Job responsibilities
Role summary
The post holder will provide specialist fire
safety guidance and competent advice to senior management and the Trust Board
to ensure the Trust is able to meet its statutory obligations under the
Regulatory Reform Order (Fire Safety) 2005 and any other relevant legislation
or guidance. Maintaining an adequate level of fire precautions within Trust
premises.
The post holder will work closely with the Risk and
Governance and Estates & Facilities departments, senior management teams
and departmental managers in order to ensure the provision of a fire safe
environment for patients/staff/visitors and to facilitate sustained/improved
patient care and wellbeing.
The Fire Safety Advisor will ensure that risk
assessments are undertaken at appropriate intervals, inspections are
undertaken, staff training is delivered and there is effective liaison with
external agencies including Mersey Fire & Rescue Service.
Key
Responsibilities
SERVICE
DELIVERY
Interpret
and apply the provisions of highly complex legislation, fire safety
legislation, Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRO), associated health
& safety legislation, NHS HTM Firecode documents and other associated
fire guidance for the benefit of the Trust.
Advise
the Board and directors on changes to fire safety legislation and guidance in
relation to responsibilities of both groups and individuals within the Trust.
Develop
and implement a clearly defined Fire Safety Policy and underpinning
procedures. Review and update the
existing Trust Fire Safety Policy as required, dependant on changes to
legislation, guidance and procedures.
Develop
and implement local fire evacuation procedures to support the Hospital Fire
Evacuation Plan.
Ensure
a safe and healthy environment (fire), for the Trust to meet its
responsibilities under applicable legislation; this includes maintaining the
relevant documented evidence to support any inspection, review or audit.
Act on NHS Improvement or NHS Estates
& Facilities Alerts which may affect the fire safety of the Trust
premises.
COMPETENT ADVICE
Act as the lead competent person for fire in
accordance with current statutory provisions.
Provide advice and support to the Trust Board,
Chief Operating Officer, Head
of Risk & Governance and Estates Department advising on matters of fire
safety
Attend all team meetings concerned with the
construction and /or alteration of Trust premises and advise on the fire
precautions necessary to meet building regulations and other national
standards approval.
Provide cost effective advice in specification
of fire precautions in the design of new buildings and alterations to
existing buildings.
On all building projects, act as the direct
contact for building contractors, architects, engineers, building control
officers, fire service officers, and other enforcing authorities in matters
relating to fire in order to ensure the safe progress of all such works,
through to completion.
Prepare and present periodic reports to
management and Directorates, on minor works, the condition of fire safety
measures within the Trust, and day-to-day fire safety issues.
Lead on the fire safety agenda within the
Trust Resilience Planning Group (RPG) & Health Safety & Security
Group (HSSG).
Present regular fire
safety reports to the aforementioned groups, which related to fire
investigation, statistics, alarms and training.
RISK ASSESSMENT /AUDIT
Apply the principles for Fire Risk Assessment
under Firecode documents including Health Technical Memoranda 05. Ensure all Trust premises have been Risk
Assessed, review such assessments and update as necessary. Conduct Health & Safety visits and
report to the Head of Risk & Governance on compliance and performance.
Prepare reports based on Risk Assessments,
prioritising recommended improvements to the fire safety measures. Review such recommendations dependent on
new/changed priorities.
Lead on fire safety audits/risk assessments
and the identification and assessment of fire risks within Trust premises
with prioritised recommendations for the improvement to fire safety measures.
Carry out a dedicated annual audit of the fire
safety measures within the Trust, and report on the audit for inclusion in
the trust Risk Register, or with recommendations for improvement where
necessary.
Undertake fire
safety visits and report to the Risk & Governance department on
compliance & performance. Progress issues to completion.
INCIDENT MANAGEMENT
Ensure all fire incidents are reported,
recorded, investigated and managed on the DATIX Risk Management system. Prepare
and present reports on all such incidents to the Health, Safety and Security
Group.
Investigate and report all such alarms and
details to NHS Estates.
Provide detailed analysis of incidents in
order to identify trends and steps necessary to reduce incidents of
fire/unwanted signals.
Develop and manage systems and procedures
designed to reduce the number of unwanted fire alarms within the Trust, in
accordance with Firecode and Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS)
guidance.
Monitor annual statistics for all fire alarms
for the purpose of reviewing key performance indicators for the fire safety
measures. Also use these figures for
the annual Estates Returns Information Collection (ERIC return).
Manage and supervise the adequate provision,
siting and maintenance of all first aid fire-fighting
equipment throughout
Trust premises.
Liaising with key contractors to ensure all
fire equipment is serviced and maintained annually by a competent person in
accordance with national guidance.
COMMUNICATIONS
Develop and maintain effective partnerships
with the Divisions, communicate and disseminate fire safety information
across the Trust.
Take the Lead Officer role in the delivery of
fire safety input to any working group/s established by the Trust having
implications for matters relating to fire.
Act as the direct contact with Merseyside Fire
and Rescue Service, in relation to fire safety matters and information for
the benefit of operational fire-fighting.
Through regular meetings, develop and maintain communication links
with the representatives of MFRS, providing information relating to the state
of the fire safety measures and findings of the Fire Risk Assessments when
required. Maintain awareness of fire
service initiatives in the community.
Liaise with the fire service in relation to
the number of unwanted fire alarms throughout the Trust, the strategies in
place to reduce such numbers and progress with the reduction plan.
When those occasions occur, liaise with the
fire service in the investigation of fire and its cause, using the required
investigation templates.
Provide information to the fire service
relating to specific site hazards and other matters regarded as beneficial
for any proposed fire fighting strategies.
TRAINING
Formulate and deliver training programmes to
meet statutory and mandatory training needs for all Trust personnel.
Develop and manage systems for the delivery of
Specialist Fire Safety Training throughout the Trust.
Develop and manage a system to ensure the
Trust has sufficient trained personal to fulfil the respective roles within
the Trusts Fire Response Team. Provide records of training to the Training
Department.
Devise and deliver a specialist training
programme for all members of the fire response team and for those managers
having a special responsibility for fire, together with a system of updating
personnel records indicating the completion of such training.
FINANCE
Provide and input into management of the
annual delegated fire budget; prioritise spending in order to ensure the
prompt and cost effective delivery of identified works. Deliver input to the
financial processes by identifying the most cost effective/value for money
options/remedies/solutions to the provision of fire defence measures, without
compromising safety.
Ensure that fire related items entered upon
the Risk Register and the rolling programme for improvements, are progressed
through the Trust financial processes to secure the allocation of adequate
funding.
Prepare timely, costed reports to ensure that
fire related matters can be progressed through the Trusts financial
processes.
