Mike North

What exactly does the FRA say? Is it about the panel or the rating of the shutter

Check the original as built fire strategy as office doors do not usually need to be fire rated (except dead ends, high risk areas etc). It may be that at some point in time someone has put fire signage on the doors Protected corridors 2.24 A corridor serving as part of the means of escape in any of the following circumstances should be a protected corridor. a. Every corridor that serves bedrooms b. Every dead-end corridor (excluding recesses and extensions a maximum of 2m deep, as shown in Diagrams 2.7 and 2.8). c. Any corridor shared by two or more occupancies (paragraph 2.17). Enclosure of corridors that are not protected corridors 2.25 If a corridor is used for a means of escape but is not a protected corridor, even though the enclosing partitions may have no fire resistance, both of the following should be met to inhibit the spread of smoke. a. Partitions should continue to the soffit of the structural floor above, or to a suspended ceiling. b. Openings into rooms from the corridor should be fitted with doors, which do not need to be fire doorsets. Open planning will not inhibit the spread of smoke, but occupants can become aware of a fire quickly.

Without knowing the building it’s impossible to answer, but as a rule of thumb, if it is possible for smoke to affect the escape route then there should be smoke seals. The cost difference between smoke and not smoke is negligible. The who is responsible for the cost is a matter for the tenancy agreement and is not a fire safety issue, but ultimately, I suspect that it will fall on the leaseholder

The maximum gap for a smoke door is 3mm. It may be possible to fit a threshold seal, but I have never come across one that would bridge that gap It may also be possible to lip the door, but again I have never come across one that would bridge that gap You could put a 17mm hardwood threshold detail under the door fixed to the floor, but that may cause a trip hazard

A 15-year-old door would be as compliant with the latest regulations as when it was installed, the regulations for fire doors have not changed, however, there is no guarantee that the doors were compliant then installed or that the doors have not been altered that would make them uncompliant. You should ask the agent why they are not compliant, it may be a latent defect which may be there responsibility

All DCLG guides can be found here Fire safety in the workplace: Fire risk assessments - GOV.UK

Read and inwardly digest for the risks involved leaving fire doors open Rosepark care home deaths 'preventable' inquiry finds - BBC News

Correct, flat doors should be FD30S, this has been the case since at least December 2018. To comply, the head and side gaps should be 3mm ±1mm (irrespective of smoke). The threshold on a smoke door should be a maximum of 3mm. I suspect that the door was never compliant in the first place.

Legally, as long as they are competent, anyone can do it, but it must be correctly installed (the inspector will fail it again if not)

The door should be routered to accept the intumescent strips, they should not alter the door gap. The smoke fins can sometimes bind, some Vaseline can be applied to soften the blade

It all depends on the size of the enclosed area and the risk. If the area is big enough you can call it a place of ultimate safety, but technically it should allow for the restricted dispersal of people

For anything above the second floor, you are more at risk of serious injury or death from jumping out of the window than the fire itself. A decent alarm system should notify you long before the escape route becomes untenable, if the fire is on the other side if the door, you will have a minimum of 30 minutes for the fire brigade to rescue you

A guide to making your small block of flats safe from fire (accessible) - GOV.UK

The use of magnetic hold open devices kind of defeats what the regulations are trying to do here. Without seeing the doors, I suspect you have 2 options; 1. Change the swing of the doors 2. Limit the occupancy of the room

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