Introduction

1.  Arson is an increasingly significant factor in fire losses and industrial and commercial buildings are major targets for arsonists. Although the public perception is that arson is a crime against property rather than the person and that the insurer will pay, the losses due to arson fires are not simply financial, they can also involve:

• Deaths and injuries to staff and fire fighters.
  
  
• Business interruption, or even closure of the company.
  
  
• Loss of jobs.
  
  
• Loss of facilities or amenities for the community.
  
  
• Pollution of the air by smoke and possibly water pollution as a result of the run off of water used in the fire fighting operations.
  
  
• Loss of our industrial heritage.

This information sheet has been prepared to assist the management of companies whose premises may be at risk. In any company a lax approach to fire safety management and poor fire safety culture can considerably increase the risk of arson, as well as accidental fires.

If the principles and recommendations contained in this information sheet are properly applied, the number, severity and cost of arson attacks may be reduced substantially.

Who commits arson?

2.  Statistics reveal that the majority of people cautioned or arrested for arson are male and in the 10-14 year old age group. Many arson fires in industry and commerce are lit by youngsters as acts of opportunist vandalism or in an attempt to destroy evidence of petty crimes. Deliberate fire raising by members of the workforce is much rarer. A third danger can result from fires lit by visitors, especially members of the public when visiting retail premises.

Fires started by children often escalate from fires in bags of rubbish to larger fires in waste materials, to vehicles, sheds and outbuildings before larger building are involved. Managers of premises should therefore maintain a degree of vigilance and review their security measures as soon as they hear of any small fires occurring on their industrial estate, business park or neighbourhood.

When arson occurs

3.  Statistics reveal that 68% of arson fires and 84% of 'major' arson fires (that is to say those resulting in damage valued at over £50 000) occur during the hours of darkness.

Security lighting has been reported to be a cost-effective way of reducing the incidence of arson attacks. In some premises such lights may be operated by passive infra-red detectors and so can produce an element of surprise, as well as being rather more acceptable in built up areas.

Making the arsonist visible is also an important element in other forms of security precautions. For example, palisade or welded mesh fencing is preferable to a wall or solid fence, as intruders inside the grounds are rendered visible.

Arson also often occurs at tea or lunch break times, when few staff are present, again reducing the likelihood of the arsonist being seen.

Management action

4.  The occurrence of arson can be reduced and its effects controlled if consideration is given in advance to identify potential threats and effective protection measures. An arson risk assessment should be carried out as part of the fire risk assessment procedure required by the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997, as amended in 1999. As arson attacks are so common, such an exercise is a vital element of the fire risk assessment that is required by this legislation, even if a fire certificate has been issued for the premises by the fire brigade.

The plan against arson should be part of a fully integrated management programme covering all aspects of risk. The objective is that business operation and profitability is maintained whatever the threat that is presented.

The management plan to combat arson will include the following elements:

• The arson risk assessment.
  
  
• Security measures.
  
  
• Passive and active fire protection measures.
  
  
• Fire safety management procedures.

These four elements are the subjects of the following sections.

The arson risk assessment

5. There are many ways in which an arson risk assessment may be carried out. The main consideration is that features relating to the occurrence of arson are considered in a logical and structured manner. One way to carry out the assessment is illustrated in the attached Appendices.

In every company a named person of senior grade should be made responsible for fire safety, including protection from arson attack. This person should be trained in their duties, including the carrying out of the arson risk assessment. As well as being responsible for ensuring that the company complies with relevant fire related legislation this person in some organisations may also be responsible for health and safety and security issues.

The assessment should be written down and reviewed periodically.

Security measures

6.  Effective security measures make a positive contribution to reducing the threat of an arson attack. The security measures that should be assessed include:

• Perimeter protection.
  
  
• The strength of the building envelope.
  
  
• Access control.
  
  
• The detection of intruders.
  
  
• Security lighting.
  
  
• CCTV systems.
  
  
• Staff relations.
  
  
• Awareness of activities of pressure groups who could target the premises.

In many cases the occupiers of a building have had no control over the design of the premises in which they work. There are several measures, however, that may be introduced into the design phase of a building which can deter arsonists. These include the absence of areas in which someone may linger unseen and denying intruders access to the roof of a building. The environment of the premises may also be enhanced by the inclusion of a dense, thorny hedgerow at the perimeter of the site.

Priority should be given to keep intruders out, especially when the premises are not occupied. Attention must be paid to primary measures like the siting and securing of windows and doors, locks and bolts, fences and gates. Weak points in perimeter protection that have to be considered may include letter slots, air vents and louvered windows. The security programme must include accountability for keys and proper authorisation for their issue.

A register should be maintained and all keys accounted for at the end of each period of work.

Suitable precautions must be taken to identify legitimate visitors or, where appropriate, restrict the areas to which members of the public have access.

Where buildings are unoccupied at night or at weekends, serious consideration should be given to the installation of intruder detection equipment as well as an automatic fire detection system. The former will, of course, detect fire raisers as well as other intruders; the sound of a local alarm may result in the trespasser leaving the premises rather that starting a fire. Alarm installations should be monitored by an approved central monitoring station to ensure that the police and/or fire brigade are summoned without delay. Fire and intruder alarm installations should be carefully sited to protect against sabotage.

The installation of CCTV has a high deterrent effect. 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. These systems should incorporate suitable recording equipment. Specialist advice should always be sought before installation.

If there is no 24 hour security presence on the site, frequent, but irregular visits by mobile security patrols outside normal working hours can be a deterrent against arson and similar crimes.

Perhaps the most cost-effective measure against the arsonist is an alert and motivated workforce. All staff should be trained to challenge strangers. A simple 'can I help you?'' may be sufficient to deter a potential arsonist and enhances the organisation in the eyes of legitimate visitors. Sadly, not all arsonists come from outside and so management have a duty to ensure that only trustworthy staff are recruited. This means that references for new staff should be sought and checked. This is particularly important when considering staff that may have to work alone or outside normal working hours. Temporary members of staff and contractors should not be left to work unsupervised.

Entry to isolated or less used parts of the premises, such as storerooms and warehouses, should be restricted and monitored.

As arson attacks often follow acts of petty theft and vandalism, security staff should be vigilant and take note of such crimes in the neighbourhood. Keeping a log of such incidents may help in assessing the likelihood of a deliberate fire occurring.

Advice on security measures, the utilisation of security companies and the training of staff can be obtained from police crime prevention departments, insurers, the British Security Industry Association and the National Approval Council for Security Systems. Advice regarding the design of new buildings may also be sought from police architectural liaison officers.

Passive and active fire protection measures

7.  All measures that are taken to protect a building from accidental fires have a part to play in reducing the effects of a deliberately started fire. These measures include:

• The division of the building into individual fire compartments and the construction and lining of these using materials of suitable fire resisting properties. This is known as passive fire protection.
  
  
• The provision of appropriate and cost-effective equipment to detect and fight fires. This is referred to as active fire protection.

Passive fire protection

Passive fire protection is based on the principle of containment; the compartments of the building are constructed so that if a fire should occur, it will be restricted to one area. For example, fire doors should prevent the spread of smoke and flames from lobbies, stairwells and lift shafts.

Another example of passive fire protection is the design of escape routes, which should not incorporate combustible wall, ceiling or floor linings. Fire dampers should be installed in ducts where they pass through compartment walls and holes in such walls around cables and other services should be fire stopped.

Doors and shutters in compartment walls should be able to withstand the effects of fire for the same period of time as the walls themselves. One of the most common ways in which fires are started in buildings is by introducing burning materials or flammable liquids through the letter slots. Several proprietary products are available which can help to reduce the effects of attempts to light fires in this way. These devices take the form of sheet metal containers that catch the materials. Some of the containers incorporate a fire extinguisher that operates automatically in the event of a fire.

Active fire protection

Active fire protection systems may detect or extinguish a fire, with a water sprinkler or inert gas flooding installation performing both functions. An automatic fire detection installation will detect heat or combustion products of an incipient fire and raise the alarm. As stated earlier, such systems should be monitored remotely when the building is not occupied to allow the fire brigade to be summoned without delay, thus reducing the damage. A sprinkler installation will release water from the heads nearest the flames with flow switches raising the alarm in a similar way to a conventional detection system.

Automatic fire detection and alarm panels should be installed near the door or entrance that the fire brigade would be expected to use when they arrive in an emergency. This is because they will be able to provide the fire fighters with important information as to where the fire was initiated and how it developed. Fire alarm panels may be interrogated following an arson fire to provide the police and fire investigators with similar background information.

On occasions attempts have been made to sabotage security and fire protection measures. Passive fire protection measures have also been compromised by wedging fire doors or shutters open and moving combustible materials to intensify the fire. Although it has occurred comparatively rarely, valves and fire alarm panels of active systems have also been tampered with and this possibility should not be overlooked when security measures are being reviewed. In particular, metering rooms, valve sets and pumps of sprinkler installations should be suitably protected.

To assist in routine inspections and deter attempts to sabotage sprinkler systems:

• Valve sets should be located together in a single room for ease of protection.
  
  
• Valves should be clearly labelled, and be strapped and padlocked in the open position with this position being easily verifiable.
  
  
• Valves should be fitted with micro-switches monitored at a central location to detect tampering.
  
  
• Fuel intakes, engine cooling systems and exhaust outlets for pumps should be protected.
  
  
• Emergency stop switches must not be accessible to unauthorised persons.

Following a fire the sprinkler system should be checked to ensure that it operated properly and any possible malfunction investigated thoroughly.

Neither passive nor active fire protection measures can be installed and then forgotten, they require regular inspection and maintenance. Service contracts should be established with accredited contractors for installed equipment but the fire safety manager should also ensure that regular inspections are made of escape routes, fire doors and housekeeping standards and that suitable records of such inspections are kept.

It is important that specialist advice is sought regarding both passive and active protection for premises. Whenever possible, products and services that are selected should be those that have been subject to third party certification by an organisation such as the Loss Prevention Certification Board.

Fire safety management procedures

8.  Many fires are started deliberately in areas with a known history of vandalism or fire setting and are lit using available combustible materials including rubbish that has been removed from the building. Rubbish should be removed regularly and placed outside in a secure closed metal container positioned, wherever possible, at least 10 metres from buildings and plant.

Furthermore, a number of fire safety management factors have to be considered for every company; these will depend upon the premises they occupy, the nature of the business and the ethos of the organisation.

They tend to be the people-related factors which hinge around staff relations and an effective fire safety training regime.

Staff should be trained in the:

• Action to take in the event of fire. Everyone should be familiar with the sound of the fire alarm, the escape routes and, where appropriate, the use of the fire fighting equipment. Some or all of the staff will also need to be trained to call the fire brigade. Some members of staff may also need to be trained so as to help colleagues or members of the public with disabilities in the event of a fire.
  
  
• Close down procedures. Staff should be made aware of the procedures required at the end of each period of working to ensure that the premises are secure, there are no unauthorised persons remaining in the buildings and that all processes have been shut down safely.
  
  
• Control of combustible materials. Staff should be aware of the reasons for waste materials to be removed to a safe storage area regularly and be encouraged to act responsibly in this respect themselves. Similarly, staff should be made aware of the flammability or combustibility of the materials with which they work and any relevant measures that should be observed regarding their storage and handling.
  
  
• Awareness of the threat of arson. All staff need to be given, as part of their training programme, instruction as to the hazards and consequences of an arson attack. These include the potential threat of life, loss of jobs and disruption to the continuity of the business.

Good staff relations will enhance the degree of co-operation that management may expect from their workforce to protecting the business from an arson attack from an outside source. Effective management will also reduce the likelihood of such an attack from a member of staff.

Close liaison should be maintained with the fire brigade, police and insurers in order that all practicable measures can be taken to reduce the likelihood of an arson attack. As it is not unusual for a major arson fire to be preceded by one or more smaller attacks, any fire that does occur should be carefully investigated so that lessons may be learned and appropriate remedial action taken to avoid a recurrence.

Helping your business survive following a fire

9. In the event of a fire, a business continuity plan will be invaluable. Some 80 per cent of firms without a business continuity plan will be bankrupt within five years of surviving a major disaster. The plan should be formulated in advance and written down. It should contain the procedures, plans, agreements, important phone numbers and other vital information which will enable a firm to resume operations in the most effective and shortest possible time following a disaster. A copy of the plan should be kept off site.

Getting to grips with the problem

10. The attack on the problem of arson has not been left solely to the managers of industry and commerce. There is a joint duty on local authorities and the police to co-operate with other organisations so as to formulate and implement a strategy which will reduce the incidence of crime, including arson, in their area. Fire safety managers may, therefore, contact the police or fire brigade for further advice.

Appendix 1: An arson risk assessment method

Appendix 2: The action plan