AnthonyB

Your normal entrance is a fire exit, and if the distance from the furthest part of the office to the exit is less than 18m (possibly going up to 25m in new guidance) then it's compliant. The kitchen and toilet sound like inner rooms so there should be smoke detection in the main office (the access room) so that you would be alerted early enough to pass any fire in order to escape.

You can appeal for a relaxation or request a determination https://www.gov.uk/building-regulations-approval/appeals-and-determinations I don't know the statistics for BCO determinations, but with fire safety enforcement ones the responsible person wins reasonably often so it's not automatically stacked in favour of the state. I has something similar where the AI included a small entrance hall to flats on a lower level as a storey which necessitated the flat access lobbies off the stair on the floors above having to have a smoke shaft and ventilation added which wouldn't otherwise have been needed!

The basement doesn't count - here is what the Approved Document to the Building Regulations says: Large dwellinghouses 1.5 A large dwellinghouse has more than one storey, and at least one storey exceeds 200m2 . 1.6 A large dwellinghouse of two storeys (excluding basement storeys) should be fitted with a Grade A Category LD3 fire detection and alarm system, as described in BS 5839-6. 1.7 A large dwellinghouse of three or more storeys (excluding basement storeys) should be fitted with a Grade A Category LD2 fire detection and alarm system as described in BS 5839-6

Possibly not - the new draft guidance retains the option for smaller blocks to keep or upgrade older fire doors, although modern self closers are likely to be required in any case.

Absolutely not unless a Fire Risk Assessment deems it necessary, usually as the building has insufficient compartmentation or smoke control - if it does any system should extend into the flats so that it's loud enough to wake sleeping occupiers and activates before a fire breaks out of the flat - if it is just to the common areas it will only activate if the stairs are already affected by fire and smoke where you would be safer to stay where you are!

Separation distances are at the back of this https://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/lpg/safeuse.pdf

Which is very common and accepted by AI's and BCO's, I've seen some rather long stretched out protected stair lobbies in flats & offices to justify single directions of escape over what would be excessive TD's and avoid the need for corridor smoke control in flats

The legislation requiring flat front doors to be compliant has been in place for years, just ignored by many - the forthcoming change in legislation means block owners can't wriggle out of assessing front doors and external walls in risk assessments. The standard for front doors is and will remain an FD30S door with an EN 1154 compliant self closer. The only thing people are waiting for is the new guidance which will determine for existing blocks if new doors are required, existing doors can be upgraded or existing doors can remain. The draft of the new small blocks of flats fire safety guide indicates new fire doors will not be automatic in old blocks, it remains to be seen if the guide for larger blocks also follows this pattern as was the case in the original single guide for blocks of flats.

It would reduce the initial dead end from the rear to acceptable limits and as it is separated from the other exit by fire resisting construction doesn't need to meet the 45 degree rule and can be counted as separate. Is the kitchen a 30 minute enclosure or open plan?

It does sound like they carried out the necessary upgrades to the fire protection when fitting the boiler so it's unlikely to be a fire safety matter. If it's on the title plan for the upper ground flat it's theirs regardless of what the management company think.

Most purpose built flats just need detectors to corridors and stairs to open smoke vents with no call points or sounders. Where the fire strategy leans more to evacuation you would expect sounders & detection in addition, both in the common areas and also extending into the flats (usually the hallway) and there are often call points too, although if a risk of vandalism they may have been omitted as a variation.

If they are physically separate they don't usually need to both evacuate hence why the systems are not linked. They can be connected, massive industrial sites of multiple buildings have had connected site alarms since the 1950's! What they mean is they don't want the cost of doing so.

If it's for commercial use it won't automatically be labelled, this primarily affects domestic furnishing.

You've answered your own question - its a sign, not a light. It will not provide adequate escape route lighting as that is not it's intent and design.

If sufficient units have been placed at the right internals for their spacing tables in order to achieve the required lux level and there is evidence of this you should be fine. However if, based on observations and lack of other documentary evidence, the assessor suspects there may be insufficient or poorly spaced fittings and/or they appear to be fitted to the older editions of the standard (with far lesser lux requirements) they would be reasonable to advise that the system needs verification.

Unfortunately enforcement under the current legislation is very watered down and they won't usually bother with a single breach of the legislation, there needs to be a cumulative amount of issues leading to extremely high risk. There are thousands of sites around the country that don't meet requirements, but get 'broadly compliant' letters from the fire service. You could go down the Housing EHO route, but what with the Grenfell Enquiry still being in full swing you might be advised to get press interest in LFB's approach.

Current government guidance is not to have communal extinguishers in flats to avoid people re-entering a burning flat once already in a protected route instead of continuing to escape. Users are often untrained, the communal extinguishers are often unsuitable for some of common domestic fire causes (electrical, cooking oils) and as the common areas are protected escape routes they should not contain anything to need extinguishing in the first place. The management company would be following current accepted practice.

You could go with the HMO fire safety guidance that is still used by enforcers (LACORS) which doesn't recognise this new <200 sq.m. category (because it's old, it is under review, but not likely to be updated in the near future it's still a way to go). It's a clear reduction of the original requirements that were for cover everywhere.

English Heritage can help and have publications of use https://historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/fire-resistance-historic-timber-panel-doors/ Envirograf make a variety of products for heritage doors. https://envirograf.com/guides/

Yes, you need a category & grade based on the layout, use and size of the premises. There is a big difference between a load of radio linked Grade D2 smoke & heat alarms and a full Grade A fire alarm system - either of which could apply in your case!

Legally the absolute minimum for renting (England) is just a smoke detector to each landing and a carbon monoxide detector in any room with a solid fuel appliance. Single dwellings, even if rented, have quite minimal fire safety requirements and most modernisation comes about under the Building Regulations should a premises be altered significantly enough to warrant application of current standards. Voluntarily the sky is the limit of course. Interlinking detectors, increasing detector cover to more rooms is quite low level additions, extremes are protecting the stair (old school method, enclose it up to the hall) or automatic suppression (the modern way, but as listed may need to be mist based and even self contained units rather than standard residential sprinklers) Of course free of charge are the various fire prevention measures for the home to reduce the risk of fire in the first place but I'm sure you are already well on top of that!

There are fire resistant suspended ceilings, but I would suspect your existing grid wouldn't be adequate so you couldn't just change the tiles. Plywood wouldn't be much use and you need really to protect the risk side, i,e, the underneath. It doesn't matter what goes on top if the structural floor underneath collapses due to fire damage. It's common to underdraw the ceiling with two layers of 12.5mm plasterboard and most solutions require the false ceiling to come down to put into place. You are best using experts for this - search for Passive Fire Protection contractors.

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What size is it? Some simple small buildings require no compartmentation and, depending on travel distance and number of exits, no protected routes either. Based on it's age if any of the doors are intended to be fire doors they may be to the old pre-intumescent seal standards where the door would be well fitting into a 25mm rebate. If so it's up to the risk assessment process to determine how essential it is to upgrade (read PAS79-1 for a fuller explanation, you should ideally be following it's methodology in any case). You would consider the persons at risk, exits, alarm system, fire risks, other protection, etc when deciding if modernisation is just a recommendation or a necessity to protect the occupiers.

Category L2 related to non domestic fire alarm systems and is the one before the top layer of detection provision - it incorporates manual call points and sounders (M), Escape routes (L4), rooms opening onto escape routes (L3) and covers other specific risks identified in the system design (i.e. no fixed criteria, in theory you could have two identical buildings both with L2 systems, one having 2 extra detectors to locations not covered by L3 and the other having 22 extra detectors covering a wider range of areas. Usually it's places like motor rooms, plant rooms, electrical intakes, kitchens and the like but doesn't have to be). Grade relates to domestic fire alarm systems, the ones most familiar to most people being the Grades F (battery only, subdivided into tamper proof and user changeable types) and D (mains with back up battery, also subdivided between tamper and non tamperproof). Grade A is where the same equipment as used on commercial systems is used however whilst the design & installation requirements are similar they are not the same with a small number of differences. The life safety categories for domestic systems are LD1, 2 & 3 which whilst similar in principle to the L categories are very different in where they go being based on house/flat layouts and instead of starting with manual call points as in commercial systems, they usually only come in at the highest grade of system. Things can be more confusing as depending on the type of premises and reason for installation you can have a commercial BS5839-1 'L' category system type installation of panel, call points, detectors and sounders (e.g. purpose built flats needing evacuation strategy or sheltered housing) or the same equipment but installed & designed as a domestic BS5839-6 Grade A 'LD' category system (e.g. large HMO's, certain conversions of houses to flats)