Fire Safety
Fire Safety at the University of Exeter
The fire safety team are responsible for ensuring the university meets its statutory and legal duties with regards to fire safety. This includes undertaking fire risk assessments for all university buildings, providing training, information and advice to staff and students and advising on capital and refurbishment projects.
The safety and wellbeing of everyone who visits our university is paramount and fire safety in universities includes many types of risk such as sleeping accommodation, places of entertainment and assembly, educational and special hazard spaces. Our buildings can be large open plan buildings with high occupancy factors, high rise buildings, licensed premises, STEM buildings, sporting, heritage and places of special interest - all having their own unique profiles which impact on the fire safety management of them.
All staff, students, and visitors have a responsibility to prevent fire and to report any fire safety concerns they may have to the university, we expect them to follow the universities fire procedures and comply with UK fire safety legislation.
The fire advisors will assist you with a fire safety enquiry and are available via our direct e-mail firesafety@exeter.ac.uk We support the National fire safety campaigns, work closely with the local authority fire and rescue service, and promote the individuals responsibility for observing our fire safety culture, 'See it, Say it, Report it'. All staff have a responsibility to support their colleagues, our visitors and our students in following our fire safety procedures. Please contact the fire safety team for guidance and advice on all things ‘fire’.
Staff, students and visitors at our Cornwall sites will follow FXPlus fire safety procedures please contact at estateshelpdesk@fxplus.ac.uk
Senior Fire Safety Advisor - Nigel Deasy
Nigel joined the team as Senior Fire Safety Advisor in September 2022, transferring from the senior fire advisor role at the Royal Devon Universities Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.
He served 25 years in Devon & Somerset FRS, retiring in 2018 as the Local Risk Manager for Exeter, Exmouth, and East Devon. He has first-hand operational fire experience of Exeter University in both response and fire safety planning and is a member of the Institute of Fire Engineers, specialising in fire safety in the built environment and managing hazardous material incidents.
Fire safety is everyone’s responsibility and Nigel, and his team of fire safety advisors are here to provide support and advice to faculties, depts., teams, and individuals from planning, design, training to practical implementation of your day-to-day use and occupancy of buildings.
The Fire Safety team partner with the Estates Dept. in ensuring the University meets its compliance requirements for active and passive fire safety measures in our buildings and leads in training and raising fire safety awareness amongst our staff, students, depts. and visitors ensuring the University is a safe place to study, work and visit.
Fire Safety Risk Assessor - Ian Heywood
Ian has joined the team to assist in the Fire Risk Assessment Project. Ian is responsible for carrying out Fire Risk Assessments in all buildings across the University and working with managers to resolve any issues.
Fire Safety Advisor - Helen Asher
Helen joined the team in May 2021 having spent four years as a Business Safety Officer with Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service. Helen’s role is to provide fire safety advice, education and support to reduce the risk of fire in university managed buildings. She is the first point of contact for the Person in Charge (PiC) Fire Safety and monitors the fire safety measures for the University.