There have been at least 240 large fires during the 1990's. A large fire in a storage and distribution building constitutes a major threat to the business assets, local employment and pollution of the environment. It is acknowledged that there is a pressing need to mitigate the hazards to occupants, fire-fighters and local residents.

A new guidance document 'Fire Precautions in Warehouses and Distribution Buildings' was published by the Fire Protection Association in autumn 2002. The document, ISBN 1 902790 18-9, was jointly produced by the Association of British Insurers, BRE, Chief & Assistant Chief Fire Officers Association, DTLR (now Office of Deputy Prime Minister), Fire Brigades Union, FPA, UK Warehousing Association and Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors, with a Foreword by the Fire Safety Advisory Board.

Target Audience
The Guide is intended to assist developers, designers, property owners and managers in satisfying their statutory duties and commercial responsibilities. It is also intended to assist building control bodies and fire authorities in taking an informed and consistent approach.

Contents
The document addresses 3 main areas:
- Part 1 examines the commercial benefits to business
- Part 2 looks at the application of Building Regulations and fire safety legislation.
- Part 3 deals with operational fire safety management of such buildings.

Potential Fie Issues
• Densely packed goods show rapid vertical then horizontal fire spread.
• BRE research - fire may reach the top of 10 metre racking within 2 minutes.
• Employees in modern facilities are more remote from colleagues.
• Grave fire fighting issues and safety problems for fire-fighters.
• Operational difficulty in gaining access to fight a fire.
• Water cannot be applied to internal fire from outside until collapse has begun.
• It may be deemed unsafe for fire-fighters to enter a building, except for rescue.
• Collapse of portal frame structures often needs heavy lifting equipment to reach the seat of a fire.
• Fire safety legislation and Building Regulations are limited to minimum provisions for life safety.

Commercial Interests
• Fire is a serious threat to the viability of any business.
• Reinvestment only attains the position before the fire occurred.
• The drain on resources will limit investment for growth.
• Hidden losses in the form of business interruption can threaten ongoing business.
• Deferred customers may never return.
• High costs incurred for stock replacement.
• Delays can cause permanent loss of market share.

Fire Safety Management
• Good fire safety practices for the business.
• Contingency planning to offset any disruption on and around the site.
• A long term recovery plan.
• Property and business protection - see The LPC Design Guide.
• Fire risk assessment - see Fire Safety: an employer's guide

Legislation
Designers, developers, owners and occupiers of buildings will have dealings concerning fire safety with both a building control body and the fire authority.

(a) Building control bodies in relation to compliance with Building Regulations and Approved Document B - Fire Safety.

(b) The fire authority in relation to fire safety under the Fire Precautions Act 1971, the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 as amended 1999; and either directly or indirectly under other legislative controls concerning the safety of people in relation to the operation and use of certain buildings once occupied.

The requirement for an employer to carry out a fire risk assessment is contained in regulation 3(1) of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.

Operational Fire Safety Management
The complexity and potential dangers of fire fighting in warehouse and distribution buildings require careful and extensive pre-planning by fire brigades, warehouse operators and others as appropriate. Regular reviews and evaluations of the attendant risks are necessary as the nature of these buildings means that the usage, contents and occupancy is subject to change:

• Examine the variety of possible tactics.
• Identify the hazards that are likely to be present.
• Assess the availability of agency resources that may be required.
• The construction of the building frame, combustibility of sandwich panels etc
• Nature of the building contents, fire load, hazards
• Any in-built provisions for fighting fire.
• Water supplies and water pressures.
• Use and type of smoke ventilation equipment.
• The internal/external facilities for fire fighting, fire engines and equipment.
• Any isolated workers, or contract staff with minimal training
• Effective security, key holding and communication systems.

Fire-fighting
It is well known that fires in large buildings present special hazards. Is internal access to a fire complex or likely to be impeded by the storage systems? The following problems may well be relevant:

• Building size, number of fire compartments
• Travel distances for fire-fighters
• Length of water hoses
• Ease of accessibility
• Difficulties caused by congestion
• Location of the seat of the fire
• Potential for rapid spread of fire and flashover
• Rapid loss of visibility due to dense smoke
• Collapse of racking, falling stock
• Collapse of building structure and fabric of the building
• Properties of stored materials
• Conditions for withdrawal of fire fighters
• Spread of fire to ancillary buildings

Associated Hazards
A continual risk assessment is required during fire fighting. Some examples are :