West Hertfordshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

Band 6 - Assistant Fire Safety Advisor, Compliance/Fire Safety

The closing date is 15 October 2025

We are seeking an equally ambitious and professional fire safety team member who is also capable of working independently and calm under pressure in a very busy Trust working environment.

The successful candidate will hold the position of the Trust's Assistant Fire Safety Advisor in accordance with the duties and requirements of Healthcare Technical Memorandums and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO).

It is a good time to work for the Fire and Health & Safety Team as we are in a period of transition and expansion, and our dynamic, professional and expert team are continuously improving the Fire and Health & Safety arrangements for the Trust making our sites a safer place for patients, visitors and staff.

Working arrangements are flexible but core hours will be 0800-1600hrs across all sites with the opportunity to work from home 1 day a week following on from a successful probation period.

Main duties of the job

The Assistant Fire Safety Advisor will be accountable to the Fire Safety Advisor on matters of fire safety. They will provide support for the Fire Safety Advisor in their goal to achieve Trust-wide Fire Safety Compliance, and will be responsible for the following:

• Carrying out Fire Safety Audit, and Inspections across all Trust premises.
• Support request for bespoke departmental fire evacuation training or training on evacuation aids.
• Undertaking, recording and reporting fire risk assessments.
• Support the Fire Safety Advisor in providing competent advice on fire legislation.
• Support the Fire Safety Advisor in providing expert technical advice on the application and interpretation of fire safety guidance, including the Department of Health Firecode.
• Assisting with the review of the content of the trust's fire safety policy and relevant protocols and procedures.
• Assisting with the development and delivery of a suitable and sufficient training programme for staff.
• Support in the preparation of fire prevention and emergency action plans.
• Support with the investigation of all fire-related incidents and fire alarm actuations.
• Provide assistance when required in liaison with the enforcing authorities on technical issues.

About us

With a new hospital planned for Watford and work underway to update theatres at St Albans City Hospital, this is an exciting time to join us. We are building on the success of our award-winning virtual hospital and re-imagining models of care, working ever more closely with partners and making the most of advances in digital healthcare.

Staff wellbeing and development are a priority at our Trust, as is the role of innovation in improving clinical care, outcomes and patient experience. Our vision is Excellent patient care, together and our values are to be empowered, compassionate, professional and inclusive.

Job responsibilities

Support in the day-to-day management of fire safety throughout the Trust and ensure the Trust statutory requirements are met.

• Assist in completion of Fire Safety Risk Assessments and Fire Safety Audits as part of the requirements of the Regulatory reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• Assist and undertake the training of staff in fire safety and record the relevant data for subsequent reports to relevant Groups or Committees.
• Manage and implement regular fire safety audits on an annual basis and risk assessments for all departments.
• Liaison with enforcement authorities including Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Health and Safety Executive.
• Be part of the Fire Response Team.
• To assist with completion of Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEP) where required for members of staff.
• Undertake any other duties commensurate with the level of the post as may be required by the Trust Management Team.

Person Specification

Education and qualifications

• Working towards a Membership of an external fire related association e.g. Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE - Institute of Fire Service Managers (IFSM) or Institute of Fire Protection Officers (IFPO).
• Health and Safety qualification e.g., NEBOSH General Certificate, or IOSH General Certificate
• Fire Service background or significant experience of working in a Fire Safety team, and environment.
• NEBOSH Certificate in Fire and Risk Management Level 3 or demonstrable equivalent experience
• CoSHH Training.
• Fire, Health & Safety Investigation Training.
• Evidence of CPD in accordance with professional body standards

Knowledge

• Working knowledge of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
• Working knowledge of fire safety in the workplace and fire risk assessments and audits.
• Fire alarm and fire safety systems Ability to use windows applications and databases.
• Knowledge of equalities issues and strong commitment to the promotion of equality in employment
• Ability to prioritise own workload and meet deadlines.
• Ability to produce good quality written reports and analyse both quantitative and qualitative data sets.
• Working knowledge of NHS Fire Code suite of documents

Experience

• Experience of working in a fire safety or fire engineering environment
• Fire Management experience within a large service organisation or Fire Authority.
• Experience of working with both internal and external customers at all levels of an organisation
• Experience of effectively applying specialist legislation, regulation, policies, practices and procedures which relate to fire safety.
• Basic understanding of using and interrogating fire alarm systems.
• Experience of delivering / facilitating training programmes.
• Able to work outside normal working Hours.
• Experience of preparation and delivery of fire safety instruction and training
• Experience of working in an NHS environment.

Disclosure and Barring Service Check

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

We are an Equal Opportunities Employer and we welcome applications from all sections of the community.