Causes and prevention of fi re
8.3 Arson
Arson can be defi ned as the deliberate or wilful act of setting fi re to a building or item of property, be it an industrial property, dwelling house, car or any simi-lar item. Arson has become the simi-largest single cause of major fi res in the UK.
At its worst, arson can lead to loss of life and signifi -cant fi nancial consequences as in the case of any fi re, but persistent and pervasive minor arson attacks also establish a strongly detrimental (and visually harmful) tone to deprived areas and communities. In some areas, arson now accounts for 70% of all fi res, rising to a staggering 82% of fi res in certain inner city localities.
The number of arson fi res, both in their own right and as a proportion of the total fi res in the UK, attended by the fi re service has more than doubled over the past decade and now stands in excess of 85 000 per year.
The number of casualties, as a direct consequence of arson attacks, over the same period of time, has shown a similar increase in rate.
8.3.1 Causes of arson – why people commit it Arson is a complex and serious crime which has a wide variety of causes that include:
➤ Arson associated with other criminal acts
➤ Arson associated with a grievance
Figure 8.8 Arson attack on a school
➤ Fraudulent arson
➤ Arson associated with economic or political motivation
➤ Arson associated with mental instability.
Arson associated with other criminal acts
This generally takes the form of an act of criminal dam-age or similar opportunist vandalism. It may also be associated with an attempt to conceal or destroy evi-dence of another crime such as a break-in, burglary, or sabotage of the equipment in the premises or the premises itself. Young people are very much associated with this form of fi re setting.
Arson associated with a grievance
This may result from the fear of unemployment pos-sibly due to company relocation, lack of advancement or promotion, salary grievances, or having been humili-ated in front of co-workers. At a personal level employer/
employee confl icts such as jealousy of a work colleague’s promotion or success or revenge against a superior or employer are also known to cause arson attacks.
Fraudulent arson
This type of arson may be committed in an attempt to defraud the insurers by an owner of a business employee setting fi re to their own premises or prop-erty. This may be property in the workplace or at home.
Fraudulent fi res in industry and commerce do not always involve setting fi re to the fi nancial records, they may, for example, involve an attempt to destroy out-of-date (or out-of-fashion) stock, with a claim subsequently being made for more modern items as part of a ‘new for old’
policy.
Arson associated with economic or political motivation
Arson attacks may be associated with industrial action (strikes), industrial sabotage, campaigns of pressure groups (e.g. animal rights) and more recently as a result of terrorist activities.
Arson associated with mental instability
It is true to say that pyromania is rare; however, the feel-ings associated with hatred and jealousy, the desire to attract attention, together with frustration and sexual perversion have all led to fi re raising and arson. The would-be heroes who light fi res in order to be able to
‘discover’ them and assist in the rescue of their col-leagues and involvement in fi re fi ghting operations also come into this category.
8.3.2 Arson – Infl uencing factors and management
There are a number of factors that infl uence the likeli-hood of an arson attack which also serve to provide information on how such attacks can be managed.
When arson occurs
Arsonists, in common with other criminals, do not like to be seen. They often attack at night, under the cover of darkness.
Statistics reveal that:
➤ 49% of all fi res occur at night
➤ 68% of arson fi res occur during the hours of darkness
➤ 84% of ‘major’ arson fi res (damage valued at over
£50 000) occur during the hours of darkness.
Given the above statistics security lighting is undoubt-edly a cost-effective way of reducing the incidence of arson attacks. In many premises such lights may be operated by passive infrared (PIR) detectors and not only provide illumination but also produce an element of surprise. PIR is also seen as being more acceptable in built-up areas due to the nuisance caused by permanent illumination.
These lighting systems should also be enhanced by intruder alarms, which ideally should be supported by audible alarms which when sounding often put off a
‘would-be’ arsonist.
Ensuring that the arsonist is visible is also an important element in other forms of security precautions as part of an overall strategy. For example, palisade welded mesh fencing or in the case of construction, Herras fencing, is preferable to a wall or solid fence, as intruders inside the grounds or site are rendered visible.
Figure 8.9 Typical security lighting
Causes and prevention of fi re
Arson also often occurs during tea or lunch break times, when few staff are present, again reducing the likelihood of the arsonist being seen. This can be combated by introducing tighter entrance control measures and raising staff awareness.
Buildings/sites at risk
When considering the initial design and layout of a building, those with areas that allow a person to linger (an arsonist) unseen present a high risk as do those that have access to the roof. These areas can be designed out at this stage if appropriate thought is applied. These issues should also be taken into account when consider-ing temporary sites such as in construction work, where layouts of site accommodation and building operations, stores, vehicle pounds, etc. must also take into account security against arson.
In many cases the employers or occupiers of a building have had little or no input or control over the design of the premises in which they work, therefore basic measures to prevent access to the roof or other areas of the building must be considered. Simple controls such as the inclusion of a dense, thorny hedgerow at the perimeter of the site may assist in preventing access and the environment of the premises may also be enhanced by such an introduction.
Priority should be given to keeping arsonists out, especially when the premises are not occupied.
Attention must be paid to primary control measures like the siting and security of windows, doors, locking mechanisms, fences and gates.
Weak points in building perimeter protection that should be considered may include letter boxes, air vents and louvered windows.
The poor management of access keys can also add to the risk and therefore the security programme must
include accountability for keys and proper authorisation for their issue. A register should be maintained of all key/
access issues and all keys/cards accounted for at the end of each period of work.
Entry to isolated or less used parts of the premises, such as storerooms and warehouses, should be restricted and monitored. In addition suitable arrange-ments must be taken to identify legitimate visitors or, where appropriate, restrict the areas to which members of the public have access.
Where buildings or sites are unoccupied at night or at weekends, serious consideration should be given to the installation of CCTV as it has a high deterrent effect.
It should be noted that CCTV systems which are not monitored have limited value.
The equipment used must be of a high quality and be installed to suit the prevailing conditions and should incorporate suitable recording equipment. Specialist advice should be sought before installation to ensure the correct system is fi tted.
Frequent, but irregular visits by mobile security patrols outside normal working hours can be a deterrent against arson and similar crimes, if there is no 24-hour security presence on the site.
If used, security staff should be vigilant and take note of such crimes in the neighbourhood, this is a particularly good indicator of a security company’s competency if they have such information readily avail-able. Keeping a log of such incidents may help in assess-ing the likelihood of an arson attack occurrassess-ing.
Perhaps one of the most cost-effective measures against the arsonist is an alert and motivated workforce.
All staff should be reminded to challenge those they do not know. It may be that a simple ‘Can I help you?’ may be suffi cient to deter a potential arsonist.
Figure 8.10 CCTV with infrared lights reduce the likeli-hood of arson attack
Figure 8.11 Risk of arson may increase when companies are targeted by political activists
Step 1 Look at the building and what goes on within it. Note the possible ways in which Study the vulnerability of the building: fi res could be started deliberately. Identify the vulnerable points both inside and (a) Externally outside the building and in the external areas within the building perimeter. In (b) Internally addition, consider the area in which the business is located in order to assess the
likelihood of an arson attack in the neighbourhood.
Step 2 A key element of the arson risk assessment is to identify, and reduce as far as is Identify the fi re hazards: practical, the sources of ignition and combustible materials that are available to (a) All possible sources of ignition the opportunist arsonist. Although it is recognised that these cannot be eliminated (b) Flammable liquids and gases, completely, steps can be taken to eliminate or reduce the threat (see step 4). Steps combustible materials (including waste), should be taken to identify voids, unprotected ducts, unstopped gaps around furniture or furnishings and combustible services and similar features.
elements of the structure
(c) Structural features that could lead to the spread of fi re
Step 3 All staff should receive appropriate training so as to be aware of the danger of arson Identify the people who could start fi res and the threat that it presents to life and jobs. Everyone should take part in regular deliberately: intruders, visitors and members fi re drills and be aware of the need to assist people with any form of disability.
of staff. Also consider the people that will be affected, especially anyone with a disability
Step 4 Where possible, action should be taken to remove potential sources of ignition, Eliminate, control or avoid the threat fl ammable liquids and combustible materials from the workplace. It may be
possible, for example, to replace a fl ammable solvent with a non-fl ammable one with similar properties. Checks of the premises should be made last thing at night, especially when contractors have been present. A fi re risk assessment should be undertaken and appropriate action taken as necessary.
Step 5 Ensure that the best use is made of existing security measures before considering Consider whether the existing security new, complex or expensive installations or procedures. For example, many provisions are adequate or need intruders enter buildings through windows or doors that are left insecure so ensure improvement that a check is made at the end of each day, other security measures that should
be considered include:
● Perimeter protection
● The strength of the building envelope
● Access control
● The detection of intruders
● Security lighting
● CCTV systems
● Staff relations
● Awareness of activities of pressure groups who could target the premises.
Step 6 Much can be done, often at little cost, to reduce the threat of arson and limit Consider whether the existing fi re safety the horizontal and vertical spread of fi re; effective compartmentation is a key provisions are adequate or need element in reducing the damage caused by fi re. The installation of a sprinkler improvement system that will not only sound the alarm but will automatically fi ght the fi re is a
further advance in protection.
Step 7 Allocating the risk category need not involve complex mathematical formulations. A Allocate the risk category and record the simple low, medium or high categorisation for each part of the premises may be
fi ndings suffi cient.
Step 8 The business continuity plan should have a clearly defi ned purpose. Key members Prepare a business continuity plan of staff should be identifi ed and their roles defi ned. Key contractors should be listed
with their contact points. Provision should be made for staff welfare as well as practical steps to ensure that the effect on business operations is minimised. A copy of the plan should be kept off the site.
Step 9 The assessment should be reviewed if the nature of the business, the number of Carry out a periodic review of the assessment staff, the materials used or the character of the neighbourhood changes signifi cantly.
Table 8.1 An arson risk assessment model (an example – government crime reduction toolkits)
Causes and prevention of fi re
Business operations and activities
The type of operations or activities that an employer or occupier undertakes can also be a target for an arsonist.
Those companies who undertake work that makes use of animals as part of research, or who hold personal, secure data that may be used against a person or organisation, are potentially at risk. It may be that specialist tools and equipment are in use or a particu-lar piece of plant or machinery is stored which could be stolen and sold on for profi t, any of which may be attempted to be hidden by the use of fi re.
Gathering information about pressure groups that may pose a threat and liaising with local police and fi re services may assist in managing the threat of arson. Information is often kept by insurance companies, who may also provide guidance with regard to prevention, some of which may be required for insurance to be offered.
Taking simple steps such as ensuring that stock and valuable items are secured out of the away and outside general view, particularly those on transient sites such as in the construction sector, also assist in managing arson as arson attacks often follow acts of petty theft and vandalism.
Minimising the availability of combustible materials to the arsonist, managing items such as skips and other refuse containers and securing fl ammable chemicals that could be used as accelerants are all part of the arson risk reduction measures that a company could adopt to prevent this risk of arson and subsequent losses that would be likely to occur following an attack.