Tom Sutton

First of all I think Elizabeth meant 132 cm not MM and a corridor of 145 cm, the doors will be inward opening doors, there was no calculation, if you read the guidance you will find a room with inward opening doors is limited to less than sixty persons.

There is no legal requirement as far as The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is concerned but there could be other legislation which I am not aware of.

The whole building is subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the RP or RP's have to implement articles 8 to 22. simples The guidance will vary, the Firecode will apply to the healthcare premises, the shops will use the DCLG guide and the common areas the Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats . The building will be considered a multi occupied building with three premises.

Find out if a fire risk assessment (FRA) has been carried out. If it has, ask to see a copy, because this document should identify any fire related risks for that building. If there's no FRA advise your client to get one done by a suitably qualified person. You need to follow the instructions of the Responsible Person and if you have any concerns let him/her know.

My interpretation is that there is is no change and a padlock and strap applies to isolation valves on wet risers for maintenance, obviously not required on dry risers. Some fire and rescue services permit the use of secured solid fronted boxes (to BS) to prevent theft of outlet valves or inlet collection boxes, if required, on both systems.

Richard check out Post War Building Studies 20, 28 and 29 at http://www.mace.manchester.ac.uk/project/research/structures/strucfire/DataBase/References/defaultOther.htm and Human Behaviour in Fires at http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20070507012938/http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1125555 you may find them interesting.

I wouldn't get to hung up on the figures, most have no scientific foundation, I believe these figures were arrived at by comparing other codes and adding their penny worth. Take for instance to number allowed for an inward opening door, the factories act was 10 , post war studies was 40, the blue guide for the FPA was 50 and now it is generally accepted as 60. Under part E of Scottish technical standards (1993) version it quotes: The intention of the requirements for means of escape is that everyone within a building may reach either a place of safety or, in certain circumstances a protected zone within 2.5 minutes of becoming aware of an outbreak of fire. The requirements for the number and width of exits assume a unit width of 530mm per person and a rate of discharge of 40 persons a minute. The allowable travel distance (the distance which it is assumed one can travel along an unprotected escape route within the time specified) varies according to the purpose group and situation. However in the more up to date tech standards in Scotland (2001) amendment's, it says at the introduction to part E, "The intention of the requirements for means of escape is that everyone within a building may reach either a place of safety or, in certain circumstances, a protected zone within a reasonable travel distance. This also applies to the very latest Scottish Building Standards. I think you are back to risk assessment, just use the figures as a benchmark, because most of them have stood the test of time. Also it is necessary to have good reasons for you decisions, i.e. high ceilings, the escape route will remain tenable for longer therefore more people can escape, low ceilings the opposite.

In a building that is in use 24/7 there is no perfect time to do the test, there will always be a risk, but you must reduce that risk to the lowest level. As I explained above the risk is reasonable low, taking all the factors into account, by doing the test in the daylight hours, reduces that risk to the lowest level, consequently I cannot see anybody pointing the finger if that perfect storm should arise, which I believe is most unlikely. A fire - the electricity supply has to fail - and it has to occur on one day in 365, pretty unlikely I would think.

This is up to the Responsible Person (the owner/managing company) it depend what effect it will have on a fire evacuation it could cause a tripping hazard, some are prepared to accept it other want a sterile area.

I got this information from another website. This is relatively common in public spaces they are often known as EDNE (Emergency Do Not Enter) Signs. Check out http://www.kentec.co.uk/warning-signs.html they need careful consideration and planning, battery backed and sized correctly to ensure visibility from appropriate distance. I would also strongly recommend including the signage in inductance talks and Fire Drills. I do not know how you provide the inputs from the fire alarm but if you contact the company I am sure they will help.

Assuming your flats are purpose built flats and meet the standards of Approved Document B (fire Safety) volume 2: Premises other than Dwelling Houses then there will be 30 minutes separation between the first floor flats and the ground floor flats. One layer skimmed will give you 30 mins and two layers skimmed will give you 60 mins but as the first floor is less than 5 metres above the ground floor it only requires 30 mins. The whole building including the flats are subject to the Housing Act and the Building Regulations but the commons areas are subject to the The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005

The duration of an emergency lighting system will depend on the design and category of premises and if that requires 3 hours it should be tested to three hours. Consider the risk, providing you do the test during daylight hours, there has to be a fire, the electricity supply has to fail and the test is once a year, considering these situations has to happen at the same time I would think the risk is low, so I would be prepare to take a chance on the full test for the duration required.

Further to Neil's posting and will he be following the global assessment that should come with fire door blank, also it is the building control officer/Authorised Inspector who signs the completion certificate.

The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the law which article 8 says the RP shall " in relation to relevant persons who are not his employees, take such general fire precautions as may reasonably be required in the circumstances of the case to ensure that the premises are safe" and applying the lacors guidance will achieve this ". I would suggest you check the lacors guidance and see what is necessary in your situation and allow them to proceed or they could take out an injunction to allow them to carry out the work, for the safety of the other tenant. A relevant person is any person who has a legal right to be on the premises, except firefighters.

New to me but I will try to do some research to see if I can get an answer.

Fire alarms in domestic premises should be tested weekly according to BS 5839 part 6. Grade A systems should be tested weekly in accordance with BS 5839 part 1. Grade B and C, test in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions All other Grades should be tested at least every week by operating each fire alarm devices in the dwelling and should be carried out by use of a test button on each of the fire alarms in the dwelling. If they are inerlinked then all fire alarms will operate when you test one therefore I would use a different fire alarm to test each week. I would recommend that the test is done at the same time each week so everybody knows it is a test and not the real thing. The guidance for shared houses is FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing.

Who pays is not a fire safety matter it is between you and the Responsible Person. You should consult your tenancy agreement and the fire safety matters you referred to is subject to the fire risk assessment the RP has conducted. The proposed heat detector will not actuate due to somebody smoking, it will need the heat from a fire to actuate and its purpose is to warn the other tenant, if a fire was to start in your flat when it is unoccupied. The reason why the front door of the flat complete with fire seals and skylight above may need changing is if it is not 30 minutes fire resisting, because it is designed to prevent a fire in a flat making the means of escape ineffective. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 only covers the common areas so there is no need to enter your flat but there may be things that need to be done in your flat to protect the common areas. I would not think the premises would meet the required standards for a stay put procedure therefore I would recommend, if there is a fire, get out. Check out FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing which is the guidance for your building.

Fire detection and alarm system to BS 5839 part 6 • Grade A: LD2 coverage in the common areas and a heat alarm in each flat in the room/lobby opening onto the escape route (interlinked); and a Grade D: LD3 coverage in each flat (non-interlinked smoke alarm in the room/lobby opening onto the escape route) to protect the sleeping occupants of the flat. If manual call points are required then they should be located in the escape route out of the premises. Check out FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing

Schedule 1 Section B4(1) of the Building Regulations 2010 requires that: “The external walls of the building shall adequately resist the spread of fire over the walls and from one building to another, having regard to the height, use and position of the building”. Approved Document B (ADB) provides guidance on how to meet that requirement. It all depends on how it is put together, you can get Upvc doors that meet a 30 minute fire resistance so you need to know how it was constructed, the thickness and type of materials used. Then you need to contact the manufacturer to find out how it behaves in fire and any fire tests that may have been subjected to. Finally compare it with Approved Document B vol 2 and see if it conforms to ADB, building control should be able to help.

It all depends on the item being serviced or maintained, most servicing or maintenance should be done by a third party but there are some that can be done in house it all depends. If the mag locks are released when the fire alarm operates, they should be checked weekly at the time of the fire alarm test, (in house). They should be serviced six monthly same time as the fire alarm service, by a third party. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk. Regards to your previous check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-risk-assessment/ where you will find a template. Example FRA.zip

Fire safety guidance recognises the provision of a protected lobby to the staircase should ensure that the stairway is always available during the vertical escape phase of a premises fire evacuation. This is very important when only one staircase is available which should ensure that the staircase will be maintained free of heat/smoke by the provision of “two door protection” between the stairway and the place of fire risk, which will not be achieved by the provision of AFD alone. It is impossible to give a definitive answer without a fully understanding of the premises and you would need to contact building control for their views on your proposals.

It all depends what the assessment form wants and how you record you FRA, if you use drawings then it would be a simple task to use the drawings to calculate any numbers she requires.

Strange to put you on a course, then don't allow you to take advantage, but knowledge is always useful and you may be able to use it in the future.

I am assuming it is in an office, not an escape route and does not increase the spread of flame index for the room then it could be acceptable. What I do not understand, if the poster is A3 why not use an A3 laminated pouch?

I would not think so, providing it does not increase the spread of flame index for the room it is installed in.