empty premises

[bevfs]

Morning all,
Do empty commercial premises still fall under the order,in that any fire safety measures i.e sprinkler systems(linked to an ARC) must be maintained ensuring that any fire would hopefully be extinguished,rather than the whole building burn,or until arrival of the fire service to tackle the fire.I seem to recall that it is,and it would be an insurance stipulation regardless if the building is  occupied or empty,as you know some buildings can sit vacant for some time looking for a tenant/buyer.just wondering if there is any case law either way on this matter?

[AnthonyB]

The Fire Safety Order does affect vacant premises, one of the reasons landlords/owners are included as potential Responsible Persons with the definition
"?relevant persons? means?
(a)any person (including the responsible person) who is or may be lawfully on the premises; and
(b)any person in the immediate vicinity of the premises who is at risk from a fire on the premises,"

meaning that an empty building could still be a risk to those adjacent/nearby.

The required level of precautions and maintenance may be less and most emphasis is usually on security, removal of combustibles and isolation of power so there is little opportunity for fire (including arson) and little opportunity to spread, with alarms, e-lighting, extinguishers, etc often being left out/powered down/removed. Sprinklers are often left active, although in a vacant premises a wet pipe system could be prone to freezing and rupture so these are sometimes isolated.

Insurers are the main drivers - there may be little life risk, but there remains property risk and they may require greater precautions to be kept in place.