Free Fire Safety Resources
Why?
No one should die in a fire!
In August 2025 whilst in BiH I reached out to a member of the UK Government offering to work with them to improve Fire Safety in BiH, but never received a response. In November while in Sarajevo, a deadly fire in a care home killed 11 people in Tuzla (link here).
Even the most basic change in mindset can make significant improvements in Fire Safety. Understanding the process of fire within a building can help you understand first what is wrong and how you can fix it.
As a previous Senior Fire Safety Officer in the London Fire Brigade, and now as a Building Safety Officer, I look at 4 main areas to identify whether there is serious risk, these are:
Sources of ignition - Is there going to be a fire? Is this because of a process such as in a factory or a restaurant? Understanding this, you can mitigate the risks and chances of fire. If you cannot mitigate the process which may cause a fire, then you can put other things in place to reduce the severity.
Early detection - having an appropriate level and type of detection and alert. This could be a simple smoke detector in the home or a complex system within a commercial property.
Compartmentation - if there is a fire, is it going to spread? In the UK we have specific standards relating to the level of separation. This could be a 30 minute fire door, 60 minute fire resistance or event 120 minute fire resistance depending on the requirements. Keep the fire in the place of origin.
Means of escape - if there is going to be a fire, can people get out? This relies on the previous point. If there is a fire people need to know before it blocks their escape. If there is a fire, will it stay where it is to give people opportunities to get out.
There is far more to consider than the previous 4 points, but if you consider these areas during a walk around of your premises, and understand what to look for, you can make simple changes to significantly improve safety.
Click here for information on how to conduct a Fire Risk Assessment of your building which is the first true step in identifying hazards and risks within your building.
Background
In the United Kingdom (UK) there is much legislation which governs Fire Safety. Fire Safety can be broadly split into two main areas:
Business Fire Safety
Home Fire Safety
In recent years, there has been much learning and development with regard our approach both proactively and reactively when it comes to safety and rescue of those within buildings, in particular ‘High-Risk Buildings’ (HRB). This is due to the tragic Grenfell Tower Fire of 2017 in London which claimed the lives of 72 people, however, the UK has a history of learning from incidents to inform future improvements in the hope of making people safer in both their place of work and where they live.