Birmingham City Council - Fire Risk Assessments

Birmingham City Council (BCC) is the local government body responsible for the governance of the City of Birmingham, which has been a metropolitan district since 1974. 

Project Overview

Pennington Choices was appointed by BCC to conduct Type 1 Fire Risk Assessments (FRAs) for approximately 500 low-rise residential buildings in their portfolio. Based on the high quality of our service and detailed reporting, BCC extended our scope to include 183 high-rise and 21 medium-rise residential buildings. These assessments ensure BCC's compliance with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the Building Safety Act 2022.

To ensure the safe and successful delivery of these works, we appointed tier two IFSM registered assessors to conduct the FRAs in the low and medium-rise buildings and appointed tier three IFSM registered assessors for the more complex high-rise buildings.

Our Approach

We began by attending a mobilisation meeting with BCC to confirm the specific contract requirements, including:

• Project scope
• Programme of work for the entire project
• Data collection/validation/reporting requirements
• Communication strategy
• Progress meeting schedules
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

During mobilisation, we used our cloud-based digital surveying tool, SafetyCulture, to design a bespoke PAS79-compliant FRA template tailored specifically to BCC’s needs. This template ensured that all fire risk data captured during the assessments was aligned with BCC's requirements.

Following mobilisation, we conducted a successful pilot phase on 15 low-rise residential buildings to stress-test all processes before scaling up the project. Our robust onboarding and mobilisation process meant there were no initial issues, so we quickly transitioned into the main FRA programme.

Our assessors collect real-time FRA data onsite using handheld devices with the SafetyCulture app. This ensures that all actions and recommendations, including photos and prioritised timelines, were captured efficiently. SafetyCulture allows target dates to be assigned to each action, which is particularly important for more urgent actions.

We validate 100% of FRA reports in line with our BAFE SP205/ISO 9001 accreditations. Completed reports were issued to BCC within 10 working days following the initial onsite assessment and were uploaded to our cloud-based document management platform, SharePoint. We provided BCC with their own unique logins to SharePoint, which allows authorised users to access all FRA reports and pertinent FRA information in real time.

Individual FRA action plans were shared in Excel format, allowing BCC to effectively upload data into their True Compliance system.

Our assessors also conducted ongoing data validation throughout the project. If an assessor noticed a discrepancy between the recorded data and the data collected onsite, this was recorded and reported to the relevant BCC representative to ensure that records were updated.

The Challenge

During this contract, we faced issues with accessing properties to undertake the assessments. From this, we learnt the importance of maintaining regular dialogue with the client during weekly catchups and monthly meetings, working collaboratively, and communicating in a transparent way. Attending regular meetings provided opportunities to raise any concerns and address these in a prompt and collaborative manner, therefore ensuring a consistently timely and high-quality service delivery.

Our Achievements

We successfully delivered all FRAs, developed a strong working relationship with BCC, and have met all KPIs and turnaround times to date. The detail contained within our FRA reports has also provided BCC with a wealth of fire safety building information, which they can use to support their capital programmes.

Since the completion of the project, we have won a new contract with BCC for the provision of asbestos re-inspections across 1142 residential blocks.

Client testimonial

“Our experience of working with Pennington Choices in relation to our Fire Risk Assessment programme has been exceptional. Not only have they delivered the programme ahead of projection, they have highlighted opportunities for cost savings through introduction of a more risk based approach to our reinspection regime. Response to queries, regardless of technical, financial or operational booking etc are answered promptly and professionally in every case.”
– Head of Building Safety Team at Birmingham City Council