Date: 7th November, 2024
As the colder months approach, many businesses – especially pubs and other hospitality venues – rely on open fires and log burners to keep their premises warm and inviting.
While these are effective, they come with specific responsibilities to maintain safety. Here’s a quick guide from Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service to ensure that your business stays fire-safe this winter.
Chimney safety essentials
- Chimneys should be cleaned at least once a year to remove soot, ash and debris, to prevent the risk of chimney fires.
- At least once a year when using smokeless fuels
- At least once a year when using bituminous coal
- Twice a year when burning wood
- Once a year when using oil
- Once a year when using gas
- Neglecting regular chimney cleaning can allow fires to smoulder undetected, posing serious risks to both employees, customers and your premises.
- Have any woodburner or stove professionally installed and maintained, with HETAS registered installer used to service and clean it regularly.
- Building Regulations 2010 Approved Document J provides a way of ensuring that combustion appliances can function safely. For combustion appliances to continue to work safely and effectively, it is essential that they are adequately and regularly serviced and maintained.
Reducing risks of fire spread
- Storing wood – do not store wood right next to the hearthstone and/or wood burner, as this is a regular cause of fires.
- Limit roof storage: Avoid storing excess materials in roof spaces, particularly near the chimney breast. Heat from the chimney can ignite flammable items stored nearby, fuelling potential fires.
- Monitor loft space: When your fire is in use, periodically check the loft space to ensure there is no smoke escaping through cracks, defective brickwork, or mortar joints.
Lighting and maintaining your fire safely
- Don’t use flammable liquids such as petrol or paraffin to light your fire.
- Don’t overload the fire or burn excessive paper or rubbish, as this can lead to uncontrolled fires.
- Hot ash from wood burners and fireplaces can take several days to cool thoroughly; as such, it can be a fire and carbon monoxide hazard. Store ash and hot coals in a metal container that can be tightly closed with a metal lid. This helps keep air from blowing through and disturbing the ashes, which can leave hot coals exposed for re-ignition.
- The disposal of hot ashes should be considered when completing your fire risk assessment for your premises. Click here to read how hot ashes caused a fire which led to the prosecution of a Scottish luxury hotel.
- Carbon monoxide is a toxic gas that is produced when fossil fuels like wood or coal are burned without enough oxygen. If a wood burning stove is not properly installed, maintained, or ventilated, CO can build up in the premises. Install carbon monoxide alarms to the manufacturer’s recommendations to warn of any potential build-up of the gas.
With these precautions in place, you can keep your premises warm and welcoming while ensuring the safety of everyone in your business.
For more information and guidance on fire safety, visit www.dwfire.org.uk