Responsible persons-FFE in multi occ offices

[lingmoor]

Can someone please clear something up

A new office block of four floors is occupied by two different hospital Trust admin staff. One Trust occupies three floors and the other just one floor.

Is my take on this correct?...The supply and servicing of the fire extinguishers is the responsibility of both Trust for each bit they occupy?

Thanks

[Mike Buckley]

It is the duty of the Responsible Person to 'provide measures in relation to the means for fighting fires in the premises'. This does not specifically say that the Responsible Person has to provide and service the extinguishes themselves.

As I see it the situation you are describing has the possibility of three Responsible Persons. The Landlord/owner of the building and the two Trusts, each of whom has a responsibility to provide fire fighting equipment. How this is achieved is up to them. They can either provide the extinguishers in their bit or the landlord could provide all the firefighting equipment as part of the leasing agreement, or the Trusts could get together and agree to obtain the extinguishers from a single source and share the costs.

The FSO tends to tell you what you need to do but does not tell you how to do it. This is left to the guidance and standards.

[Phoenix]

Yes, what Mike says. 

Also, they are required by the legislation to cooperate and coordinate in order to achieve an effective solution so this is something they will have to discuss between them.

[AnthonyB]

I'd expect (unless some commercial agreement was in place) each occupier to make arrangements for the risks on their floor, the communal areas only having limited cover in relation to the few risks there.

I have come across arrangements where all PFE has been centrally organised and maintained across multiple employers (notably former BR buildings) however it's been the exception rather than the norm.

[lingmoor]

Thanks all