Tom Sutton

I far as I am aware there is no set safe parking distance from a fire exit other than it should not impede persons escaping from a fire. The other problem is unless you have direct control of any offenders there is little you can do about it other than rely on their good sense.

I do not believe it is illegal but it is not advisable because they need to be installed correctly and there is no way of determining if they have been installed correctly.

They have conform to BS 5867-2:2008 Fabrics for curtains, drapes and window blinds. Flammability requirements specification, low hazard. I would imagine you can purchase material that will meet the required standard or there are treatments that will bring your own material to the required standard. Do a web search for "curtains drapes fire resistance treatments" and find one that meets the required standard. Check out http://www.fira.co.uk/document/fira-contract-flammability-guide-october-2011pdf.pdf

All final exit doors are an exit routes out of the building and do not need to be fire rated but there are exceptions, protecting an external fire escape for instance. You can fit a self closer providing the door is easily openable from the inside. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-door-fitting-and-ironmongery/

I am not sure what you have been looking at but BS EN1634 is the standard for fire resisting doors, BS EN 1154:1997 is the standard for self closing devices? Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-door-fitting-and-ironmongery/ and http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-doors/

Fire door leaves are generally not required to provide a specific surface spread-of-flame barrier, and may therefore be decorated as desired. There is no evidence to suggest that overpainting of intumescent seals has any detrimental effect on the ability of the seals to perform efficiently. There are some benefits in overpainting the seals as they are less likely to absorb atmospheric moisture. However, there are limits on how much paint can be applied without there being a risk of the seal being rendered inoperative. It is recommended that overpainting be limited to a maximum of five coats of conventional oil-bound paint or varnish. When preparing a frame for redecorating, the use of heat or chemical strippers should be avoided if intumescent seals are incorporated. If seals are damaged by either of these processes, they should be replaced.

BS 5852 is one of the tests used in The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations so basically they are saying the same thing. Check out http://www.fira.co.uk/document/fira-flammability-guide-october-2011pdf.pdf

Bed bases is controlled by both the Regulations and the GPSR. Only the filling material (foam or non-foam) contained in a mattress, upholstered divan or bed base must meet the Regulations. However, the fire safety of the complete product is controlled via the GPSR. The normal route to achieve legal obligations is to have products evaluated against the British Standard best suited to product safety. In this context, a finished mattress and mattress topper, divan or bed base should comply with the low hazard category of BS 7177. Upholstered headboards must meet the full requirements of the Regulations. So if it carries a low hazard category of BS 7177 label is is fine.

This sounds like a hypothetical question but I will answer it as best as I can. I believe the date 1/1/1950 was chosen because the furniture manufactured before that date was most likely as described above, after that date synthetic material began to be introduced which caused many additional problems. Furniture manufactured before that date would not pass the match or cigarette test and did go on fire but the aftermath was not as severe however synthetic materials ignited easily and the aftermath was severe. Because the legislation decided on 1/1/1950 any furniture manufactured after that date is subject to the regulations which includes your mother furniture and requires a permanent label to be sold. In my opinion if you try to sell this furniture, even with the warning, you will probably be in breech of the law. The enforcing authority for the regulations is the trading standards check it out with them. http://www.firesafe.org.uk/furniture-and-furnishings-fire-safety-regulations-19881989-and-1993/

As green-foam has said ask the local council or enforcing authority what they specify, because you may need some form of licence. Because it is likely to be classed as an entertainment venue and the normal lighting is likely to be switched off when the premises is occupied ( last dance and such) you will need a maintained system which remains switched on all the time the premises is occupied. To test it you only need to switch off the mains normal lighting at the switchboard to check if the EL is working correctly and the wiring will depend on the design of the system. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/

There are exceptions but in most situations final exit doors can be kept open if desired. In this case if there is no self closer then it is not a fire door protecting and external risk consequently there are no reason why it cannot be kept open.

This was the situation before the the Regulations in the UK.

From the 1988 Regulations So any goods made after 1 January 1950 is subject to the Regulations, which mean you cannot sell any items but if you choose you could re-upholstery them and then sell them. You can also give them away but it is not advised because you would be putting people’s lives at risk. I do accept that it is a little strange, applying legislation retrospectively but it appears this is what they have done. Check out http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1988/1324/contents/made

As green-foam has said it was up to you to test them and you would have found the problem a lot sooner. However the landlord and his contractor should have installed a domestic smoke detector that was fit for purpose and should put it right. You need to check the small print in your tenants agreement.

A charity will need to ensure that either the item has complied with the appropriate test(s) as outlined in the Regulations or is fitted with a permanent label which outlines the compliance of the particular item. Items which have not complied with the appropriate test(s) or do not carry a permanent label which outlines the compliance of the item cannot be sold. However furniture manufactured prior to 1950 is outside the scope of these Regulations but I am afraid upholstered furniture manufactured in the 1970's is subject to the regulations.

Fire door self closer do not need to be certifire approval they need to conform to BS EN 1154:1997 Building hardware. Controlled door closing devices. Requirements and test methods and CE approved.I am not sure what this global certification is all about.

Is the toilet a dead end situation and is there any fire risk in the toilet, in nearly all cases the answer is NO so why would you require a 30 minute fire door protecting the escape route from the toilet?

As far as I am aware there are not set distances and the RRO defines a place of safety as a “safe area beyond the premises”. This definition is intended to make it clear that an area from which no further escape can be made without re-entering the building is not to be regarded as a place of safety. An example given in the enforcement guidance is an internal courtyard enclosed by a building. BS 9999 notes that on completion of evacuation, all staff should be instructed to report to a previously determined assembly point or points, which “should be sufficiently far from the premises to avoid interference with the fire and rescue service or danger from falling debris”. It has been recommended 1 1/2 times the building height because of falling debris and or structural collapse can exceed the buildings height. This also removes them from the hazard area for operating Emergency service personnel. However there are many considerations check out https://www.linkedin.com/groups/Assembly-Point-Location-Can-Anyone-76233.S.59139743

I checked on a number of UK manufactured wet chemicals and they were made of stainless steel but they still paint them. From another forum they suggested supply and demand as not many WC are produced and going to the addition expense of polishing these extinguisher is not worth it that especially considering the competition from china who most probably do not use SS.

You can get polished stainless steel, water, foam, powder and CO2 extinguishers however almost all wet chemical extinguishers have stainless steel bodies with chromed brass fittings. then they paint them red and do not provide a polished version WHY is there a technical reason or is it supply and demand?

Without more information I cannot give a reasonable response for instance how is the hall and external building, located in relation to the rest of the school? If a fire was to occur in either of these premises could it spread to the rest of the school or each other? Will these premises be occupied during the time the rest of the premises are in use, by your staff or the contractors? Have you conducted a review of the fire risk assessment considering the significant changes taking place? First I would not be taking advice from a contractor; you need a qualified fire risk assessor. I would not consider using domestic smoke detectors in your situation and if all the premises are occupied during the time the premises is in use then why do you need smoke detectors, when humans are a much better detector of fire. You may need manual call points to warn other people if they are likely to be threatened by fire. As I have already said it is difficult to give good advice without conducting a physical survey or having the necessary information. Check out https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-educational-premises for more information.

The appropriate approved document says, Provisions for escape from flats where any floor is not more than 4.5m above ground level. Except for kitchens, all habitable rooms in the ground storey should either: a. Open directly onto a hall leading to the entrance or other suitable exit; or b. Be provided with a window (or door) which complies with paragraph 2.9. Except for kitchens, all habitable rooms in the upper storey(s) should be provided with: a. A window (or external door) which complies with paragraph 2.9. or b. In the case of a multi-storey flat, direct access to its own internal protected stairway leading to a final exit. Emergency egress windows 2.9 Any window provided for emergency egress purposes should comply with the following conditions: a. The window should have an unobstructed openable area that is at least 0.33m2 and at least 450mm high and 450mm wide (the route through the window may be at an angle rather than straight through). The bottom of the openable area should be not more than 1100mm above the floor; and b. The window should enable the person escaping to reach a place free from danger from fire. Note: A single window can be accepted to serve two rooms provided both rooms have their own access to the stairs. A communicating door between the rooms must be provided so that it is possible to gain access to the window without passing through the stair enclosure. Therefore when the windows where fitted the above should have been taken into consideration, check out http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/partb/bcapproveddocumentsb/bcapproveddocbvol2/ page 22.

Sliding doors may be fitted where it is not possible for a side hung door to swing either in or out. It must achieve an effective clear width as stipulated in BS 8300, current addition. The effective clear width is the available width measured at 90 degrees to the plane of the doorway for passage through the door opening, clear of all obstructions, such as handles and when a sliding door is opened to its full extent. The current British Standard is BS 8300:2009+A1:2010 and to the best of my knowledge the preferred effective clear width is between 800mm – 850mm depending on how you approach the door and the minimum sizes are 750 mm to 800 mm. To be certain you need to study the current standard to gain a full understanding of the situation.

Emergency escape lighting is a self-descriptive term and is lighting for an emergency situation when the main power supply fails. The loss of mains electricity could be the result of a fire or a power cut and the normal lighting supplies fail. This may lead to sudden darkness and a possible danger to the occupants, either through physical danger or panic. Emergency escape lighting is normally required to operate fully automatically and give illumination of a sufficiently high level to enable persons of all ages to evacuate the premises safely. The British Standard provides the emergency lighting designer with laid down guide lines which form the general basis for the designer to work to. British Standard BS 5266: Part 1 recommends the types and duration of emergency lighting systems relating to each category of premise it should be remembered that the standards are minimum safe standards for the types of premises and that a higher standard may be needed for a particular installation. BS 5266 recommends the provision of a horizontal illumination at floor level on the centre line of a defined escape route (permanently unobstructed) not less than 0.2 lux and 0.5 lux minimum for anti-panic areas to exclude 0.5 metre border around the room. In addition, for escape routes of up to 2 m wide, 50% of the route width should be lit to a minimum of 0.1 lux. Wider escape routes can be treated as a number of 2 m wide bands. The actual degree of illumination should be closely related to the nature of both the premises and its occupants with special consideration being given to old person's homes, hospitals, crowded areas such as pubs, discos and supermarkets, and to whether or not the premises are residential. The first question I would ask is EEL required, which may not if sufficient borrowed light is available from outside the premises and there are sufficient windows. If EEL is required then a non-maintained system should be installed not a maintained system which you seem to have. (Described above) Also the level of illumination appears to be excessive considering the recommendations of BS 5266. I cannot be definitive without much more information and the system you have fully explained. The green lights are most probably the LEDS that indicate the batteries are charging. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-sleeping-accommodation http://www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/

The portakabins would be subject to the The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and a fire risk assessment (FRA) would need to be done.They would be classed as inner rooms and all the requirements would need to be considered. The closer to a final exit door they are located, would help when conducting the FRA. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-factories-and-warehouses and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-offices-and-shops