Can a fire exit be used as daily entry point?

[Tom Sutton]

All routes and exits from a building can be used for normal ingress and egress, there is no legal restrictions placed on them, it is only when there is an emergency, they become emergency exits. Under normal use of the exit routes the management could place rules, if they choose, limiting their use but they all require to be available in the case of an emergency.

[Guest Paul]

Can a fire door open on to a road?

[AnthonyB]

Ideally not for health & safety purposes, but with some of the older building stock in the UK it can be unavoidable. Of course 'road' can be anything from a low traffic volume side street to a major arterial route - a risk assessment would be needed to balance the issues of escape v live highway risks

[KLSB]

Hi and thank you for letting me join. 

 

This may have been covered already so please forgive me. 

I represent a local community group in Scotland and we have recently been given sole use of premises which we aim to use as a food pantry, school holiday lunch club and a cooking on a shoe string kitchen where we will educate people on how to prepare and cook simple meals on a low budget. This will have a need to prepare and cook food in an already established kitchen and will of course have a need for table top hot plates and ovens etc. The premises are part of a community hall which is well over 100 years old and is up a flight of stairs and on the 2nd level. The premises have only one way in and one way out which is onto a public car park. Can I ask if the main entrance to the premises can be used as a means of an escape due to the nature of the intended use? 

 

Regards.

[AnthonyB]

In most buildings the main 'everyday' entrance is used as part of the means of escape capacity.

[KLSB]

3 hours ago, AnthonyB said:

In most buildings the main 'everyday' entrance is used as part of the means of escape capacity.

 

[KLSB]

Thank you AnthonyB, our main entrance will be the only means of escape. Is this still acceptable? 

 

Thanks again. 

[AnthonyB]

Yes, but it will limit your occupancy to 60 in the building.

[Guest no entry sing on fire exit]

hello, is it against the law for someone to put a no enrty sign they have printed themselves onto a fire exit door, as this has happened where i work? and i now have to walk all the way around the back of the room and through 2 secrity doors to get into the room from the other side...please anyone let me know. as i want to put a greivence report in at work.

[Tom Sutton]

Does this door form part of the means of escape?

[Guest Steve]

Hi, can a large food store use a fore exit for lorry reversing up to it drop tail lift and then food trolleys pushed into store via fire exit. The lorry is then left for 20 - 30 minutes whilst un loading . They use mine and residents and there shared access lane todo this. 

[Tom Sutton]

There is no reasons why they cannot use a fire exit to unload provisions, if there was an emergency the lorry would have to move to allow persons to use the fire escape for means of escape. The situation regarding the shared access lane is for the lawyers.

[Guest Play area]

Hello 

I have been battling with my opposite neighbour for years over parking, 

He moved there 2 years ago and there was a single fire exit door there for the cafe that was in before, with a tiny path onto our carpark and to the side of theirs nothing agreed and no right of way into ours, it was just assumed they could use it as a door way ......  

so now he made he’s entrance bigger and wider and his customers keep parking in our car park and it’s our private car park so we need it for our customers, so now we have had enough and we are now putting up a fence bearing in mind it’s on our boundary and he still has 8ft from his door to our car park and he blocked up his side access with mud ! 
he’s landlord is now saying we can’t put a fence up we have to put in fire exit gate to allowed him into our carpark incase of fire, but nothing was asked and before he rented out the building a fence went all the way down before, but this won’t solve the issue as they will just leave the gate open and they will park in our car park again ?! So back to square one, we are a children’s play area so need all spaces for mums and children, they are a gym so for healthy men and woman, I want to know where we stand as they have know made there access bigger and it looks like all there customers can park in our car park, it’s so frustrating and I don’t want to fight anymore I just want fence up and they can put their fire exit on their access side but because this leads to the road they are saying we can’t but it had always been like that ?? It’s their landlords fault for renting it to them without proper fire escape ? 
I could really do with some help please 

[Guest Paul Harrold]

One of the tenants in our medical office building uses the back fire door to let elderly and handicapped patients enter and exit our building. Does anyone know if this is allowed? The building owner has asked her repeatedly not to use it for patients because he is worried about liability if a patient gets injured exiting this back door. She refuses to listen to him, saying she has every right to use the door as she wants. She also leaves the wooden door leading up to the fire door open despite the fact that leaves and other debris litter the entire hallway. Help!! 

[AnthonyB]

On 01/04/2021 at 16:45, Guest Play area said:

Hello 

I have been battling with my opposite neighbour for years over parking, 

He moved there 2 years ago and there was a single fire exit door there for the cafe that was in before, with a tiny path onto our carpark and to the side of theirs nothing agreed and no right of way into ours, it was just assumed they could use it as a door way ......  

so now he made he’s entrance bigger and wider and his customers keep parking in our car park and it’s our private car park so we need it for our customers, so now we have had enough and we are now putting up a fence bearing in mind it’s on our boundary and he still has 8ft from his door to our car park and he blocked up his side access with mud ! 
he’s landlord is now saying we can’t put a fence up we have to put in fire exit gate to allowed him into our carpark incase of fire, but nothing was asked and before he rented out the building a fence went all the way down before, but this won’t solve the issue as they will just leave the gate open and they will park in our car park again ?! So back to square one, we are a children’s play area so need all spaces for mums and children, they are a gym so for healthy men and woman, I want to know where we stand as they have know made there access bigger and it looks like all there customers can park in our car park, it’s so frustrating and I don’t want to fight anymore I just want fence up and they can put their fire exit on their access side but because this leads to the road they are saying we can’t but it had always been like that ?? It’s their landlords fault for renting it to them without proper fire escape ? 
I could really do with some help please 

You need a property lawyer to advise. As long as the Party Wall Act is complied with it seems you have the upper hand and can put up the fence if they have no right of access

[AnthonyB]

On 05/04/2021 at 23:58, Guest Paul Harrold said:

One of the tenants in our medical office building uses the back fire door to let elderly and handicapped patients enter and exit our building. Does anyone know if this is allowed? The building owner has asked her repeatedly not to use it for patients because he is worried about liability if a patient gets injured exiting this back door. She refuses to listen to him, saying she has every right to use the door as she wants. She also leaves the wooden door leading up to the fire door open despite the fact that leaves and other debris litter the entire hallway. Help!! 

Nothing stops a final exit door from being used for normal access as long as it is always available in an emergency.

[Guest guest]

We have a double fire door glass with frame. Can we turn one door section into one which can be opened from outside but still lockes from within?

[Tom Sutton]

All final escape doors should be openable from the inside, without a key, when the premise is occupied, access from the outside is immaterial.

[Guest Joann]

My entrance door to my apartment is located directly across a Firedoor/Exit. The stairwell to the 1st and 2 and floor is where my bedroom is. This is a non smoking building. My apartment Smells like cigarettes so I reported it. I work with children. The smoke was coming up and everything thing I owned Smelled. They nowgo outside to smoke. However They Smoke All Night and Sleep All Day. Every 20 minutes Slamming the Doors. I have been forced to sleep on my couch for 9 months. I recieved an Email from my manager that I removed a pin from the door. I did not. Now I am being Harrassed. I have a Mold Issues also and am Suffering. They said I Commited a Criminal Act. I cannot afford a lawyer and have called every Department in My State. I work and I am considerate to all of my neighbors because I get up at 5 A.M. Saturday I found the exit door to the back parking lot with a wooden block in it to leave it open so they do not have to Constantly Unlock it to enter. This is dangerous. But I cant call manager because the Harrass Me. I was almost smacked with the because The Smoker did not realize I was deposing my trash. She ran with the wood door stop. 

[Tom Sutton]

It appears this question originates in United States and the forum is a UK based forum consequently you need to contact a United States based forum the legislation is different.

[Guest External Door - Fire Query]

Good Afternoon,

I have a query relating to one room , which is rarely used on site. We having a new door installed and were

originally thinking that a security door with a thumb lock would be fine but now I am thinking it requires a push

bar fitting for fire exit. This room only has one door an no other exit windows/doors.

 

Thanks very much,

[AnthonyB]

I doubt it will ever have the occupancy to require a panic fastening and as a normal entry/exit point your original thoughts would often be deemed OK

[Guest Ycart]

Good eve,

Living in a complex you can go through maindoors into the complex or an outside path goes around to my flat going through two gates , new to property had to use outside access to get items in. The first flat next to the access gate says I can not use it as its a fire route she has a lovely little set up of a make shift garden around the path herself and she has put a bolt on the  gate to make it harder to get in by time have reached over she comes out saying not allowed to use  path its a fire route.

 

If it is a fire route then there shouldn't be a bolt on gate is that correct?

And it's not illegal to use a fire route path ? The path goes past the fire door and on to another path that joins to my front door. 

 

Plus if she has table and chairs alongside the path potted plants etc she's not blocking path they alongside it by her backdoor  if she can use it so can others in complex it's a nice big green area either side 

So am I breaking any laws using fire route path on a daily basis I work nights and don't want yo walk past lots of inside heavy doors intercom geeping etc the outside route less people I pass  really ...also there is a sign saying access to residents and visitors she said needs to be removed. Not getting a reply as yet from council but just seeing if I in the wrong if it is a fire route.  

 

Thanks in advance 

[AnthonyB]

There's nothing to stop a fire exit route being used as a normal access route from a fire safety legislative point of view as long as it remains clear of obstruction, free from combustibles (usually if indoors), and readily available for use.

It shouldn't be bolted if a dedicated fire route - I think the resident is using all this as an excuse to keep the area to themselves.

[Guest MJB]

In the warm weather we can’t open windows, can I leave a external fire door open but put a easy opening baby gate up to stop the children getting out, thank you