2. Responsible person, alarms and equipment

Responsible person

In England and Wales the Fire Safety Order places duties on the person who controls the premises (often the employer or landlord arrangement — know which of you it is). Other UK nations have equivalent frameworks. They must have a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and give staff information and training. You cannot subcontract thinking.

What you must be able to say on a Monday

Where the exits are, where the assembly point is, how the alarm sounds, who calls 999, who sweeps which rooms if it is safe, and where the PEEP (personal emergency evacuation plan) list lives for staff or regular patients who need help.

Detection and lights

Test the alarm as scheduled. Report a failed detector the same day. Emergency lighting and signed routes matter when the power dies mid-session. Do not decorate over a sign.

Extinguishers

The right type for the risk, serviced, unobstructed. Only use one if you have been trained, the fire is small, you have a clear exit behind you, and the alarm is already raised. Oxygen-enriched fires and electrical cabinets are not DIY. Your job is people out, not heroics.