2024 marked a significant step forward for fire safety across Essex, with the establishment of the Business Engagement Team at Essex County Fire and Rescue Service.
In 2024 the Business Engagement Team completed:
- 1190 Business Safe and Well Visits
- 9 Impact Days, working with companies and partner agencies
- Attended 15 events
- Other Business and Public Building related work
The teams Rural Fire Safety Officer completed several farm and rural visits, NAMOS (Dangerous Substances Notification and Marking of Sites) inspections, attended events and delivered talks for the farm and rural communities.
Created to support business and building owners, the team focuses on educating local businesses and Responsible Persons about fire safety legal requirements. With each team member bringing a high level of expertise, the team’s mission is clear: to make Essex safer.
The Business Engagement Team spent much of this year setting the groundwork, building valuable partnerships with local councils and business support networks. The focus in 2024 has been to gather data and understand the fire safety challenges that business owners across Essex face.
A major part of the team’s mission has been empowering business owners to take control of their own fire safety through comprehensive education and support. An important aspect of this is for businesses and public buildings to have a suitable and sufficient recorded Fire Risk Assessment, which is now a legal requirement if you are responsible for a building, for example, an employer, owner or occupier of premises that aren’t a single private dwelling (a private home), as the foundation for fire safety planning, as it identifies the risks unique to the premises. The Responsible Person must be fully aware of the risks unique to their premises.
Team members are spread across Essex, forming connections within diverse communities. They frequently come together for targeted visits to areas identified as needing extra fire safety support. These visits are highly appreciated by business owners, who often express surprise at the level of tailored advice they receive during a visit and also the advice and guidance contained on the Essex County Fire & Rescue Service Website Business and Rural Fire Safety pages.
One of the team’s unique strengths is their ability to listen and understand the needs of Essex’s varied business landscape. For instance, the Team also have a Rural Engagement Officer, who brings invaluable expertise about rural communities and farming, which has proved instrumental in helping farmers address their specific fire safety challenges. His work includes the completion of NAMOS (Dangerous Substances Notification and Marking of Sites) inspections. So if you require one of these inspections, get in touch, just search NAMOS on the website. His work has become a cornerstone of the team’s outreach, especially for communities that have historically been underserved in terms of fire safety support.
As the team continues to engage with businesses, they encounter both familiar and unique challenges. Language and cultural barriers are common, particularly among smaller high-street businesses and restaurants. The team is committed to making fire safety information accessible to all, including non English-speaking business owners. The website offers an innovative tool that translates fire safety resources into 22 languages - a game-changer in making fire safety guidance more inclusive. You can locate this at the bottom of the initial website page. Tap the box containing ‘English’ and choose a language from the drop down list.
Looking ahead for 2025, the team is preparing to tackle new and emerging challenges, particularly the rise in fires caused by lithium-ion batteries. Any business using lithium-ion batteries must include this in their Fire Risk Assessment.
The team will also be completing further business safe and well visits, which will include follow up visits around Fire Risk Assessments. They will also be completing work around False Alarm calls and will be attending a variety of events across the County.
With these new measures, the Business Engagement Team is laying the foundation for a safer Essex, using both their industry expertise and community connections to support local businesses and communities. Through their commitment and forward thinking approach, they’re not only addressing today’s risks but also preparing for tomorrow’s challenges.
Interested in finding out more and getting advice for your business or public building?
- Contact ECFRS's Business Engagment Team.
- Contact ECFRS's Rural Fire Safety Officer.