A Conservative Councillor has expressed concerns over the Council’s administration of its fire management procedures. At Thursday 31st January Audit and Governance Scrutiny Committee during discussion of the Strategic Risk Register Councillor Richard Willis quizzed Council Emergency Planning Officers over the testing of fire alarms in Council owned properties and the conduct of regular fire drills. Under pressure Officers admitted that not all properties had been tested regularly and not all fire drills had been conducted as required by legislation.
Cllr Richard Willis said, “The report highlighted that the residual risks around the maintenance of the fabric of Council premises had increased, mainly as a result of a recent case of Legionella. However, my questioning highlighted that essential fire prevention measures have not been properly conducted in some buildings. Management action was stated to be underway to address the problem but Officers seemed reluctant to commit to a timescale or to state what action would be taken if proper checks and drills were not conducted in future.”
Cllr Willis continued, “I will be asking further questions to keep up the pressure to ensure that all Council properties are properly managed and that employees, residents and other visitors are never put at risk by a failure to carry out mandated safety procedures.”