The implications and costs of enforcing the Fire and Safety Order (FSO) for fire authorities will be among the issues raised at next week’s Firex North show.

In a seminar titled Economies in enforcement, can we afford it? the fire safety manager for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service will examine the legal costs facing fire authorities.

Richard Stott is expected to say that enforcement should be viewed as a last-case scenario for fire services. Cases that lead to trial for example, could place a burden on authorities if the prosecuted cannot bear the costs, he will say.

However, he will warn that, in the interests of fire safety and the far-reaching implications of breaching the FSO, enforcement decisions should not be dictated by the “limitations of the public purse”.

Other seminars to be covered at the show include Ensuring compliance in an economic downturn and Multicoloured nightmares? The fire risk of multilayer paint.

Visitors will also get the chance to win a free iPod Touch courtesy of exhibitors Emergi-Lite Safety Systems and £500 worth of Ventcroft’s NoBurn cable. For more information on Firex North, which is on from 27 to 28 October, click here.