Boiler Room Fire Door

[Guest Thomas]

Hi, 

I have a boiler room along an escape route in my hotel, the room is small in size 1m2 and has no detection, A fire door is fitted to the room but no smoke seals or intumescent strips. 

Is it a fair assumption to make that smoke seals are not fitted to allow a small amount of smoke into the corridor to trigger the detector, initiating escape. (if this is the case would a detector have to be within a certain distance of the door. 

I am aware this sounds counter intuitive, is the alternative to fit a detector in the boiler room and fit smoke seals and intumescent strips? 

Other Factors 

- The escape route is single direction of travel 

- No combustible items located in the cupboard. 

Thank you for your response in advance. 

Regards.

[Tom Sutton]

All doors opening onto a protected escape route should be a full FD30s doors if there is a fire risk in the room, and a heat detector should fitted in the risk room.

Maybe if the fire door has been installed some considerable time, it could be a BS 476 part 8 door, which can be identified by having 25mm rebates with no intumescent seals, which if the door is substantial and well fitting can be accepted as suitable, but if it needs replacing it has to be replaced with a fire door meeting the current standards.

Either case it needs to control cold smoke and cold smoke seals should be fitted.

[AnthonyB]

Is this on an ancillary accommodation level along with other plant, store rooms, staff rooms, etc or on a floor with bedrooms?

This would influence whether you need to both upgrade the original notional fire door and add detection, although being on an escape route and in sleeping risk premises there is a leaning towards doing both. 

[Guest Thomas]

Thanks for the reply chaps, 

The room is located on a stairwell landing with sleeping rooms on the same floor. 

 

 

[AnthonyB]

I'd be minded to upgrade the door and detection as it's directly onto a stair in a sleeping risk building - I wouldn't want to risk a vertical escape route. If it had only been onto a horizontal escape there may have been the possibility of adding detection only initially if it was modern boiler equipment that could accept smoke detection without false alarm risk and upgrading the door set later.

Of course both is best as it's difficult to excuse only a single room upgrade as it should hardly be a capital expenditure.

[Tommy]

Thanks, I think I'm going to bang a detector in there, upgrade the door and ensure adequate ventilation. 

Appreciate the reply.