Tom Sutton

BS 8214:2008 Code of practice for fire door assemblies states Under-door (threshold) gaps should be in accordance with the manufacturer’s installation instructions for the particular doorset design. When fitted, smoke seals should give an even contact with the floor but should not exhibit significant increased frictional forces that could interfere with the closing action of the door. The threshold gaps you refer to appear to be excessive and as the doors are most probable FD30s doors then threshold cold smoke seals should be fitted. Check out http://www.safelincs.co.uk/blog/2013/08/09/gaps-underneath-fire-doors/.

If the person is in the room sees or smells smoke I would assume he would realise there is a fire and get out long before he/she would be overcome by smoke. Also if there is alternative escape from this room and a fire occurred in other room he/she would escape via the alternative escape. However if there is no alternative means of escape then it is an inner room situation and the solution is fully explained on page 70 of the guide to Offices and shops. Three solutions are provided but only two would be suitable for this situation because the door that provides access to the room is a fire door consequently the wall must maintain the required fire resistance.

Depends if you do not require security from people entering the office from outside. If people can enter from the outside then a standard single action lever door handle could be used in combination with a deadlock to be used when the office is unoccupied, opened by the first person in, and closed last person leaving. I you require security from people entering the office then a rim lock with a single action lever type thumb screw combined with a dead lock for security when the office is unoccupied. You could use a deadlock with a thumb screw lever on the inside and key access from the outside specially designed for the purpose like the Marston 4K Escape Mortice Dead Door Lock. Finally you could use a magnetic lock but quite expensive it all depends what you want.

As the freeholder you own the premises and therefore the Responsible Person (RP) under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which requires you to reduce the possibility of a fire breaking out and conducting a fire risk assessment in the common areas, which includes article 14.Emergency routes and exits. In your case the guidance to achieve these duties is HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisionsfor certain types of existing housing which requires the flats to be separated from the common areas by a FD30s, which your advisor, the FR assessor has brought to your attention. He has advised you it should be completed in one month but as RP that is your decision but if anything should happen in the meantime and somebody was seriously injured or died as the result of a fire, you could find yourself in court with serious consequences. You may need to prove that you have done everything possible to upgrade the front doors to the flats as soon as possible. The recommendation for the electrical installation condition report is to reduce the possibility of a fire breaking out, due to an electric fault, you must surely have lighting in the common areas, also there may be other legislation that requires it.

All escape routes should be a sterile area but the word reasonable is used constantly in the legislation and the two major concerns are tripping hazards and fire spread, Does a door rubber backed doormat stuck to the floor, a potted living plant on a window sill or fixed shelf, but not a Jardiniere, or a small number of pictures, framed and covered with glass, pose a trip hazard or could result in fire spread, I would think unlikely it seems like an over cautious fire risk assessor. It could be the FR assessor found a number of genuine problems which needs addressing under the legislation but the landlord is dealing with it using a blanket solution which is not necessarily the right thing to do. You should contact the landlord and voice your concerns and see if they will adopt a more reasonable managed approach. Check out 44. Housekeeping in Fire safety in purpose-built blocks of flats.

I can understand why the electrician wishes to connect to the common area supply (landlord supply) because it would be a guaranteed supply while the premises is occupied and it is more likely that a flat could become unoccupied which could interrupt the supply to the emergency equipment. But in your case I would assume a grade D smoke detectors and self-contained emergency luminaires connected to the lighting circuits, consequently you would not lose all the whole of the system if one flat isolated their supply. Most important the local fire and rescue service (Enforcing Authority) is in agreement with you and as you and your other freeholder are the Responsible Person’s (RP) under Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 it’s your decision, the fire risk assessor is only your advisor. It is up to you whether disclose this information to the company that did the fire risk assessment but I would assume they would stick by their report anyway and I would try to get proof of the statement made by the LFB. Check out HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisionsfor certain types of existing housing

Who supplies and pays for the normal lighting in the common areas?

Jennie without more information on the building and the layout of your flat I cannot give a definitive answer but if I assume the building is only two storey's high, then it appears the architect has gone for all habitable rooms opening onto a protected hallway which leads to a final exit. Check out ADB vol 2 paragraph 2.12 as suggested by para 2.15 and if this is the case then the doors you have removed should be replaced by fire doors (FD30) no self closing device required.

As green-foam has said is sounds like a maintained emergency light but is it required please describe the premises and its function. http://www.firesafe.org.uk/emergency-lighting/

Jennie is the building two storey, with two semi detached flats on the first and two on the ground floor and each flat having its own front door, no common areas?

Stewart who is the Responsible Person, you or the landlord and who conducts the fire risk assessment, it should be the landlord. Also who employs the alarm company because they need to answer a few questions. Fire alarms should be tested/serviced weekly and 6 monthly depending on the grade of alarm installed. Extinguishers should be serviced annually and an extended service every five years depend on the type of extinguishers. The service company needs to be asked why the extinguishers have been condemned and why the fire alarm needs replacing. If it is because the fire alarm system does not meet current requirements that is not a good enough reason, providing it met the required standard when installed. I think the service company needs quizzing to ensure everything is above board. Whether its a HMO or not has no bearing on the case the applicable legislation is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the guidance is HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisionsfor certain types of existing housing

By my understanding you are correct but you have to fix permanent labels with limited information and fix them depending if the cover can be removed for washing. Check out http://www.fira.co.uk/document/fira-flammability-guide-october-2011pdf.pdf page 29.

Sounds like a typo error or the engineer doesn't know what he is talking about, part 6 should only apply to residential premises.

This is clearly a communal area and is subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RR(FS)O, which means the Responsible Person (RP) has to conduct a fire risk assessment and is subject to the RR(FS)O. The landlord is the RP, who has to implement the RR(FS)O and is responsible for the common areas. Whoever has conducted the FRA has passed their finding onto the RP who appears to be implementing it and if the front doors are not being changed it looks like the FR assessor is satisfied they meet the required standards. Who pays is up to your tenant agreement nothing to do with the RR(FS)O. The enforcing authority is the local fire and rescue service and most do a FRA in domestic premises. You could contact them and request a FRA and when they are in attendance you could bring up the subject of the front doors and is the curtains/door mats OTT. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/ for the contact details of your local FRS.

All care homes are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, and are required to conduct a fire risk assessment. The significant findings of the assessment, including the measures which have been or will be taken by the responsible person should indicate the level of fire safety in the premises. If you have concerns about the fire safety in your mum's care home you should bring to the attention of the person in charge of the home and maybe a chance to view the FRA will alleviate your concerns. However you would need a good understanding of fire safety matters to interpret the document and the guide Residential care premises should help you to understand the findings of the FRA. Or you could also contact the enforcing authority (Local fire and rescue service) and express your concerns about the fire safety in your mum's care home. I am sure they will take to necessary action which may include an audit of the premises and keep you informed of their findings. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/ for the contact details of your local FRS.

You are using the old formula, the latest requires you identify the fire rating which is the rating of fire followed by the class, for a 9 litre water extinguisher it is 13A, but it can vary so you need to check the fire rating. For a 6 litre water mist extinguisher it is 13A so they both have the same capability. The minimum quantity of extinguishers with an A rating should be calculated as any storey with a floor area less than or equal to 400 m2 there should be at least two extinguishers with a class A, having a combined minimum total fire rating of 26A. Any storey with a floor area exceeding 400 m2, there should be at least two extinguishers with a class A rating of a combined minimum total fire rating of 0.065 × floor area of the storey (in square metres). Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/portable-fire-extinguisher-general/

The RR(FS)O only apply to the common areas of block of flats therefore the flats themselves are exempt and consequently the residents, (except for article 32.2). As you can see from that they are free to decide to take part or not, but you still have to consider their safety as relevant persons and you appear to be doing that by providing a high degree of Fire Safety with plenty information for the tenants on their actions in case of fire.

The Regulations apply to upholstered furniture (including beds) supplied with new caravans (but not motor vehicles, motor homes or camper vans). The requirements are the same as those for upholstered furniture and for beds, sofa beds and mattresses. BS 7177 is also relevant to mattresses in new caravans for which the requirements listed under the Low Hazard classification of this standard will be appropriate. Check out Fire safety of furniture and furnishings in the home - A Guide to the UK Regulations

As far as I understand the purpose of the permanent label is to enable the Trading Standards to to locate the manufacturer/importer or upholsterer and check their records to establish the materials used, meet the requirements of the regulations and take any actions necessary. What you are proposing appears the do that.

You also need to check out BS 5395, could be relevant.

Check out HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing page 26 (Lighting of escape routes).

Providing the glazing is fire resistant and does not exceed certain size. The size of the glazing will depend on the location of the door and subject to a risk assessment.

Use Approved Document B volume 1 if it is a single dwelling house and use volume 2 if it is a flat External fire escapes are staircases therefore use the same guidance as for internal staircases, use Approved Document K, Approved Document M and Approved Document B, for its design. However there are additional requirements, inspecting, testing and protection from the elements. Check out http://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/Stairs http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/

I assume you have a management committee to sort out the maintenance of the common areas, well this committee should have acted upon the significant findings of the fire risk assessment (FRA), as soon as the results were delivered to you. The purpose of the FRA is to identify any failings in the fire safety of the common areas and have them rectified as soon as possible. Both the items you have mentioned are very important and should have been considered a top priority, also is shouldn't take two years to sort it out. Your luck has held out up to now but don't trust to luck anymore, if thing should go wrong, you could find yourselves in court with severe penalties or worse.

What you have described is not emergency lighting therefore what is being tested? I would suggest is you contact the housing association and find out in detail what is being tested.