Burning issues

When a firebomb destroyed the Celebrated Group's original Starvin' Marvin's diner in Salford Quays this summer, it caused £300,000-worth of damage. Celebrated received a full settlement from the insurance company, but the bill could have been much higher.

The perpetrators of the crime had no way of knowing whether anyone was inside the diner. Nor is it likely that they cared.

When a blaze ripped through Stakis's Four Seasons Hotel in Aviemore on New Year's Day 1995, loss of life was the tragic result. The fire, believed to have been started deliberately, killed two people.

Arson, Britain's fastest-growing crime, is not just an attack on property, it can result in the loss of a business or even lives. In 1995, the last year for which Home Office figures are available, there were some 173 casualties as a result of malicious fires in hotels, bed-and-breakfast establishments and hostels. And more than half the 2,200 fires in hotels, catering premises and pubs in 1995 were classified as malicious.

Against this background, recent headlines have suggested that the hospitality industry is increasingly at risk from the crime.

Mike Colmans, of insurance company General Accident, which insures many pubs and hospitality businesses, says it is difficult to point to evidence that arson is on the increase in the sector, but he is aware of the problem.

Industry figures collected by insurers for the Arson Prevention Bureau reveal the costs of serious fires in the hospitality industry. In 1995, the last year for which figures were collected, insurers noted seven serious hotel fires caused by arson, with losses calculated at £3.27m. In pubs, there were seven serious fires, causing losses of £1.31m, while in restaurants there were three serious fires with losses totalling £315,000. A serious fire is one where the losses total £50,000 or more.

"Arson is a growing national problem in all areas," says Andrew Ings, a risk/safety management adviser who works for several leading night-clubs in London, "but hotels, restaurants and pubs are easy targets." For a start, the very nature of the business means the public has lots of access. This makes it easy for disgruntled staff or even customers with a grievance to plant something which might start a fire.

The risk of fire in hotels and restaurants is certainly high, says Ings. And in hotels, where people are in unfamiliar surroundings and often the worse the wear for drink, the risks are magnified. "Where hotels are concerned, the minimum of staff are on duty overnight, when the maximum number of bodies are in the building. That is a potential life risk," says Ings.

Equally, in pubs and restaurants during trading hours, there are plenty of people around to spot a potential hazard such as a smouldering cigarette. But when the doors close after last orders, the environment turns into a potential death trap.

"Imagine," says Ings. "It's late at night, the staff are tired. They have just one thing on their mind - to get home. It's very easy for a cigarette down a sofa cushion to get missed." Restaurants, bars and hotel lounges, with soft furnishings, drapes and ashtrays, and nearby kitchens containing cooking oil, stores and rubbish, provide two of the ingredients needed to start a fire - fuel and ignition.

This shows why it is easy to set hospitality businesses alight, but does it mean that they are more likely to become prey for arsonists?

In general, arson is perpetrated either by vandals or by burglars who want to cover their tracks. However, in the hospitality industry, there have been numerous cases where the finger has been pointed at disgruntled staff members, says Ings.

Hoteliers, restaurant owners and pub landlords can play an active part in preventing any of these situations arising by maintaining their premises in good order, says Peter Hill, station commander at Garston Fire Station, which recently ran a seminar for businesses targeted by arsonists.

Managers should make sure that rubbish is not overflowing from bins, and that vandalism to doors or windows is quickly fixed and made good. A building in a state of disrepair is an invitation to a fire, according to Hill. And overflowing rubbish or poorly stored materials provide the fuel that can send a livelihood up in flames. Managers need to ensure that the back of house is tidy and that flammable materials are stored appropriately. Rear doors should be made secure against intrusion, while also being available for people to get out.

Ings agrees that appearance can be a contributing factor in arson cases, because if something looks attractive people are far more likely to take care of it. "The danger lies with older establishments and those at the cheaper end of the market," he says. "They are far more vulnerable."

According to Colman, these high losses have as yet had no impact on premiums. "This particular trade is a soft market and premiums are generally low," he says. "However, if claims rise dramatically, then premiums may well be pushed up."

A spokesman for insurance broker Bowrings Leisure, which specialises in the hospitality industry, agrees that, at the moment, general market forces rather than increased incidence of arson will force up low premiums. "We have the odd claim that is rejected because of suspicious circumstances, but I don't believe it is a particular problem for this industry," says a spokesman.

Martin Couchman, deputy chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, is also reluctant to believe that hospitality businesses are more vulnerable than other commercial premises. "Of course," he says, "the fact that the public have free admittance to hotels, pubs and restaurants can cause a problem, and people still do stupid things like smoking in bed. But our members don't often mention the threat of arson."

However, due to high incidences of hotel fires across Europe, the threat of an EC Directive on hotel fire safety still hangs over the UK industry. It is the BHA's view that current UK legislation meets and goes beyond the requirements of the most recent EC recommendations, and that more legislation would simply be an unnecessary burden.

But if the hospitality industry is in danger of sounding complacent, the recent fire at the Forte Posthouse in Gloucester, which took 12 fire engines to control, is a grim reminder of the damage fire can wreak.

David Doyle, assistant divisional officer at the London Fire Brigade, who spoke to Caterer after the Forte fire, has some salutary words for hoteliers who let standards slip. "We often prosecute," he says. "If it goes to Crown Court, it can result in imprisonment and unlimited fines."

From 1 December, the regulations affecting hotels were extended to cover cafés, sandwich bars and fast-food outlets. The Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations 1997 apply to all work-places where people are employed, and impose a duty on employers to ensure a certain level of safety from fire.

Any complacency will be dealt with harshly. "We like to keep hotels on their toes," says Doyle. "Once standards are established, it is most important to maintain them."