The fire was put out quickly, nobody was hurt and the damage appears minor. But before business returns to normal, there are some important fire safety responsibilities that shouldn’t be overlooked.
Imagine a small fire breaks out in the kitchen of your restaurant. One of your employees reacts quickly, uses a fire extinguisher and manages to put it out before the flames spread.
Nobody is injured, the damage appears limited and the fire and rescue service confirms that the immediate emergency has passed.
It’s a relief, and understandably, your priority is getting everything cleaned up and returning to normal.
But there’s a question worth asking before you reopen.
Are the fire safety precautions you were relying on before the fire still working properly?
The extinguisher has been discharged. Smoke may have affected the detectors. A fire door might have been damaged, and electrical equipment exposed to heat or water may no longer be safe to use.
There’s also something else to consider. You’ve just experienced a real fire, which means you’ve had an opportunity to see whether the precautions identified in your fire risk assessment actually worked.
At ESI: Fire Safety, we recommend that a new fire risk assessment is undertaken following a fire, even where the incident appears relatively minor.
A small fire might be extinguished in minutes, but the responsibilities that follow can take considerably longer to resolve.
So what should the Responsible Person do in the hours and days after a fire, who needs to be informed and what should happen before the premises return to normal operation?
What Should You Do Immediately After a Small Fire?
Once the fire has been extinguished and the immediate emergency has passed, the first priority is establishing whether the premises, or the affected part of them, can be used safely.
Don’t assume that because the flames have gone, the building is ready to reopen.
Heat, smoke and firefighting operations can affect electrical installations, fire protection equipment, structural materials and escape routes. Some damage may not be immediately obvious.
Where the fire and rescue service has attended, follow any instructions concerning access to the affected area. If an investigation is required, avoid disturbing the scene until the relevant authorities have confirmed that necessary examination can take place or has been completed.
You should also consider whether damaged electrical equipment, gas installations or other services need inspection by a competent specialist before being returned to use.
The Home Office’s guidance for Responsible Persons explains that where essential fire safety equipment is faulty or out of service, the risks must be assessed immediately and the necessary remedial actions identified.
That may mean temporarily closing an affected room, restricting access to part of the building or introducing additional precautions while repairs are arranged.
The decision should reflect the actual risk to occupants. A small fire in an isolated storeroom is different from one that damages the fire detection system or compromises an escape route.
What Fire Safety Equipment Should Be Checked After a Fire?
Even where damage appears minor, several fire safety systems may have been used or affected during the incident.
Fire Alarm Systems
A fire alarm may have operated correctly during the incident, but resetting the control panel doesn’t automatically establish that the system remains in satisfactory condition.
Detectors exposed to heat, smoke or contamination may require inspection, cleaning or replacement in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.
Cabling, interfaces and other equipment near the fire may also have been damaged.
Where there is reason to suspect that the system has been affected, arrange for a competent fire alarm engineer to inspect and test the relevant equipment before relying on it again.
Any defects should be recorded, together with the repairs and subsequent testing undertaken.
Fire Extinguishers
Any portable fire extinguisher that has been discharged, even partially, should be taken out of service until it has been appropriately recharged and recommissioned or replaced.
A partially discharged extinguisher shouldn’t simply be returned to its mounting bracket because the pressure gauge still appears satisfactory.
Replacement extinguishers may be necessary to maintain the appropriate level of protection while the used equipment is being serviced.
Our guide, What Should I Do With a Fire Extinguisher Once It’s Been Discharged?, explains the process in more detail.
Sprinklers and Other Suppression Systems
If a sprinkler system or other fixed fire suppression installation has operated, a competent specialist should assess and restore the affected equipment before the system is relied upon again.
This may involve replacing operated sprinkler heads, checking control valves and confirming that the installation has been correctly reinstated.
Don’t assume that because only one sprinkler activated, the system can simply be reset without appropriate work.
Fire Doors, Compartmentation and Emergency Lighting
Heat and smoke can damage fire doors, seals, glazing and other components. Firefighting operations may also affect doors, ceilings and building services.
A fire door that no longer closes correctly, damaged fire-stopping around service penetrations or smoke leakage through a compartment wall could compromise the building’s protection.
Emergency lighting and electrical equipment exposed to heat, water or firefighting activity may also require inspection.
Where damage is suspected, appropriate competent contractors should undertake the necessary assessments and repairs.
Can the Business Remain Open While Repairs Are Carried Out?
Possibly, but that decision needs to be based on the risks involved.
If a fire has affected a small, isolated area without compromising escape routes or essential fire safety systems, continued occupation of unaffected areas may be reasonable.
However, if the fire alarm, smoke control system, fire-resisting construction or another important precaution is impaired, the situation may be very different.
Temporary measures might include restricting access to affected areas, providing alternative fire safety equipment, increasing supervision or changing how particular parts of the building are used.
Those measures should be suitable for the actual risks and documented. They shouldn’t be treated as a convenient long-term alternative to necessary repairs.
In some circumstances, temporary closure may be the appropriate decision.
The important question isn’t simply whether you can reopen. It’s whether the people using the building will have suitable fire protection while the outstanding work is completed.
A new fire risk assessment can help establish what additional precautions may be necessary, but urgent safety decisions cannot wait until the assessment appointment. Immediate risks must be dealt with straight away.
Who Needs to Be Informed After a Fire?
This depends on the premises, the nature of the incident and who may be affected.
The Fire and Rescue Service
If the fire and rescue service attended, cooperate with any investigation or subsequent inspection.
An enforcing authority may undertake a post-fire audit to examine whether suitable fire precautions were in place when the incident occurred.
You may be asked to provide the fire risk assessment, maintenance records, training information and other relevant documentation.
Our article on fire investigations, their purpose and what to expect explains this process.
Other Responsible Persons
In a multi-occupied building, the landlord, managing agent and neighbouring tenants may need to know what happened.
Article 22 of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires Responsible Persons who share premises or have duties relating to them to cooperate, coordinate their measures and communicate relevant risks.
For example, a fire in a ground-floor restaurant may affect the fire separation, shared alarm system or escape arrangements serving offices or flats above.
Those responsible for the affected areas need sufficient information to manage the risks.
Employees and Building Occupants
Staff should understand what happened, whether any areas or equipment remain out of service and whether emergency procedures have changed.
Where additional precautions have been introduced, make sure the people affected understand them.
Your Insurance Company
Most commercial insurance policies contain conditions concerning notification of incidents and claims.
Check the policy and inform the insurer promptly where required, even if the damage initially appears relatively minor.
Keep appropriate photographs, reports and records of the damage. Before disposing of damaged equipment or undertaking extensive repairs, establish whether the insurer or an investigator needs to examine it, without delaying urgent work necessary to make the premises safe.
Does a Small Fire Need to Be Reported Under RIDDOR?
Not every fire is reportable under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, commonly known as RIDDOR.
However, certain fires, explosions and injuries must be reported.
The Health and Safety Executive’s guidance on dangerous occurrences explains that fires or explosions at work premises can be reportable where they cause plant to stop or normal work to be suspended for more than 24 hours, subject to the relevant statutory criteria.
There are also specific reporting requirements for electrical incidents. An electrical short circuit or overload resulting in a fire or explosion may be reportable where the affected equipment is unusable for more than 24 hours or the incident had the potential to cause death.
Injuries are considered separately.
For example, a work-related accident involving a customer who is taken directly to hospital for treatment may be reportable. Certain specified injuries to employees, and injuries preventing them from carrying out normal work for more than seven consecutive days, can also trigger reporting duties.
Simply having a small fire doesn’t automatically mean a RIDDOR report is required.
If you’re unsure, check the HSE’s guidance on reportable incidents promptly. Where an incident is reportable, statutory notification deadlines apply.
Why Should Another Fire Risk Assessment Be Carried Out After a Fire?
Even if a fire was extinguished quickly and caused relatively little damage, we recommend commissioning a new fire risk assessment following the incident.
There’s a good reason for this. The original assessment considered the building, its hazards, occupants and fire safety precautions before the fire occurred. The incident may have changed those circumstances, and it provides valuable evidence about how the existing precautions performed when they were actually needed.
Under Article 9(3) of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, the Responsible Person must keep the fire risk assessment under review, particularly where there is reason to suspect it is no longer valid or where significant relevant changes have occurred.
The Home Office’s fire risk assessment guidance for offices and shops specifically identifies a fire or near miss as an occasion when the existing assessment may be inadequate and recommends reassessment.
Although the legislation doesn’t automatically require an entirely new assessment following every fire, our recommendation at ESI: Fire Safety is to undertake a fresh assessment of the premises after an incident, taking account of the cause, the damage, the performance of the fire safety precautions and any changes introduced during repairs.
What Should the New Fire Risk Assessment Consider?
A fire provides an opportunity to examine whether the precautions identified in the original assessment actually performed as intended.
Consider a small fire in a restaurant kitchen. The flames may have been extinguished within minutes, but the incident raises several questions.
Was the fire caused by faulty equipment, inadequate maintenance or an activity that wasn’t properly controlled? Had the ignition source been identified in the previous assessment, and were the necessary precautions in place?
Did the fire alarm detect the incident promptly, or was the fire discovered by a member of staff? Were employees able to respond correctly, and did everybody evacuate safely?
Did fire doors close as intended? Did smoke spread beyond the area of origin? Were escape routes clear and usable throughout the incident?
What happened when the fire and rescue service arrived, and did the building’s emergency arrangements work as expected?
The answers may reveal risks that weren’t apparent during the previous assessment.
A new fire risk assessment should consider these findings, establish whether the existing precautions remain adequate and identify any additional measures necessary to reduce the likelihood or consequences of another fire.
It should also consider whether the fire, heat, smoke or firefighting operations have affected detection systems, escape routes, fire doors, compartmentation or other fire safety measures.
Should the New Assessment Be Completed Before Reopening?
That depends on the circumstances, the extent of the damage and the risks involved.
The premises must be safe for their intended occupation, and significant hazards or impaired fire precautions must be appropriately addressed before people are exposed to them.
For a relatively minor incident with no significant damage to essential fire precautions, the Responsible Person may be able to establish suitable interim arrangements while the new assessment is organised.
However, where the fire has affected important safety systems, escape routes or fire-resisting construction, specialist inspections and appropriate remedial work may be necessary before the affected areas can reopen.
The assessment should be arranged promptly, taking account of the nature of the incident and the condition of the premises.
Where extensive repairs are still underway, a further review may be appropriate once the works are completed and the building is ready to return to normal use.
The completed assessment should provide a clear picture of the current fire risks, with a prioritised action plan identifying any deficiencies, the measures required and appropriate timescales for completion.
The fact that a fire was small doesn’t mean the underlying risk was small. A fire that happened to be discovered and extinguished quickly could have developed very differently if the premises had been unoccupied, the alarm hadn’t operated or an escape route had been affected.
That’s why a fresh assessment is worthwhile. It allows the Responsible Person to understand what actually happened, establish whether the existing precautions remain suitable and identify improvements before another incident occurs.
What Should Be Recorded After the Fire?
Good records are essential for demonstrating how the incident was managed and what happened afterwards.
Since October 2023, amendments to the Fire Safety Order have required Responsible Persons to record their fire risk assessments in full, including the findings of subsequent reviews.
Although the Fire Safety Order doesn’t prescribe one particular fire incident log, maintaining an appropriate incident record is sensible fire safety management.
We recommend recording the date, time and location of the fire, what happened, who was involved and how the incident was brought under control.
The record should identify any fire safety equipment that operated or was damaged, together with the inspections, repairs and replacement equipment subsequently provided.
It should also establish who was informed, whether temporary precautions were introduced and what conclusions were reached when the new fire risk assessment was undertaken.
Where repairs are completed, retain supporting evidence such as service reports, photographs and appropriate completion documentation.
Recording that a defect has been repaired isn’t the same as having evidence that the repair was actually completed.
These records may be valuable during future fire risk assessments, enforcement inspections, insurance enquiries and management handovers.
Importantly, they also provide evidence that the Responsible Person acted on the findings of the incident rather than simply allowing the premises to return to normal without further consideration.
What Should the Responsible Person Achieve During the First Week?
The first week after a small fire should be about restoring safe conditions, understanding what happened and making sure any necessary improvements are properly managed.
In the first day, the priority is establishing whether the premises can be occupied safely, identifying damaged or unavailable fire precautions and arranging appropriate temporary measures.
Over the following days, competent contractors should inspect and repair affected systems. Relevant people should be informed, insurance and statutory reporting requirements considered, and the incident documented.
A new fire risk assessment should also be arranged promptly, taking account of the incident, its likely cause, the damage sustained and the performance of the existing fire safety arrangements.
The resulting assessment should identify any additional precautions necessary to prevent a recurrence and establish a prioritised action plan.
Some repairs, investigations or assessment work may take longer than a week, particularly where specialist components are required or significant fire damage has occurred.
Where that happens, outstanding actions should have clear responsibilities, appropriate priorities and suitable interim precautions.
The important thing is not to allow a small fire to disappear from attention once the premises have been cleaned and normal operations resume.
A Small Fire Is Still an Opportunity to Improve Fire Safety
A fire that is extinguished quickly can feel like a lucky escape, particularly when nobody is injured and the damage is relatively minor.
But it’s also an opportunity to understand whether the building’s precautions worked as intended.
Perhaps the fire alarm operated exactly as designed, staff followed their training and the fire was contained without anyone being placed at risk.
Or perhaps the incident revealed a detector that didn’t operate, an obstructed escape route, inadequate fire separation or an emergency procedure that employees didn’t fully understand.
The important thing is to recognise the difference and respond appropriately.
At ESI: Fire Safety, we recommend that a fresh fire risk assessment follows a fire because the incident provides evidence that wasn’t available when the original assessment was undertaken.
That information can help establish whether the existing precautions remain suitable, what improvements are required and whether the premises are adequately protected against a similar incident.
A fire risk assessment shouldn’t simply describe how a building is expected to perform. It should reflect the actual conditions, risks and fire safety arrangements that exist.
And restoring damaged equipment is only part of that process. Understanding what happened and reducing the likelihood of another fire is just as important.
Fire Risk Assessments After a Fire from ESI: Fire Safety
At ESI: Fire Safety, we help business owners, landlords, managing agents and Responsible Persons understand their fire safety obligations and the precautions needed to protect people.
Our services include new and reviewed fire risk assessments, post-incident fire safety reviews, fire alarm consultancy, fire door inspections, compartmentation assessments and practical advice on managing fire safety defects.
We work throughout Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire, South West London and the wider South East.
If your premises have experienced a fire, even a relatively small one, we can undertake a fresh fire risk assessment to consider the incident, the current condition of the building and whether additional precautions are necessary.
We can also help identify outstanding defects, recommend appropriate remedial actions and provide a prioritised action plan to support the safe management of the premises.
ESI: Fire Safety — No Shortcuts in Safety.
Contact ESI: Fire Safety or call 01276 300 351 to discuss arranging a fire risk assessment following a fire.
This article focuses on fire safety duties in England, with relevant provisions of the Fire Safety Order also applying in Wales. The recommendation to commission a new fire risk assessment after a fire reflects ESI: Fire Safety’s professional approach. The statutory duty is to review the assessment and revise it where necessary.
