Tom Sutton

The common areas of all blocks/buildings of flats require a fire risk assessment (FRA) and the Responsible Person (RP) or Persons are required to provide it. But not all FRA's need to be recorded this will depend on how the common areas of the building is managed, consequently there may not be a written FRA. If your building does not require a written FRA how can you give it to the solicitor. I need more information on the extent of your ownership and the freehold because the owner/freeholder of the common areas has to employ five or more persons to be required to have a written FRA.

What is the maximum travel distance/time on each floor?

I don't really know but I do know that electronic devices when they are interconnected they sometimes work on a master and slave principal, using pin switches. You should contact the manufacturer and see if something similar is happening with the smoke/heat detectors?

Standby batteries have to meet a standard as recommended by BS 5839 part 6 which is, “The capacity of the standby supply should be sufficient to power the smoke alarm(s) and any heat alarms in the quiescent mode for at least 72 h whilst giving an audible or visual warning of power supply failure, after which there should remain sufficient capacity to provide a fire warning for a further four minutes, in the absence of a fire, a fault warning for at least 24 h.” Over time, batteries lose their capability to meet the above recommendation and there is a voltage drop which operates the low battery warning signal which requires you to change the battery, this should happen around the four year period.

Who is responsible for maintenance of the common areas and who pays for it?

Are there any other doors, other than the hall, off the foyer?

If it is Alkaline battery in the Aico 140 Series they are designed to last up to 4 years in standby, search for denmans electrical wholesale then check out their downloads page on the fire and security you will find a Aico Brochure.

You haven't said which type/model you are using if it is Ei 141check out the video for for some information.

I cannot be definitive without plans or a full survey of the layout of the premises however there are situations where sprinklers could be required as a compensatory factor in a dwelling house but I do not believe this is one of them, providing the dining room leads into a hall that has an exit to outside the building or the dining room has an exit to outside the premises. This is an inner room situation and the kitchen is the inner room which is acceptable in Approve Document B (fire safety) Volume 1. You may be required to have interlinked heat detector in the kitchen and smoke detectors in the hall and/or dining room to give you early warning of a fire in the dining room or hall. Check out ADB pages 15 & 18 for a start then discuss it with the building control officer and if necessary contact building control.

It depends on the classes of risk present, in most lift motor rooms it is most probably an electrical risk but other classes could have been introduced inadvertently. You certainly would need extinguishers for a fire involving electrical equipment which would be a CO2 or Dry Powder. You should also consider that it has been advised that DP should not be used indoors and it could damage the electrical equipment so CO2 seems the best option. If there are other classes of fire present then it is important that you install an extinguisher that are safe to use near electrical equipment. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/portable-fire-extinguisher-general/ and fact file 22 from the FIA http://www.fia.uk.com/en/resources/technical-information/

This is not a fire safety matter and you should be consulting a solicitor, but for what is worth, I am afraid, if it is his/her land and if you require a right of passage then you need their approval. Before the enforcing authority would accept your new fire exit they would require a formal document giving you right of passage across you neighbors land.

It is not a legal requirement and a BAFE approved company is not a 100% guarantee but it is a consideration that you should consider when selecting a competent person to service your extinguishers. Other non BAFE approved companies could service extinguishers providing you have been fully diligent in your selection of a competent person if things should go pear shaped?

A person is to be regarded as competent, where he has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him properly to carry out any such duties assigned to him. That the easy bit, how you select a competent person that’s the hard bit. First what professional qualifications he/she have is a good starting point, do they have independent recommendations which you are able to check out. Is insurance available if things go pear shaped and you must also consider at least three candidates to assess the average cost of the service which will ensure you are not being overcharged. It is the same as employing any other contractor you must do your research. Check out http://www.bafe.org.uk/schemes.php it is not a guarantee but it is one of the few qualifications available for many fire safety professions.

Thumb turns on doors and windows have never been required by law or fire regulations. There are only two emergency exit fasteners recommended by British Standard BS EN 179:2008 which are lever handle or push pad. Because the fire safety order is all about risk assessment the RP (Responsible Person) can fit other types of fasteners if it is considered to be safe and are suitable risk assessed. The main consideration is as stated in BS EN 179 4.1.2 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. This would also apply to emergency escape windows.

Student halls of residence, where the universities are specified as exempt by act, consequently it will not be a HMO. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/houses-in-multiple-occupation/ for more information. The doors to student bedrooms may not be required to have full half hour protection (self-closer, strips and seal) considering the L1 Fire Alarm and depending on the existing means of escape also it could be a heritage building. However the kitchen is usually protected to a full half hour standard. Check out the fire risk assessment it should answer some of your questions.

Respiratory protection should not be required they should evacuate at the same time as everybody else, although they will be last to leave on their particular floor.

Approved Document B (Fire safety) states that escape windows should be a minimum of 450 mm by 450 mm which is approximately 18 inches by 18 inches, check out http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_AD_B1_2013.pdf page 17.

Scott my advice is confined to England and Wales and my knowledge of Scottish and Northern Ireland legislation limited but you should be checking out "PRACTICAL FIRE SAFETY GUIDANCE FOR PLACES OF ENTERTAINMENT AND ASSEMBLY" which is the guidance for your situation. It does say “A place of special fire risk should be enclosed by compartment walls with a medium duration (60 minutes) fire-resistance”. Which would include the ceiling, so I would suggest that the walls and ceiling should conform to a minimum of 60 minutes fire resistance. I do not believe any British Standard will be of any use in this situation.

I must admit I do not understand why you would wish to fix fake letterboxes to fire doors but providing you do not breach the integrity of the door other than with fixing screws I do not see any problems.

FD30 (30 minutes) fire doors are usually 45mm thick, as opposed to the standard door thickness of 35 mm, Most fire doors have a solid core construction which can include: particleboard, chipboard, flax board and solid timber. The assembly of a fire door can vary greatly, some have: hard wood timber framing around the core with a laminated veneer; others have a hard wood lipping (5-20mm thick) around the core with a veneer on top; and in some cases a plywood, veneer or MDF facing is glued on to the core without framing or lippings. There is no preferred construction method, as long as the desired fire rating is achieved. A fire door must be fitted with approved intumescent strips which play a crucial part in achieving the fire door rating. When subjected to heat, the intumescent strips expand and seal the gap between the door edge and the frame. Intumescent seals can be fitted within the door frame or grooved into the door edge. Advice on the intumescent strips can be obtained from the test evidence report or a specialist company. The material from which the door frame is constructed (e.g. softwood, hardwood or MDF), as well as its section sizes must comply with the required standards. Furthermore, essential hardware (ironmongery) must also have its’ own individual test evidence to show fitness for purpose. So it all depends on the construction of the fire door and this can only be found by de-construction of part of the door. Then it is a case of re- constructing the part of the door that has been modified. If the fire door is a certificated door then the certificate will be void unless the work is carried out by a specialist approved by the certification scheme. If the work is carried out by a none specialist the fire door will be classed as a nominal door and you need to find out if the building control officer will accept it. http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-doors/

I assume it is the normal sign combined with the disabled pictogram unless the BCO has other ideas?

I am not aware of any legislation that involves your propose project and I assume the battery operated lights will be LED's with the battery enclosed so the risk of fire would be very low. I would suggest Trading Standards are in a better position to advise you and you should contact them with you concerns.

I cannot see why not most doors including fire doors have 10mm lippings to both sides and top of door, made of hardwood. You must also refix any intumescent strips and smoke seals if needed.

Erfurt Mav Polystyrene Wall Manufacturers produce a number insulating wall coverings and one question was, Q. I remember those old polystyrene insulation tiles that were a real fire hazard, so I have worries in this regard about Thermal Liner? A. Thermal liner is classified as "E" according to DIN EN 13501-1 in relation to its reaction to fire behaviour, which corresponds to "B2"(normally inflammable) according to the standard DIN 4102-1. If this is the case then it is no more dangerous than many of the contents of a room. Check out Ray Stewart on I tend to agree with him. Although not exactly what you require advice on, polyester wool is fire resistant material used in insulation - it requires quite high temperature to burn. However fires can still occur due to poor installation of Polyester particularly where it covers down lights & ceiling fans which can cause them to overheat. As a result of a number of fires attributed to improperly installed insulation consequently all down lights to be covered by approved covers. Of the two the polyester wool appears to be the best with regards to fire resistance but I would think both are acceptable providing they are fixed and decorated correctly.

Providing you are not going to modify the doors and it is purely maintenance then a competent joiner should be more than adequate.