A school or college building left quiet over the summer holidays is a different building to the one that fills up with staff and students again in September. Fire doors get propped open during the summer clean. Storerooms get reorganised. New furniture arrives. And the fire risk assessment that felt current in July can quietly go stale by the time term starts again. 

None of this is a reason to panic. It's a reason to walk the site with a clear checklist before term starts, and to know what your legal duties are so you're not guessing. 

What are your legal duties for fire safety in a school or college? 

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 puts one person in charge of fire safety in a school or college, usually the headteacher, principal, estates lead, or another person named by the governing body. That person must keep fire-fighting equipment, detection systems and escape routes in efficient working order, and must appoint a competent person to help carry out the fire risk assessment. If the school or college employs five or more people, that assessment must be written down. 

Two parts of the Order matter most for a facilities team: 

• You must keep fire-fighting equipment, fire detection and warning systems, and escape routes in efficient working order. That means a proper system of maintenance behind them, not just a hope that everything still works. 

• You must appoint someone competent to help you carry out the fire risk assessment and the preventive measures that follow from it, whether that's a member of staff with the right training or an external fire risk assessor. 

That fire risk assessment needs to be reviewed regularly and updated whenever something changes: new building work, a different layout, new fire doors. Always check the current guidance for your specific premises and use a qualified fire risk assessor if you're not confident the assessment is still accurate. 

What should a pre-term fire safety walkaround cover? 

A pre-term walkaround should check that fire doors close properly, escape routes and assembly points are clear, alarms have been tested, signage is legible, the fire risk assessment has been reviewed, this term's drill schedule is set, fire wardens are confirmed, and device charging areas are safely set up. Walk every building with this list in hand before the first day back: 

• Fire doors close fully and aren't wedged, propped, or blocked. Check everyone, not just the obvious ones near reception. 

• Escape routes and exits are clear of furniture, boxes, and anything left over from the summer clean or a delivery. 

• Fire signage is legible and in the right places, especially in any areas that changed over the summer. 

• Fire alarm and detection systems have been tested and any faults resolved, not just switched on and assumed fine. 

• Assembly points are still accessible and clearly known, particularly if building works have changed the site layout. 

• Fire risk assessment has been reviewed since the last update, not just filed and forgotten. 

• Fire drill schedule for the term is set. Most schools and colleges run drills more often than the statutory minimum, given how many people move through the building and how often the layout changes. 

• Fire wardens are confirmed and, if there's been staff turnover over the summer, refreshed on their role. 

• Device charging trolleys and bays are positioned clear of escape routes, not overloaded, and not left charging unattended overnight in a closed room. 

How often should fire extinguishers be serviced? 

Fire extinguishers need a monthly visual check carried out by the responsible person or a trained appointee, and a full annual service by a competent person, typically someone registered under a scheme like BAFE SP101. A more thorough extended service is also required: every five years for water, foam and standard powder types, every ten years for CO2. 

Fire extinguishers are one of the easiest things to get wrong quietly, because a serviced extinguisher and an unserviced one look identical from across the corridor. BS 5306-3 sets out what good maintenance looks like, and it works on two levels: 

• The monthly visual check covers six things: is the extinguisher where it should be and accessible, does the pressure gauge read correctly, is the body in good physical condition, are the seals and safety pin intact, is the signage and operating instruction legible, and is the service label still within date. 

• The annual service is where a competent person checks it properly and issues a new, dated service label. 

Knowing the age and type of what's on your walls matters as much as the date of the last sticker, since that's what determines when the extended service is due. 

What about lithium-ion battery charging risks? 

Charging trolleys and device charging bays deserve a specific mention on your pre-term checklist. More devices are being charged on school and college sites than ever: laptops, tablets, and increasingly e-bikes and e-scooters. The same general precautions that apply to any lithium-ion battery apply here, just at scale: 

• Charge devices somewhere a problem would be noticed quickly, not in a locked, unattended room overnight. 

• Use the charger supplied with each device where possible. Mismatched chargers are a recurring factor in incidents. 

• Don't charge or use a battery or device that's damaged, swollen, leaking, or unusually hot. 

• Keep charging trolleys and bays clear of escape routes, the same as any other equipment in the building. 

For more on how a lithium-ion battery fire actually starts and spreads, along with charging, storage and disposal guidance, see What Causes a Lithium-ion Battery to Catch Fire on the Firechief® blog. Always follow manufacturer instructions and current guidance for charging, storing and disposing of lithium-ion batteries and devices, and check the latest advice from your local fire and rescue service. 

Which fire extinguisher do you need for each room? 

Different rooms carry different fire risks: ordinary combustibles in classrooms and offices, cooking oil in kitchens, and live electrical equipment in IT suites. Science labs add chemicals and naked flames to that list, and a college site often adds specialist workshops with their own hazards again. Matching the extinguisher to the room matters as much as servicing what's already there. 

• Classrooms, corridors and offices mostly carry an ordinary Class A fire risk: paper, textiles, furniture. A general-purpose extinguisher rated for Class A fires is a straightforward fit. 

• Kitchens and catering areas need cover for Class F cooking oil fires as well as the ordinary combustibles around them. An extinguisher rated for both Class A and Class F suits a busy school or college kitchen. A fire blanket is worth having here too. It's often the safest first response to a small pan or oil fire. 

• Server rooms and IT suites with racked hardware are best matched to a CO2 extinguisher. CO2 puts a fire out by displacing oxygen and leaves no residue, so it protects sensitive equipment in a way water or foam can't. As with any CO2 extinguisher, always follow current guidance on safe use in a small, enclosed space. 

• Classrooms and areas with charging trolleys or general electrical equipment benefit from an extinguisher tested for safe use near live electrical equipment. A dielectric rating tells you the voltage it's been tested to, useful for a room with laptops or other devices on charge. Isolating power where possible always comes first. Keeping a lithium-ion battery fire blanket nearby gives you a quick way to smother a device that's overheating before it takes hold. 

• Science labs carry their own combined risks: chemicals, naked flames from Bunsen burners, and general electrical equipment often in the same space. Provision here should be matched to what's stored and used in that specific lab, not to a general list. Get it checked by whoever carries out your fire risk assessment. A fire blanket is a sensible addition too, useful for smothering a small fire quickly or wrapping around someone whose clothing has caught alight. 

• Further education workshops, salons and training kitchens carry their own specific risks: welding and cutting in engineering workshops, chemical products in hair and beauty salons, near-commercial cooking in hospitality training kitchens. These need their own fire risk assessment and extinguisher provision suited to what's done in the room. General guidance can only point you toward asking the right questions, not replace that assessment. 

Firechief® PureSafe® covers most of this in one range. All PureSafe® extinguishers are approved to BS EN 3 and Kitemark certified. Exact provision, placement and quantity for your specific building should always be confirmed by a qualified fire risk assessor. This article is general guidance, not a substitute for that assessment. 

Firechief® also makes a wide range of fire blankets, including the LithShield® Lithium-ion Battery Fire Blanket range built specifically for lithium-ion battery fires. It covers everything from e-bikes and e-scooters to laptops and other smaller devices. As with the extinguishers above, exact blanket provision for your building should be confirmed by a qualified fire risk assessor. 

Before the first day back 

A school or college doesn't need to be complicated about fire safety to be genuinely ready for the new term. It needs a walkaround, a clear sense of what the law asks of you, and confidence that the equipment on the walls has been checked, serviced, and matched to the room it's in. Fire safety is complex. Getting the right protection shouldn't be. 

Always check current regulations, your fire risk assessment and manufacturer guidance for your specific premises. This article provides general information and isn't a substitute for a professional fire risk assessment. 

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