AnthonyB

If it's a single dwelling then it's not covered by the legislation

They shouldn't have been installing foam anyway as there is no contained Class B risk and the environmental impact is severe (as is the disposal costs). Water most or multi purpose water additive (Firexo or Zenova) could cover all the premises risks in a single extinguisher type but there is severe pushback on these new developments as they would effectively half their bottom line on both supply and service - they even rewrote the British Standard on extinguishers (in variance to the rest of Europe) to force the use of multiple types

Absolutely fine - the minimum standard for non sleeping risk premises is a 'Category M' system of call points & sounders off a control panel as in an occupied building people are actually good detectors of fire. Usually detection is only present for property protection (Category P1/M or P2/M depending if the detection covers all or only part of a building and in both cases with the alarm system remotely monitored) and this voluntary unless a condition of the insurers. The fire risk assessment for the premises may determine that some detection for life safety is a requirement if the layout is such a fire could develop unnoticed long enough to prevent escape, which is unlikely in most smaller premises of your sort other than possibly if you had an 'inner room' situation where a smoke detector is needed in the access room (making the system Category L5/M) Beware of alarm maintenance providers and others saying you must upgrade your system to L1, L2, L3 etc it's rarely the case for compliance. Other than office rooms & similar you's only be able to use heat detection due to the false alarm risk.

The swing tag dates back to when most furniture was sold in retail stores and also when there were different grades of furniture (fully compliant, failed match test, failed match & cigarette test) - as long as the permanent label is not defaced the retail tag can be removed.

Is this an escape route inside a single flat or does the window open onto a common escape route?

It depends on the size and layout of the premises as to whether that needs to be a protected route, however it should be avoided in any case. The bit of the legislation covering this is in Article 14 of the Fire Safety Order: Emergency routes and exits 14.—(1) Where necessary in order to safeguard the safety of relevant persons, the responsible person must ensure that routes to emergency exits from premises and the exits themselves are kept clear at all times.

If there are no internal common areas and also the estate is 7 distinct houses (rather than flats) then they won't supply you with a fire risk assessment as there is no legal requirement for one as the relevant legislation does not apply.

AS long as the paperwork says a uPVC frame is actually acceptable and it was installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions using their approved compatible components and is still in undamaged working order then yes. Depending on location it may have been meant to have been installed with smoke seals and also it's either a 30 minute door or a 60 minute door it can't be both.

Internal doors within a flat do not require to be self closing which is why they won't have fitted it. Closers can be fitted either side of the door depending on the closer, door & frame set up, it's location may not be the reason for it's stiffness - far more likely it just needs adjusting (there should be two adjustment screws under the closer cover) to make it more free moving

Depends - repairs are possible, especially where a notional door would be accepted in the FRA. A competent fire door inspector (one of which is a regular contributor to the forum & should answer at some point) will be able to advise on the viability of repair.

Ark Workplace Risk are London based and should be able to do this, too far away for me.

No, sounds like scaremongering to get you to pay him to supply & install his choice of fitting for an appropriate price. If the lock can be mechanically released in the direction of escape by a simple single operation with no need to operate the electronic locking mechanism then it should be fine, like with the non deadlocking night latch below.

If the Assembly Point is not on your land or in a public place you won't be able to or expected to sign it. Fire action signs, Evacuation Plan signage and staff training should clearly state where it is and your fire wardens briefed to guide people towards it.

The external wall is a mandatory fire safety consideration regardless of height where there are 2 or more dwellings. Hospitals, other than new high rise ones, aren't covered by the BSA but as they don't simultaneously evacuate any competent risk assessor would consider the EWS as part of their FRA

In theory that thickness should achieve 60 minutes, but subject to the various caveats Mike mentions. You are unlikely to find anyone to certify it though so as daft as it is you might need to under draw the lot with a 60 minute White Book plasterboard solution

How thick are the beams & boards? It would be very unusual for concrete used as a floor to be so insubstantial to be anything less than notionally 60 minutes. BR128 can give a pointer as to fire resistance if you know the thickness.

They have a right to security & are not obliged to have unlocked doors. Prior to wider use of deadlocks with thumb turns on the inside the 'Yale' type night rim latch was the usual 'simple fastening' to allow ease of escape whilst locked (they had to be the type without a snib that locks out the turn knob). Independent living or sheltered housing as it is termed in official guidance is as the name suggests for people still capable of living independently with only limited intervention & supervision and if they don't have the capability to use their front door ironmongery then there are far more safety issues around their house and they should have a care assessment to see if they are still capable of independent living, not leave their front door unlocked.

Yes - it's not a legal fire exit for either domestic or non domestic premises/

You've asked this elsewhere - 1 RP, one premises, 1 linked set of protective measures, just 2 compartments, so could be one FRA. There could be an argument to split them if under completely different management just under the same parent, but it is easier (& cheaper if third party assessed) to have 1 report

Nor under the Fire Safety Order as it's inside the dwelling, nor under Building Regulations as they aren't retrospective. Are they rented or owner occupied? Assuming you are in England LD2 exceeds the statutory minimum of LD3 for rental properties.

The top storey of the building being 11 metres or more/18 metres or more in height should be determined ignoring any storey which is a roof-top machinery or plant area or consists exclusively of machinery or plant rooms, and should be measured from the ground level on the lowest side of a building to the top storey upper floor surface So not roof or ceiling level

Your written Fire Risk Assessment for the blocks (as you should legally have in place) should address this. Any reasonable assessor would, in accordance with the official Government guidance for blocks of those sizes accept the original notional fire doors (usually 44mm or 54mm thick depending on fire rating) as long as they are in good condition and installed to the correct standard originally (unfortunately some modern blocks have defects that were overlooked at the time of build). Beware of people saying you must fit new certified doorsets, fire alarms, etc. Depending where you are in the UK I may be able t help you further if you wish.

Doesn't sound like it, certainly not the front door.

This guide will help - p48 onwards for specific guidance. https://www.cieh.org/media/1244/guidance-on-fire-safety-provisions-for-certain-types-of-existing-housing.pdf You will also require a written fire risk assessment.

As it's a conversion the "Making your small block of flats safe from fire" guide doesn't apply as it is unlikely to meet the required construction standards or have the built in fire precaution and smoke control features and it's recommended a professional carry it out - the "guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing produced by the Local Authorities Coordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS)" linked is more appropriate to flats converted from older houses. Currently the RP can carry this out themselves if they can demonstrate competency, although there is a gradual move to restrict this in future only to the three types of premises covered by the three guides in the section "Guidance for fire safety in small premises" but that's a few years off yet!