Firestarter Festival
29th Aug - 1st Sept 2024

This risk assessment may not be copied or distributed without the express written permission of Firestarter.

Prepared by:
Tommy Harrison
Prepared for:
The Firestarter Festival Committee
Date:
August 2024
Location:
Venture Centre, Port e Vullen, Isle of Man IM7 1AW
Telephone:
Tommy (01624) 451831

INDEX

1.0 Objective

2.0 Summary

3.0 Hazard – Risks and Controls

3.1 Potential Hazards Relating to the General Site

3.2 First Aid Facilities

3.3 Child Protection Matters

3.4 Catering, Preparation and General Food Safety

3.5 Fire Precautions, Fire Signs, Exit Routes and Clearances

3.6 Windy Weather Precautions

3.7 Firestarter Games

4.0 Public Announcements : To be announced at the start of each main event

5.0 Incident Plan – Action Cards : Major incident , Fire, Missing Child

6.0 Telephone Contact Numbers

1.0 OBJECTIVE

The objective of the assessment is to make the event safer for everyone.

2.0 SUMMARY

This Risk Assessment, for the organising committee of Firestarter, has been made for the Firestarter Festival 2024 to assess the event from a health and safety standpoint, and to identify hazards or potential hazards. These hazards have been given a risk level associated with them, and controls put in place to minimise these risks.

The Assessment is issued to every member of the Firestarter Organising Committee.

Each member of the committee must communicate the contents of this assessment to those working with or for them.

3.0 HAZARDS, RISKS & CONTROLS

Hazard (H)
Anything that can cause harm to those at Firestarter.
Risk (R)
The chance, high, medium or low, that someone may be harmed by the identified hazard.
Control (C)
The action or actions taken to minimise the risk created by the hazard.

3.1 Potential Hazards Relating to the General Site

H: Car Parking: Visitors mingling with arriving traffic may walk across car parking areas during busy periods.
R: Medium
C:There will be a steward/security presence on the main entrance during the busy periods.

H: Fire in Longhouse will get out of control and smoke too much
R: Medium
C:The Cafe crew must ensure that flames do not go higher than 50cm. Dry logs must be used when available. The fire should smoulder with flames less than 20cm after being lit.

H: Visitors may not keep to approved footpath routes within the site.
R: High
C: Signage must be erected directing visitors to public conveniences and first aid facilities.  Other site facilities and festival facilities should also be signposted.
C: Out of bounds areas must be roped off and signage displaying it is out of bounds.

3.2 First Aid Facilities

H: Visitors or stewards may not be able to locate first aid cover when required.
R: Medium
C: A list of ‘First aiders’ with their mobile numbers will be clearly visible in the ticket office.  The list will be numbered with the most qualified first aider at the top of the list.  If a first aider leaves the site, they will put their site pass next to their name to indicate they have left site.  If they are the only first aider on the site, they must not leave the site.
C: The first aid box will be available in the office and the kitchen.
C: Every incident must be recorded in the incident book, containing the following details:
Date |Time | Nature of incident | People involved | Action taken | Name of person making the report | Countersigned by another leader.

H: Contents of the first aid kit will be used, and not replenished
R: Medium
C: A delegated person responsible for First Aid must ensure that the First Aid Boxes are maintained with sufficient equipment should they be used at any time. They should be checked on a daily basis.

H: Campers may react to items held in the first aid box when treated.
R: Medium
C: Paracetamol & Aspirin.  We will contact parents and ask their permission before issuing these drugs.
C: Sanitary towels.  These may be issued when required by a female member of crew.
C: If someone has an adverse reaction to anything issued from the medical box; Medical advice must be sought immediately.

3.3 Child Protection Matters

H: Firestarter Child safety guidelines may not meet National standards. 
R: Low.
C: A child is considered to be a person under the age of 18.
C: A copy of the Safeguarding policy will be issued to all leaders to issue to their team. 
C: These documents will be reviewed every year.
C: Firestarter Child protection policy must be approved by Social Services.

H: Unsuitable or unauthorised people may attempt to gain access to the event.
R: Medium.
C: The site must be regularly checked for people not wearing passes.
C: A notice must be clearly displayed requiring everyone on site to register.
C: There will be 24-hour security on site to reduce the risk of children from leaving the site.
C: Children will be allowed to leave site if authorised by phonecall from their Parent or Guardian

H: Child goes missing.
R: Medium.
C: Daily checks will be made to ensure that every child camping is still on site.
C: If a child goes missing.  See Section Action 3 card Missing Child.

H: The person we call for advice may not be the child's parent.
R: Low.
C: Ask the parent 2 questions that will identify them as the parent.
E.g. Child’s middle name – Date of Birth – let the child talk to the adult on the phone.

3.4 Catering, Preparation and General Food Safety

H: Untrained volunteers may prepare food using unsuitable methods.
R: Low.
C: All caterers will been provided with guidelines prepared by Environmental health and issued by the Firestarter catering supervisor on safe methods for preparing and serving food, and for basic hygiene methods to be employed.
C: All part time volunteers will be asked to sign in and read basic health & safety catering guidelines

3.5 Fire Precautions, Fire Signs, Exit Routes and Clearances

H: Fire.
R: High.
C: All stewards and event leaders must be briefed in advance on the action to take in the event of a fire, which is detailed elsewhere in this document.
C: A standard safety announcement will be made at the start of the Festival - this is detailed in Section 4.

3.6 Windy Weather Precautions

H: High winds present hazards to tents & marquees.  
R: Low.
C: Marquee & tents must be monitored on a regular basis.

3.7 Firestarter Games

H: Anyone getting injured during a game.
R: Medium.
C: The Entertainment team must follow these guidelines to minimise risk.  If is it a new game, they must do a risk assessment before doing the game.

Before each game, there must be an active risk assessment made with the Leader and Crew present who are involved with the game. All rules and risks must be explained to the revellers.

Offsite games organised by Firestarter. All site passes must be handed in and stored in a seperate box when going off site and returned when coming back onto site.  Make this clear to all revellers. All missing people to be reported to the site manager immediately.  There must be one leader to every 10 competitors.

Off site events organised by Ardwhallan. Ard Whallan are responsible for their own risk assessments.

4.0 PUBLIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

“If there is a fire or major incident, please go to the car park and wait for instructions from the stewards. Leave all possessions and exit as quickly and orderly as possible.”

5.0 INCIDENT PLAN – ACTION CARDS

Objective

To provides a structure for dealing with a major incident occurring during the Firestarter Festival.

Major Incident Definition

All major incidents will be co-ordinated by the Office Manager.

This Major Incident definition will be triggered by a serious incident involving many of the visitors and volunteers taking part in the festival.

Fire evacuation procedures will be used initially until the emergency services take over control, irrespective of the nature of the incident unless this increases risks.

Action Card 1 - Major Incident

  1. All the emergency services – the Office Manager is in charge of co-ordinating the incident

  2. Firestarter leaders and crew to meet at the office.

  3. All first aid team must attend to injuries immediately.

  4. Appoint a crowd control team to move the crowd to a safe place away from the incident.

  5. A small team will try to contact parents.

  6. Use local Radio and Social media to inform parents to collect their children if the event has to be cancelled.

  7. The emergency services will take control of the situation when they arrive.

  8. All festival activities will be stopped.

  9. Stewards will ensure access to the site is kept clear of private motor vehicles to allow emergency vehicle clear access.

  10. Follow action cards and agree amended actions with emergency services.

Activation and Emergency Services’ Role:

When the Firestarter Major Incident plan is invoked by the Site Manager, the emergency services will be called to the site. The emergency services will co-ordinate the activities of all those responding at the scene of a incident, which must be treated as the scene of crime and preserved accordingly

Major Incident Control Position: Ticket office.

Action Card 2 - Fire

  1. If you feel you can manage it, try and put out the fire.

  2. Dial 999.

  3. Inform the site manager as soon as possible.

  4. Site manager to stop all events.

  5. Stewards instruct session leader to make emergency announcement (script provided).

  6. Commence evacuation procedure.

  7. Stewards guide all visitors to car park area and carry out a muster call based on registration records held.

  8. Prevent visitors from driving away to keep access road clear.

  9. Muster area is the car park furthest away from the fire.

The emergency services to take control of activities once on site or as required.

Action Card 3 - Missing Child

  1. Phone the child on their mobile.

  2. Check to see if they have come back on site and not picked up their Pass card.

  3. Check their tent.

  4. Implement full site search.

  5. If appropriate, stop any events and make an announcement.

  6. Phone their Parent or guardian, and seek their advice, see if they have gone home. Get a good description of the child as well as likely places they may have gone.

  7. Call the police on 631212 and notify them of the searching procedure, which is underway. Implement any direct instructions issued by the police.

  8. Make available to the police the details held on the computer.

 6.0 TELEPHONE CONTACT NUMBER

Mann Doc: 650355
Police: 631212
Noble’s Hospital: 650000