Fire safety alert over staycation properties
Holiday letting businesses are being advised to make sure premises being used as rental accommodation meet the correct level of fire safety provisions as Scotland sees an increase in staycations during the summer.
The message comes from the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) which is highlighting a series of steps following the latest easing of lockdown:
- Carry out a fire risk assessment for your premises or a review of your existing fire safety risk assessment as soon as possible to determine if any further actions are required
- Ensure you have provided the required level of automatic fire detection to safeguard sleeping occupants
- Ensure you have provided the required level of firefighting equipment
- Ensure that occupants know what to do in the event of an emergency
- Check that all means of escape routes are adequately protected to allow a safe evacuation
- Alasdair Perry, SFRS deputy assistant chief officer for prevention and protection, said: “We appreciate that businesses and duty-holders who run holiday rentals will be excited to reopen and welcome people back to their facilities in the coming weeks and months.
“As demand for accommodation will undoubtedly increase, we are acutely aware that this could place pressure on business owners. However, safety from fire must remain high on their priorities.
“We are therefore asking anyone who rents out a property as a holiday let to ensure that a thorough fire safety assessment has been carried out to determine if any action is required, before welcoming any guests to your facility.
“It is also important that those visiting are kept safe and aware of what fire safety measures are in place, and they know what to do should a fire occur during their stay.
“It goes without saying that these recent months have been trying times for Scotland as a whole, but we cannot become complacent and must continue to work together to drive down the risk of fire across the country."
Recently, SFRS has also highlighted safety and awareness guidance to ensure that social distancing and protection measures within businesses do not impact on overall fire safety – and warned against the risk posed by excess stock and packaging.
As more and more retail outlets, public areas and workplaces continue to reopen, businesses and duty-holders are advised to ensure stock rooms and fire exits do not become blocked by surplus materials to allow for safe and easy passage in the event of an emergency or a fire drill.
Premises owners and operators are also asked to look at the possibility of increasing waste collections to avoid overspill, and to ensure goods are stored safely and appropriately.
Mr Perry added: “We've already seen some businesses and buildings reopen, but we understand for many this will be the first time they will have opened their doors for quite some time.
“We appreciate that many workplaces will have taken robust measures to protect staff and members of the public through means such as the installation of plastic screening.
“However, we would also ask that businesses consider what impact any changes or installations could have on fire detection or fire safety measures.
“For example, it is possible that screening installation, along with any increased loading or materials in the premises, may obstruct automatic fire detection apparatus such as smoke alarms.
“We would also remind people to manage their premises for excess stock and waste and to consider if this would increase the risk of a fire, or hamper fire safety measures and escape plans.
“We would also remind both staff and members of the public that one-way systems in place, installed to manage social distancing, need not be followed in the event of any emergency. If fire occurs, occupants of buildings should continue to leave by the nearest exit or emergency route as quickly as possible.”