S156 FSO AMENDMENTS FLOWCHART

For all those signed up for my webinar on Friday (click here for details) here is a Flowchart which briefly outlines the amendments. We will be discussing how Fire Services might use the amendments within the enforcement process.

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WEBINAR: ENFORCEMENT OF THE NEWLY AMENDED FIRE SAFETY ORDER

Fire Safety Matters magazine will be partnering with leading industry lawyer Warren Spencer to deliver a special two-hour webinar on the way in which the amendments to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order are likely to be enforced.

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MAXIMUM SENTENCE FOR HOTELIER FOR FIRE BREACHES

A NORTHUMBERLAND HOTELIER has received a  2 year suspended custodial sentence after pleading guilty to charges brought under fire safety legislation.

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PROPERTY MANAGER LOSES FIRE NOTICE APPEAL

A manager of a block of flats, who appealed an enforcement notice issued by the fire service on the basis that he was not responsible for the flat doors or the fire alarm system, has had his appeal dismissed by a Cheshire court.

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Mother and Son Receive Custodial Sentences

A mother and son have received custodial sentences in relation to fire breaches at a working men’s club in Morecambe. Heather and Callum Goffin were sentenced after pleading guilty to several breaches of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 at Preston Crown Court.

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Come Together FRA’s

In May 2018, shortly before the publication of Dame Judith Hackitt’s review of Building Regulations and Fire Safety, I wrote an article “Fire Risk Assessors-Time to Come Together As One?” The article was written due to my concern that fire risk assessors as a group did not appear to me to have a consistent representative voice in relation to the issues of competency and accreditation, issues which were later confirmed as findings and recommendations in the final Hackitt report.

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Enforcement or profit?

One of the most common questions I’ve been asked by fire officers throughout my time dealing with fire safety matters is whether a conflict of interests would arise with their employers if they started carrying out fire risk assessments on a private basis.

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TOP 5 TIPS FOR FIRE SAFETY PROFESSIONALS REGARDING THEIR CONTRACTUAL DOCUMENTATION

ResponsibLe Persons flowchart

The purpose of this website is to bring together all of the important documents, guidance and commentary relating to the very niche area of fire safety law. The majority of legislation relating to fire safety is contained in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (the Fire Safety Order) which came into effect on 1 October, 2006. Most areas of law can be interpreted with the assistance of textbooks and precedents, but most of the case law involving cases brought under the Fire Safety Order relate to sentencing, and the author of this website is not aware of any textbooks which deal with this subject with sufficient detail. There are, however, numerous helpful guidance documents relating to the enforcement and interpretation of the Fire Safety Order, and this website attempts to place those documents in context and within easy reach of those seeking out the necessary information. Warren Spencer is one of the country’s leading fire safety lawyers. He has now prosecuted and defended fire safety cases for over 18 years and has also conducted numerous Enforcement and Prohibition Notice Appeals brought under the Fire Safety Order. He is able to offer impartial professional expert legal advice in all aspects of fire safety enforcement. Warren is a Higher Courts Advocate which enables him to work as an advocate in the Crown Court. Warren has conducted over 220 cases, as well as advising businesses and professionals on various aspects of Fire Safety Law including its effect upon PFI contracts. Warren is a part-time Tribunal Judge and in 2015 he was appointed as a ‘Legally Qualified Chair’ for Police Disciplinary proceedings in the North West. He is also a former Assistant Deputy Coroner for Blackpool and Fylde. Tel: 01253 629300 – Email: info@firesafetylaw.co.uk