Tom Sutton

This is the trading standards area of expertise but I am not aware of any regulations that require this. Check out https://www.tradingstandards.uk/consumers/support-advice.

Your management company (MC) is wrong there should be an FRA conducted in the communal areas. The MC is the Responsible Person under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and is responsible for implementing article 8 to 22 with includes conducting a FRA. Check out article 5.

As AB has said it is not in the building regulations but there is a clause in BS EN 179:2008 clause 4.1.2. Release Function, which says that the lock should release the exit door, from the inside, within 1s without the use of a key or similar device. Then you apply risk assessment and would a thumb turn meet that advice, which it would in most situations. You must also understand fire safety is all about risk assessment and it is not prescriptive which means advice is not always in black and white.

The rule of thumb for the direction of opening of fire exit doors are, in most cases, if there are more than 60 persons likely to use the door then it must open in the direction of escape. (outwards) less than 60 then it can open inwards. But it is not just the direction of opening, a fire exit should not be obstructed not even partially you need to speak to the council. As for the fire and rescue service there actions are not satisfactory you should contact the headquarters of you local fire service and report your problems to them and insist everything is in writing, including your concerns. Check out https://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/.

Then you and the other tenants as the managing agents are to Responsible Person and therefore responsible for complying with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which includes conducting a fire risk assessment. Sorry about the link it is A Guide to Choosing a Competent Fire Risk Assessor

The way I read it is Gordo has had the doors fitted and they have been replaced with fire door sets (Door and Frame) to BS 476 part 22 and consequently they have the 12mm rebates I assume with intumescent strips/cold smoke seals. He now is concerned why the rebates are only 12mm and not 24mm as was required by BS 476 part 8. (previous standard)

You said a concealed self closer installed to the front door, if it is not a perko powermatic, then it is unlikely to meet the required standard and you will need to fit an overhead self closing device to BS EN 1154:1997 Building Hardware – Controlled Door Closing Devices. Check out https://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-door-fitting-and-ironmongery/.

All doors that lead to a place of safety in a fire are fire exit doors and should be fitted with fire exit signs when it could be confused where the door leads to. All doors that lead, direct to fresh air, are called final fire exit doors and in most cases do not need to be fire resistant unless they open onto a narrow alleyway. All fire exit doors need to be easily opened, in the direction of escape, without the use of a key and there are many locking devices that meet that specification but all exit doors used in an escape route from an auditorium should use panic bars. However not all doors need to be used in a means of escape plan, this would depend on the occupancy of the premises, these could be fitted with locks of your own choice. When the premises are empty you can secure it as tight as a drum, with whatever devices you choose, but when occupied all MoE doors should be available.

Sorry my mistake the third link should be HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing

The building is subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and study it to decide who the Responsible Person is (article 3 ) and it is then who are responsible for conduction the Fire risk Assessment. If the management company has been legally set up then it is them if not it would be the owners/freeholder. Because of your apparent lack of knowledge I would suggest you consider using a fire risk assessor, check out A Guide to Choosing a Competent Fire Risk Assessor and A Guide to Choosing a Competent Fire Risk Assessor.

Firstly I would decide which course you intend to apply for, then contact them to see the recommended book list to assist you in your course. As for BS 9999 I am not aware of any in depth guide to BS 9999 occasionally I have seen seminars on this subject.

Yes it does, providing you share in common an escape route used by you and the other tenant, it all depends on the layout of the premises.

I will call it a borrowed light as opposed to a screen and to my knowledge an escape routes less than 1.8 m, escapees have to be protected from radiated heat, in this case from the day room if involved in fire. There are two means of protection, by allowing the sill of the borrowed light to be located above 1.2 m above the floor level so escapees can crouch down and crawl pass the borrowed light avoiding the radiated heat. The second is to provide insulated fire resistant glass. In most circumstances insulated FRG would not be required but because it is a Residential Care Home, can you expect older residents to crouch down or wheelchairs to pass the borrowed light. So I would suggest you would require insulated FRG.

Further to my previous submission the need for three hinges are necessary because of the weight of the door and any theoretical increase of mass, because self closers are installed. Also prior to the 80's any bowing of the door could open the gap between the door and the frame allowing heat and smoke to pass through, but now this is not a problem, providing the door is well fitting, with the recommended gaps, because intumescent strips are installed.

There a number of reasons why three hinges and higher grade are recommended, check out BS EN 1935:2002. For instance fire doors fitted with self closers with backcheck or hold open devices three hinges are recommended and the third hinges should be located 200mm below the top hinge.

This is a question for a testing house like chiltern and not this forum, most of the standard is technical matters concerning the testing of fire resistance and smoke control tests of door, shutter and, openable window assemblies and elements of building hardware. All I would be interested with, is the global assessment and any documentation on the results of the test.

As far as I am aware there is no such certificate what they want is proof that it is structurally sound so I would think an inspection report from a structural engineer would suffice, check with your client.

Means of escape (MoE) through another person's property is not advised but in some cases they are accepted, but if they are, there must be a legal agreement, agreed and signed by each party, to ensure the MoE is available at all relevant times, check it out with your solicitor. You need to check, if you separate the premises, will your MoE will be satisfactory without the bypass exit to next door. The second point is what you are going to use your premises for, this will determine which guide is relevant, if at all?

If they are selling to joe public then they are in breach of FFFSR and so are re-upholsterers as they are subject to the regulations. I think the problem is the regulation which are poorly drafted and difficult to understand by the lay person. They have revised them and produced a draft copy, but that's it, they have not progressed any further. Also I think the enforcement is poor as the Trading Standards is not proactive and adopt a reactive approach. I believe the Amazon was selling upholstered furniture from Germany which did not meet the Regulations but they claimed that they where only agents and not retailer or importer, which was not progressed with. I think it is up to the individual to insist on furnished furniture complying with the regulations, however I have recently bought sofa and when I talked to the salesperson he agreed that all upholded furniture has to meet the regulations. He also said most people are more interested on the price and not fire safety.

I am not aware of any legislation covering the use of gas heaters in smoking areas in pubs/clubs other than the FSO, considering that the smoking area is likely to be on land belonging to the RP. I would think you need to apply risk assessment policy the same as the remainder of the premises. Why I say this I would think the local council is unlikely to allow you to use the public thoroughfare for a smoke hole.

Further to AB submission check out Contact details for local Fire and Rescue Services and go to the head office.

If it is a FD30s door then it may be acceptable but as I have said you need a fire safety consultant on site, because there are many things to consider and it cannot be dealt with fully over the internet. Check out A Guide to Choosing a Competent Fire Risk Assessor

I cannot give a definitive answer without knowing the type premises and an intimate knowledge of the premises. However I think it could be acceptable provided you separated the two escape routes by a cross corridor FD30s door, all escape doors would need to be easily openable from the escape side and well signed.

I would say it depends on how the doorbell is fitted to the door, if it is a permanent fixture then careful use of Intumescent Sealant could solve the problem.

I think I would agree with you but it is the common areas are the responsibility of the Responsible Person (owner/freeholder/managing agent) which ends when it reaches the public thoroughfare and have the right to make it a sterile area if they think it is necessary.