Protected Escape Routes.

[Guest Tom]

Hi, 

In relation to protected routes. 

Building Description -  Small Office Building, 64m2 Footprint,  2 Stories,  1 means of escape from first floor, Travel Distance 18m, automatic detection throughout. 

The single escape stairwell is open and leads onto an unprotected corridor. (I.e no fire doors). The rooms that lead onto this corridor include a toilet and a storage room. 

Question 1. Does this route require protection FD30s? or can the automatic detection mitigate the travel distances? Is it wise just to note that doors should just be closed and well fitting. 

Question 2. If so, in any circumstance does a single direction of travel in excess of 18 metres require protection?

Further details 

Employees in low numbers around 8. 

There are no habitable rooms on the first floor.

No Sleeping, No Disabled, No Young Persons. 

Thank You in advance. 

[Tom Sutton]

If you can reach a place of relative or ultimate safety, in the whole building, in less than 18m then protected escape routes are not necessary. Any one way travel escape routes over 18m needs to be protected depending on other factors like height of ceiling you could extend the distance if you consider the tenable time would be extended.

You could use ASET/RSET  and having autoFA would increase the travel time but it usually means a fire engineered solution which only complicates the situation I prefer travel distances. 

[Guest Tom]

Much Appreciated. 

 

[dave b]

Hi. I wonder if someone can shed any light on this situation please. There are two flats in a building above a resturant. There is in entrance door from the street to a shared staircase where on the first floor is the entrance to flat 1 and another door to flat two which is above. I have been asked to help the owners of flat 1 get it compliant for holiday lets. It is quite easy to put all the required alarms in place in the bedrooms etc but who is responsible for the hallway/staircase? It seems strange to get all the alarms linked in the flat but not have any linked to the hallway when that hallway forms part of the escape route. Any ideas please? Many thanks

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by dave b
bad spelling

[Tom Sutton]

In flats that have a fire alarm, you have two alarms one in the flat to alarm the occupants and not give a false alarm to the the other flats. Another in the common area to warn anybody in the building, with a sounder in the hall close to the front door of each flat. The RP or RP,s of the flats is responsible for the common areas of the flats and must consider the restaurant. Similar situation for the RP of the restaurant, main concerns would be the compartmentation and warning the other, that there is a fire in their premises.

[dave b]

13 minutes ago, Tom Sutton said:

In flats that have a fire alarm, you have two alarms one in the flat to alarm the occupants and not give a false alarm to the the other flats. Another in the common area to warn anybody in the building, with a sounder in the hall close to the front door of each flat. The RP or RP,s of the flats is responsible for the common areas of the flats and must consider the restaurant. Similar situation for the RP of the restaurant, main concerns would be the compartmentation and warning the other, that there is a fire in their premises.

Thanks Tom. Would you advise to link the alarm in the hall to the ones in the flat for early warning? Cheers

[Tom Sutton]

No you need two separate alarms to prevent false alarms.

[AnthonyB]

On 26/10/2021 at 09:42, dave b said:

Thanks Tom. Would you advise to link the alarm in the hall to the ones in the flat for early warning? Cheers

The hall detector would be attached to a heat detector and sounder in the flat with separate smoke and heat detectors for the flat itself

[dave b]

Thanks Anthony. In my case there is a break glass point and a bell in the staircase/hall but it appears there is no heat/smoke attached to that system. I also have no way of testing or tracing it back to the control panel. If i only have control over one flat would it be ok to add a smoke to that staircase/hall and link it to the flat? Cheers