Firefighting
Fire is a serious risk for the environment. You should always try to reduce the risk of fire and so reduce the environmental damage that fire and firefighting can cause.
What you must do
Carry out a fire risk assessment to identify and reduce potential causes of site fires. Use the assessment to reduce potential sources of ignition, stop the ways fire could spread once started and set up fire controls such as extinguishers and sprinklers.
Use and store flammable or explosive materials safely.
Check that your firefighting foams are authorised and replace banned foams by 2011.
Create an incident response plan which includes measures for protecting the environment if there is a fire. Keep the plan up to date, practise it, display it clearly for all staff and review it regularly.
In the event of fire, prevent firewater from escaping, for example by temporarily blocking drains or using a containment barrier. Firewater is water which has become contaminated after being used for firefighting.
Ensure all staff know how to react if there is a fire.
You can complete a fire risk assessment.
Business Link (England): Fire risk assessment
NI Business Info (Northern Ireland): Fire risk assessment
Business Gateway (Scotland): Fire risk assessment
Flexible Support for Business (Wales): Fire risk assessment
Fire Protection Association: Guidance on fire safety at work (Adobe PDF - 1.22MB)
Firefighting equipment
Comply with ozone depleting substances and fluorinated gases regulations
Ensure that your fire protection systems and fire extinguishing equipment comply with the ozone depleting substances (ODS) and fluorinated gases (F-gas) regulations.
See our guidance on Ozone-depleting substances (ODS) and fluorinated gases (F-gases) in:
England on Business Link: Managing fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances
Northern Ireland on NIBusinessInfo: Managing fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances
Scotland on Business Gateway: Managing fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances
Wales on Business.Wales.gov.uk: Managing fluorinated gases and ozone-depleting substances
Do not keep or use firefighting or fire protection equipment containing halons. Halons are now banned and must be disposed of at a licensed facility.
If your fire protection or firefighting equipment contain F-gases you must:
- use appropriately trained and qualified people to service, maintain and decommission your equipment
- regularly check for and repair leaks - how often you do this will depend on the size of your system
- clearly label all equipment with the amount and type of F-gases they contain
- recover F-gases during servicing and maintenance and at the end of the equipment’s life.
If your fire protection system contains 3kg or more of F-gases you must:
- keep records about your equipment, including service history
- check for leaks at least once a year.
If your system contains 30kg or more of F-gases you must check for leaks at least every six months.
If your system contains more than 300kg of F-gases you must test for leaks every three months and fit an automatic leak detection system by July 2010.
F-gas Support has information sheets covering F-gases and fire protection systems for UK businesses.
F-gas Support: Guidance for fire protection sectors (Adobe PDF - 85KB)
Hold F-gas qualifications
If you as an individual work with F-gases in fire protection systems and firefighting equipment you must hold the Fire Industry Association's (FIA) qualification in F-gas fire protection systems or an equivalent qualification issued in another EU country.
Fire Industry Association (FIA)
If your business works with fire protection equipment it must hold a company certificate issued by the Fire Industry Association (FIA).
FIA: Contact us
Use less-polluting foams
Perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) is a chemical used in aqueous film forming foam (AFFF) which is highly polluting if it escapes into the environment. AFFF foams are used to fight fires involving flammable liquids like fuel (Class B fires).
PFOS is being phased out and is no longer available on the market. Alternative products are available. If you have old stocks of PFOS bought before December 2006 you may use them until June 2011.
Due to their potential to harm the environment it is good practice to return foams containing PFOS or PFOS related substances to the manufacturer for disposal by incineration.
When you test extinguishers and carry out firefighting exercises you must not allow used foams to escape. You must contain them for disposal off site. You can also get approval from your sewage operator to discharge foam into the foul sewer.
Comply with Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulations
If you store large quantities of dangerous substances you may need a major accident prevention policy under the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) regulations.
For more information on preventing accidents and emergency plans, see our COMAH guidance in:
England on Business Link: Control of major accident hazards (COMAH)
Northern Ireland on NIBusinessInfo: Control of major accident hazards (COMAH)
Scotland on Business Gateway: Control of major accident hazards (COMAH)
Wales on Business.Wales.gov.uk: Control of major accident hazards (COMAH)
On-site burning
You must not burn tyres, plastics, chemicals, oil or any form of waste on your site unless you are authorised by your local council to do so in a boiler, furnace or incinerator.
If you emit dark smoke you could be prosecuted by your local council in England, Northern Ireland and Wales or SEPA in Scotland.
See our guidance on air pollution from furnaces, boilers and bonfires in:
England on Business Link: Preventing air pollution
Northern Ireland on NIBusinessInfo: Preventing air pollution
Scotland on Business Gateway: Preventing air pollution
Wales on Business.Wales.gov.uk: Preventing air pollution
See our guidance on waste incineration in:
England on Business Link: Burning waste - your environmental responsibilities
Northern Ireland on NIBusinessInfo: Burning waste - your environmental responsibilities
Scotland on Business Gateway: Burning waste - your environmental responsibilities
Wales on Business.Wales.gov.uk: Burning waste - your environmental responsibilities
Control firewater
Firewater is water that has become contaminated by being used for firefighting. It is polluting and may be classified as hazardous/special waste. You must not discharge firewater into the environment. Ensure you have a plan and equipment in place to collect or contain it in the event of an emergency.
Store firewater correctly and ensure that it is treated and disposed of by a permitted or licensed waste management business. You may also be able get permission from your water company or water authority to discharge it into the foul sewer.
Water guide: Contact your water company
See our guidance on duty of care in:
England on Business Link: Duty of care - your responsibilities
Northern Ireland on NIBusinessInfo: Duty of care - your responsibilities
Scotland on Business Gateway: Duty of care - your responsibilities
Wales on Business.Wales.gov.uk: Duty of care - your responsibilities
See our guidance on managing your hazardous waste in:
England on Business Link: Managing your hazardous waste
Northern Ireland on NIBusinessInfo: Managing your hazardous waste
Scotland on Business Gateway: Managing your hazardous waste
Wales on Business.Wales.gov.uk: Managing your hazardous waste
Good practice
Minimise your fire risk
You should store chemicals, fuel, oil or other flammable materials correctly to reduce possible fire risk.
See our guidance on storing oil in:
England on Business Link: Storing oil
Northern Ireland on NIBusinessInfo: Storing oil
Scotland on Business Gateway: Storing oil
Wales on Business.Wales.gov.uk: Storing oil
Store flammable and oxidising substances, chemicals or materials separately.
Install sprinkler systems and extinguishers throughout your site.
Enforce no smoking zones.
Install and maintain smoke alarms.
Minimise flammable substances on your site.
Invite the Fire and Rescue Service and relevant authorities to your site to discuss potential outcomes of fires, how to prevent them, best practice techniques and how to develop an incident response plan.
Assess firefighting response options as part of the plan. You may consider a controlled burn to minimise water and air pollution.
PPG 28 Controlled Burn (Abode PDF - 240 KB)
