Tom Sutton

An evacuation plan is a bespoke written procedure instructing your employees and relevant persons what to do in the event of a fire in your premises. This procedure is required by The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 together with requirement to training and the testing of the procedure.( Fire Drill) The procedure is devised by the Responsible Person and as well as the written procedure may include notices, drawings to make the contents more understandable. Fire evacuation drawing is not a requirement but can make the procedure more easily understood. I believe you are talking about the fire evacuation drawing and it can be any size you consider necessary I have seen A4 and A3 it all depends. Check out http://www.firesafe....fire-procedure/ for more details.

I would suggest you complete your work in accordance with Fire Safety Risk Assessment - Offices and Shops and when the Responsible Person has to review his/her fire risk assessment then it should conform.

Will you should try a posting on http://forum.fire.org.uk/ you may find useful.

The Fire Alarm System has to be an addressable type system and, I think the best solution would be replacing the offending heads with advanced multi-criteria fire detector heads (4 sensors) if the control panel is compatible and you are prepared to accept the higher cost/availability. (Like System Sensor or Honeywell Notifier IntelliQuad) Another solution would be to program all the offending detector heads and program them to reduce their sensitivity, or build-in a simple key switch to the system that automatically isolates the required affected detection heads. At the same time, provide various visual and/or audible warning that the system is in a 'partially disabled' state. The problem with smoke machine fog is that it is hard to control it at a level that will definitely not affect your 'adjusted less-sensitive' detectors. You end up still getting some, if as not as many, unwanted alarms. It is far more practical to temporarily totally isolate automatic detection in the smoke machine affected areas during those times those areas have people present. A further safety requirement would be to conduct a fire risk assessment for when the smoke machine is in use and also produce a Permit to Work system covering the use of smoke machines, part of the sign off procedure is to reinstate the fire alarm system. Any fire, in the area that involves the fog from the machine, would soon be discovery by the persons present or the staff dedicated to fire watching in this area.

Welcome green-foam its nice to have more support on the answers side.

Up to ten years ago, because fire doors are heavy and you do not want then to set or warp, three steel hinges were fitted as standard. However ten years ago a British/European standard was introduced covering single axis hinges called "BS EN 1935: 2002: Building Hardware. Single Axis hinges as relates to Fire doors." which is now the present standard. The code indicates the suitability of the hinges and if the are suitable for fire doors but you need to study the standard for the full details regarding the number of hinges required but in general three hinges are usually required. Guide to interpreting Markings for Single Axis Hinges. Check out http://www.firesafe....nd-ironmongery/ for more information on all door furniture.

I am trying to find an answer but it may take some time assuming one exists. I have come across a detector called Advanced Multi-Criteria Fire Detector and you could check it out and see if it solves the problem. Check out http://www.esmagazin...s-system-sensor and www.systemsensor.com/pdf/COPTIR-performance-report.pdf another make by Honeywell http://www.notifier....adv-sensing.htm

Water and foam extinguisher's that has passed the dielectric test should not be use directly on live electrical equipment without consultation with the manufacturer or fire and rescue service. The best solution is the isolate the mains supply and allow any capacitance to discharge then it’s safe to use water. DO NOT USE WATER ON COOKING OIL OR FAT FIRES only use extinguishers that have passed the class F test and have a rating higher enough to deal with the size of fire you are dealing with.

Further to the above posting I have an opinion from trading standards, The Furniture and Furnishings Fire Safety Regulations apply to the sale of second hand furniture and furniture purchased at the first point of supply, i.e. retail sales. A private individual can sell second hand furniture but it should be compliant with the above mentioned regulations. The difficulty in situations that arise where a person who IS NOT in trade or business commits a breach of consumer legislation is that Trading Standards have limited powers of enforcement where the sale is not in the course of trade or business. Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 08454 04 05 06. Trading Standards http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/index.cfm

Some types of fire blankets can be reused and you will need to read the manufacturers instructions on the product or contact the manufacturer. If you try and reuse a fire blanket that has some damage to it you may find that much of the fire resistance has been removed making it obsolete, in cases such as these it should be replaced with a new one. You will also have difficulty in repacking them and the cost is not prohibitive so in many cases the best option is to replace it.

Download the Domestic Flammability Guide and check it out, but I cannot be certain a private individual is exempt it appears all suppliers of domestic upholstered furniture and furnishings are responsible, with little defence, for product liability under the Consumer Protection Act 1987. Therefore suppliers of domestic upholstered furniture and furnishings need to meet the requirements of the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire) (Safety) Regulations 1988 and the GPSR as it is illegal to supply goods that do not comply. I expect Ebay may not accept it as they could be breaking the law even if you are not.

The responsible Person should review the fire risk assessment and if the findings do not require the fire exit then remove it. If you are able to remove it then ensure there is no confusion by the occupants, whether or not it is a fire exit. Further information http://www.firesafe....ety-order-2005/ and download the appropriate DCLG guidance.

The legislation refers to using competent persons to assist the Responsible Person to meet the requirements of the Fire Safety Order and the definition of a competent persons is " A person is to be regarded as competent where s/he has sufficient training and experience or knowledge and other qualities to enable him properly to implement any necessary measures ". Bearing that in mind I would say a specialist electrician in fire alarms/emergency lighting is the right person. Assuming the luminaries you are referring to are self contained type then this information should be available with your logbook, certificates and specifications issued by the installer. If not, you could have the luminaries open up and check the type of battery installed or contact the manufacturer for the specifications for the appropriate luminaire.

This applies to any fire and more because as it is very likely there will be plastic products in the premises. This is why we say smoke kills, if the concentrations are heavy enough and advise people to escape as soon as possible when a fire threatens. Fire-fighters have to enter thick smoke and need to wear breathing apparatus with its own air supply it should not be necessary for the occupants as they should be clear before the smoke is too thick and toxic levels are reached. This is why fire-fighters will always advise any person who has breathed in smoke to visit the hospital for a check-up.

I am with you on this one but it depends on the door that is being propped open if it is a fire door, which is unlikely on this occasion, then it could be an offence under the Fire Safety Order but if it is any other door then it is very unlikely to be an offence.

It is difficult to keep abreast of fire safety standards in the UK and every country has its own fire safety legislation so it is almost impossible to advise you other than to say try Google for " Barbados fire regulations " and what comes up.

Reg 5 is the requirement for a cigarette test and certain covering materials do not need a match test but do require an a fire-resistant interliner (fire barrier), so the label confuses me. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/furniture-and-furnishings-fire-safety-regulations-19881989-and-1993/ which has links to all the necessary sources of information. I would suggest for an expert view you should contact FIRA and/or your local Trading Standards who are the enforcing authority on the The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations.

Fred Check out http://www.firesafe....gency-lighting/ you may it useful for the task you have set yourself.

The The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 does not require you to have glazing in a fire door however if your Health and Safety risk assessment requires it then it must be fire resisting glazing. What is the glazing needed for and where does it need to be positioned in the door is a matter for the H&S risk assessment but if it is needed in a fire door it needs to be fire resisting and as small as possible. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-doors/

The guidance for conducting a fire risk assessment in an office is Offices and shops and for evacuating mobility impaired staff the guidance is Means of Escape for Disabled People (Supplementary Guide). As for relying on the fire and rescue service to evacuate the premises this is your responsibility and you should have procedures in place to effect a full evacuation without the need of the FRS to assist.

First try to understand the legislation check out http://www.pat-testing.info/legal.htm. PAT is required by The Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 and failure to comply is a breach of the Consumers Protection Act 1987 so I would suggest you contact the local Trading Standards who should be able to assist you.

More info as it gets more confusing. http://www.hantsfire...s/pd-6-40-8.htm please note BS 6661: 1986 ‘Design, Construction and Maintenance of Single Skin Air Supported Structures’ has been withdrawn but Approved Document B still refers to it..

For the sake of you and your family I would say yes and to conform to Approved Document B - Volume 1 if you were building it today. The lower floor level in the garage allows any flammable liquid spills to disperse through the garage doors and prevent it entering the bungalow. If a fire starts in the garage (high risk) it would allow the occupants to escape before the fire entered the bungalow. Any openings in the wall between the bungalow and the garage should also meet a half hour fire resisting standard. Check out page 32 of the above guide.

I have found a guide that may suit your purposes, check out http://www.performan...re/mutamarq.pdf and remember once the structure is erected you will need to conduct a a risk assessment as required by the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

For means of escape it would depend like any other building on the size, layout, how fast a fire would spread but with one major different consideration, how would the structure behave in a fire. Would the building collapse on the occupants, is the material used fire retardant, I know there is guidance on inflatable structures but I cannot locate at this moment and if and when I do, I will get back to you.