshire to make their premises even safer from fire.
We ran a morning and afternoon session covering:
Safe staffing levels.
Fire risk assessment.
Testing and maintenance.
A case study on a fire in a care home in Hertfordshire this year where staff carried out their duties to a high standard.
How to carry out a tabletop exercise.
And other relevant advice.
There was also an opportunity for attendees to ask any questions relating to fire safety in their own premises.

15/02/2024

Following a serious fire at an industrial estate in Kings Langley members of our team have been visiting local businesses in the area during the last two weeks.

We fielded questions from concerned local businesses and provided advice to businesses regarding fire risk assessments, maintenance of fire safety equipment, arson prevention, and other relevant advice.

We also showed them the online free to download government guides available via this link:

https://www.gov.uk/workplace-fire-safety-your-responsibilities/fire-risk-assessments

All businesses now have to record their fire risk assessment after the law changed in October 2023.

12/02/2024

Please see this important update from our trading standards colleagues:

The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) is taking enforcement action and warning consumers about a brand of e-bike battery – UPP – that has been linked to a number of fires across England. Amazon, AliBaba, eBay and Made in China have been issued with Withdrawal Notices which require them, in their roles as distributors of the product, to stop supplying the UPP battery. OPSS has also issued a Withdrawal Notice to 20 sellers directly and has also issued a Withdrawal Notice to the China-based manufacturer.

The product presents a serious risk of fire as it is poorly built with poor welding to connect the components. The product also did not have a heat sensor to prevent overheating, with the battery management system not sufficient to prevent the battery from entering thermal runaway.

Consumers are being advised not to use the battery and contact the seller for further redress. Batteries can also be disposed of in local household recycling centres, however consumers should check first with their local centre if they accept this type of battery.

E-bikes and e-scooters use large lithium-ion batteries which can present a risk of serious fire or explosion in certain circumstances. While these can be used safely, there have been a number of fire incidents involving lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters, including in conversion kits.

You follow these five steps when purchasing, using or charging your e-bike or e-scooter to reduce fire risks:

Step 1: RESEARCH – only BUY an e-bike, e-scooter, charger or battery from a known seller and check any product reviews
Step 2: READ – always READ and FOLLOW the manufacturer’s instructions for charging and using e-bikes or e-scooters
Step 3: CHECK – not all e-bike or e-scooter batteries and chargers are compatible or safe when used together. Check and only USE the manufacturer’s recommended battery or charger
Step 4: CHARGE – always charge in a safe place without blocking exits and always UNPLUG your charger when you have finished charging
Step 5: NEVER – attempt to modify or tamper with your battery

09/02/2024

We also hope business owners and residents celebrating Lunar New year in Hertfordshire and further afield enjoy their celebrations tomorrow 🐲

09/02/2024

We would like to wish all the Chinese business owners and residents in Hertfordshire and beyond a happy new year!
We hope you enjoy your celebrations tomorrow!