Tom Sutton

Why not, it is a single direction MoE and all the doors should be FR s/c to enable you to pass the rooms to get to a final exit door.

Many years ago I was involved in double metal doors, fully glazed, with the intumescent seals concealed under phosphore bronze lippings, that met a two hour fire resistant standard. I think your door could be a fire door you need to check out the manufacturer. Check out https://www.iqglassuk.com/products/steel-framed-fire-rated-doors/s24176/ they are possible.

You could check https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/operational-guidance-for-the-fire-and-rescue-authorities-incidents-in-tunnels-and-underground-structures appendix a Covers tunnels under contruction.

Assuming you mean cease and not seize, then no it will always be CO2 while it is sealed in the cylinder.

Are there escape windows in accordance with Approved Document B (Fire Safety) in each habitable rooms and are the doors well fitting substantial doors to the escape route, check out page 46 of FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing.

Fire doors NO, if they remain open they will not function as required, final exit doors, that do not need to be fire doors, YES. It all depends also on what you means by retainer, if it is an electronic hold open device, then it could be acceptable on certain fire doors.

As the buyer I do not think you can do anything and the seller, if they are freeholders, then they are part owners of the building. As part owners they are a Responsible Person and have duty to conduct a FRA, however in this case they and the other RP's have employed a management company to take over the RP duties. As part owner and employer the management company I would have thought they could get a copy of the FRA if a written record is required which would depend on the numbers of employees the management company has. If the flat is leasehold then then there is little you can do other than to rely on the goodwill of the management company. I am only a barrack room lawyer and you need professional advice from a solicitor dealing with The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 like http://www.safetylawyers.co.uk/fire-safety/

Dry power is no longer recommended by 5306 - 8 for indoor use as the powder will obscure vision, affect breathing and is very damaging to surfaces and equipment Powder is still very useful and it's not an absolute no-no indoors if justified by a Health & Safety assessment. However for your usual place of assembly, office, shop, hotel, healthcare premises, etc it's not appropriate - it's usually industrial type risks where the need for it's rapid knockdown properties outweighs the secondary damage and health risks where it can remain. Depending on the risk to be covered then Wet Chemical, Water Mist, Triclass, Foam, Water Spray are all possibles as powder extinguishers can be found covering all sorts of risks! Thanks AB.

Without knowing the layout or surveying the premises it is impossible to give a definitive response, a single exit could be acceptable or not it would depend on a number of considerations.

If your concerns are valid, why are not all our shops being destroyed by fire, because most will have aerosols in them, including domestic premises. I agree they should not be stored willy nilly in between other combustibles and a full FRA should be conducted to ensure they are are safe as possible. But if they were a major problem I am sure there would be plenty of guidance for small quantities as there is for large quantities like warehouse used by aerosol manufacturers and there isn't. You should conduct a full risk assessment, including sources of ignition, closeness of flammable items, etc then based on your findings produce a your report and let the RP decide what he/she is prepared to accept.

The problem is, no matter how you propose to prevent cold smoke passing a fire door and smoke logging the escape route, it has to be tested according to BS 476 Pt.31.1. All cold smoke seals that are on sale meet that minimum requirement and you must consider how you will fit them to the fire door. Batwing Seal would be one of the easiest because I think you could fit it and remove the brush seal, leaving the intumescent seal, without dismantling the door. The cost would be about £3 a length, less the £10 a door and I cannot see you getting it much cheaper no matter what solution you decide upon. I cannot see removing the intumescent seal and leaving the brush seal will make any difference, as the intumescent seal lies flat with the door edge? A combined intumescent strip and brush seal is acceptable in the door rebate. If you remove the brush seal from the combined fire and smoke seal I cannot think it would be detrimental on the operation of the intumescent seal. Check out ASDMA Best Practice Guide I am sure this will help.

Fire Marshal/Warden training should be similar no matter which premises are involved and the only difference is the fire routine, they have to work to. It is a matter of opinion and the syllabus whether a course is satisfactory; you should seek recommendations from somebody who has taken the course.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states you must have fire alarm in the common parts, if necessary and it needs to be maintained. Good practice dictates it should be installed and maintained in accordance with BS 5839 part 6 which in turn says the this should be done, Grade A systems should be inspected and serviced at periods not exceeding six months in accordance with part 1, Grade B and Grade C systems should be serviced every six months in accordance with the supplier’s instructions.

Not knowing the full layout and being familiar with the building I cannot give a satisfactory response but a fire risk assessment under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 should have been conducted and if the means of escape is unsatisfactory it would have been highlighted in the report, try to get a viewing of the FRA.

The external door leading to fresh air is known as a final exit door and does not require to be a fire door or kept shut other than for security reasons, except when it opens onto an escape route where it could jeopardise people getting to a place of ultimate safety, like an external staircase. This would not apply in your building because there is only one final exit.

Of course you should carry on using them your home is full of flammable items and if used correctly should not pose any fire safety problems just apply common sense in their use. Occasionally things can go wrong but that's life and hot water or left in the sun is unlikely to cause a problem I do not think you have any major concerns. I have had three knives like the ones you describe for many years and I haven't had any problems.

AB is correct windows may require to be openable for smoke control purposes but firefighters have their own way of providing ventilation if necessary, I have done it many times. The problem is, the means of escape in flats use a concept called smoke dispersal and other premises use smoke containment. In smoke dispersal you get rid of the smoke as it enters the escape route, smoke containment you hold the smoke in the smallest area of the escape route. The problem is in flats you sometimes have both, although ventilation very useful it is not always necessary therefore not knowing the layout of the building it is difficult to give a definitive answer.

No, if it is an integral garage then the needs to be 30 min separation between the garage and the house and therefore a fire door would be required. Check the full requirements in Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1: Dwellinghouses page 30.

If these windows are in common areas then it is most likely they are not required for escape windows, depending on the means of escape, and therefore can be locked. It is only the windows in habitable rooms in the flat need to be escape windows again depending on the means of escape.

However you could calculate the number of hours the lights are lit for a year. Calculate the total wattage of the circuit, divided by 1000 will give you the number of Kw Multiplied the hours used by the number of kilowatts will give you the Kw/hours Multiply the Kw/Hrs by the cost of a unit of electricity, will give the cost per year. Hours X Units X Cost = cost/year

I do not see this as a fire safety matter.

If they are in the yard or clients sites for breakdowns what's the problem, it only those in the building you have to account for?

You need a solicitor not a fire safety forum, considering the fire safety aspect, a door mat can be a hazard depending on an assessment but how the Responsible Person should deal with it, is for the RP and his/her actions is not a fire safety problem.

If you are talking about Fire Door Keep Shut signs then fire doors must have “Fire Door Keep Shut” signs on both sides of the door at eye level. If a set of double doors, both leafs should have signs on both sides. Some fire doors will have automatic door closers fitted (connected to the fire alarm system) so the signs will say “Automatic Fire Door Keep Clear” or similar. Fire doors to riser cupboards or other higher risk areas should have “Fire Door Keep Locked” or similar signs fitted to the outside. This is the guidance in many fire safety guidance documents, check out https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/422175/9449_Offices_and_Shops_v2.pdf page 103.

If you are talking about fire exit signs you only need to fit one sign indicating the direction of fire escape route. Check out https://www.fia.uk.com/resourceLibrary/guidance-fire-safety-signs-and-notices.html