Blog

Hotel owners running businesses in the North Devon region are being urged to attend fire safety training, to help protect staff, guests and property at their accommodation.

There have been a number of high-profile outbreaks of fire across the South West region recently, including an incident at the Bideford Hotel in Tantons which resulted in the business owners being fined £40,000 for breaching fire safety regulations.

This and other incidents have prompted fire safety officials to launch a number of training events, especially for hoteliers and their staff. These will be held in Holsworthy, Crediton, Okehampton, Ilfracombe, Barnstaple and Bideford. The training events will be free, and organisers are hoping to get as many hotel and guest house owners as possible to attend.

Graham Rooke, station manager at Bideford, said:

“We want to give these business owners the information they need to comply with legislation.
“We’ll also show them the effects of fire; how devastating it can be and how quickly it can spread.
“The events are free and so far we have about 200 people booked into them but we would like to spread the word and get as many as possible to attend.”