Fire Safety Advisor in Sidcup

Ensure there is compliance with all regulatory provisions regarding fire safety in all Trust owned or operated properties. Conduct a program of fire risk assessments in all Trust occupied premises, working to the standards in Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Health Technical Memorandums (HTMs), Building Regulations, British Standards and other relevant documentation, to ensure the Trust and its buildings comply with current fire legislation.

Undertake overarching fire risk assessments in complex hospital buildings, ensuring efficacy of shared arrangements, horizontal evacuation and compartmentation, taking into consideration the profile of occupants. Ensure all wards, departments and units have local plans in place detailing the actions to be taken in case of fire, which are reviewed regularly and understood by staff.

Conduct a comprehensive program of fire drills across all Trust occupied premises, including outside of core hours to ensure all staff are prepared. Maintain suitable clear structured records of all risk assessments, evacuation plans, fire drills and training; this includes analysis when required. Produce and maintain structured electronic records of reports, assessments, drills and fire safety and emergency planning training programmes to meet the needs of the Trust.

Compile end of month and annual fire safety statistics, analyse and produce reports to inform the Head of Estate Development and the Health & Safety Committee. Investigate all incidents of fires and fire alarm actuations. Monitor and analyse trends and patterns to assist the Trust in learning from fire related incidents. Maintain an up to date resource base of legislation, codes of practice and other relevant literature, making it readily available to other Estates and Facilities staff.

Conduct fire safety audits when required, including on contractors operating on our premises. Formulate and deliver a suitable program of fire safety training to a workforce of approximately 4500 staff, using methods such as e-learning, remote training via Microsoft Teams, and face-to-face training methods, including specialist methods like fire training simulators and Evac-Chair training.

Review with the Head of Safety and Compliance the Trust fire related policies and procedures, updating where appropriate, and communicating to Trust employees. Support and advise the Head of Safety and Compliance in the production of an annual report for the Trust Board, detailing the achieved standard of fire safety across all Trust premises.

Advise and liaise with staff and management at all levels regarding fire safety matters. Plan, organise, conduct and report on emergency planning exercises, emphasising fire scenarios but potentially covering other emergency planning risk areas. This includes regular communications test exercises and live-play exercises with inter-agency involvement.

Provide a fire advisory service to the Estates and Facilities department on new and refurbished Trust building schemes. Liaise and work with other members of the Health and Safety Team to achieve the Trust's health, safety, fire, emergency planning and security objectives. Maintain awareness of changes in fire safety legislation and guidance to ensure the Trust meets its fire safety obligations.

Participate in Local Health Resilience Forums, Borough Resilience Forums and Regional EPRR Meetings, representing the Trust on fire safety matters. The post holder is expected to contribute to the review and development of policy and procedural documentation within fire safety and emergency planning exercising activity.

The post holder will be responsible for purchasing relevant equipment to meet needs of compliance regarding Fire Risk Assessments and determining suitable suppliers for procuring fire safety equipment in line with requirements from RRFSO & Firecode Series 5.

The post holder will conduct a compliant program of fire risk assessments and reviews in all Trust occupied premises, managing their own workload under the line management of the Head of Estate Development. They will be responsible for organising and prioritising their schedule of work and annual work plan to complete the annual fire risk assessment, fire drill and inspection programme.

Accountable to the Head of Estate Development for the completion of fire risk assessments, fire drills, and fire training, including statistical analysis and reports. Advise and influence on all fire safety matters and support departmental managers to discharge their duties.

Required to interpret obligations under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, Health Technical Memorandums (HTMs), Firecode 05-Series, Health Building Notes (HBNs), and British/EU/ISO Standards relating to fire safety. Undertake surveys and report on the impact of changes in legislation and official guidance regarding fire related matters.

Effective verbal communication skills, including patience and a willingness to listen. Ability to converse productively with staff, managers and specialists. Proficient negotiating and influencing skills. Adept written communication skills, including structured report writing and training packages.

Maintain a close working relationship with the local Fire and Rescue Service to facilitate mutual knowledge and understanding of their respective requirements and obligations. Manage internal and external fire safety enquiries requiring advice, referring to specialists where necessary.

The post requires occasional out of hours working to undertake selected fire drills and training in-patient wards, approximately twelve evenings a year, and occasional weekend working to conduct exercises and emergency planning activity, approximately two days a year.