Fighting the threat from fire

Forty-three per cent of enterprises forced to cease trading by serious fire outbreaks never resume operations because of the costs involved, according to a new report.

The report, Fire is Your Business, says that as many as one in three companies hit by fire collapse within three years even if they do manage to resume business. The survey was prepared jointly by the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Dublin Fire Brigade "to warn commercial operations of the very real risk of fire".

Only half of all businesses have a safety statement, the report warns. It sets out a number of minimum guidelines that enterprises should adhere to in framing their fire prevention strategies, including:

the owner/manager or a named individual of senior grade must be responsible for safety, including protection from arson attack;

think about the ease with which intruders/arsonists can break into premises and strengthen defences as appropriate;

security - one entrance is better than two, especially if it is manned throughout the day;

outer fences, walls and gates need to be high and strong enough to keep intruders out;

letterboxes should have metal containers fitted on the inside;

know who holds keys - and chase any that are missing;

stored material of any kind should not be stacked adjacent to fences or walls where it could be set alight from outside;

employees should be warned of the threat from arson attack. "Fire is one of the most serious threats faced by companies today," said Mr Hugh Governey, president of the chamber of commerce and a director of insurance brokers, Coyle Hamilton.

There had, however, been a sharp decline in fires started by rogue businesses to claim on their insurance, he said, in tandem with the boom in the economy.