Tuddenham St Mary Village Hall

Fire Risk Assessment

Fire Policy

Our policy is to protect all persons, including volunteers, hirers, hall users, contractors and members of the public from potential injury and damage which might arise from a fire at our premises.

Description of Premises

Address	School Close, Tuddenham St Mary, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk IP28 6FB
Construction	Constructed in 2023. Brick and block building with Hardie plank cladded exterior walls and a tiled roof
Number of floors	Single storey
Approximate size	256 square metres
Capacity	Main Hall – MAXIMUM 260 if standing 130 if fully seated. Meeting Room – MAXIMUM 50 if standing 25 if fully seated. Our Terms and Conditions of Hire allow for a customised capacity based on 1 person per sqm in seating areas and 2 people per sqm in standing areas. Hirers are responsible for ensuring capacity limits are not exceeded
Exits	ALL EXIT DOORS OPEN OUTWARDS Entrance Lobby – Double doors to outside Main Hall – 2 sets of double doors to outside, double doors to Entrance Lobby Meeting Room – Door to outside, door to Entrance Lobby Kitchen – Door to Entrance Lobby, door to Meeting Room
Considered level of risk	Low

Fire Hazards and Control Measures

Source of Ignition	Location	Control Measures	Last review	Comments
Cooking facilities	Kitchen	The 2 ovens are electric the induction hob is ceramic and there are no flames for ignition of materials Very limited use of oil‐based cooking products and the cooker is always supervised. A Fire Blanket is located in the kitchen. The serving hatch to the main hall has a fire resistant shutter with emergency close button.	April 2023	New installation
Heating	Main Hall and Meeting Room	Underfloor heating throughout the building is provided an air source heat pump. In addition there are 3 air wall mounted air conditioning units providing cooling and heating. 2 are located in the Main Hall and 1 in the Meeting Room. The AirCon Units are at a height where they are not at risk of being covered. The air source heat pump and air conditioning unit are subject to annual maintenance programme.	April 2023	New installation
Fixed electrical equipment	Whole building	Fixed electrical installations are inspected every 5 years by a qualified electrician. Any electrical work is undertaken by a qualified electrician other than simple change of light bulbs.	April 2023	New installation
Lighting	Whole building	All lighting is provided by low wattage LED bulbs. Lighting in the toilets are suitably rated in accordance with regulations. All lights are in the ceiling and not in proximity to any combustible materials	April 2023	New installation
Smoking	Whole building	Smoking and Vaping are NOT PERMITTED anywhere inside the building	April 2023
Arson	Whole building	Building is securely locked when not in use. A key safe is attached to the building with a 4 digit combination that is changed on a regular basis. The building is protected by CCTV. There is no letterbox.	April 2023

Source of Fuel	Location	Control Measures	Last review	Comments
Paper / Cardboard	Meeting Room	Documents and village archive material is stored in the lockable cupboards in the Meeting Room. These will be locked except when documents are being retrieved and are not close to any sources of ignition	April 2023
Furniture	Main Hall and Meeting Room	All chairs have fabric cushion seating which is fire retardant. Chairs are not located near sources of ignition	April 2023
Other equipment	Main Hall	Other equipment such as games for the Youth Club, items for the Craft Group are stored in large cupboards in the Main Hall when not in use. There are no sources of ignition in the cupboards	April 2023
Portable electrical equipment	Whole building	Items belonging to the Village Hall (e.g. PA system, kettle) are subject to regular inspection to ensure they remain in a safe condition. Hirers must ensure that any electrical equipment they bring into the building is in a safe condition – not damaged in anyway and with no visible or exposed wires.	April 2023
Flammable liquids etc	Storeroom	The only potentially flammable liquids or aerosols in the building are cleaning purposes. They are kept in the locked store cupboard off of the Meeting Room to which hirers and the general public do not have access	April 2023
Waste materials	Whole building	All waste bins must be emptied by the hall user after their event. Hirers must remove all waste from the building at the end of the hire period	April 2023

People at Risk

Who is at risk	Control Measures	Last review	Comments
People with disabilities (including mobility, hearing, vision impairment)	All building internal doors are wide enough for wheelchair access. All external exits from the Main Hall and Entrance Lobby are double doors, outward opening, a minimum of width of 1680mm.	April 2023
Visitors unfamiliar to the building	The building has a simple layout that visitors can familiarise themselves with quickly. There are no corridors or enclosed areas that could cause confusion. All exits are clearly marked and have emergency lighting. The Main Hall, Meeting Room and Entrance Lobby all have exits directly to the outside.	April 2023
People alone in the building	The only people who could normally be alone in the building are trustees, the caretaker or regular contractors and hirers. All of these will have been made aware of this Fire Risk Assessment and will be familiar with procedures and exit routes in the event of a fire.	April 2023
Children and young adults	The Youth Club is managed by an experienced team of adults / trustees / parents who are on site throughout club meetings and are familiar with procedures and exit routes in the event of a fire. Any hirers of the hall for parties/events with children are required to familiarise themselves with the Fire Risk Assessment including the procedures and exit routes in the event of a fire.	April 2023

Evaluation of Risk

Safety precautions	Date last assessed	Adequate?	Actions required	By whom
Are possible ignition sources kept separate from combustible materials?	April 2023	Yes
Are possible ignition sources controlled to minimise the risk of fire?	April 2023	Yes
Would a fire be discovered quickly? Will everybody be warned of the fire immediately?	April 2023	Yes
Is escape possible in more than one direction?	April 2023	Yes
Can everyone escape (with or without assistance)?	April 2023	Yes
Are the exits easy to identify and reach?	April 2023	Yes
Are escape routes free of obstruction?	April 2023	Yes
Do Fire Escape doors open outwards?	April 2023	Yes
Are Fire Escape doors easy to open?	April 2023	Yes
Is the alarm system tested and maintained in accordance with the relevant British Standard?	April 2023	Yes
Is the emergency lighting system tested and maintained in accordance with the relevant British Standard?	April 2023	Yes
Are fire extinguishers tested and maintained in accordance with the relevant British Standard?	April 2023	Yes

Fire fighting and detection methods	Description	Maintenance and checks
Fire warning system	All rooms are fitted with mains electric smoke detector alarms	Monthly check by caretaker or nominated trustee
Emergency lighting	Automatic emergency lighting in each room in the event of power cut. Escape routes are all signed with emergency lighting	Monthly check by caretaker or nominated trustee
Fire extinguishers and fire blankets (see Appendix 2 for instructions)	Main Hall – Meeting Room – Kitchen -	Annual contract for maintenance with Global Fire Services of Mildenhall
Fire escape routes and exits (see Appendix 3 for building plan)	Entrance Lobby – 1 set of double doors directly outside and 1 disabled access door to patio Main Hall – 2 sets of double doors directly outside to patio area, 1 double door to Entrance Lobby Meeting Room – 1 door directly outside to side of building, 1 door to Entrance Lobby Kitchen – 1 door to Meeting Room, 1 door to Entrance Lobby	Caretaker or nominated trustee to check on each cleaning or maintenance visit Event organisers and hirers must ensure fire exits remain clear for the duration of the hire period

Recording, Planning and Training

Procedures and training	How will it be done?
How will people be warned if there is a fire?	The person discovering the fire should raise the alarm by shouting, ‘FIRE’
What should users do if they discover a fire?	The person discovering the fire should raise the alarm by shouting, ‘FIRE’ Dial 999 and report “Fire at Tuddenham Village Hall, School Close, Tuddenham, IP28 6FB” What 3 Words location: SLURRED DRIZZLY HELPED
What is the evacuation procedure?	All trustees, volunteers and regular hirers are advised of the procedures in the event of a fire and the location of fire fighting equipment. By signing the Terms and Conditions of Hire, hirers confirm that they have made themselves aware of the content of this Risk Assessment. The event organiser/hirer is responsible for issuing evacuation instructions (or may delegate this responsibility to another person BEFORE the start of the event). Hall users should be told to leave via the nearest safe exit route as quickly as possible and proceed to the Assembly Point. Once the evacuation is complete and if safe to do so, check all rooms and toilets to ensure that no-one is left in the premises. PLEASE ALSO READ APPENDIX 1 – ACTION TO TAKE IN THE EVENT OF A FIRE
Who are the Fire Wardens?	There are no designated fire wardens as the building does not have regular opening times and there are no employees
Where is the Assembly Point?	The Assembly Point is Tuddenham Playing Fields in front of the cricket pavilion. This is located through the car park to the left as you exit the building.
How will evacuation be checked?	As an open village hall, there is no record of the number of people in attendance at any one time at events organised by the trustees (with the exception of the Youth Club). Hirers should keep a record of the total numbers attending their events and complete a roll call when at the Assembly Point.
How often are Fire Drills carried out?	Fire Drills are not carried out as the hall due to the irregular nature of events and users.

Fire Safety Records
Do you have records of Fire Equipment tests?	Yes
Where are those records kept?	In the Village Hall Maintenance binder
Who is responsible for maintaining them?	Caretaker or nominated trustee

Review

The Fire Risk Assessment will be kept under regular review and revised as appropriate and/or to accommodate:

Any changes to the building, inside or out
If a fire or issue of concern should occur
Any changed work practices

Appendix 1 – Action in the event of Fire

ACTION IN THE EVENT OF FIRE

The preservation of life is paramount. By remaining calm and following these basic actions, as far as possible, you should ensure the safety of yourself and all others in the Hall.

Several of the following actions can be conducted in parallel:

1. Quickly assess the situation:

Do not attempt to fight a fire if you do not feel competent to do so. If it is an electrical fire, DO NOT USE EITHER OF THE EXTINGUISHER TYPES UNLESS YOU ARE CERTAIN THAT THE ELECTRICAL POWER HAS BEEN TURNED OFF.

2. Alert:

If other people are in the building, THE FIRST PERSON TO NOTICE THE FIRE SHOULD CALL, ‘FIRE’ as loud as possible and for long enough to be sure that all persons in the building have heard it.

3. Call:

CALL THE FIRE & RESCUE SERVICE (FRS) using 999 or 112 on a mobile phone, giving

Location: Tuddenham Village Hall, School Close, Tuddenham, IP28 6FB

What 3 Words: SLURRED DRIZZLY HELPED

Do not assume someone else has made the call.

A nominated person should stand on Tuddenham High Street at the entrance to School Close to direct and liaise with the FRS.

4. Evacuate:

DIRECT PEOPLE OUT OF THE BUILDING, using the safest possible exit route via the Main Hall, Meeting Room and/or Entrance Hall to assemble outside the cricket pavilion on Tuddenham Playing Fields. The Event Organiser/Hirer or their delegated person responsible should check that all rooms including toilets have been evacuated. If numbers and identity of people attending the event are known a roll call should be taken at the Assembly Point.

DO NOT STOP TO COLLECT ANY PERSONAL BELONGINGS.

If safe to do so, the last person out should try to close all doors behind them, including closing the kitchen serving hatch shutter to prevent the fire and smoke spreading through the building and also to reduce the level of oxygen available in any room to feed the fire.

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHOULD YOU RE‐ENTER THE BUILDING UNTIL THE FRS HAVE TOLD YOU THAT IT IS SAFE TO DO SO.

Appendix 2 – Fire extinguisher instructions

Appendix 3 – Tuddenham Village Hall Fire Plan

Fire Risk Assessment

Tuddenham St Mary Village Hall

Fire Risk Assessment

To download a copy of the Fire Risk Assessment click here

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