Which way should a fire exit door swing?

[Guest Carole Reid]

Our fire exit is in the corner of a parking area which used to be kept clear and the door would swing open to the wall for exiting.   However due to changes in bye-laws the large wheeled waste bins for the restaurant below us are now kept against this wall and can sometimes be moved very close.   This has made me realise that if the bin stops the door opening fully we are faced with a wall.  Whereas if the door swung the other way there might at least be a chance of squeezing out.   I know the wheeled bin is a problem and I'm working on it but is there any regulation about the way the door should swing.  I think this is a structure created by the restaurant quite possibly without permission and have already reported them to the fire service because they also jam it shut with a plank of wood behind the push bar.  However, the fire service don't seem to be interested.  Even when they were here when the restaurant's boiler room alarm was going off and the chief officer said to me "We'll be back because there are a few things here we aren't happy about."  That was 10 months ago now and I haven't seen them since.

[Tom Sutton]

The rule of thumb for the direction of opening of fire exit doors are, in most cases, if there are more than 60 persons likely to use the door then it must open in the direction of escape. (outwards) less than 60 then it can open inwards. But it is not just the direction of opening, a fire exit should not be obstructed not even partially you need to speak to the council.

As for the fire and rescue service there actions are not satisfactory you should contact the headquarters of you local fire service and report your problems to them and insist everything is in writing, including your concerns. Check out https://www.firesafe.org.uk/uk-fire-rescue-services-details/.

[Guest paperose]

hello Tom Sutton, I wonder if you could advise me on noise, in my building the sirens ring for up to 5 hours before then are silenced. there are 46 sirens (alarms) i have measured the sound and in my flat it is 84 decibels (I used 4 different apps cos i couldn't believe the sound) and it rings in my flat. there are sirens in the coridoors too the building sounds asif there are police cars in every flat with sirens going off and in the coridoors. my ears ring for weeks afterwards. is this right? i live in sheltered housing. there isn;t a resident manager.  boltonvs@hotmail.com for an answer please

[AnthonyB]

A correctly installed Sheltered Housing fire alarm system should not be heard in the flats, also it shouldn't be going off that often and left running for as long.

It appears there is inadequate fire safety management of your premises and I would suggest that if the management aren't dealing with it you contact your local fire service's enforcement team (not your local station or community fire safety team) to investigate for you.