Job overview
We are recruiting for a Senior Fire Safety Advisor who shares our vision to be trusted to provide consistently outstanding care and exemplary service to our patients.
The Senior Fire Safety Advisor will provide expert professional advice, leadership, and operational management on all aspects of fire safety across the Trust. The post holder will ensure compliance with statutory fire safety legislation, NHS Fire code, Health Technical Memoranda (HTM), and Trust policies, supporting the Trust to meet its legal duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Develop and oversee a robust fire risk assessment programme for all Trust premises, ensuring assessments are suitable, sufficient, and reviewed regularly. Ensuring deficiencies relating to either planned maintenance or actual non-compliance of building and engineering fire systems are reported to the Fire Safety Manager and recorded at the Fire Safety Engineering Group.
Advise on the planning and design of new or existing buildings/structures, with particular emphasis on specifications for fire precautions, compliance with applicable fire standards and legislation at both design and construction stages. Attend site meetings and carry out fire safety checks on contractors’ sites and report any breeches of legislation.
At the heart of everything we do are our core values: Include, Respect, and Improve. We encourage you to embrace these values throughout the recruitment process and in your role with us.
Main duties of the job
Participate as a key member of the Trust Fire Safety Team, in delivery, monitoring and evaluating all aspects of fire safety.
Undertake and complete fire risk assessments, in accordance with HTM 05 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 where the Trust has fire safety responsibility throughout the Trust, covering all wards, departments, plant rooms and circulation spaces.
Ensuring deficiencies identified in the fire risk assessments relating to either planned maintenance or actual non-compliance of building and engineering fire systems are reported to the Fire Safety Manager and recorded at the Fire Safety Engineering Group.
Work closely with Estates and Capital Teams to provide fire safety input into:
New builds and refurbishments
Change of use of buildings
Fire alarm, detection, suppression, and compartmentation systems
Review plans, drawings, and specifications to ensure compliance with fire safety standards.
To lead investigations, when needed, fire-related incidents and fire alarm actuations
Contribute to the development, implementation, and review of Trust fire safety policies, procedures, and strategies.
Working for our organisation
At East and North Hertfordshire Teaching NHS Trust, we are proud of the range of general and specialist services we provide and our 6,000 or so dedicated staff ensure our patients get the best care. Our ability to be flexible and innovative in the way in which we work and deliver our services to our catchment has never been more important than it is now.
We run the following hospitals:
* The Lister Hospital, Stevenage
* New Queen Elizabeth II (New QEII), Welwyn Garden City
* Hertford County, Hertford
* Mount Vernon Cancer Centre (MVCC), Northwood
We have ambitious plans to become an outstanding, patient-led Trust where dedicated staff provide high-quality, compassionate care to our patients. We continue to undergo significant transformation and our staff and patients are at the heart of delivering this ambitious agenda.
We are committed to a positive work life balance for our employees. This means that any employee is entitled to seek to work flexible working patterns and we are committed to listen and consider all requests. Such requests, of course, have to be made and considered formally, and will need to be balanced against service needs, but our starting point will always be to find ways to support making them happen.
Detailed job description and main responsibilities
Please see the attached Job Description and Person Specification applicant pack for further detailed information regarding this role.
Person specification
Qualifications/Training
Essential criteria
* Degree or equivalent professional qualification in fire safety, health & safety, or related discipline
* NEBOSH Fire Safety Diploma or Level 6 (or equivalent)
* Membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. IFE, IFSM, IOSH)
Previous Experience
Essential criteria
* Significant experience delivering fire safety services in a complex organisation (preferably NHS or public sector)
* Significant experience of fire risk assessment and fire safety audits within a health care setting.
* Experience of healthcare premises and clinical environments
* Demonstrable experience of managing contractors and subject experts in relation to fire services and safety.
Skills
Essential criteria
* Advanced communication skills both written (complex report writing) and orally, including advanced formal presentation / facilitation skills.
* Highly computer literate to include Word/Excel/Outlook/PowerPoint.
* Takes the initiative to establish immediate credibility with a range of internal and external stakeholders.
* Evidence of the ability to involve teams in analysis of situation and solution development persuades teams to take on new ways of working and to constructively challenge the status quo.
* Advanced communication skills both written (complex report writing) and orally, including advanced formal presentation / facilitation skills.
Knowledge
Essential criteria
* In-depth knowledge of UK fire safety legislation and NHS Firecode
* Challenges to deliver fire safety services within an Acute Hospital environment.
Other Requirements
Essential criteria
* Experience and evidence of engagement around equality, diversity and inclusion issues in relation to policy, service development and service delivery in respect of both services to users and the management of staff
* Role model our Trust values every day
* Able to work independently and as part of a team
* Adaptable, flexible, and innovative approach to work