There are a number of reasons we may need to visit your premises. A visit may need to be made by a fire safety inspecting officer or an operational fire crew, the different reasons we may need to visit are described below. You will not be charged any money for one of these visits.
Please note – all fire service visits will be carried out by a staff member wearing South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue uniform and staff will show their ID badge. If you are concerned a person may not be genuine you should contact us on 0800 917 6119.
Business Fire Safety officers may use body worn video cameras during a visit to capture evidence of non-compliance or conflict. This will be used in accordance with Articles under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and General Data Protection Regulations. Further information is available in our Privacy Notice.
A Fire Safety Audit is a compulsory inspection, generated by a risk based audit programme. A fire safety inspecting officer will look how fire safety is managed and implemented in the premises and if the responsible person doing what they need to do to comply with the fire safety law.
Fire safety inspecting officers will generally arrange an audit with you in advance at a mutually convenient time. They will explain what you will need to have available for their visit. It is usually difficult to give an indication of how long an audit will take as this will depend on the size of premises and if the inspecting officer identifies any deficiencies.
Visits following a complaint
If we receive a complaint about your premises you will receive an unannounced visit from a fire safety inspecting officer. The inspecting officer will carry ID and a letter of authorisation.
Visits following up a fire inspection
If you have had a fire in your premises you may receive a visit from a fire safety inspecting officer, who may wish to discuss the cause of the fire and how evacuation of the premises went, look at the area affected and fire safety paperwork.
Business Safety Visits are targeted visits to provide advice carried out by local fire crews. These visits are designed to be informal. They typically take no more than 15 to 20 minutes and all we ask is that a business representative is available to meet with us. We will arrange the time for the visit to suit you. These visits aim to highlight your fire safety responsibilities and direct you to free advice.
Site Specific Risk Inspections (SSRIs)
Fire crews need to obtain information about your business to identify if there are any risks in the event of a fire or an emergency. This ensures that we have the right approach to minimize the risk to life, the premises and the environment in the event of fire. For operational risk information fire crews will want to speak to the person who deals with health and safety at the premises, they’ll also want to take details of the person they should contact if there was a fire at the premises. To obtain this information crews might arrange to visit the premises, speak to you by phone or communicate by email.
