Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service is tasked with seeing that people are safe in case of fire, and believes that deaths and injuries caused by fire in regulated premises are preventable if the right measures are taken. We will engage and work with business in preference to enforcing fire safety standards
Fire safety regulation is founded on the principle that people should be kept safe in case of fire. We regulate to help secure this safety and, through our regulation, we aim to provide a consistently high quality service to those we regulate.
Non-compliance with fire safety law will mean that, in our view, people are at risk in case of fire. Where we identify people at risk in case of fire, we will respond proportionately, taking account of the likelihood and severity of the risk, in line with our service standards.
We believe in firm but fair enforcement of fire safety standards. We aim to achieve this by:
- applying the law proportionally to secure safety;
- being consistent in our approach to regulation;
- targeting our resources and enforcement action on the highest risk;
- being transparent about how we operate and regulate; and
- being accountable for our actions.
We will have regard to the Regulators’ Code when developing the policies and procedures that guide our regulatory activities. We will encourage and promote fire safety while minimising the associated costs of providing safety from fire. By fostering good relationships with our business community and by working with them, we can improve public safety and business resilience, and remove any unnecessary burdens of complying with fire safety law.
In the most serious cases of danger in case of fire, we will take immediate and decisive action to secure safety, for example by serving a prohibition notice that can stop people from using the premises.
The Regulators’ Code, produced following the Hampton Report on administrative burdens, aims to promote efficient and effective approaches to regulatory inspection and enforcement, improving the outcome of regulation without imposing unnecessary burdens.
The principles we aim to apply are:
- To carry out our activities to help those we regulate to comply and grow
- Provide two-way communication and listen to feedback
- Base our activities on risk
- Share information on risk to the extent allowed by law
- Be transparent in our approach to regulation
Compliance with the Regulators’ Code will lead to increased responsiveness and targeting of our regulatory functions and help improve our service and support to business.
We will follow the principles of the Enforcement Management Model (EMM), which is produced by the Health & Safety Executive and is widely regarded as ‘best practice’ guidance for developing consistency and fairness in the application of regulatory programs, inspections and outcomes.
Where the prosecution of offences is considered to be appropriate, we will follow the Crown Prosecution Service’s Code for Crown Prosecutors to ensure that we make fair and consistent decisions and that every case is considered on its own merits.
For further information on how we intend to discharge our statutory duties, see our Enforcement Plan.