Tom Sutton

Your historical problems will not improve not matter which fire doors you fit except for the certification of older doors. If you give me the full details, I can point you to the the correct guidance, but if you wish to increase the level of fire resistance that is a matter for the Responsible Person.

Without knowing the layout of your offices it in impossible to predict which doors need to be fire doors. You need to speak to the Responsible Person or the person who conducted your fire risk assessment who should be able to inform you, which doors need to be fire doors and the required duration.

It appear satisfactory providing you meet the following requirements. Fire extinguishers should be located in conspicuous positions on brackets, stands or cabinets, where they will be readily seen by persons following an escape route. Most suitably, near to room exits, corridors, stairways, lobbies and landings. I am assuming you will be using class A extinguishers, consequently you should not need to travel more than 30 m to reach them.

When the last person securing the premises leaves the premises but if it is easily opened from the inside without the need for a key then it can be closed at any time.

BSI does not hold the copyright for the templates it is CS Todd & Associates, check the bottom of each page of the template, so I would bell them, details shown on the following link, http://www.cstodd.co.uk/contact-us.html

There is no limit on the number of doors you have to pass through to escape from fire providing they are easily openable in the event of a fire.

Most final exit doors do not require to be fire resistant so any type of door can be fitted and only in certain situations a push bar fastening is required to be fitted, were large number of people are likely to attempt to pass through the door, like public entertainment premises, (cinemas, theatres, clubs etc).

Wallpaper has to meet a class O surface spread of flame in circulation spaces and most do, except heavy and flock wallpapers. Most carpet has to have some degree of fire resistance. When buying carpet look out for reference to BS 4790 on labelling and informational documentation. Compliance with these would indicate a 35mm radius of fire spread which is the specification for low fire spread carpets to be used in protected fire escape routes or other sensitive areas. In a normal household any standard carpet should have sufficient fire resistance to be suitable for use in most occupied areas. Carpet used in escape route need to pass the hot nut test for low fire spread as described in the above BS's and if you find a fire resistant spray, it would need to certify the carpet to that standard. The table could be a tripping hazard and if the neighbour will not discuss the matter with you need to speak to the Responsible Person who could be the owner of the building or a management company. Failing this contact the local Fire and Rescue Service and voice your concerns. http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/

The fire safety order can be retrospectively applied and front doors need to be self closing fire resisting doors, but not necessarily up to the present day standard, if they can meet a previous standard and are in good condition, strips/seals may need to be applied. You need to check out Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats.

I understand that sect 48 (1) (a) (iv) says the vehicle must be safe or could use 48 (2) and I believe the licensing committee of the local district council interpret that, in their licensing conditions, that it must carry a fire extinguisher, so check your local licensing committee, because each one is different, .

Hi AB i do not think it is the siting of extinguisher that concerns Linda, it is the removing them from designated locations and not returning them, which could be a safety matter.

Your proposals would require building regulations approval and it is very unlikely it would get approval, because only an alternative escape route is allowed to use a flat roof and roof has to be part of the same building. Years ago when older buildings where being brought up to, the as then modern standards, alternative escape through the adjacent premises was sometimes the only solution and that's is why you may find them in older buildings. Check out Approved Document B (fire Safety) volume 2: Premises other than Dwelling Houses page 21,29 and 57

It could be argued that they are in breach of article 23 (1) of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 but whether the fire and rescue service would prosecute would be in debate. However the bluff and persuasion act might work produce a notice warning employees they are in breach of the RR(FS)O article 23 and if caught will be prosecuted.

The problem is that the manufacturer/importer only has to keep their records for five years, after that there is no way of proving if an item of upholstered furniture is compliant with the regulations and the only way to prove it, is to test it, (setting it on fire) which would destroy it. 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. As a moral issue I think you should tell the purchaser the full situation and if they decide to purchase it then that is up to them. Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 08454 04 05 06. Trading Standards http://www.tradingstandards.gov.uk/advice/index.cfm

Further to AB submission, most bathrooms/en-suites are a low fire risk and therefore do not require a fire door but if there is a fire risk, like a gas water heater for instance, then at least a FD30 door should be fitted.

I would think it is no more a greater fire hazard as your indoor kitchen and you you should take similar precautions, but without further information I cannot give a definitive response.

Check out https://www.calor.co.uk/gas-bottles/gas-cylinder-safety/storing-gas-bottles should find all you need to know.

I am not aware of any fire regulations that would prevent you doing this however the ventilation of fridges are very important for many reasons. You should follow the manufacturer's installation instructions on ventilation because if the condensation coils overheat then the motor will run more than required,using more electricity and increasing the chance of fire. Low and high ventilation is the most effective bringing cold air at the low level and expelling the hot air at the high level.

The standard height of doors in the UK is 1981mm, except the most commonly used doors in Scotland and Europe is 2040mm. However the height is not a major concern the width is more important in fire safety and the major problem with the height is reducing standard fire doors to fit small frames. This is because you are limited how much you can remove from the top and bottom of fire doors and each one is different you need to read the manufacturer's documentation to find out.

All doors, required for means of escape, in the event of a fire, which include the main entrance doors, are MoE doors. (Fire Exits) All doors, required or means of escape in the event of a fire, are required to be easily opened, without the need of a key, when the premises are occupied. All automatic doors should be installed according to BS 7036:0 2014/BS EN 16005 2012 which depending on design, require all automatic MoE doors should open and stay open in the event of a mains failure or electrical fault, if a breakout facility is not fitted. For a more definitive answer you need to study the standards more deeply or speak to an expert in this field. Check out http://www.faac.co.uk/productfiles/323_DataSheet_rad0A238.pdf http://www.theadia.co.uk/

A person in your situation or anybody above the first floor would not use escape windows as a mean of escape from fire and the front door is your means of escape, to a refuge or maybe the premises has a stay put policy. Consequently being able to open them is more of a domestic ventilation problem than a fire safety problem. Without have a great deal more information and ideally a survey of the premises, it is impossible to give an opinion on the suitability of the means of escape from fire. Therefore I would suggest you apply for a free home fire safety check from the local Fire and Rescue Service. Contact them using http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/ to arrange their visit.

Further to AB response the Local Fire and Rescue Service is the Enforcement Authority and can be contacted at http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/.

Expanded Polystyrene (EPS) is a good example of how a material with good thermal insulation properties can also have drawbacks. Firefighters hate polystyrene ceiling tiles because in house fires they melt and drip blobs of burning plastic, and also give off carcinogenic fumes. Many chartered surveyors advise their removal. And yet, even now, there is an apparent resurgence in the fashion for lining walls with thin sheets of the stuff, albeit in versions advertised as “flame retardant”. Only expanded polystyrene tile adhesives should be used since the Home Office recommends an all-over spread adhesive; these are readily available under different trade names from the same outlets as the tiles. Always check the instructions on the pack to make sure your ceiling surface is suitable for the adhesive. Don’t use an adhesive with a solvent base such as cellulose, which would dissolve the tiles and make them highly inflammable. I would not advise but if you choose to use them, how they were fixed to the ceiling, is most important and you should spread in a layer across the whole surface of the tile with the adhesive, no spaces, no matter how small. Also on no account should they be painted over with gloss paint which was the major concern, use water based paint or fire retardant paint.

If the premises was on fire do these people have to enter the building to escape from the fire in the premises or is there an alternative means of escape from the yard.

You should check it out with Building Control but it appears there should be no gaps for flats and you should not be able to pass a 100mm sphere between the open steps for dwellings. Check out https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/443181/BR_PDF_AD_K_2013.pdf page 6