FIRE SAFETY A PRIORITY AT ALL GLOBAL GUARDIANS PROPERTY

Posted on June 15, 2017.

The terrible events at the Grenfell Tower have, inevitably and regrettably, brought fire safety in buildings very much into focus.  As experts in the management and security of vacant buildings, fire risk and safety is very much at the top of the agenda for any property Global Guardians has responsibility for. One of the very first things we do when we take over an empty property is to send in our fire and safety team, experts who come from our sister company, Essential Safety Products (ESP). ESP is a well established health and safety organisation with many years’ experience of providing professional fire safety management for companies throughout Great Britain and they currently look after over £1 billion worth of property assets for their clients. All of the properties that Global Guardians manage receive a full inspection by ESP to check the fire safety as well as carry out a health and safety assessment of each property. All recommendations provided are acted upon immediately in order to ensure that building insurance is valid, the guardians are safe and secure, and surrounding buildings and neighbours are protected. Some of the key items on the check list are:

• Fire risk assessments
• Fire extinguisher installations and servicing
• Fire alarm installations and servicing
• Emergency lighting installation and servicing
• Fire evacuation plans
• Fire safety training for Head Guardians and guardians
• Fire door and sprinkler system checking

However, it is not just the systems in a property that need to be checked out and monitored. Global Guardians pride themselves on the 100% holistic approach they have when it comes to management of their properties. As Global Guardians MD, Theo Kyprianou, says: "Due to the sad events we have just witnessed in west London, it goes to show how quickly a fire can spread. Early suggestions say the fire was started by a faulty fridge in a flat and because of eventualities such as this, which we as a responsible property guarding company are aware of, all our properties with communal kitchens are regularly PAT tested. People often bring their own fridges and cooking facilities when they move in, as well as smaller electrical items, and these can sometimes have faulty wiring that is not immediately obvious. In all the rest of our properties, guardians are encouraged to get their key electrical items tested by one of our maintenance team who regularly check the property. It is always better to be safe than sorry and our hearts go out to those in any way connected with the terrible events we have seen on the news.”