FireRiskPro

If you are going to use portable heaters the oil filled are the best option.

Your fire assessment would have cost less with Safelincs...... £145.

Competent advice at the early stages will pay you back, worst case scenario is that you proceed & then refused the appropriate certification from building control as your design does not comply, a competent architect will be able to design to comply with building regulations, note I use the word "competent", I have been to many places where the architect or designer has not understood building regulations. a lot of smaller architects tend to have an approach where they design & then see if building control objects or what amendments are required, this is not how it should be done.

The first point of call for "do I need it" is without doubt your fire risk assessment, it is worthwhile & can save you making expensive mistakes or being "miss-sold" unnecessary equipment.

There is a reference within published Government guidance that states " protecting single stairways or other critical means of escape." so generally speaking it will refer to a single escape route from a building. Andy

With all fire safety it comes down to risk assessment, the first thing that should be completed supported by published guidance, Tom is correct & presents good advice, the point I would add is that for example within care homes slightly unorthodox solutions are allowed for security purposes. For example a secondary handle is allowed at a high level on a fire exit door as long as it is risk assessed, staff are trained & the system is proven to work (care homes have higher staff/supervision levels), in such places as you describe the panic lock for the magnetic system (green box) may be at a height that is a deviation from standards to prevent the smaller occupants using/abusing the system, security alarm devices (specific to the door) that activate on opening is another alternative solution used in some schools. Whatever system you use it must be risk assessed & communicated to key staff (a policy is a good starting point if necessary) with regular tests to ensure that key persons understand the system & that it works reliably. If in doubt take professional advice from your fire risk assessor. Hope this helps. Andy

Suggest you contact the manufacturer of the memory foam mattress this should then take away any uncertainty about the compatability.

Hi John, if the route is a protected route then it should be sterile of unnecessary fire loading (things that can burn), the essential fabrics are accepted as being necessary otherwise it would be a cold place! The subject of doormats, always raises concerns & when completing a fire risk assessment I do not get upset or ask for simple doormats (designed as such & not a piece of old carpet) to be removed as long as they are not likely to present a trip hazard. Hope this helps, your housing association should have conducted a fire risk assessment of the common parts with regular reviews, if they are an issue then the fire risk assessor should have recorded their removal as an action point.

There are generally 2 ways that a building can be checked for successful evacuation: 1. Role call of persons present. 2. Sweep of the building checking areas are clear of persons as the marshal/warden checks their area on leaving. Should a person discover a fire as they complete this process then they would evacuate the area, these persons should be formally trained & the process must be subject to a risk assessment. Persons should never re-enter a building to look for missing persons as this is the role of the fire & rescue service. Legislation states that the responsible person has a duty to evacuate all relevant persons so the first thing that must always be completed is a fire risk assessment to ensure that there are appropriate equipment routes & protection (passive/active) in place.

The legislation states that the responsible person is "any person who has control of the premises" it is usually the case that a limited company is set up who owns the common parts, this limited company is then usually the responsible person (although there may be other parties who are also deemed to have control of the premises depending on the situation). I would suggest that you have your solicitor look at the wording & the arrangements for ownership of the common parts as this can differ depending on the wording/arrangements of the contract/lease.

Hi Garth, just to give you the possible outcome of not managing fire doors, an enforcing fire safety officer could prosecute if a designated fire door is held open by anything other than a fire alarm activated device. Dorgard is a solution, however, if the fire door is on a "critical escape route" (the only way out of a building) then it may only be held open with a hard wired alarm activated device following a risk assessment. The fire risk assessment is the cornerstone of all things fire safety within your premise & should have considered any high volume doors that may be habitually held open illegally, if you have not done so I would recommend that you have your assessment conducted professionally, it costs less than you think & will give you a good grounding should you wish to conduct your own assessments in the future.

Hi Garth, you are right it can be confusing, I would suggest the following approach: When your church is used as a church or any event where the public is gathered (including staff) you will need a fire management plan, does not have to be complicated just a simple management document that states the arrangements, roles & responsibilities. The responsible person for the building has a duty to be able to successfully evacuate all "relevant persons" (any person who is within the premises), this can be managed by giving persons instructions for evacuation at the start of an assembly or may be that there are nominated persons (stewards, marshals) who would act accordingly directing/assisting persons in the event of an evacuation. So if you had a church hall/service/meeting then you would have one or the other, however be clear that you must have a plan that will successfully evacuate the premises! Just as a footnote if you hire a facility to third parties ensure that your hire agreement states that the hirer must understand that they are likely to also be deemed as a "responsible person" (& therefore must make necessary arrangements for evacuation) as they will also have control of the premises during their hire period/occupancy.