Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Summary of key legal requirements
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undertakers to ensure an adequate supply of water for 
fi re fi ghting activities.
Part 6 – Supplementary
(sections 44 to 54 and 
Schedules 1 and 2): details the powers of fi re and 
rescue authority employees to undertake rescue work 
and investigations, as well as a number of consequen-
tial provisions and repeals, including the abolition of the 
Central Fire Brigades Advisory Council.
Part 7 – General
(sections 55 to 64): makes general 
provision in relation to pre-commencement consultation, 
interpretation, statutory instruments, territorial extent, etc.
Core functions of Fire and Rescue Services
– 
Sections 6–12 detail the functions of the Fire and Rescue 
Service authorities.
15.7.1 Section 6: Fire safety
For the fi rst time in the history of the fi re service in 
the UK this section imposes a duty onto fi re and res-
cue authorities to conduct fi re safety activities in the 
community.
15.7.2 Sections 7 and 8: Fires and road traffi c 
accidents
Section 7 imposes a duty on fi re and rescue authorities 
to provide arrangements for fi ghting fi res and protecting 
life and property from fi res within its area. Authorities are 
required to:
➤
Provide suffi cient personnel, services and equip-
ment to deal with all normal circumstances
➤
Ensure adequate training
➤
Have arrangements to receive and respond to calls 
for help
➤
Obtain information which it needs to carry out its 
functions.
Section 8 places a duty on fi re and rescue authorities 
to make provision for rescuing persons from road traf-
fi c accidents and for dealing with the aftermath of such 
accidents.
Under sections 7 and 8 fi re and rescue authorities 
must seek to mitigate the damage, or potential damage, 
to property in exercising their statutory functions. As 
a consequence, the actions a fi re and rescue author-
ity must take in responding to an incident which could 
damage property must be proportionate to the incident 
and the risk to life.