Out-of-hours fire alarm response

There’s never a good time for the fire alarm to go off, but if it sounds when the responsible staff member is absent, you’ll need a plan which keeps everyone safe. Use our document to describe your arrangements.

Risky business

A fire alarm going off outside of working hours could lead to untrained staff or tenants taking unnecessary risks or interfering with life-saving equipment. Whilst they may do this with the best intentions, it can cause all sorts of problems. In addition, if there’s no one present at all, there’s a risk of property damage due to delays in accessing the building or forced access by the Fire and Rescue Service.

To address this, use our Out-of-Hours Fire Alarm Response to describe your arrangements.

How should you use it?

To make this procedure effective you will need to nominate key holders and others with responsibilities and fill in their details as shown. Key holders will need keys for the building, a scale plan of the premises showing the fire alarm zones and a copy of the latest fire risk assessment. They will also need to know what precautions to take, especially if attending the site alone.

Note. Instruct your key holders what to check on arrival at the site, i.e. the safe methods they can use to establish if it might be a false alarm. In the event of a suspected fire they’ll need to meet and brief the Fire and Rescue Service on arrival.

Who to choose?

To ensure you have reasonable cover you’ll need two or more key holders. Normally, they will be directors, partners, etc. as they have a certain level of trust. If you have plenty of options, choose managers who live close to your site, so that they can respond promptly to the alarm.