Tom Sutton

Under the The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 only the common areas need a FRA but if it is registered as a HMO under the housing act then this covers all the premises, flats and common areas and you will need to contact the local housing authority who enforce the act.

If you have a full 60 minute separation between all the flats and shop with no common areas you only require a fire alarm in each flat to BS 5839-6:2013 they do not need to be interlink with other flats. You may or may not require a fire alarm in the shop, dependent on the situation.

Yes it can providing the fire exit sign is visible when the curtains are closed, they run freely, a 150mm gap between floor and the bottom of the curtain. Also in the event of an emergency a steward reports to the the door, opens the curtains and usher the patrons through the door as should happen in all theatres/cinemas.

It is possible that one exit for the building is acceptable and an alternative exit would not be required it would all depend on the means of escape (MoE) being satisfactory. The MoE is dependant on the layout of the premises, the travel/time distances, the number of persons using the exit and other conditions. Without a physical survey it would be difficult to determine if the MoE is satisfactory however the government has decided that studying the guide for Offices and shops you may be able to do it for yourself if not then you would need to employ a competent fire risk assessor.

Point Smoke Detectors: 1 Ionisation chamber Smoke Detectors which are very sensitive to smoke with small particles i.e. fresh cellulosic smoke and the source of almost invisible smoke one gets with burning paper and spirit. They are relatively insensitive to smoke with large particles for example, smoke produced by burning plastics or stale smoke. 2 Optical Smoke Detectors are sensitive to optically dense smoke i.e. smoke with large particles and they are relatively insensitive to optically thin smoke. 3. CO fire detectors detect the CO from a deep seated smouldering fire and give an alarm, not to be confused with CO detectors that give an alarm when the CO reaches dangerous toxic levels. 4. Multi sensor detectors which are detectors that combine a number of sensors and give the alarm when all reach a positive state. Some countries i.e.: Italy, Japan, Qatar only uses Optical Smoke Detectors and within parts of the Middle and Far East, only Ionisation Detectors are used. Within the UK systems can comprise of a mixture of the two. Optical Detectors are normally used on escape routes such as corridors and stairwells. Ionisation Smoke Detectors are normally fitted within office and other general areas. All fires will produce elements that can be detected by all three detectors but in my experience domestic fires produce a great deal of thick smoke which is best suited to optical detector and as the principle aim is to warn the occupants before the escape corridors become untenable, also they are also less subject to false alarms. Using multi sensor detectors with ionisation and optical sensors may be a better solution, depending on false alarms but it may not be feasible in your situation.

The common areas are subject to the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and it is stated in article 14 (h) emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting. So if the escape route requires illumination if the normal lighting fails then emergency lighting is required.

AB I stand corrected but would BR apply for a rewire?

The style of door is not a fire safety matter you can get fire doors on many different styles. However, do you need a fire door to your kitchen, is a fire safety matter but without knowing the layout of the flat it is impossible to give a definitive response. Fire safety in flats is subject to the Building Regulations and guidance is contained in Approved Document B (Fire Safety) Vol 2 Section 2 page 21 covers the layout of flats and you need to study this section to understand if a fire door to the kitchen is required and if it is then a fire door has to be fitted but the style is another matter.

Check out article 2. Interpretation of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 "workplace" means any premises or parts of premises, not being domestic premises, used for the purposes of an employer's undertaking and which are made available to an employee of the employer as a place of work and includes - (a) any place within the premises to which such employee has access while at work; and (b) any room, lobby, corridor, staircase, road, or other place - (i) used as a means of access to or egress from that place of work; or (ii) where facilities are provided for use in connection with that place of work, other than a public road; My interpretation is that the workplace includes the route out of the workplace but ceases when it reaches a public road.

When you are dealing with CO2 fire extinguishers the pressure is such that the gas turns to liquid and remains that way until the pressure is reduced. When it is released it turns back to a gas that is why you have a discharge horn to slow down the pace of extinguishing medium to allow it to change state and scatter the fire you are trying to extinguish.

I would need to see it myself to be able to say it is unsafe but if you are concerned speak to ASDA who are the Responsible Persons or you could contact the enforcing authority who is the fire and rescue service check out, http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/, for your local fire and rescue service.

Is this a second post I think I have already answer it.

In accordance with BS 7273-4 2007 green emergency release units are required unless the doors can be opened manually. The door has to be fail safe when the fire alarm operates, and the push to exit button is simply the means of operating the door and not covered by the above standard. You could try relocating the green emergency release units away from the door within a 2 metre distance which is acceptable to the standard or you can purchase devices that cover the unit and has to be lifted before you can operate the unit.

A single COMPANY/BUSINESS uses the premises/building as opposed to a multi occupancy where a number of companies use the building.

There is no set time, all employees require training, others require additional training depending on their fire safety role but no frequency is given. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 states , Article 21 2(a) include suitable and sufficient instruction and training on the appropriate precautions and actions to be taken by the employee in order to safeguard himself and other relevant persons on the premises; Article 21 2(b) be repeated periodically where appropriate; So it is not very clear on the frequency and it is left up to the Responsible Person to decide but is generally considered to be 12 monthly.

Registered HMO's the local Housing Department are the enforcing authority and the Landlord ZONE is more likely to give you more accurate advice than I, checkout http://www.landlordzone.co.uk/

There is no such a thing as a risk assessment certificate the Responsible Person or persons (owners/freeholders) has to conduct a fire risk assessment (FRA) and if he/she employs 5 more people it has to be recorded. If this document is available then this is most probably what they are talking about. You could contact the owner/freeholders who are the Responsible Persons to see if the FRA has been recorded. Check out The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, article 9 (6)

I am assuming you live in England or Wales because the legislation is different in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Your block of flats are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the freeholder is the Responsible Person and has to conduct a fire risk assessment (FRA). Without seeing the FRA I cannot say what is needed to ensure the premises are fire safe but all front doors need to be fire doors. Who ever conducted the FRA must have decided all the front doors met a 30 minute nominal standard of fire resistance but because you removed your front door you have to replace it with a certified 30 minute fire door, as you didn't the RP is insisting you do. If you still have concerns contact the enforcing authority the local fire and rescue service check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/ .

The British Standard simple says grade D is a smoke alarm or alarms fed from the mains electricity supply with a backup battery it also may include heat alarm in the kitchen and if more than one they must be interconnected. These other descriptions are trying to clarify the definition and yes you do need an electrician to fit them initially but once the base has been fitted you can change the alarm part yourself. The front doors form part of the common area and protect the common area. There is no such a thing as a test, once the door has been manufactured deciding if a door would meet a 30 minute fire resisting standard is a matter of training and experience. For more information get in touch with the Fire Door Inspection Service and/or http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-doors/ which may be helpful. Both you and the other owner are the Responsible Persons and are culpable under The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and the other owner under article 22 has to co-operate with you to ensure those regulations are met. There are no short cuts or cheap options it has to be met in full because the penalties are severe.

Most fire risk assessors do not think it is important the general feeling is that most people understand the signs no matter which one and it is not a serious problem. Unless the government is proded with a pointy stick they will not do anything and until a situation occurs that can be blamed on poor signage nothing will change. (Stable door jumps to mind typical of fire safety legislation)

The term escape route simple means any route people use to escape but yes I would consider the gangs ways from the edge of a row to a emergency exit as the escape route. The level of illumination is not as simple as that it depends on each situation and you need the British Standard to be certain but you can download a number of guides which should help. Do a internet search for "Design Guide to emergency lighting" and could add theatre which should tell you what you need to know.

The guidance for this type of premises is the HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisionsfor certain types of existing housingpage 47 and although may it not be subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 but will be subject to the Housing Act and the enforcing authority is the local house department who should be able to advise you.

In most cases it does not need to to be fire resistant (FR) but there could be a situation where a dead end external means of escape passes close to the door and if flame was issuing from the door people would not be able to pass then it would be necessary to be FR, but I think this is very rare.

If it is a dead end route, you are correct they have to be a protected routes all guidance on MoE will show this.

Both flats have an owner and are responsible for the common area therefore the owner of the other flat is still the Responsible Person under the RR(FS)O. This means you are responsible to ensure your front door is a FD 30s Door or equivalent and the other person the other flat front door. I am assuming the premises is in England or Wales, therefore the guidance for you premises is HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing and it recommends that a cat D LD2 fire alarm is satisfactory, ie a battery operated smoke detectors. You should study the above guidance and with the help of the other owner conduct a fire risk assessment or if you do not feel confident then get somebody who is.