Fire Extinguisher Positions - office block

[Meady]

Hi

Can we ask your advice - we have an office block (ground, first and second floors).  Each floor is approx. 360M2.

Two protected stairways - each have 2 x FD30s lobby approaches.

Question is; do we need FEA's inside each protected stairway at each landing in addition to them being inside (adjacent to) each fire exit door in the office accommodation area??

At present, we have 1 x 13A Water Mist and 1 x 2KG FEA on brackets in the office accommodation area adjacent to the exit doors.  Our thinking was that the fire risk is in the office area so if staff have to travel in to the stairway to collect the FEA's, they will then have to return in to the office accommodation to tackle the flames...which is madness in our mind!

BUT, the Fire Extinguisher company says we do HAVE to position additional extinguishers inside the stairway too...but BS5306-8 appears to show that as long as we have 2 x 13A on each level (plus CO2), we are fine??  So why should we have to have FEA's inside the office accommodation and then double up with exactly the same in the stairway itself??

We have ordered a 5KG CO2 extinguisher for the 415V electricity cupboard too.  

Any help/guidance much appreciated.

Thank you.

[AnthonyB]

Ignore the extinguisher company, they just want to sell extinguishers. I remove hundreds of unnecessary extinguishers from stairway annually - the stairs contain no risk, but the floors do for which you have sufficient.

If you have Water Mist there is no point in having the CO2 either. If your electrical cupboard has a Water Mist within 10m you don't need an additional extinguisher, also a 5kg CO2 would be overkill for a typical small office distribution room, either 2kg CO2 or for consistency you could stick a Water Mist outside.

The whole point of Water Mist is it's safe for direct use on electrical fires up to 1000V  so you don't have to have additional CO2 extinguishers.

BS5306-8 is not law, it's just guidance and it's the fire risk assessment that makes the decision on requirements based on risk not prescriptive standards.

[Meady]

That's a brilliant help - thank you Anthony.