Introduction to Fire Safety Management

When arson occurs
Arsonists, in common with other criminals, do not like to 
be seen. They often attack at night, under the cover of 
darkness.
Statistics reveal that:
➤
49% of all fi res occur at night
➤
68% of arson fi 
res occur during the hours of 
darkness
➤
84% of ‘major’ arson fi res (damage valued at over 
£50 000) occur during the hours of darkness.
Given the above statistics security lighting is undoubt-
edly a cost-effective way of reducing the incidence of 
arson attacks. In many premises such lights may be 
operated by passive infrared (PIR) detectors and not 
only provide illumination but also produce an element of 
surprise. PIR is also seen as being more acceptable in 
built-up areas due to the nuisance caused by permanent 
illumination.
These lighting systems should also be enhanced 
by intruder alarms, which ideally should be supported 
by audible alarms which when sounding often put off a 
‘would-be’ arsonist.
Ensuring that the arsonist is visible is also an 
important element in other forms of security precautions 
as part of an overall strategy. For example, palisade 
welded mesh fencing or in the case of construction, 
Herras fencing, is preferable to a wall or solid fence, as 
intruders inside the grounds or site are rendered visible.
Figure 8.9
Typical security lighting

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Causes and prevention of fi re
145
Arson also often occurs during tea or lunch break 
times, when few staff are present, again reducing 
the likelihood of the arsonist being seen. This can 
be combated by introducing tighter entrance control 
measures and raising staff awareness.
Buildings/sites at risk
When considering the initial design and layout of a 
building, those with areas that allow a person to linger 
(an arsonist) unseen present a high risk as do those that 
have access to the roof. These areas can be designed 
out at this stage if appropriate thought is applied. These 
issues should also be taken into account when consider-
ing temporary sites such as in construction work, where 
layouts of site accommodation and building operations, 
stores, vehicle pounds, etc. must also take into account 
security against arson.
In many cases the employers or occupiers of a 
building have had little or no input or control over the 
design of the premises in which they work, therefore 
basic measures to prevent access to the roof or other 
areas of the building must be considered. Simple 
controls such as the inclusion of a dense, thorny 
hedgerow at the perimeter of the site may assist in 
preventing access and the environment of the premises 
may also be enhanced by such an introduction.
Priority should be given to keeping arsonists 
out, especially when the premises are not occupied. 
Attention must be paid to primary control measures 
like the siting and security of windows, doors, locking 
mechanisms, fences and gates.
Weak points in building perimeter protection that 
should be considered may include letter boxes, air vents 
and louvered windows.
The poor management of access keys can also add 
to the risk and therefore the security programme must 
include accountability for keys and proper authorisation 
for their issue. A register should be maintained of all key/
access issues and all keys/cards accounted for at the 
end of each period of work.
Entry to isolated or less used parts of the premises, 
such as storerooms and warehouses, should be 
restricted and monitored. In addition suitable arrange-
ments must be taken to identify legitimate visitors or, 
where appropriate, restrict the areas to which members 
of the public have access.
Where buildings or sites are unoccupied at night or 
at weekends, serious consideration should be given to 
the installation of CCTV as it has a high deterrent effect. 
It should be noted that CCTV systems which are not 
monitored have limited value.
The equipment used must be of a high quality and 
be installed to suit the prevailing conditions and should 
incorporate suitable recording equipment. Specialist 
advice should be sought before installation to ensure the 
correct system is fi tted.
Frequent, but irregular visits by mobile security 
patrols outside normal working hours can be a deterrent 
against arson and similar crimes, if there is no 24-hour 
security presence on the site.
If used, security staff should be vigilant and take 
note of such crimes in the neighbourhood, this is a