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There is an item that you can place within a communal area of Flats or HMOs that can make a huge difference to the fire brigade and their response to a fire or emergency within your building. Secure information boxes are easily identifiable repositories for documents intended for use by the fire and rescue service during a fire.
Its main use is for high-rise buildings; however, the box can be placed in smaller properties that have communal areas. Having a box with important fire documents enclosed really highlights to your tenants that you take fire safety seriously within the building.
The Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 made it a legal requirement for existing high-rise residential buildings in England to have a secure information box installed on the premises from 23 January 2023. High rise buildings are 18 metres or more in height OR seven or more floors in height.
The regulations require responsible persons to install a suitably secure information box in or on their high-rise buildings. They will also be required to provide in the box:
Access should be given to the fire and rescue service. Boxes should be maintained, and their contents kept up to date in line with the duties imposed by the regulations and the Fire Safety Order.
The Grenfell Tower Inquiry Phase 1 report highlighted that the lack of on-site information available to London Fire Brigade on the night could have further hampered their response had the layout of the building been more complex. The Inquiry recommended that the owner and manager of all high-rise residential buildings be required by law to ensure that the building contains a secure information box.
While the regulations require responsible persons to proactively send the fire and rescue service relevant information electronically, there is still a practical use to the fire and rescue service in having some of this information available in hard copy on site.
In order to keep this information safe and secure, access should be given to the fire and rescue service either by a copy of the key, or the access key-code being shared with them.
The fire and rescue service has informed the Grenfell Inquiry that during a fire, hard copies of building plans are helpful in aiding their operational response. This allows first-attending crews to understand the building’s layout and respond effectively by using these plans in a dynamic environment without having to rely on technology.
Chapters 2 to 4 of “The Code of Practice for the Provision of Premises Information Boxes in Residential Buildings” produced jointly by the FIA and the NFCC sets out good practice on secure locations to install information boxes.
The regulations do not require a responsible person to include personal or sensitive information about residents in the box.
Under the Fire Safety Order, responsible persons already have a duty to maintain in an efficient state and in efficient working order and in good repair any facilities, equipment or devices used by fire-fighters
For compulsory (high rise) boxes, the regulations require a responsible person to inspect the secure information box annually and ensure its contents are up to date.
What would you place within it?
The Building Fire Risk Assessment, The Fire System Service Log Book, Emergency Lights Test Book, The Weekly Test Log Book, A Paper Copy (Laminated If Possible) of the Building Layout, Fire Extinguishers Service Log Book, Weekly Fire System Test Book, A Pen, Contact Details For the Responsible Person, Gas Pipe Incoming Location, Electrical Shut off, Is There Solar panels on the building?
As you can see there is a lot of information within the document box that can be stored and this information rather than being spread over the building it has its own place to be. The fire brigade would look more favourable to a landlord or responsible person who had all this information to hand rather than looking for information which may be lost in time.
As a Fire Risk Assessor, I recommend these are installed in all rented properties that contain a communal area. Although only compulsory in high rise buildings, it’s great to go above and beyond for the safety of your tenants.
Article by Will Carter of Fire Risk Assessors South West 07740 074084
