The client
The East of England Coop is relied upon by communities across Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire. It is the largest independent operator in the South East of England, providing food stores, supermarkets, funeral branches, travel agents and petrol stations in many key locations, not to mention a portfolio of residential and commercial common areas.
The project
East of England Co-op instructed Environtec as its primary fire consultant, meaning that we were responsible for fire risk assessing all the business’s premises and residential portfolio in the region. We were also asked to assess the Co-op head office buildings on an annual basis.
Environtec was instructed to provide support to the Building Compliance Team, specifically when it came to updating them on their obligations under the Fire Safety (England Regulations (2022), which came into force in January 2023.
The solution
All visits have been (and will continue to be) carefully planned to ensure we’re causing minimal disruption to each site. This is particularly important when we are assessing Co-op’s funeral branches, and when we are operating in supermarkets during the busy Christmas period.
When it comes to Co-op’s residential FRAs, we work with tenants to find the most suitable time to visit them, taking into consideration their work and family commitments. This may mean booking in an early morning or early evening appointment. We have a dedicated Fire Client Manager who is in contact on a weekly (sometimes daily) basis with the Coop to ensure the smooth running of the contract.
“The Fire Safety Team are extremely professional in everything that they do, nothing is ever too much trouble, there is always someone on hand who can help- the level of service provided to the client is fantastic, they are an absolute pleasure to work with. All of the team are very knowledgeable and are on hand to assist with practical advice that suits specific situations, their pragmatic approach is refreshing and is clearly laid out in their reports.”
