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Thanks again @AnthonyB Its a modern primary school with a separate wing for pupils with additional support needs (ASN) It is the ASN pupils who are causing the activations. The building has detection and sprinklers throughout. We have considering taking selected call-points off of the system and I will recommend that as a way forward. Many thanks again for your advice!

Thanks for your reply @AnthonyB I have the same reservations about making physical alterations solely based on a Watch Commander's say-so. Hinge covers/alarms have all been tried; these actually make things worse as these pupils are intent on causing havoc and it makes it more attractive to them. No specific height has been stipulated, but it would be so that it was only within reach of an adult. I am unaware of anything within legislation that permits putting call-points higher up; hence my reluctance to go along with it.

Hi, We are having issues with malicious activations at a couple of schools where the pupils have additional support needs. Constant activations have led to serious disruption on a regular basis. One of the Head Teachers has reached out to Fire & Rescue and the local Watch Commander has given the go-ahead to raise the height of the call-points out of the children's reach. My concern is that doing this would contravene BS5839. Any thoughts on this issue would be appreciated!

I've been auditing primary and secondary schools for several years and Tom is correct (as usual!)-unless it's an automatic fire door it must have a self-closer. An issue that often crops up with manual doors is that the younger kids (primary 1-2) often have trouble opening them; usually an adjustment to the closer tension solves this.

If you're relying on a register to account for all persons after an evacuation, the question you have to ask yourself is: "Can I guarantee that this list is 100% accurate 100% of the time?" The answer is most likely to be "No". Area checks are the way to go. In addition, presenting inaccurate information to the attending Emergency Services could lead to them being put at unnecessary risk.

In my experience powder extinguishers are commonly found in plant rooms but in a recent visit to a Local Authority care home Scottish Fire & Rescue recommended that the powder extinguisher in the boiler room be replaced for the reason Tom referred to in his previous post.

OK Anthony-thanks for your response

Many schools and community halls have storage cupboards under the main stage-I was always told that storing combustibles under a stage is a no-no. Has anyone else encountered this issue?

Thanks Anthony

I have been contacted by a primary school with regard to pupils with additional support needs who regularly abscond from the school, sometimes reaching busy roads. They have requested that an external gate be padlocked to prevent this; this gate is situated between the final exit from the school and the fire assembly point. My view is that while not ideal, the real risk of a child escaping and being run over makes it acceptable to lock this gate during the school day, as long as the school manages this in the event of an evacuation ie ensuring that keys are always available and the padlock is monitored and maintained to ensure it's correct operation. The school in question is a new building with a sprinkler system, L1 detection and multiple final exits around the building. Any comments/advice would be appreciated.

In my organisation, we use the term "Fire Controller" instead of Fire Warden. The person responsible for overseeing the evacuation is known as the "Fire Marshal"

Thanks Tom. It turns out one of the pupils is in a manual wheelchair and can be transferred to an evac chair, or they can be carried down in their wheelchair. The other pupil is in a heavy powered chair and he will need to use the wheelchair walker.

They may be able to be carried downstairs in their wheelchair; I will need to find out what type of chair they use. Horizontal evacuation could be used, but I assume such a plan would also need to include the possibility that they would need to leave the building eventually depending on the extent of the fire.

Thanks Tom. The main issue is that there is one "Wheelchair Walker" device in the school that allows transport of a pupil without the need for them to leave their wheelchair, but there are two pupils in the school who need use of this device. Looks like they will need to invest in a second walker!

Hi, Looking for some advice on evacuating disabled persons from a building. Is there any legal barrier that prevents staff going back into a building to assist with the evacuation of disabled persons? My view is that while not ideal, it would be acceptable unless it put the staff at risk, but I'd appreciate any opinions and advice. Thanks.