Fire Safety in Schools

About this course.

Fire safety is one of the most important responsibilities in any school. A school is a busy, occupied building filled with large numbers of children, many of whom are young, may not fully understand danger, and depend entirely on adults to keep them safe. Schools also contain a wide range of fire risks — from kitchens and science laboratories to electrical equipment, displays of pupils’ work and, sadly, deliberate fire-setting, with arson one of the most common causes of fires in school buildings.

This course sets out the law — principally the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, reinforced by the Fire Safety Act 2021 and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 — and the central role of the ‘responsible person’ and the fire risk assessment. It explains how fires start using the fire triangle, common causes of fire in schools and how to prevent them, fire doors and clear escape routes, detection and alarm systems, and Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs), before setting out exactly what to do if a fire is discovered: raise the alarm, evacuate, leave belongings, take registers and call 999.