[fire safety](https://www.hawkswift.co.uk/blog/competent-person-duties-under-article-18-of-the-rro-2005) for Community Centres and Village Halls

Community centres and village halls are the heart of local gatherings, hosting everything from toddler groups and fitness classes to large private celebrations. However, because these buildings are used by a wide variety of groups and often rely on volunteer management committees, ensuring compliance-compliance)-compliance) with UK fire safety law can be uniquely challenging.

Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO), community centres and village halls are classed as non-domestic premises. This means there must be a designated responsible person—usually a hall manager, a designated committee member, or the trustees—who is legally required to manage fire safety. If you oversee one of these venues, here is a practical guide to keeping your building safe and legally compliant.

Understanding Your Legal Duties

The responsible person must take general fire precautions to ensure the premises are safe for all users. This duty is supported by the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR) and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 (HSWA), which require you to assess risks and provide a safe environment.

Even if your venue is run entirely by volunteers and has no direct employees, the RRO still applies whenever the building is in use. Your primary legal duty is to conduct a written fire risk assessment that identifies potential hazards, evaluates the risk to occupants, and details the control measures in place.

The Importance of a Thorough fire risk assessment

A fire risk assessment for community centres must account for the highly variable nature of the building’s use. A village hall hosting a daytime craft fair will have very different fire safety requirements compared to an evening event with theatrical lighting, a bouncy castle, and a large crowd.

When carrying out your assessment, you must consider:

• Ignition sources: Kitchen facilities, electrical equipment, portable heaters brought in by hirers, and stage lighting.
• Fuel sources: Stacked chairs, tables, stored materials, stage props, and seasonal decorations.
• People at risk: Elderly users, children, people with mobility issues, and members of the public unfamiliar with the building's layout.
• Escape routes: Ensuring corridors, exits, and external pathways are kept clear of obstructions at all times.
• Fire detection: Checking that smoke alarms and heat detectors are fully functional and appropriate for the building's layout.

Because village halls are often old, multi-room buildings with complex layouts, following recognised guidance such as PAS 79 (the Publicly Available Specification for fire risk assessments) ensures your assessment is structured, comprehensive, and robust.

Managing Multiple Hirers and Events

One of the greatest fire safety challenges for community halls is handing over the premises to third-party hirers. As the responsible person, you remain legally accountable for the overall safety of the building, even when a community group is renting the space.

To protect both your visitors and your committee, it is vital to provide clear fire safety instructions to all hirers. This should include a brief written guide on what to do in an emergency, where the fire exits are located, and strict rules regarding the use of naked flames, fireworks, or hazardous equipment. Hirers must also be instructed never to prop open internal fire doors or block exit routes with their equipment.

Essential Fire Safety Equipment and Maintenance

Having the right equipment in place is only effective if it works when needed. You must implement a regular maintenance schedule for all fire safety provisions.

Key maintenance requirements include:

• Fire alarms and detection systems: These must be tested weekly by a designated person and serviced annually by a competent contractor.
• emergency lighting: If your hall relies on emergency lighting to illuminate escape routes in a power cut, it must be regularly tested and maintained.
• Fire extinguishers: Extinguishers must be visually inspected monthly and undergo an annual service by a qualified engineer.
• Fire doors: Regularly check that self-closing mechanisms work correctly, seals are intact, and that doors are not wedged open.

evacuations-evacuation-peak-trading)s-evacuation-peak-trading)s-evacuation-peak-trading) Planning for Vulnerable Users

Because community centres host diverse groups, your evacuation plan must be flexible. A Personal Emergency Evacuation Plan (PEEP) may be necessary for regular users with specific mobility, sensory, or cognitive impairments. For large public events, you should ensure a general evacuation plan is clearly displayed in the main hall and that all exit signs are highly visible and illuminated.

How HawkSwift Can Help

Managing a community centre or village hall is demanding, and fire safety can easily become a complex burden for volunteer committees. If you are unsure whether your current fire safety measures meet the requirements of the RRO, it is wise to seek professional guidance.

At HawkSwift Ltd, our NEBOSH-qualified assessors provide thorough, practical evaluations tailored to multi-use community buildings. We deliver detailed fire risk assessments from £199 + VAT, with comprehensive 48-hour reports to help you implement necessary safety measures quickly. To ensure your premises are safe for every event, book a fire risk assessment with our team today.