Tom Sutton

I cannot see why you can’t use the self-closer on the outside or inside of a door providing it is possible and works satisfactory, you should contact the manufacturer, to see if your proposal is feasible. The requirement for doors (BS EN 179:2008) needed to exit in an emergence is as follows, Release function An emergency exit device shall be designed to release a door at all times from the inside in less than 1 s, by one single hand operation only, not requiring the use of a key or other similar object. It shall be designed to release the door without any delay from the time the operating element is operated to the released position of the mechanism. The operation of the operating element shall enable immediate exit from the inside at all times regardless of any auxiliary locking and/or unlocking means being incorporated, such as a deadbolt or outside access device. Compliance shall be verified by visual inspection, functional tests and/or measurements. Does your door meet that requirement if not, then it is not acceptable.

There is no fire safety reasons why you shouldn't fit a self closer to the front reception door but your means or escape situation is a different matter. All non domestic premises are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and you should have conducted a fire risk assessment which would detail all the fire safety requirements and the means of escape. The one door could be satisfactory depending on the layout of the premises but you should consult your FRA. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/ https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-offices-and-shops http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-risk-assessment/

I am assuming it is a dwelling house and you can open it in any direction you choose. Opening doors in the direction of escape is only necessary when the numbers are more than 60.

The documentation that should have accompanied the fire door will instruct you how the fire door should be installed, including which door furniture you should use. If it was not bought as a fire door set they it should explain how to construct the frame and which timber should be used, there are many that could be used.

You do not require a fire risk assessment of your flat but a FRA is legally required for the common areas. The Management Company is correct and the FRA is required by law which could include a fire alarm. Check out http://www.cieh.org/uploadedFiles/Core/Policy/Publications_and_information_services/Policy_publications/Publications/National_fire_safety_guidance_08.pdf and http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents/made

Article 14 of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states, (g) emergency routes and exits must be indicated by signs; and (h) emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting. You are required to provide EXIT signs and illuminate them, failure of the normal lighting because there is fault or you have switch it off means you are in breach of the above order if they are not illuminated by emergency escape lighting during the time the premises is occupied.

You won't find them Rick, there is no standard fire door specification because they all vary from one to another. The submission above says it all, extra brush seals added to door frame, so you have brush seals touching and building out the door or door frame with timber or similar is a strict No, No. Also I like the above post, obviously an informed guy/gal, pity he/she is not a member.

Check out http://www.fireservice.co.uk/safety/smoke-alarms.

There is a requirement, if necessary, and it is the fire risk assessment will decide, safelincs submission above explains it fully. The LED you speak of, is it an indicator on the unit or the luminaire itself.

Emergency lighting is not subject to a routine service like your car would, it is periodically tested and any faults found are rectified. Please see this short guide about emergency lighting testing, also the frequency is of tests are shown and in http://www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/ There is one item that could be classed as routine maintenance the changing of backup batteries after a set period, but even this should be pickup during tests.

I am assuming when you say "testing frequency of sound levels for audible devices" you are referring to a fire alarm system sounders. Your manager is correct you only require to do sound levels when commissioning the system or when conducting the weekly test. If it is reported that somebody did not hear the alarm, you need to investigate, and you may need to check sound levels in particular areas. The standard is BS 5839 Part 1 AMD 2013. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-alarms/

I have done more research and it appears if someone constructs and installs a door set to the specification in one of these 'global assessments', then it may well satisfy the recommendations in the Approved Document -B , the assessment itself becomes the evidence of fire resistance performance as mentioned in Appendix A of that document. To the best of my knowledge this would mean a Building Control Officer should accept the door sets as being in accordance with the Building Regulations regards integrity. However there are other approved documents you would need to conform to, which is outside my limited experience. http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/partb/bcapproveddocumentsb/

Mat This sound like an audit by the enforcing authority the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS) and have you conducted a fire risk assessment (FRA) recently? How does your FRA compare with the enforcing officer audit and are they in writing? What is the maximum travel distances on the floors in question and which floors are they? What is the premises being used for and the maximum number of person resorting in premises. What is the size of the building, number of floors and the layout of the accommodation? The minimum standards of safety is not negotiable but EO's can get it wrong and cost is considered against risk. You need to look at your premises against the appropriate guide and consider employing a fire risk assessor. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/ for more information and Go to http://www.firesafe.org.uk and search for " Fire Risk Assessment Overview"

It depends on which grade of fire alarm installed for the common areas and the smoke or heat detectors in each flat should be tested weekly which is the tenants responsibility. BS 5839 part 6 2013. All Grades of system need to be tested periodically to ensure that there has not been any major failure. This does not require any specialist knowledge, and can normally be carried out, quite easily, by the occupier of the premises, who will, however, need simple instructions in how to do so.

It is most likely to be a FD30s fire door and if a fire alarm is installed, then a vision panel would not be necessary. But you need to check it out with the fire risk assessment and the FR assessor who should be able to you a definitive response.

It depends if they are FD30/60s fire doors you will require smoke seals as well as intumescent strips and on the threshold you should fix threshold smoke seals, check out link below. If they are FD30/60 fire doors then you need intumescent strips on the head and both sides, with a gap at the threshold of 6 mm or less. I cannot see why you shouldn't fit strips of hardwood the bottom of these doors to reduce these gaps, using urea formaldehyde or polyurethane adhesive but you should confirm this with the local Fire and Rescue Service. http://www.safelincs.co.uk/search.php?q=threshold+smoke+seals&a=products

YOU CANNOT BE SERIOUS A 200m upvc blind that's big. You should not cover fire exits they need to be easily seen that is why they have a big fire exit sign above them.

Check out the guide for offices, at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-offices-and-shops page 20 item 3.4.1 Fire-detection and warning systems. You will need to consider the self-contained flat above you because at night when your premises will be empty, a fire could jeopardise their escape and they may need to be warned. Also check out 3.4.4 Emergency escape lighting page 26 you may not need emergency escape lighting.

It depends on the layout you should never have to go though a kitchen to reach the escape route. If the kitchen is likely to threaten the escape route it should be enclosed to a 30 minute fire resisting standard. You will be subject to Building Regulations and Approve Document B (Fire Safety) vol 2 is one of the Approve Documents you need to be familiar with.

No the legislation affects the common areas of all builds but the question you need to answer is do you need emergency escape lighting. If the normal electric supply failed during a fire in the hours of darkness is there sufficient borrow light from out side the premises to enable the tenants to find the way out of the building safely, if there is, then you do not need EL. Check it out with your fire risk assessor.

I think you need to speak to the installer, I understand some self test systems do all the tests, including the flick and 3 hour duration test, if there is a failure all you get is a yellow neon light. Then how do you record the results, the only way I see is to record any failures in the log when you find them and what action you take to rectify the fault.

First of all, I am new to Global Assessment and I need to do more research. However the legislation does not stipulate how you achieve standards it simple states what you are required to do in general terms. It will say "in the event of danger, it must be possible for persons to evacuate the premises as quickly and as safely as possible" it is the guides that show you how to achieve it. The guides will recommend you use a 30 FD but it is the British or European standards that will recommend how you should achieve it. Finally it is the enforcing officers (Building Control Officers or Fire Safety Officers) that decide if you have achieved that standard. They would accept any fire door certified by the BWF or Trada schemes but other fire doors, termed nominal fire doors, you would need to convince the enforcement officer that it would achieve the required standard. Fire doors certified with Global Assessment will have the documentation approved by a reputable test establishment which should convince the enforcement officer but I cannot speak for them. The way I understand it is the following Global Assessments belong to Stoke Fire Doors Ltd and if any other joinery company wished to use Global Assessments would need to check it out with Chiltern International Fire Ltd but the problem is, I do not fully understand how it works. Check out http://www.stokefiredoors.co.uk/document-downloads/ http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-doors/

That is a real technical poser why not try http://firealarmengineers.com/forum/they should be able to give a good response.

I agree, I think is was a wise move, sometimes discretion is the better part of valor.

I do not know about the asbestos risk report but I may be able to give you some pointers on the Fire Risk Assessment (FRA). The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 designates a person or persons as the Responsible Person (RP), who has a duty to implement articles 8 to 24 of the order. Article 3 says if the premises is a workplace then the employer is the RP if it is not, the owner or person in control of the premises (managing company) is the RP. The RP under article 5 has to conduct a FRA, so depending how you and the rest of the freeholders manage the fabric of the building and the common areas you are the RP’s and have to conduct a FRA. However article 9 states that if you employ five or more employees you have to record the information. Now as you do not employ anybody, other than employees and the self-employed from outside undertakings, which is covered by article 20, you are not required to record the findings. There are some doubts if the building is managed by a managing company and they employ 5 or more people. Sorry to be so long winded but this but the point is, how are you going to give a recorded FRA report if you do not have one, give verbal one? Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/ and http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1541/contents/made and they may be usful.