Checklists for undertaking fire risk assessments

Checklists for undertaking fire risk assessments come with guidance for schools published last week by the Scottish Executive. The advice on fire safety and management was prepared by local authority fire safety officers in consultation with Cosla and the Association of Directors of Education Scotland. It was launched at a school design conference in Edinburgh on 'Building our Future' by deputy education minister Euan Robinson. He said, 'Any fire can have potentially devastating consequences. Even if nobody is injured in a school fire, it can have a damaging impact on both the school and wider community as pupil find themselves uprooted and valuable resources and pupils' work are destroyed.' Mr Robinson added, 'Our goal is for all schools to be excellent schools - modern, well-equipped schools delivering the right quality of public services people have the right to expect.' Each week an average of four educational establishments suffer a fire and more than two-thirds (70 per cent) of fires in schools are started deliberately.