Case Study: Fire Safety Solutions for Heath House Preparatory School

Heath House is a co-educational independent preparatory school for children aged between three and eleven. The school is located in Blackheath Village, a stone’s throw away from Greenwich Park in London, and is part of the Global Schools Group. They first contacted Jackson Fire and Security’s Bromley branch in January to enquire about their fire safety services following issues with the company the school was using at the time. Emily Reid, PA to Heath House’s Headteacher, explains more.

What made you decide to look for a different fire and security supplier?

We were becoming increasingly frustrated by our previous supplier. They were unreliable, and it took forever to get an engineer to come to the school. We weren’t completely happy with their work when they did turn up either. And there were frustrations about the lack of clarity over pricing. The way invoices were itemised made it difficult to understand what we were actually paying for.

There had also been instances of engineers turning up without having made an appointment beforehand. As a primary school with safeguarding responsibilities, that was not acceptable. After months of trying to book an appointment, we decided to cancel our contract with them.

So what were you looking for in your new provider?

We needed a provider who was knowledgeable and who understood what was required in a school environment when it came to complying with all of the relevant fire safety regulations. We wanted to find someone who was reliable and who could be here as and when we needed them.

We did a fair amount of market research, but it was the service side of things that made Jackson Fire and Security stand out to us. They understood what we needed and why we needed it, and we felt like we could trust them. Plus they had a clear, transparent pricing structure that made it easy to know what we were getting and how much it would cost.

“…we felt like we could trust them.”

What work did Jackson Fire and Security carry out for you?

First of all, they advised us that it would be worth updating our fire risk assessment. Once the assessment was completed the school had a detailed list of strengths and areas to build on which then gave us a clear action plan to work through with the Jackson team.

We agreed to start with servicing the fire extinguishers. It was an activity that needed addressing sooner rather than later and because it could be done in term time with no disruption, it was an ideal way to try out Jackson Fire’s services.  So the Bromley branch engineer came in to service all of the existing fire extinguishers across the entire school site and he also supplied some new ones that we needed. After that, he serviced the fire alarm in our building, from which some remedial work was identified.

What was your experience of working with them?

They were really organised. We had a single point of contact who managed everything for us. And the engineer knew what he was doing. It felt like we could trust him to just get on with what needed to be done. He kept us informed about what work was required, what parts we needed to purchase, and explained why we needed different things. It was a conversation – this is what you need and this is why you need it. Which is really important from a business perspective – having that clear understanding of why things are required and what the compliance elements are.

The Jackson team are friendly, knowledgeable and professional. They help you understand the regulations in a way that makes sense rather than just talking loads of jargon!

“The Jackson team are friendly, knowledgeable and professional.”

Will you be working with them again?

Absolutely! They’ve been great. They’ll be coming in over the summer to upgrade our fire alarm system. And we’ll be engaging their services further with a rolling programme around our other areas of need like emergency lighting testing and intruder alarms. We’re impressed with their service and would absolutely recommend them. Their ability to be here as and when we need them; their professionalism; their knowledge and expertise about the industry and compliance and the different regulatory needs is all great.

For people like us where education is such a highly regulated industry, we have to make sure we are meeting our obligations and keeping every child and staff member safe and secure. The Jackson team knows exactly how to help us do that.

“We’re impressed with their service and would absolutely recommend them.”