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A new risk assessment tool to help authorities decide on whether they need to provide sprinkler protection in new and refurbished schools, is to be made available to download free of charge at www.teachernet.gov.uk
The suite of documents, consisting of interactive spreadsheets and guidance documents prepared in conjunction with the Building Research Establishment and cost analysis firm EC Harris LLP, is aimed at designers, architects, fire safety engineers and others who need to assess the cost-benefits of fitting sprinklers or other fire safety measures in their school building.
The tool consists of a series of interlinked Excel spreadsheets, with the bulk of it representing various risk scenarios and various protection systems with which they interact. It can calculate:
– The risk, converted into monetary terms, before and after the package of systems is in place
– The cost of supplying the package of systems
– The net difference between the benefit and the cost , and the probability of the net difference.
Users are cautioned that it is their responsibility to ensure that all input data values are appropriate for a particular application, and that if the tool is being used for risk assessments under the UK Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, for example, the data should stand up to external scrutiny.
The report on the cost analysis of sprinklers says that while the tool concentrates on capital and running costs, users should adopt a ‘holistic’ approach to costs including those of temporary accommodation, disruption of education, loss of school work and management procedures – such as risk assessments, fire managements and evacuation plans.