Tom Sutton

On further consideration removing the lippings and replacing with wider lippings would be a major job but you could consider modifying the door frame which could be easier. Another consideration,depending if the gap on the hinge side if less than 4mm you could shim the hinges to reduce the gap on the other side. Remember 3mm +/- 1mm.

The 3mm +/- 1mm gap between the door and frame, around the sides and top of the door should be measured before the seal and strip is fitted. The gap can be reduced by increasing the lippings width, which should be 6mm to 13mm as required by many global assessments for fire doors, so dependent on the size of the existing lippings you may be able to reduce the gap by a small amount. You do need to router the door so the intumescent seal is level with the surface but the smoke seal should project above this to fill in the 3mm gap the self-adhesive holds the seal in the grove. Check out http://www.asdma.com/pdf/BPG.pdf and http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-doors/

In light of AB response I reconsidered the question and realized the significance of the D handle which appears that Dan proposes to fit a panic bar to an inward opening door and when operated use the D handle to pull the door open, this is strictly a NO NO. If a push bar is necessary then the door must open in direction of escape (outwards) and in most situations the door has to be set back to ensure when open it does not restrict the means of escape.

These doors appear to be final exit doors and the material they are constructed of is irrelevant but as you are fitting panic bars the need to open in the direction of escape and will not restrict the width of the escape route when open. The width of the doors should be capable of passing the number likely to use them in an emergency and should open in the direction of escape however if the number is less than sixty they can open inwards.

I suspect they haven't been working for some time but yes replace them with domestic smoke alarms however a better solutions is to fit mains powered domestic alarms with battery backup, grade D and interlinked if required. You can get bases that are wired into the mains and the domestic fire alarm is fitted into the base which can be removed if it develops any problems without the need to to use an electrician to replace the fire alarm. All new houses require a grade D domestic fire alarms fitted in accordance with the guidance BS 5839-6: 2013.

If there are no common areas then The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 does not apply. If self-contained flats then they will not be a HMO and I think if converted before 1992 then the planning and building regulations are powerless to do anything you need to check with the appropriate authorities. They will be subject to the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm (England) Regulations 2015 if applicable, nevertheless there should be a domestic detection system fitted in both flats and a CO detector if necessary.

Because of the proposals that are being considered, a review of the Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) would need to be conducted and dependant on the significant findings that arose would dictate if their proposals are acceptable. To make any comments you need to see that FRA, to understand if what is being done, is acceptable, and by the sound of it, it does not seem to be good practice.

I would consider this flat subject to ADB vol 2 and dependent on the the number of floors, (height) 2.12 or 2.13 would at appropriate. If it is like most flats above pubs then it would be two storey and 2.12 would apply. Check out https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-approved-document-b

If you fit a FD30s door which is a fire door with smoke seals this would reduce, considerably the passage of smoke, therefore fumes, to low levels, but not seal the door opening completely.

How is the flat separated from the pub does it have independant exits?

There is nothing in building regulations but you will find the following in BS 5499 part 4 2013, The mounting height on escape route signs should be sited conspicuously within the normal field of vision and to assist evacuees with the prediction of the location of successive signs. 1. Signs above doors or open spaces should be mounted between 2 m and 2.5 m from floor level, measured to the base of the sign and be sited as close to the centre line of the escape routes practicable; this mounting height is intended to ensure that signs can be readily seen, e.g. over the heads of people.

All doors you need to pass through to escape for a building on fire are fire escape doors; the last door that leads to outside the premises is a the final fire escape door. All doors required to prevent the spread of fire are fire resisting doors, (fire doors) FD30/60 and can have an index "s” which means it must resist the passage of smoke as well. All fire exit doors should have fasteners that allow the occupants to pass through easily and without the need for a key. Depending on the numbers likely to pass through a fire exit door and if there is likely to be a panic element, and then panic bars should be fitted, like in entertainment premises. I cannot advise you whether you can remove the panic bar because I am not familiar with the circumstances but a standard lever handle could be acceptable. There is nothing special about a fire exit door they can be used in normal situations but they need to be easily openable and kept available at all times, not blocked when the premises are occupied. Some may need special fastenings and be signed if necessary.

Getting a competent fire risk assessor and/or fire alarm engineering company is like employing any other outside help, it is fraught with disaster. Employing a fire risk assessor you need to study http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/selecting-a-risk-assessor.asp and a fire alarm specialist go to http://bafe.org.uk/schemes/ but unfortunately this is not a qurantee. Try http://www.fia.uk.com/ they may be of some assistance. You should employ your own business rules, you would use employing any outside contractors

All doors required for means of escape no matter where located and fitted with a mortice lock have to be the kind that can only be unlocked from the inside without a key. If it is a second lock and only used when the occupier leaves the premises, locking it from the outside, to provide additional security, then a standard type mortice lock is acceptable..

The only thing that would be required by a fire risk assessment would be a a written legal document to allow your neighbour to cross you land and in this case it is an easement. You could put pressure on your neighbour by threatening to revoke the easement if they do not comply with your conditions, but I do not know if is legally possible that's why you need a solicitor. I am a newcomer to Prescot have only been here 30 years. :)

Many premises are fitted only with Manual Call Boxes (MCB), it all depends on what is necessary and your Fire Risk Assessment (FRA) will decide on that. Check your FRA and see what significant finding have been highlighted and maybe only MCB's are all that is required. If you choose you can fit other Fire Safety systems for property protection, but there is no legal requirement however it may improve your insurance quotes. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/ http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-risk-assessment/

I am not aware of any regulation that requires you to do anything but you could treat it with a fire retardant solution to prevent it for igniting, if the lamp was left on for some considerate period of time. You would also have to consider the wattage of the bulb in case the old incandescent bulb was used. The only way I know of reassure your customers, would be having it tested by a fire test company and getting a test certificate.

This is a legal matter and will depend on the condition contained in the fire escape easement you should contact your solicitor, as the lane belongs to you they should follow the condition in the easement. Check out http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Easement

If you surf the web I am sure you will find a number of suitable templates I would suggest http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-risk-assessment/ and http://www.firesafe.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/docs/fra_temp.docwnload FRA Template which you will need to ammend to suit your own purposes.

The older previous building regulations had a section on notional periods of fire resistance and showed half hour fire protection can be achieved using 12.5mm plaster board with a perlite-gypsum plaster skim finish. It also says a 4.5 inch brick wall has a FR of 2 hours so the walls should meet the required standard. Although these are BR’s are now redundant most people accept them as reasonable in the circumstance of the case, in the absence of documented proof. I do not understand the construction of the integral garage if there is a room above all walls should be 11 inch and this situation would not exist.

The Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989 and 1993) set levels of fire resistance for domestic upholstered furniture, furnishings(cushions etc) and other products containing upholstery.

The first fire safety course I attended the instructor said “fire safety is 80% common sense and 20% knowledge” although the percentages may have changed, common sense is an important aspect of fire safety. The management company is the Responsible Person under the fire safety regulations and is obliged to implement articles 8 to 22 which include conducting a fire risk assessment which appears you have done and paid attention to the significant findings, which is good. Your area of responsibility is the common area which should end at the front door of the flats and this includes the fire alarm but does require a heat detector located in the hall of each flat to warn the rest of the premises if there is a fire in that flat which may be unoccupied. Each flat owner should provide a grade D domestic fire alarm and a CO detector in their own flat. If the fire alarm operates everybody will know there may be fire in the premises and can evacuate if the think it is necessary but you need to provide advice to all the residents on the action they should take in the event of the fire alarm operating, which should include your procedure for checking for a fire and silencing the alarm if it is a false alarm. This is an important procedure because of the action the fire and rescue service (FRS) may take in the event of to many unwanted false alarms. Disabling detector heads is a serious matter but I can see your reasons and it is very important that you arrange with the FA maintenance company an emergency call out agreement which should be on a 24/7 with the engineer attending within 8 hours, in the event of a detector developing a serious fault. In the event of an unoccupied flat there is not much you can do unless you can arrange a key holder but an important point is that the rest of the occupants will be safe and your procedure seems acceptable. If a particular sensor keeps on giving unwanted false alarms it is very important it is sorted out and in most situations there is an answer, multi sensor detector heads, relocating the detector head for example and others. Have you run your procedures with the Fire Risk Assessor or the FRS Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/

Check out page 30 of https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/485420/BR_PDF_AD_B1_2013.pdf for more information

Without knowing the construction you cannot give definitive advice but when you purchase fire door blanks you should receive a Global Fire Resistance Assessment which explains how to construct a fire door set like http://www.mbmfp.co.uk/downloads/FlamebreakFD30RevL.pdf. In your case you should check out and consider the lippings as explained in this document.

Matt check out the code of practice for the DSEAR, http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/books/l138.htm