FRA for two flat Victorian conversion

[Guest Caro]

We have had an FRA completed for a Victorian Conversion with two flats. Our common entrance is 1.5x1m. We have two doors that open into a very small common area leading to the main door. The recommendations include two smoke alarms, one heat alarm and emergency lighting, signs and a few other measures. The area is well lit during the day and night as there is good borrowed lighting. I can evacuate my flat to the main door in one stride. This seems excessive and even the Fire Service questioned the emergency lighting. Any advice regarding proportional measures? Thanks 

[AnthonyB]

Sounds excessive, plus useless in any case even if it was needed, I've seen this implemented and charged to leaseholders when not actually required & they've taken it to a FTT and had the charge overturned.

Really small conversions like that often suffice with 30 minute compartmentation (as would a really small new build block of flats) making them suitable for stay put so no communal detection is required. A single ground floor lobby doesn't need smoke control & emergency lighting isn't considered a high priority either.

On the other hand, if for some reason the compartmentation between the two flats was so poor that simultaneous evacuation was actually required you'd need more than two smoke/heat alarms as the common areas would need a smoke alarm that was linked to heat alarms in both flats so a fire is detected before if leaves the flat of fire origin and can wake everyone in each flat - which depending on flat layout may require additional linked alarms so as to ensure at ;east 85dB outside bedroom doors to wake people.