Tom Sutton

The problem is the only way to see if a material has lost its fire retardant properties would be to test it and that would destroy the piece of furniture. The Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in the home - A Guide to the UK Regulations only deal with the upholstered furniture at the time of manufacture, importing, resale or re-upholstery and to check the documentation for a further five years. Providing the sofa has the appropriate permanent label attached you are legally correct but if you need reassurance then have the flame retardant coating re-applied.

The purpose of the weekly test is to ensure if the fire alarm is required, it is working, to do this you use a different manual call point each week, meaning over a period of time all call points will be used.

Check out article 32.3 the CDM regs 2015, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/51/regulation/32/made.

Fire fighting lifts must conform to EN 81, which included the lift car must return to Fire Service Access Level and park with doors open. I guess it has come from that and as AB as said "a very useful extra" for standard lifts.

It depends if the rental property is a house or flat, a house is not subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and a flat could be. Also it depends if the relevant persons would be in danger if enclosed to close to the building, but in most cases an escape to the public thoroughfare is necessary.

All escape routes should have emergency lighting, if required, to ensure relevant persons can find their way out safely if the normal electricity supply fails, which includes the staff. The system should be installed according to BS 5266-1:2016 Emergency lighting. Code of practice for the emergency lighting of premises. Check out https://www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/.

If you are sure they are the original labels, just staple them back, although the regulations say they should be permanently fixed, I have seen them stapled, but how permanent should permanently be?

The residential premises should have CO and smoke detection in accordance with The Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015. The office accommodation should have a fire alarm installed in accordance with BS 5839-1:2013 Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises.

The Fire and Rescue Service are the enforcing authority and usually will not give advice on The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RR(FS)O). Search the internet for "Fire Safety Consultant in the Preston area" and ignore any Health and Safety consultants. The chances are, that you will have to have the work done, as the management company is most probably the Responsible Person (RP) under RR(FS)O and it is a case of how you pay for it, in your case they seem to want you to do it for yourself and pay for it. The guidance for the premises is Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats.

If a fire alarm is necessary, which I must assume, it is, as you have one, then it needs to be tested in accordance with article 17 of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 then it is in contravention of this order.

If the FRA require a fire alarm you should install, a Grade L2 coverage in the common areas and a heat alarm in each flat in the room/lobby opening onto the escape route (interlinked); and 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. The reason is if a flat is unoccupied and there was a fire in the flat it could get out of control, breaking into the common areas making the common areas untenable for the rest of the tenants.

You need to check lacors guide, I understand it says, 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 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. Lacors guide is accepted by most enforcing authorities if not all and it is the owner/landlord or the managing agents responsible for implementing The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

Assuming the fire escape door locking device has been installed to BS 7273 part 4 then a power failure caused by the fire, the lock would be fail-safe and the door would would fail in open position.

I am afraid it is not as simple as that each premises has its own guidance and you need to use that guidance to conduct your Fire Risk Assessment (FRA). The FRA will decide is the external fire escape is necessary but the chances are that it is still required.

You have not been given sufficient information and the Responsible Person (RP) should provide more details from the Fire risk assessment (FRA). The offices will be a part 1 system and the category will be decided by the RP. The common areas of the flats will be a part 1 system with heat detector in the hall of each flat and the flats will be a part 6 system, a grade D most probable. The need for a fire alarm should be detailed in the FRA showing the areas of cover or a fire alarm risk assessment with you and the RP involved.

Any upholstered furniture pre 1950 is not subject to the regulations but if you re upholster it, any new materials have to meet the regulations. You would need to have permanent and display labels fitted and any information would need to enable the trading standards to locate you to be able to check the materials used. Where you obtain the labels would be up to you, providing they carry the appropriate information. Check out Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in the home - A Guide to the UK Regulations

It all depends on the construction of the timber fire door they usually consist of a fire resistant core with hardwood lippings on the stiles and softwood lippings on the top and threshold, covered with a veneer cover. I see no reason why they could not put larger lipping on but that is up to the manufacturer's, I think they just construct then to standard sizes. Which is alright until you have to hang doors in old buildings that are not standard then it's time to consider fire door blanks and make your own.

Depends on if it is a new or altered premises or an existing building. Travel distance can be found in the DCLG guidance, http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/ and in a new or altered premises the Building Regulations guidance, check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-safety-in-new-extended-or-altered-buildings/.

Point taken, you do need an illuminated exit signs so why not fit illuminated exit boxes with BS 5499 standard templates.

Approved Document B (fire safety) volume 1: Dwellinghouses page 30 shows the recommendation and the swing on the fire door can be any direction of your choice and the self closer will keep the door closed anyway.

Why do you need an illuminated exit sign assuming it is not a place of public entertainment, I see many that are just not required and it would be easier to use a standard exit sign with a EL fitting no more than 2m away?

I suspect the Health and Safety (Safety Signs and Signals) Regulations 1996, considering they have had years to do something about it, will have a low priority in the new "Great Repeal Bill" and this anomaly will continue for years.

The intumescent strip can be fitted in the frame but it is acceptable to fit them in the fire door.

I cannot be definitive without checking a number of items but the the chances are that a loft hatch along the escape route would need to be fire resistant, to what standard would depend on the situation that prevails.

As far as I am aware the bedhead test is part of the commissioning process and once the number and location of sounders have been established the test is no longer required unless there is some doubt on any sounder or group of sounders. I think the weekly test should be done to establish the fire alarm is working, limited to flick testing (few seconds), which is the purpose of the test and the staff report on the audibility, not the guests, choosing a time when the rooms are being cleaned. I do not think I would get hung up on the 75 dB at the bed head.