Fire Risk Management

Risk control

Facilitates the provision of appropriate standards and levels of protection for people, assets and the environment. The purpose is to eliminate or minimise the risks.

Fire risk management

Defence in depth

The principle of this concept adopted by the Fire Risk Management discipline is aimed at achieving an adequate balance in:

• preventing fires from starting
• detecting fires quickly, suppressing those fires that occur and limiting their damage
• designing (the plant, equipment, buildings, processes etc.) in such a way that, should a fire start despite a fire prevention programme, and burn for a considerable time despite fire protection activities, the fire will have minimum impact on people, equipment, plant or the environment.

Fire Management Programme

This is a risk control discipline comprising of three distinct areas, namely:

1. management
2. fire prevention
3. fire protection

The assignment of responsibilities and the development of a risk profile is seen to be a management function and is the first move down the risk management road. To determine the profile, a process of risk identification, risk analysis and risk evaluation is carried out.

The provision of appropriate standards and levels of protection

The development of standards can be found in three areas, namely:

Statutory requirements – things we have to comply with of which OH & S Act & Regulations, National Building Regulations, Fire Brigade Services Act, National Veld & Forest Fire Act are some.

Non-statutory – Usually external good practices or advisory type information, such as the National Fire Protection Association codes (NFPA), SABS codes.

MRoA Documents – If compiled and available to address specific aspects of concern or issue.

Fire Prevention

A written fire prevention programme must be developed, addressing fire safety information for all employees and contractors such as:

• familiarisation with fire prevention procedures
• emergency alarms & procedures
• use of portable fire extinguishers and hose reels
• reporting and recording of incidents

Documented inspections with emphasis on:

• housekeeping, including expected combustible loading for high-risk areas
• means of escape and access for emergency personnel
• availability of portable fire equipment
• notices and signs
• use of flammable and combustible substances
• fixed fire protection systems (active and passive)
• handling and control of flammable and combustible substances
• handling and control of compressed gas cylinders
• control of cutting, welding or grinding activities
• incident reporting, investigations and recording
• fire prevention and protection inputs into new plant, processes or buildings, including modifications or alterations that could result in losses to people, plant, equipment or buildings from fire

Fire Protection

This area can be further divided into two distinct categories, namely:

Manual fire-fighting

This is initially a written programme that defines:

• What fire-fighting equipment should be available, relative to the risk and other environmental conditions, linked to schematic or drawing of the site / property.
• How the fire-fighting organisation is defined:
1. infrastructure
2. training programme, formal and informal
3. call-out arrangements and detail
4. operational parameters and responsibilities – management & employees
5. pre-fire plans for identified risks, hazards and exposures
• Fire emergency contingency plan developed:
1. response to alarms and fire systems operation by management and employees
2. periodic drills, critiques and exercises
3. interface with other functions and off-site organisations or personnel

Fixed fire protection systems

What are fixed fire protection systems? examples include:

• Passive
1. Drainage
2. Bunding
3. Fire stopping of concealed spaces
4. Firewalls / flame deflectors
5. Fire door
6. Sealing of cable penetrations through fire compartments
7. Fire compartmentalisation
• Active
1. Fixed fire pumps and water supplies
2. Sprinkler systems
3. Gas systems
4. Foam systems
5. Detection systems
6. Ventilation systems (smoke removal engineered types)
7. Fire dampers

Where suitably engineered fixed fire protection systems can be installed to ensure protection of people, plant and equipment, this is recommended. The economics and viability of this route will also be subject to the risk profile findings obtained during the risk assessment.

Where systems are installed they must be periodically inspected, functionally tested (where practical) and maintained.

Where installed systems or equipment become unavailable (e.g. due to prolonged maintenance) a review of the arrangements should be done to ensure that the levels of risk acceptance by the business unit is not excessive. This is also a requirement in terms of “material disclosure” relating to insurance coverage and protection.

Fire-fighting training

Fire-fighting is established at two levels:

Individuals

First aid fire-fighting using portable fire extinguishers or hose reels as an individual or as part of a group of persons using these basic items of equipment. This would generally be applied to all employees having been given exposure to the use and operation of portable fire extinguishers.

Volunteer fire teams

Where the nature of risks or the work environment warrants the formation of team(s) of personnel, clear requirements have been identified as necessary for the safety and effectiveness of those teams. This extends into the minimum numbers of personnel to be available, the training provided to them and the typical fire-fighting equipment available. Generally this is applied to structural fire-fighting using large bore hoses, breathing apparatus, foam-making equipment, ladders, rescue techniques and hazardous materials training.

To this end, a series of training courses have been developed and are prescribed for volunteers.

Marcel Wood
Risk surveyor (Fire)
MunichRe Group
MRoA

Fire Risk Management.pdf

People in Risk

Marcel Wood

Marcel Wood heads Etana’s risk management division. Before starting in insurance he worked for the fire department, rescuing people and (literally) putting out fires. He’s passed through Munich Re and Santam, and has designed the only risk management tool aimed specifically at the insurance industry – ARQ. Marcel is a mean guitarist, a brilliant vocalist and an accomplished soccer player with the personal motto: “Do your best all the time”.