Tom Sutton

Providing the hinges are suitable for fire fire doors in accordance with BS EN 1935:2002 then coating them with copper should not affect their performance as you are not changing their properties just the appearance.

It sounds very much that you will involved in a material alteration which will be subject to the Building Regulations 2000 and you will need to consider fire safety matters under the those regulations. Go to http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-safety-in-new-extended-or-altered-buildings/ for the basics and for further information go to http://www.firesafe.org.uk/

In the event of a fire and the electric supply failing could the housemaster find his way out of the property if the answer is no then emergency escape lighting is required. I do not have EEL in my home because I have a street lamp outside my front door and at 2am I can find my way around easily. Being a person with prostrate problems I have plenty of opportunity to test it. <_<

In my opinion answer is no if a smoke detector has been installed as required by the fire risk assessment then replacing it with a heat detector will reduce the response time, to a fire alarm, putting lives in danger. Have you considered bringing in a fire alarm specialist to look at the problem and maybe s/he could provide a solution.

You have the normal lighting circuits in the commons areas to enable persons using the the building to move about the building safety when the area is in darkness. I cannot see why they should not be operated by motion sensors but this is a health and safety matter. You may require under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 require emergency escape lighting and the guidance is Sleeping accommodation which should assist you in deciding if you require EEL. If you do need emergency escape lighting then non-maintained should be used which only illuminates in the case of a fire.

Yes you are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and you can get further information from http://www.firesafe....ety-order-2005/. The guidance is Small and medium placesof assembly which covers Smaller public houses, clubs, restaurants and cafes, village halls, community centre’s, libraries, marquees, churches and other places of worship or study accommodating up to 300 people.

I am not aware of any minimum gaps between furniture however when considering the travel distance you must consider the actual route, around desks, and other furniture, not the direct route. The OSRA require a minimum space for each desk and there is guidance in the new metric book, on gaps between work stations. Check out http://www.docstoc.c...rategy-Document (you do not need to download the document just go to section 14.) In this these days of risk assessment I would think its up to the FR assessor to decide if the gap is adequate.

The guidance for fire door installation is BS 8214:2008 Code of practice for fire door assemblies and includes the following note, "Approved Document B of the Building Regulations 2000 [6] recommends that the installation of fire-resisting products be covered by product conformity certification or by independent registered installer schemes, where such schemes are available. Also in the above BS it gives guidance on how to fill the gap between the frame and wall and suggests suitable packing, intumescent material as a preformed strip seal or Mineral or glass wool packed to a depth of at least 10 mm or Intumescent paste, mastic or other suitable material. For more guidance check out "Guidance on Fire Door Installation" click here

Your premises are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and it requires you to conduct a fire risk assessment. The DCLG considers the sleeping guide as being to onerous for small premise like yours and the guide to use is "Do you have paying guests?". You should study the whole document but the reference the fire extinguisher is as follows, " Should I provide fire fighting equipment? One extinguisher on each floor near the stairs and a fire blanket in the kitchen should be enough in most small premises. You will need to make sure that the instructions on how to use them are clear and that there is a warning to people not to tackle anything other than a very small fire. Evacuating the premises is the safest thing to do. You can buy suitable multi-purpose extinguishers, guaranteed for five years, from a range of larger DIY outlets. You should check the gauge regularly to make sure the ‘stored pressure’ has not leaked.

Check out the advice from the Isle of Wight Council on domestic fire alarms. Then check the situation in your home and decide which would be the best solution but you should not disable your fire detector it could cost you your life. Can't you keep the kitchen door closed when you are cooking as an interim solution while you are sorting out the problem. There will be a solution depending on the layout of your home and using a combination of the three types of detector. You can check the ambient temperature at ceiling level using a domestic thermometer. Finally have you considered getting a free home check and advice from the local fire and rescue service this should help. http://www.firesafe....rvices-details/

Harry I stand corrected the 1ltr version doesn't have an A or B rating therefore I would not consider it, on reflection you would have to use the 6ltr as a minimum if you require a multi-rated extinguisher.

I have done a little research and assuming the extinguisher is for public order policing where police officers can get flammable liquids on their clothing. For a class “B” fire in a container then I would not recommend a dry water mist because of the rating but the above scenario is more akin to a spill type fire and the method of rating is calculated differently. It says the recommended minimum rating = 10 X the amount of flammable liquid spilt in litres. Therefore the contents of a petrol bomb are likely to be about 0.25litres X 10 = 2.5 and the 1litre water mist extinguisher has a rating of 5B then in theory it should be adequate. Having said that, I would still be cautious and conduct some practical tests, using a dummy dressed in riot gear to prove it would be effective.

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.