Campsite evacuation highlights need for fire risk assessments
Aug 27, 2010
In June around 250 people were evacuated from a campsite on the North York Moors after an area of moorland caught alight. Whilst the weather has not been as dry since June some areas of the country have still had very little rainfall, particularly in the South East of the country. As a result there remains a risk for fires such as the one on the North York Moors to affect parks in particularly dry areas.
The incident highlights the need for caravan, holiday & residential parks to have adequate fire risk assessments in place to ensure the risk of a fire occurring is minimised and also to ensure that site specific fire emergency procedures (including evacuation) are in place for both on site and off site emergencies.
In the incident in North Yorkshire visitors were able to return to the campsite relatively swiftly however it is worth considering the impact that a more prolonged evacuation could have on a park. Park owners should ensure that adequate business interruption insurance is in place to cover such an eventuality, particularly if they are situated in an area where fires are common.
Wilby Risk Management are specialists in caravan and holiday park risk management and insurance, for more information on how to protect your park please contact us on 01422 358 525 or complete our enquiry form and we will be in touch promptly.
