If you have a fire risk assessment, you've already done part of the work for Martyn's Law. You know your exits, your routes out, who holds the keys and who checks the rooms. The Home Office says the new law is designed to build on what venues already have, not to start again (statutory guidance, para 2.13).
But an attack isn't a fire, and a few things work the other way round. This guide covers what you can reuse, what's different, and how to keep the two plans from clashing.
What you already have
Under fire safety law, buildings that aren't homes, including those the public use, need a fire risk assessment, reviewed regularly, by whoever controls them (GOV.UK: fire safety responsibilities). The guidance expects that venues "will already have plans for responding to emergencies", and says to keep them going (para 7.6).
It also says that many premises already have fire evacuation procedures (para 7.34).
What you can reuse
- Your floor plan or sketch, with the rooms people use.
- Your exits and the routes to them.
- Who checks every room is empty, including toilets, kitchens and side rooms.
- Who helps anyone who can't move quickly, and how.
- Your keyholders, and who opens up and locks up.
- Your roles: who's in charge on the night, and who calls 999.
- What the building already has, such as a microphone, doors that lock, or a room away from the street. The guidance asks you to think about existing equipment that could be used (para 7.26).
Where a plan for an attack is different
| What | In a fire | In an attack |
|---|---|---|
| The alarm | The fire alarm sends everyone out. | Where possible, avoid the normal fire alarm (para 7.36). A fire alarm shouldn't be assumed to be only a fire (para 7.35). |
| Where people go | Everyone meets at the assembly point. | Move people away. A set gathering point "could be exploited", so dispersing is likely better (para 7.36). |
| Whether to leave | Get out. | If the danger is outside, bringing people in or locking down may be safer (para 7.18). |
| Where to wait inside | Not applicable. | Safer areas away from windows, outside walls and entrances (para 7.40). |
| Going back in | As your fire plan says. | Only when the police or emergency services say it's over. |
So your fire plan covers part of one plan out of four. The other three, bring everyone in (invacuation), lock down (lockdown) and keep people informed (communication), have no fire equivalent.
Keep the two from clashing
The guidance asks that plans for an attack "complement, and do not conflict with" your fire evacuation plans (para 7.36), and that it's clear which procedures are for fire safety (para 7.34). In practice:
- Label them clearly, so nobody reaches for the wrong one.
- Use different signals: the fire alarm for a fire, an agreed phrase or announcement for an attack.
- Check your routes: a route out that's right for a fire might lead towards the danger in an attack.
- Brief both together, so volunteers learn them side by side.
Who's responsible for each
Under fire safety law, the responsible person is usually whoever controls the building, or the owner (Fire Safety Order, article 3). Under Martyn's Law it's whoever has control of the building for the use it's in scope for (the Act, section 4).
They're often the same committee, trust, club or company, and the Home Office says the responsible person may already be responsible for fire safety (para 6.2). But the two laws are worded differently, so check rather than assume.
A made-up example
At Millbrook Cricket Club, the fire plan sends everyone to the car park. For Martyn's Law, the committee keeps the same exits and the same volunteers checking the changing rooms. But it agrees a phrase for the bar staff to use instead of the fire alarm, tells people to move away rather than gather in the car park, and picks the home dressing room, away from the road, as the place to bring people in. You can see how a club's finished plans look in our sample pack, made for the same made-up club.
Where to read more
- Home Office: statutory guidance, chapter 7, on procedures
- GOV.UK: fire safety in the workplace
- ProtectUK: evacuation, invacuation, lockdown and protected spaces
General information, not legal advice.