Fire safety for hospitality: an introduction

Under the Fire Services Acts 1981 and 2003, the 'person having control' of a premises used by the public must take all reasonable measures to guard against an outbreak of fire and to ensure the safety of persons on the premises, including a safe means of escape. Under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005, your employer must have a written safety statement based on a risk assessment, and must give you information, instruction and training, including on fire; you must cooperate and not put others at risk. Exits must be unlocked and unobstructed whenever the public are inside.

1. Where the two nearest exits are from every area you work in, and where the assembly point is.
2. What the alarm sounds like, where the call points are, and who the fire wardens are on your shift.
3. Where the extinguishers and fire blanket are and which one goes on which fire.
4. Where the gas and electricity isolation points are, especially in the kitchen.
5. That nobody fights a fire bigger than a waste-paper bin, and nobody goes back in.

• Water (red label): wood, paper, fabric. Never on oil, electrical or gas.
• Foam (cream): as water, plus flammable liquids.
• CO2 (black): electrical fires and small liquid fires; it displaces oxygen, so not in a confined space.
• Dry powder (blue): most fires, but it ruins kitchens and visibility; usually outdoors or plant rooms.
• Wet chemical (yellow): cooking oil and fat fires. Every commercial kitchen should have one and a fire blanket beside the fryer.

Use the PASS method: Pull the pin, Aim at the base, Squeeze, Sweep. Deep-fat fryers: never water, never move it; lid or blanket, turn off the heat, call it in.

RACE: Raise the alarm, Assist anyone in immediate danger, Contain (close doors behind you), Evacuate. On the floor: speak clearly, point to the exit, don't let guests collect coats or finish drinks, check toilets and the smoking area, count your section at the assembly point and report to the warden. Managers call 112 or 999 and meet the brigade. Nobody re-enters until the fire service says so. A common standard is to test the alarm weekly from a different call point each time, log it, and run an evacuation drill at least twice a year.

• Keep fire doors closed, never wedged, and escape routes clear of stock, chairs and bins.
• Candles in holders, away from menus and curtains; extinguish at close.
• Kitchen: clean extraction filters on schedule, no cloths on the pass lamp, grills and fryers off and isolated at close.
• Report broken emergency lights, missing extinguisher tags and faulty door closers the same day, in writing.
• This course is an introduction. Certified fire warden and extinguisher training, delivered in person, is what your safety statement should require for designated staff. Trainers can list courses here.