EMERGENCY SERVICES: LONDON FIRE BRIGADE
TO THE RESCUE
Dr. Adrian Bevan, Head of Health and Safety at the London Fire Brigade,
spoke to Graham McDonald about his role in the organisation and the
challenges involved in managing health and safety for the country’s largest
fire and rescue service
L
ondon Fire Brigade is the busiest in the country and
one of the largest firefighting and rescue organisations
in the world. It has 155 fire engines plus other
specialist vehicles operating out of 102 fire stations and
a river boat station. The Brigade employs nearly 7,000
staff including over 5,000 operational firefighters and 100
Brigade Control staff dealing with 999 emergency calls. It
provides services across the whole of the Greater London
area, serving London’s 8.2 million residents as well as those
who work in or visit the city.
Firefighting and rescue activities present a challenging
environment in which to manage health and safety. Staff
have to work in potentially dangerous environments on
a daily basis and safety must remain their number one
priority at all times.
The London Fire Brigade (LFB) always responds to fires
and other emergencies but the nature of its work has
changed over the years. There is now a much stronger
emphasis on fire prevention and community safety.
Most fires in the home are started accidentally, often
with devastating effects. To improve fire safety awareness,
help change people’s behaviour and reduce the opportunity
for fires to occur in the first place, the LFB offers home
fire safety visits. During a home fire
safety visit, which is a free service,
firefighters offer potentially
lifesaving information on how
to prevent fires, and fit free
smoke alarms where they
are needed. The majority
of fires in the home are
caused by cooking, cigarettes
and candles, so safety advice
focuses on those issues, as well
information on how to escape
46
HSE INTERNATIONAL
should a fire break out.
Fire chiefs have identified that around 700,000 homes in
London are more at risk from having a fire and specifically
target their visits at them.
Another priority is promoting fire safety to children.
The LFB Education Team provide free safety education
to children in primary and secondary schools in Greater
London. They carry out interactive educational workshops
and visit approximately 100,000 Key Stage 1, 2 and 3
children every year.
LFB’s aim to stop fires and other emergencies happening
sometimes requires intervention in the shape of taking
enforcement action under the Regulatory Reform (Fire
Safety) Order 2005. This enforcement work ensures that
action is taken to protect people and secure compliance
with the regulatory system. LFB also provides information
and advice to businesses and landlords about their
responsibilities under fire safety law.
T
he LFB is run by the London Fire and Emergency
Planning Authority (LFEPA). The 17 members of the
Fire Authority are appointed by the Mayor of London,
eight of which are nominated from the London Assembly.
Seven are nominated from the London Boroughs and a
further two are Mayoral appointees.
As Head of Health and Safety, Adrian Bevan is the
‘competent person’ for health and safety within the Brigade.
“There is now a much
stronger emphasis on
fire prevention and
community safety”