Fire risk assessment in Derbyshire

Derwent Fire Compliance takes its name from the River Derwent, which runs through Belper on its way from the Peak District to Derby. We are based in Belper, so most of the county is within an easy drive and we can usually fit a site visit around your diary rather than ours.

Assessments are carried out by a local qualified consultant, led by Stephen Haywood, a Chartered Health and Safety Practitioner who is listed on both the Institute of Fire Safety Managers register and the National Fire Risk Assessors Register.

• Derby city, from the centre and Pride Park to Mickleover, Allestree and Chaddesden
• Amber Valley: Belper, Ripley, Alfreton, Heanor and Duffield
• Erewash: Ilkeston and Long Eaton
• Derbyshire Dales: Matlock, Ashbourne, Wirksworth and Bakewell
• High Peak: Buxton, Glossop and Chapel-en-le-Frith
• Chesterfield, Bolsover and North East Derbyshire
• South Derbyshire: Swadlincote and Melbourne

Derbyshire’s buildings are as varied as its landscape. The Derwent Valley mills, now part of a World Heritage Site, and the many former mills, chapels and warehouses converted into flats, offices and workshops often bring long escape routes, mixed uses under one roof and listed-building limits on what can be changed. A good assessment finds practical, proportionate solutions that protect people without fighting the character of the building.

In the towns and villages, stone terraces and older shops with flats above need careful attention to the separation between the business below and the homes above. Newer offices, schools and industrial units around Derby bring their own risks, from shared plant rooms to large open floors.

Derby has a long engineering and manufacturing history, and the city and the surrounding Amber Valley and Erewash towns are home to factories, workshops, trade counters and industrial estates of every size. These sites bring risks that an office never sees: hot work, flammable liquids and gases, dust, battery charging, waste and packaging, and the challenge of getting a large workforce out quickly across shifts. We assess the processes as well as the building, and plan the visit so it does not disrupt production.

The Peak District and the Dales are home to hundreds of holiday cottages, barn conversions and lodges. Many have wood burners, steep cottage stairs and rooms in the roof, and some are a long way from the nearest fire station, which makes early warning and a clear way out especially important. If you take paying guests, the Fire Safety Order applies to you, however small the let.

Derby has a large private rented sector, including shared houses for students at the University of Derby and for young professionals. HMO licensing is run by Derby City Council in the city and by the district and borough councils across the county, and a written fire risk assessment with a completed action log is the clearest evidence you can give them.

Tell us a little about the property, we agree a competitive quote, and we visit at a time that suits you. You then receive a comprehensive written fire risk assessment with an action log, with discounts if you have more than one building. Fire safety law across Derby and Derbyshire is enforced by Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service, and a suitable written assessment is the first thing their inspectors will ask to see.