Shropshire’s chief fire officer is urging businesses to double check their fire safety in the run-up to Christmas.
John Redmond says Christmas can bring additional fire risks for businesses as many store large amounts of extra stock, take on many more seasonal employees and prepare for a Christmas and New Year shutdown.
Speaking on the first day of UK Business Safety Week – a national campaign run by the Chief Fire Officers Association and aimed at helping British businesses reduce fire risks - he said businesses should look again at their fire risk assessments and pinpoint any weaknesses.
“A fire in commercial premises can put staff and customers lives at risk, destroy valuable stock and buildings and even put a company out of business completely,” Mr Redmond said.
“Fire can strike at any time but all businesses can do a lot to reduce risk by taking a long, hard look at their risk assessment. Lots of things may have changed in a business since it carried out its last fire risk assessment and that could leave it vulnerable.
“The message for Shropshire businesses is clear: make sure your risk assessments are up to date and have been expertly carried out. That is the key message UK Business Safety Week is aiming to get across,” John Redmond added.
There have been 109 fires in commercial premises in the county between April and November this year and the Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service is planning a number of events and campaigns during the coming year aimed at helping businesses reduce their fire risks.
