Deeside in Focus: Fire Safety and Compliance
Deeside — the area along the southern bank of the River Dee in Flintshire, taking in Queensferry, Shotton, Connah's Quay, Sandycroft, Hawarden and the surrounding communities — is home to one of the most significant concentrations of industrial activity in North Wales. Deeside Industrial Estate, the largest industrial park in Wales and one of the largest in the UK, extends across several hundred acres and houses an exceptionally varied range of operations: aerospace manufacturing at the Airbus facility in Broughton, automotive component production at Toyota and JCB, logistics and distribution across multiple large units, food production, engineered timber and packaging, and a dense population of smaller engineering and commercial businesses occupying units across several zones. The A55 North Wales Expressway and the A494 provide direct connections to Chester, the Wirral and the wider motorway network, making Deeside one of the most connected and economically active locations anywhere in the North West and North Wales region. North Wales Fire and Rescue Service is the enforcing authority for the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 across Flintshire and Deeside, with Deeside fire station — a wholetime crewed station — providing the primary response to the industrial estate and surrounding area.
For those who own, manage or occupy non-domestic premises in and around Deeside, the FSO places a direct legal duty to carry out a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment and to keep it under review. The range of premises types across the area — from large aerospace and automotive manufacturing facilities operating under DSEAR and COMAH frameworks, to smaller commercial units, logistics depots, retail and hospitality premises, and the residential areas that surround the estate — means that the fire risk profiles facing responsible persons here vary considerably, and that the FSO's review obligations are among the most actively relevant of any industrial area in the region.
Two fires at a recycling operation on Zone 1 of Deeside Industrial Estate — in May 2020 and again in June 2022 — illustrate the fire risk that is inherent in premises handling mixed combustible waste, and provide a useful illustration of the FSO's review obligations for any responsible person who has experienced a fire at their premises.
Fires at a Recycling Operation, Zone 1, Deeside Industrial Estate — 2020 and 2022
At 5.37pm on 28 May 2020, North Wales Fire and Rescue Service were called to a fire at a recycling business on Zone 1 of Deeside Industrial Estate. The business handled cardboard, plastic and paper. On arrival, crews found a fire involving what NWFRS described as tonnes of household waste. Thick black smoke could be seen as far away as Buckley and Mold, and the fire service issued a public advisory asking residents in Connah's Quay and Flint to close their windows and doors. Nine fire crews attended, from Deeside, Flint, Mold, Holywell, St Asaph, Corwen and Chester, along with the Environmental Protection Unit from Wrexham. Crews remained on site until 2.30am the following morning — nearly nine hours of active firefighting and damping down — before a Deeside crew returned the next day to re-inspect and confirm no rekindling. The cause was not confirmed publicly.
On the evening of 8 June 2022, NWFRS were called to a further fire at the same site, this time involving a quantity of waste paper material in the yard area close to the A494. Four appliances attended and the fire was brought under control within approximately an hour. The cause was again not confirmed publicly. The two incidents together illustrate the nature of fire risk in this type of premises: waste materials of varying composition, stored in volume, present a persistent and difficult-to-eliminate hazard, and fires involving them can develop rapidly and prove difficult to extinguish completely.
Smoke rising over Deeside Industrial Estate during the recycling business fire on Zone 1, 28 May 2020. Video: Deeside.com.
What responsible persons at waste handling and recycling premises should take from this Mixed recycling waste is a well-documented fire risk. Different materials within the waste stream have different ignition characteristics; plastic waste generates dense, toxic smoke and resists complete extinguishment; and the volume of material typically held in a recycling yard means that a fire, once established, can sustain itself against suppression for an extended period — as the nine-engine, nine-hour response to the 2020 incident demonstrates. A fire risk assessment for any premises handling or storing combustible waste must address the volume and composition of material on site, how it is stored and segregated, the adequacy of separation between the waste storage area and the main building, and whether the site's water supply and access arrangements are adequate for the scale of incident that the fire load could produce. The FSO also requires that the assessment is reviewed following any fire at the premises — so that findings can be updated in light of what occurred and any additional control measures identified and implemented.
Fire Safety Duties for Responsible Persons in Deeside
Under the FSO, any person who has control of non-domestic premises — or a degree of control over any part of them — carries legal duties in relation to fire safety. In Deeside, that covers an exceptionally varied range of premises, and the obligations look quite different depending on what kind of building you are responsible for.
Large manufacturing and aerospace facilities. The Airbus operation at Broughton is the largest single-site employer in Wales, with several thousand employees working across large production hangars and support buildings. Toyota, JCB and the other major manufacturers on the estate operate similarly large and complex premises. Businesses at this scale will typically have in-house health, safety and environment functions, and many will also be subject to DSEAR or, where the site involves certain quantities of dangerous substances, COMAH — frameworks that sit alongside the FSO rather than replacing it. The FSO's obligations apply in addition to any sector-specific regulatory framework. For large manufacturers, the fire risk assessment must address the specific hazards associated with the processes and materials on site, the adequacy of escape arrangements for all staff across all shifts including nighttime and weekend operations, and the provisions for any employees who may not be able to self-evacuate. Fire safety training is required for all employees on induction and must be refreshed regularly; where there is significant staff turnover or use of agency labour — as is common in manufacturing — keeping training records current is a specific operational challenge.
Logistics, warehousing and distribution. Large logistics units are among the most common premises type on Deeside Industrial Estate, and they carry fire risk profiles that differ significantly from other commercial premises. High-rack storage creates a fire growth environment in which a relatively small ignition can generate a large and rapidly developing fire, placing particular demands on the adequacy of sprinkler protection, the height and configuration of racking, and the separation of storage from electrical equipment and vehicle charging areas. Where a logistics unit operates 24 hours a day, escape and emergency arrangements must reflect the reality of nighttime operations, and the fire risk assessment must be reviewed whenever there are significant changes to the storage configuration or the types of goods being handled.
Smaller commercial and industrial units. Across the estate's several zones, a large number of smaller engineering, manufacturing, printing, food production and trade businesses occupy units of varying ages and configurations. Where a unit is occupied by a single business, the responsible person is straightforwardly identifiable. Where a building contains multiple occupiers — which is common in the estate's older unit blocks — Article 22 of the FSO requires those responsible persons to cooperate and coordinate on fire safety, sharing relevant information and ensuring that the measures each has in place do not compromise the safety of others in the building. In multi-unit buildings without an active managing agent, that coordination obligation falls directly on the occupiers, and it is frequently overlooked.
Retail and hospitality premises. Deeside Retail Park and the commercial centres of Connah's Quay, Queensferry and Shotton include a range of retail units, supermarkets, takeaways, pubs and restaurants. Retail and hospitality premises that are accessible to the public carry specific FSO obligations around means of escape, signage, emergency lighting, fire-fighting equipment and staff training. Licensed premises — pubs, bars and restaurants — are required to have a written fire risk assessment and will typically be inspected periodically by NWFRS. A fire safety policy and documented fire evacuation plan are essential for any premises with regular public access or significant staff numbers.
Schools and educational settings. Connah's Quay High School, Hawarden High School and the primary schools serving Deeside's communities all fall within the scope of the FSO. The responsible person for a school — typically the headteacher or governing body, depending on the funding arrangement — must ensure that a suitable and sufficient fire risk assessment is in place, that all staff receive appropriate fire safety training, and that fire drills are conducted at least once a term. Where the school building includes areas with complex escape routes, older construction, or accommodation for pupils with additional needs, the assessment must address those factors specifically.
Care homes and residential care settings. The residential care sector in Deeside and the surrounding Flintshire communities requires particular attention to the needs of residents who may not be able to self-evacuate. Personal Emergency Evacuation Plans (PEEPs) are a required element of the fire risk assessment for any care setting where residents have mobility, cognitive or sensory impairments, and evacuation chair training for care staff is an expected component of a complete fire safety provision. NWFRS inspectors pay close attention to the evacuation planning of care homes, and the consequences of a failure in this area — as national incident history demonstrates — are severe.
HMOs and the private rented sector. The communities around the industrial estate, including parts of Connah's Quay, Shotton and Queensferry, include a significant private rented sector and a number of houses in multiple occupation. Landlords of HMOs are responsible persons under the FSO and must hold a written fire risk assessment for the property. Where the HMO is licensed under the Housing (Wales) Act 2014 — which applies to all HMOs with five or more occupants in Wales — the fire safety requirements imposed by the licensing conditions interact with, but do not replace, the FSO obligations. Fire door inspections are a critical element of HMO compliance, given that fire doors form the primary means of compartmentation in most converted residential properties and deteriorate rapidly without regular inspection and maintenance.
Managing agents and property managers. Any agent or manager responsible for the common parts of a commercial or residential building in Deeside — the corridors, stairwells, plant rooms and external routes that fall outside the demise of any individual occupier — is a responsible person for those areas and must ensure a fire risk assessment is in place for them. Our dedicated service for managing agents sets out how we work with agents and property managers across the region.
Fire Safety Support for Deeside and Flintshire
Fletcher Risk Management provides fire risk assessments in Deeside and across Flintshire and Wrexham, alongside fire door inspections, fire safety training, evacuation plans, fire safety policies and evacuation chair training. Whether you manage a large manufacturing or logistics facility on the industrial estate, a retail or hospitality premises in one of the area's town centres, a school, care home or HMO in the surrounding communities, or a multi-occupier building as a managing agent, we can advise on your obligations and help you meet them. Please get in touch.
Fire safety support across the North West and North Wales
Fletcher Risk Management provides fire risk assessments, fire door inspections and fire safety training for responsible persons across Chester, Cheshire, the Wirral, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, North Wales and the West Midlands. To discuss your requirements, please get in touch.
This article is intended for general guidance only and does not constitute legal advice. Responsible persons should seek professional advice tailored to their specific premises and circumstances. Fletcher Risk Management Ltd provides fire risk assessments, fire door inspections and fire safety training across the North West and North Wales.