Fire-Protection-Management

Liability of the Persons in Charge

The responsibility for fire protection is with the Board respectively the CEO (Section 618 I Civil Code, Section 62 I Commercial Code, Sections 3, 10 I, II Labor Protection Act, ASR 2.2).

The Board rsp. the CEO is obliged to…

provide for the protection of Staff and Visitors and
provide for the protection of material goods (inventory and stocks).

The state´s constitutional obligation to protect lives and health and the duty to fight dangers to the public security require substantiation concerning the defense against the acting of third entities and violations of this obligation to be sanctioned, which basically originates from these rules:

The criminal law: Threat of being penalized for culpable acting which endangers the life or health of persons, such as e.g. intentional or negligent arson.
The civil law: By providing victims the option to sue the originator for damages for damage (material securities and compensation of material damage, as well as compensation for personal injuries).
The administrative sphere: The state´s demand requiring citizens to implement certain measures on fore protection (preventive fire protection).
The EU-legislation: By the requirements on the placing and construction of buildings, their construction parts, technical equipment and the equipment on fire protection.
The UVV (Accident prevention rules) of the commercial trade associations (HVBG).

The Requirement to act

Companies are recommended to appoint a corporate Fire Protection Officer:

if an average of 100 persons uses to be present (e.g. hospitals, homes);
for hotels, restaurants and meeting places as well as
for commercial buildings with a capacity 250 persons or more; Industrial, craft and transport companies
Exposed to a light threat of fire from 250 staff,
Exposed to a medium threat of fire form 175 staff,
Exposed to a high threat of fire from 100 staff;
For office- and administrative buildings from 400 persons being present as an average.

Preventive Fire Protection – Security that pays off

Fire Insurers may honor the appointing of an external Fire Protection Officer These questions use to require an answer in case of damage:

What exactly has happened?

Who is to blame?

Who will be presented the bill?

Ensure the fast processing of your insurance benefits by providing your precautionary measures (insurance clause 3600).
Implementing a Fire Protection Officer makes your fire protection transparent. If required, you will easily be able to provide evidence on your measures taken on fore prevention.
Besides that, you may keep your insurance premium constant or even get a cheaper premium as an effect of your precautions.

Reduce your personal liability risk!

The fire Protection Officer

The qualification a Fire Protection Officer (who in practice often uses to be appointed part-time) requires to have, is ruled on by the DGUV Information 205-003. Being a Fire Protection Officer means the requirement to keeping up with a multitude of changing conditions and requires profound knowledge on:

Requirements of fire protection technique in accordance to the state of the art. (DIN, EN, ISO);
Origins and spreading of fire;
Requirements from the building law, trade law and further legal matters such as e.g. the equipment-safety-law, the water-budget-law, etc.;
Requirements from the sphere of the professional associations (DGUV1);
Directive issued by the fires insurances;
Execution of risk- ad security-assessments.

Many companies, therefore transfer the job of a fire protection officer to an external consultant like us.

We offer:

A high qualification level,
Synergies from being appointed in various companies,
No operational blindness,
Short-term availability,
Practical experience from neighboring matters,
Reduction of side costs, such as e.g. for further education.

Appointing an external Fire Protection Officer does not only offer you the option to reduce side costs. The costs of an external consultant, moreover, are as low as to allow you to comply with legal requirements without bigger efforts.

General Procedure

We draft your checklist for an object-related fire-protection-site-inspection. During such inspection we will identify, whether you already comply with the requirements of the applying regulations on protection against fire and explosion.

Check of risk factors, such as e.g.:

Permanently changing storage and production of inflammable materials,
Insufficiently instructed staff,
High staff turnover,
Missing exhaust for smoke and warmth,
Falsely dimensioned or missing fire sections,
Insufficient equipment (instruments and installations for immediate fire response),
Missing or ineffective fire notification options,
etc.

Check of safety factors, such as e.g.:

Well-instructed staff,
Automated fire-detection-system,
Exhaust for smoke and warmth equipped with smoke aprons,
Automated fire-extinguishing systems,
Corporate fire brigade,
On-time maintenance of installations for fire security,
A transparent storage- and production concept,
Securing flammable materials,
The local fire brigade´s knowledge about the premises,
Consequent isolation of fire sections,
Sufficient water supply,
Consequent separation of fire compartments,
Protected access and operation areas for fire engines,
etc.

Training the Staff

Employees having been instructed on the basics of preventive and defensive fire protection besides their regular job, are classified forces of first response on fire-protection (self-defense-forces) by various Acts on Disaster Control – as intended by the single regulations.

These forces provide support on:

The handling of fire extinguishers,
Options of the emerging of fire and fire-precautions,
Reaction in case of panic and eviction,
Regular control of labels and equipment for fire protection (fire protection doors etc.).

At least 10% of the employees should be forces of first response on fire protection.

We provide support on: