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How to Prepare Your Essex Charity Event for Fire Safety Compliance: Essential Strategies for 2025

 

Essex charity event for fire safety compliance: what the law expects in 2025

Charity events fall under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. If you control the venue or activity, you act as the Responsible Person. You must reduce fire risk and keep people safe. The Fire Safety Act 2021 and Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 reinforce those duties and emphasise clarity on who is responsible.

Start with the legal basics: you must carry out and record a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment. Provide and maintain appropriate fire safety measures — alarms, means of escape, emergency lighting where required, and firefighting equipment. Provide information, instruction, and training to staff and volunteers.

For core responsibilities, read the government overview on workplace fire safety. For event planning more broadly, consult the government’s Can Do Guide for organisers of voluntary events. Both align with what Essex authorities expect for 2025.

 

Define roles early and build a compliance timeline

Clarity on roles reduces mistakes. Appoint a Responsible Person and nominate a competent safety lead who owns the fire risk assessment, liaison, and documentation. Assign fire marshals to each zone, stage, or marquee. Give a named person control over power, generators, or LPG.

“Assign clear responsibilities early — it saves time and avoids confusion on the day.”

Use a simple timeline:

  • 6–8 weeks out: confirm venue and likely numbers.
  • 4 weeks out: complete initial fire risk assessment.
  • 2 weeks out: confirm suppliers, site plans, and equipment.
  • 1 week out: run briefings and a walk-through.
  • On the day: verify set-up vs plan before opening; after event, complete debrief and update procedures.

 

Choose the right venue and engage early with stakeholders

Venue choice shapes your controls. Indoors: review the fire strategy, alarm category, evacuation arrangements, and capacity. Temporary structures: request flame retardant certificates and layout drawings. Outdoors: consider site topography, wind exposure, access for fire appliances, hydrant locations and nearest water sources.

Engage early with the venue manager, security provider, and caterers. Share your outline plan and ask for their safety requirements. For large or unusual events, the local Safety Advisory Group may wish to review plans — early dialogue reduces surprises and builds confidence with authorities and insurers.

 

Complete a focused fire risk assessment for charity events

Every Essex charity event is different — the risk assessment must be event-specific. The process remains the same: identify hazards, evaluate who could be harmed, decide controls, record findings, and review as plans change.

Typical hazards include:

  • Temporary electrics, cooking, LPG, generators
  • Vehicles moving on site, waste build-up, crowd congestion
  • Vulnerable persons (wheelchair users, children)
  • Stallholders with third-party equipment

If you need help compiling a proportionate assessment, our fire risk assessment service provides an event-ready report and a simple action plan for teams.

 

Fire detection and alarm arrangements that fit your set-up

Not every event needs a full automatic fire alarm. Many outdoor settings do not suit such systems, but you still need a robust means of alert.

Examples:

  • Small outdoor fairs: air horns and whistles can suffice if everyone is briefed
  • Larger sites: temporary wireless call points with sounders
  • Indoors: use existing venue alarm and ensure audibility across areas

Agree who can activate the alarm, who calls 999, and how you confirm a safe evacuation. Ensure redundancy — always hold a backup alert method in case of power failure or high noise levels.

 

Firefighting equipment: types, numbers, and placement

Provide suitable extinguishers for the hazards present:

  • Water or foam for general risks
  • CO2 for electrical risks
  • Wet chemical for deep fat fryers

Place equipment so it is never more than a short, clear walk from likely fire points. Mark locations on your site plan and keep routes clear. Align with British Standard principles such as BS 5306 for selection and positioning and ensure extinguishers carry current service labels.

If unsure about mix and quantity, the Total Safe UK team can advise and supply compliant units.

 

Power, electrical safety, and temporary installations

Electrical faults are a common cause of fires — manage them rigorously. Use competent electricians for temporary distribution and, for larger systems, apply BS 7909 principles on temporary power for events.

Key actions:

  • Protect cables from crushing and water
  • Keep generators away from crowds and combustibles
  • Plan fuel storage and refuelling carefully
  • Require Portable Appliance Testing for hired/third-party kit where feasible
  • Use Residual Current Devices on outdoor supplies

The HSE’s overview on event safety includes electrical considerations organisers should adopt.

 

Catering, stalls, LPG, and hot works

Food vendors and stalls add life — and risk. Control cooking locations and fuel types. Keep combustible canopies and decorations away from fryers and grills. For gas catering, demand up-to-date gas safety certificates and leak testing.

Safety measures:

  • Store spare cylinders upright and secure, ventilated and away from crowds
  • Position fire blankets and wet chemical extinguishers close to fryers
  • Operate hot works under a permit-to-work and monitor for at least 60 minutes afterwards

 

Crowd management, evacuation, and accessible egress

Good crowd flow reduces risk. Model maximum occupancy and set entry controls to avoid congestion. Keep exits visible and free of obstructions. Outdoors, maintain wide, lit routes; indoors, confirm fire doors open easily to a place of safety.

Plan for people who need assistance:

  • Provide ramped routes, buddies, or refuge points
  • Brief marshals on assisting vulnerable groups
  • Use clear, plain language signs and test PA systems
  • Prepare an evacuation announcement script

 

Waste, storage, and housekeeping

Poor housekeeping often triggers fires. Arrange regular waste collections, remove cardboard from stalls, and keep combustible stock away from heaters and generators. Allocate storage zones outside main circulation routes. Designate smoking areas with metal bins and clear signs. A clean site is a safer site.

 

Weather planning and seasonal risks

Essex weather can change fast. Heat increases dry grass ignition risk; wind affects flame spread and tent stability; rain affects electrics and visibility. Set weather thresholds for actions — suspend cooking in high winds, remove certain decorations in extreme conditions. Keep matting, covers, and cable protection on hand.

 

Briefings, drills, and volunteer confidence

Volunteers carry your plan on the day. Give short, practical briefings: show firefighting equipment, explain when not to use it, walk evacuation routes, and share the site plan and command structure.

Reinforce with:

  • Simple pocket cards or one-page briefing sheets
  • A quick drill before opening
  • Visible marshals and clear radio procedures

Confidence rises with rehearsal — responses become faster and calmer when people have practiced the basics.

 

Documentation to have on site

Keep a concise file at the control point including:

  • Fire risk assessment and site plan
  • Equipment locations, vendor list, and contact numbers
  • Extinguisher service records and gas certificates
  • Briefing note, evacuation script, and a log sheet

This pack speeds decisions and improves outcomes if the fire service attends.

 

Coordination with authorities and insurers

For larger events, contact your insurer early. They may have conditions on cooking, generators, or crowd limits. Check the venue’s insurance position and responsibilities. If the local Safety Advisory Group requests documents, respond promptly — their input often improves plans and reassures stakeholders.

The NFCC maintains relevant guidance. Review the NFCC’s protection guidance to align with UK fire service expectations.

 

On-the-day fire safety checklist

Before opening, walk the site and confirm:

  • Exits are clear and unlocked
  • Alert method and radios are tested
  • Extinguisher locations and signage are verified
  • Vendor compliance on gas, electrical, and housekeeping
  • Surplus packaging and waste removed
  • Weather and power status reviewed
  • Rendezvous point for emergency services agreed

During the event, maintain patrols, log near misses (e.g., trailing cables), communicate changes widely, and after closing perform a final sweep and secure supplies. Capture lessons learned while fresh.

 

Budgeting for safety without cutting corners

Safety spending protects people and your cause. Use risk to guide your budget:

  • Prioritise qualified power installation, adequate extinguishers, and reliable communications
  • Hire fewer, better-trained marshals rather than many untrained helpers
  • Standardise kit so spares fit multiple areas
  • Book early to reduce hire costs

Document your decisions and reasons — insurers and sponsors value transparency and events that run safely and on time.

 

How Total Safe UK supports Essex charity event for fire safety compliance

If time is tight or plans are complex, external support can save stress. We provide proportionate, event-specific risk assessments, practical advice, supply and service extinguishers, and team briefings. Our consultants aim to meet the law without blocking your objectives.

To discuss your plan, book a tailored event fire risk assessment. For equipment and ongoing support, speak with the Total Safe UK team today.

 

Key UK guidance and standards to reference

National resources to underpin event fire safety practice:

 

Bringing it all together for a safe, successful event

Compliance is achievable with strong planning and simple discipline. Define responsibilities early, choose the right venue, engage stakeholders, complete a proportionate risk assessment, match controls to hazards, brief your people, check documentation, and walk the site before opening.

As you finalise plans for 2025, do not leave safety to chance. A structured approach protects visitors, volunteers, and your cause. Expert consultants can support you from planning to pack down.

 

FAQ

What fire safety documents do I need on the day?

You should keep your fire risk assessment, site plan, equipment and hydrant locations, vendor list, extinguisher and gas certificates, briefing notes, and contact numbers. This folder helps you brief responders and manage incidents.

 

Do I need a full fire alarm for an outdoor charity event?

Not always. You need a reliable alert method that reaches all areas. Air horns may work for small sites. Larger events benefit from temporary wireless call points and sounders with a clear activation and evacuation procedure.

 

How many fire marshals should we appoint?

Base numbers on risk and layout. As a guide, assign one marshal per zone or marquee and additional cover for high-risk areas such as catering. Ensure marshals are briefed, visible, and equipped with radios where possible.

 

Can volunteers use fire extinguishers?

Only if safe to do so and they have been briefed. Life safety and evacuation come first. Train marshals on when to attempt first aid firefighting and when to withdraw and raise the alarm.

 

When should I involve a competent assessor?

Engage a competent assessor early if your event is complex, involves temporary structures, generators, or LPG, or if you lack time. A competent assessor can streamline plans, reduce risk, and satisfy insurer and authority expectations.