Arson prevention can protect lives, organisations and communities

Deliberately lit fires are increasing¹. Our new Zurich Resilience Solutions guide and checklist will walk you through the risks and controls to prevent arson and willful fire raising.

Fires attributed to arson and willful fire raising are increasing

Arson, known as willful fire-raising in Scotland, is the intentional act of setting fire, resulting in more severe property damage2. This is due to the presence of factors not typically seen in accidental fires, such as:

• Fires are lit using multiple points of ignition to increase damage
• Vulnerable areas of a building are targeted to spread the fire or reduce the time to discovery
• Accelerants are used
• The fire is started at a time when people are unlikely to be around to help prevent or detect the fire
• Deliberate disabling of fire protection measures, for example fire doors being wedged open.  

Considering these factors and where your buildings could be vulnerable will help to prevent or at least reduce the risk. 

A risk assessment is the starting point to effective arson risk management

Many cases of arson are carried out by people who are not connected to the business. It's less common for the threat to come from current or former employees who want to cause damage. The attractiveness of your buildings to arsonists can be influenced by where they are and how they are used. To reduce the risk, concentrate on the locations of your premises, any specific risks, and the measures you have in place to control them.

The risk assessment should consider: 

• Arsonists can target combustible materials. Limiting easy access to waste and other materials on site is a large part of managing the risk
• Overgrown vegetation can be another source of fuel for fires, especially in hot and dry weather when fires can take hold or spread more easily
• Temporary buildings within 10 meters can also act as combustible material and allow fire to spread to other buildings or areas
• Ineffective perimeter security can allow access to vulnerable points where a fire can be started
• Poor building security can allow access to internal areas, including outbuildings or external storage containers where fires can be set
• Effectiveness of electronic security systems such as intruder alarms or CCTV
• Access control management should prevent unwanted visitors having easy access to your site
• Fire protection measures can reduce the impact a fire has but aren’t a replacement for effective fire prevention
• Are your people aware of the key controls and how they can help prevent arson? 

Our Arson Risk Topic has a checklist covering these issues and more. It can be downloaded here.

Complete a risk assessment and consider additional control measures

The risk of arson might be higher than you realise, and small actions like deliberately throwing a lit cigarette in a bin can be disastrous. Arson puts lives, jobs, and businesses in danger.

By carefully assessing risks and following the controls in our guide, you can lower the risk. Arsonists usually seize opportunities. Managing the risk involves assessing the risk and reviewing controls that restrict access to flammable materials.

Perimeter security, staff training and electronic security will also help. Finally, ensuring fire detection and sprinkler systems (if installed) are operational and have remote signalling will help limit the damage if a fire is set. 

For more information, including our Arson Checklist, download our Arson Risk Topic. 

To discuss any of the issues raised email us at zrs.enquiries@uk.zurich.com

1 Fire and rescue incident statistics: England, year ending March 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

2 RISC Authority document RC48 – Arson Prevention: The protection of premises from deliberate fire raising

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