Case Study
Day Nursery After Fire-Service Audit
Fire risk assessment for an operational day nursery following a fire incident and fire-service audit outcome.
Summary
Fire Check Scotland completed a fire risk assessment for an operational day nursery in Scotland following a recent fire incident and subsequent fire-service audit. The nursery occupied a traditional multi-level building and cared for dependent young children who would require staff-led evacuation.
The client needed a competent, evidence-led assessment and action plan that could respond to fire-service concerns while also being practical for nursery management.
The Premises
- Operational day nursery.
- Ground and first-floor accommodation.
- Dependent children, including young children requiring staff support.
- Staff-led evacuation arrangements required.
- Recent fire incident involving kitchen/extraction-related equipment.
- Fire-service audit correspondence requiring an action plan response.
Why This Project Was More Complex
Nursery premises have a higher management burden than ordinary commercial premises because children cannot be assumed to understand or self-manage evacuation. The assessment had to consider child age, dependency, sleeping/napping arrangements, staff ratios, staff training, fire wardens, under-18 staff limitations, alarm coverage, door protection and daily management controls.
The fire-service audit also meant the report had to be careful, evidence-based and suitable to support a structured response.
Key Technical Themes
- Mixed and inadequate fire alarm/fire-warning arrangements for the premises risk profile.
- Fire alarm panel fault history and post-incident detector remedial attendance.
- Need for competent alarm design, commissioning and temporary controls.
- Fire warden and nursery-specific evacuation procedure gaps.
- Missing or inadequate fire action notices.
- Fire-door management, fire-door wedging concerns, defective closers and missing smoke seals.
- Compartmentation and service-penetration issues requiring specialist review.
- Under-stair storage and service breaches affecting the only first-floor escape route.
- Escape-route combustibles and housekeeping.
- Escape-door security, bolts, key locking and child-gate arrangements.
- Emergency lighting records and annual competent-person test evidence.
- Kitchen/extraction incident evidence and remedial confirmation.
Fire Check Scotland Approach
The assessment distinguished between directly observed evidence, fire-service recorded matters, client-stated information and items requiring competent specialist confirmation. The action plan gave the client clear priorities and avoided relying on informal reassurance where documents or commissioning evidence were still needed.
The report focused on practical nursery risk rather than generic building compliance. Particular attention was given to staff-led evacuation, dependent children, sleeping/napping children, escape route protection, under-stair risk, fire-door condition and alarm coverage.
Outcome
The client received a structured fire risk assessment and a separate fire safety action plan that could be used to respond to fire-service concerns, instruct contractors and strengthen nursery management procedures.
The most important value was prioritisation. The FRA identified the risk position and significant findings, while the fire safety action plan converted those findings into a practical working plan with contractor instructions, evidence requirements, deadlines and staged workstreams.
Relevance to Similar Clients
This experience is relevant to nurseries, childcare settings, after-school clubs, education settings and premises where vulnerable or dependent occupants rely on staff for evacuation.