Tom Sutton

They have a very poor class B rating (21B) for the 6litre and the 1litre is not indicated. I wonder how they would preform on a running/spill petroleum fire?

CO2 is a solid at absolute zero (-273C) and as the temperature increases the pressure increases until -56.4C / 5.11 bar known as the triple point where it exists as a solid, liquid and gas. As the temperature increases to 31.1C / 73bar (critical point) it exists as a liquid and gas, above that, it becomes a super critical fluid. Check Phase Diagram. Check CO2 Phase Diagram http://i419.photobuc...ediagramco2.jpg Because of the very high pressures in the cylinder (55bar) I doubt you will notice any sloping about but as Harry said you check its contents by weighing it and comparing contents with the full weight stamped on the neck of the cylinder and if it has lost more than 10% then it needs recharging.

Joanna what you are saying sounds irresponsible to me, you could be putting yourself and your neighbours at risk in the case of a fire. This could only be established subject to a fire risk assessment but could you not find some way in keeping it in your flat. Will the pushchair not fold up when not in use to enable it to be parked inside the flat. I would suggest you follow the same advice I gave Steve and ask the local fire and rescue service for a fire safety home check. They may be able to suggest a solution which could be locating it in the corridor if there is sufficient room.

As far as I am aware, non AFFF foam extinguishers are not less effective than AFFF and have similar ratings, but they do have different qualities. For instance AFFF is less environmentally friendly than some however it flows easily therefore has a more rapid knockdown capability. For me it all depends on the type of fires you wish to deal with and somebody has decided AFFF is the best for your situation. You say you work for the Kennet & Avon Canal Trust and have to carry AFFF on our passenger trip boats but what is this requirement based on. The only guide I could find was Boat Safety Scheme and chapter six fire extinguishers, only refers to rating not type of foam you need to find out which guidance they use. Check out http://en.wikipedia....e_fighting_foam and http://www.firesafe....uisher-general/ may be useful.

It will depend on the tenancy agreement who responsible for providing any necessary facilities however when the premises is occupied the Responsible Person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 will be responsible for implementing article 8 to 24 of the order which includes providing a fire alarm. However the owner could also be responsible for implementing certain articles in the order as a person having control which again could include providing a fire alarm.

It appears they are LPCB approved to EN3, if so; they will have an A-F rating which means they will extinguish all those classes of fire. What is very important is how those fires are tackled, each one is different. For instance gas, you never extinguish the flame because you will have an explosion risk you should isolate the appliance from the mains and this also applies to electric appliances, then you can deal with it as a class A risk. As for the 35kV dielectrical test ensures that the extinguishers can be safely used near electrical equipment.

What does your Fire Risk Assessment say. Fire alarms are required if necessary its your FRA that will decide if one is necessary. You are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and should check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/ and select the appropriate DCLG guide for your premises and follow the instructions.

No your understanding is not correct, whilst the premises is occupied, all doors, including the final exit, that may be used for means of escape from the premises in the event of a fire should be easily opened from the inside, without resorting to the use of a key. However certain device can be used to secure a door which does allow them to be opened, without the need to use a key. Check out http://www.firesafe....nd-fire-safety/ and http://www.ucl.ac.uk...Fire_TN_002.pdf . Before you install such a device you should conduct a Fire Risk Assessment to ensure the device considered will be satisfactory.

More information from FIRA (horses mouth) "Technically, only the filling material of a mattress needs to comply with the FF(FS) regs. The rest of the mattress is subject to GPSR. The decision lies with Trading Standards, who only seem to accept BS 7177 Low Hazard as proof of compliance with GPSR and so this approach has been adopted by the industry as best practice. It is known that products without labelling to BS 7177 are often subject to seizure by Trading Standards and they would perform spot check tests on such items to ascertain whether or not they comply with BS 7177. However it is not actually written down anywhere that a mattress must comply with BS 7177" If you purchase Contract Mattresses then you will have no problem getting them to comply with the Regulations. If you purchase from the domestic retailers then you will have more difficulties and you should quiz the retailer on what standards the mattresses conform to in fact any mattress I was to purchase I would quiz the seller. Also find out if electric blankets can be used.

Further to my above posting I have done further research and found, my own memory foam mattress has a label that states electric blankets should not be used. But I do not know if this is because it is a fire risk or because memory foam is harder below 18degrees C and as it warms up become softer and if you use an electric blanket it may become too soft. I think it needs more research.

The legislation is The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 the guidance is Small and medium places of assembly and Section 5 Further guidance on emergency escape lighting and Section 6 Further guidance on signs and notices is the appropriate sections. British Standard 5266 part 1:2011 is the British Standard that covers emergency lighting alongside others. Without a fire risk assessment it is difficult to say what would be required as it is the FRA that dictates requirements.

Fire doors were tested early seventies to BS 476 Part 8 and the frame door stops was 1 inch (25mm) with no intumescent seal. This could be achieved by fixing an addition 1/2 inch (12mm) glued and screwed to the existing door stop. In the late seventies intumescent seals were introduced and it was found that 25mm fire doors stops were were not necessary. In 1987 a new standard was introduced BS 475 Part 22 which tested not only the fire door but the frame as well (fire door sets) the frames had 12mm door stops and intumescent seals which passed the new test. Now we have certified fire door sets part 22 and older part 8 fire doors therefore if you are fitting a new fire door, it should be a part 22 certified fire door set. However part 8 fire doors can be acceptable and occasionally none fire doors can be upgraded depending on a fire risk assessment.

What you are suggesting would go some way to meeting the standards required by the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 but unfortunately there are a number of if and buts. I would suggest you download the FIRA Domestic Flammability Guide which should answer all your questions and if you require further expert advice contact FIRA.

Check out Approved document B (Fire Safety) Vol 1 my understanding is it requires 30mins FR between an attached garage and the house. Two overlapping layers of 12.5mm plasterboard skimmed will give you 60mins, one layer skimmed would give you 30mins. I would suggest you contact your building control officer as you appear to be between two stools. Check out http://fire.org.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5055.0 for more info.

All mattresses are subject to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988/1989, 1993 and 2010 ( Guide to the Regulations ) and the The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 so providing it meets those regulations then it should be safe.

I am not aware of councils discouraging extinguishers in HMOs some have in purpose built blocks of flats which is a different matter. The guide for HMO's is the Lacors guide which has been accepted by all authorities.

The legislation that covers residential care homes is The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 like all health and safety regulation is all about risk assessment and the Responsible Person is required to conduct a fire risk assessment. The guides are Residential care premises and the additional guide to residential care homes which will assist you to conduct a FRA or you can employ a FR assessor to assist you. How you achieve it will depend on many factors and the guidance should assist you. It all depends on your fire evacuation plan what equipment you will need to implement the plan. Check out http://www.firesafe....ety-order-2005/ and it may help.

Its 6 years from the date of manufacture or 5 years from the commissioning date which ever comes first. Providing they are not condemned they can be refilled. Section 9 of BS 5306 part 3 : 2009 show the procedure for deciding if an extinguisher needs replacing. Please note that BS5306 is only one of the guides available.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 like all health and safety regulation is all about risk assessment and the Responsible Person is required to conduct a fire risk assessment. Offices and shops is the guide for the FRA and saying there's no room for interpretation is far from the truth it all about interpretation. A quick and safe evacuation is first principles but quite often it is not possible to leave immediately, switching off machinery for example, sometimes, other actions may have to be done before leaving and its for the FR assessor to make that decision. Assuming you are the RP (employer) then the decision is yours with the help of a Competent Person, if required and the above guide. Check out section 7.2 Emergency plan and contingency plans in the guide, which is relevant to this problem. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/ it may help.

I am assuming the scooter is not a motorized scooter, if so then it does appear to be a over zealous fire risk assessment. Is it possible for the bikes to be secured to the wall so they cannot fall over this would help your argument but I would contact the fire service who are the enforcement authority for the The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and ask their advice. Most Fire and Rescue Services will do a free home FRA and you could ask them do they consider the bikes an obstruction/tripping hazard.

It is unusual to require fire doors for toilets unless there is a fire risk in the toilets however if fire doors are required then the self-closing devices can be adjusted or swing free door closers could be fitted. It may well be a privacy problem and not fire safety one check it out with the manager. If it is fire safety one I would suggest you get a fire risk assessor to check it out to see if they are required. Check out http://www.safelincs...g-Door-Closers/

I will revise my first posting slightly I should have said mostly liquid in fact it is both. The bulk is liquid with a vapour layer in the ullage space providing pressure. Liquid fill is to 2/3 of the capacity of the cylinder, unless using tropical fill. The pressure will vary depending on the temperature the higher the temperature the higher the pressure and visa versa. If you wish to research it on the internet try, http://www.warpig.co...ynamics.shtml#2 although it is about paint balling the much of the CO2 Physics will apply to any co2 cylinder including fire extinguishers.

Cannot access the link harry

According to BS 8214 2008 it states the gap should be in accordance with the manufacturers instructions therefore I would suggest you need to contact the manufacturer for their advice.

Harry I must beg to differ check out http://en.wikibooks....ed_Correlations I accept it is a little more complicated but at NTP it is more liquid than gas.