Fire Prevention

Is it necessary for the management company to provide & maintain a class A fire extinguisher in a block of flats? the block comprises 25 self contained flats built in 2002. There is 1 exit/entrance door. There is a lift as well as stairs but no service rooms. I have read the fire safety order 2005 and it doesn't make it clear whether this is s legal requirement.

Ive just visited a care home and found the owners have screwed in a wooden kick board on both sides of all the fire doors along the corridor, this is a protected route, , they have used brass screws with washers but have they damaged the door by dong this?

Hi, I have bought a mattress which is extremely poor quality and I'm in the process of returning. However, I also noticed there appears to be no fire safety tag on it anywhere. I was wondering what the regulations are regarding this- ie are they selling illegal mattresses? Initial research seems to suggest tags aren't needed but then how can an end consumer know if they're buying a fire retardant mattress? Thanks!

Hi, Just wandering if I have the necessary experience and qualifications to be deemed competent to run an in-house fire warden course. I have completed the NEBOSH fire safety and risk management course, I have completed the stcw 95 fire prevention and firefighting course, having worked at sea and I have had fire fighting training with Tyne and Wear fire brigade - having covered various strikes. I have also completed various teaching qualifications in the the Army. I feel that I am competent and confident in my abilities. Just after some advice. Thank you

Could someone advise me please, I have visited a premise which has a server installation for the computer systems etc, about the same size as a single wardrobe. It has a secure door etc but it is in a store room with various items such as boxes, foldable chairs etc. There is no air-conditioning in the room either. Is this a problem?

Hi! Hopefully someone here will be able to shed some light for me...... I'm getting a growing number of enquiries from existing clients as to whether I can hold fire safety training for them. This is not something I currently offer however it now seems I am turning away a lot of business. Can anyone advise which, if any certification / qualifications are required to deliver such training including perhaps a live fire simulator. I've trawled and trawled to no avail. I have over 20 years experience as an industrial fire leader, so I have the knowledge and experience, however is this sufficient to make me 'competent' to train others? Thanks in advance!…

Hello. I help manage a charity shop which also has accommodation above it. The flat above the shop has its own entrance and cannot be accessed from he shop at all. We had a fire on our road recently and it worried me as If we ever had a fire in our shop, how would the people above know? We have a fire alarm system in the shop, but should we link this in to the apartment above also? Any help or advice would be most welcomed

In a block of flats residents have a locked storage cupboard that the residents have keys for are these cupboards classed as fire risks/hazards they are built into the property and do not block or obstruct communal walk ways or fire exits,any help on this issue would be really appreciated

Hi.... I didn’t realize it’s importance until I faced a huge terrible day. I had a minor fire accident in kitchen and fortunately I had my husband at home and was able to douse the fire. I take all precautions to prevent fire accidents but drops of oil along the wrist area of the stove triggered the fire and set it on. The fire was doused before anything detrimental could happen but it created a fear within me. I feel that a fire alarm will help prevent such hazards in future. Can you suggest me some best dealers to get one installed. All comments invited. Thanks in advance.

I am about to buy a bungalow & have found a few things of concern. The biggest concern is the following: The kitchen extractor has been ducted through the kitchen/garage wall into the garage space across the wall & out through the soffit. This has been achieved by using a WC U bend upwards out of the kitchen wall, then connected to a Soil pipe U bend to turn it left, then connected to a length of soil pipe, another U Bend soil pipe upwards over eaves then using a plastic flexi hose out through the soffit. Does this comply with the fire regs? Is it safe? I realise there is an issue with the distance & bends causing back pressure to…

Hi All Please provide a view on the safety measures when a large residential home provides bathrooms with electric powered chairs for hoisting persons in and out the bath. They are a permanent fixture. Do you consider that in view of the introduced risk a SC Fire door should be fitted along with heat detection linked in to the main system. 5 yearly elec tests are conducted on fixed installations but acrylic bath do burn well and give off lots of smoke. Thanks

Hi all, Quick question if I may. We are looking at a building, two stories to house around 40 people, which has two escape routes at either end. It is of a pre-fabricated structure. We will have a server room on the ground floor close to one of the escapes off of a main corridor. The server room will house approximately 5 or 6 tall servers within the room, which is approximately 3m by 5m in size. I wondered if anyone could provide any thoughts on what should be considered from a fire safety aspect for server rooms. I am going to consult a fire safety advisor but just interested in the subject of fire safety in server rooms and your (non-le…

Hello, I have a small commercial property, approx 40 sq m, it comprises two ground floor storage units with two small offices above, the offices are accessed via a central fire protected stairwell, all doors are FD30, mains powered smoke detector ( with battery backup ) on landing. fire extinguishers & emergency lighting provided. We have recently had a security alarm fitted, there are spare zones and these have been allocated as fire zones, smoke detectors have been fitted to provide early warning of fire in the un-occupied storage units below the offices. The fire action plan states that anyone discovering a fire should shout FIRE to alert any other o…

Hi - I'm after some advice please... recently completed a FSRA in a small charity shop. 3 members of staff [some elderly volunteers who are hard of hearing]. Customers = max of 10 on a very busy day! 1) Absolutely no form of emergency escape lighting at present - not even a candle or a torch! :) Working hours are 10am to 4pm, but i'm just worried that certain times of the year will mean the rear part of the building [both internally and externally] would be in darkness if power was lost. I've suggested bulk head units at rear exit [internally and externally] - i'm not too worried about the front entrance / exit as it has street lighting all year round. But…

Hi, I currently live in a chapel which was converted in the mid 90s into 16 flats. I'm interested in opinions on the safety of the extraction system which is apparently interlinked (at least with my neighbour). When I cook, I have to switch on the bathroom light else the kitchen smells vent straight into there and my neighbour's kitchen extraction vents straight into my bathroom and often comes through to my kitchen. This seems to me to be a great way to spread a fire.

Hi Please could you advise if there is any Government legislation relating to cleaning kitchen extraction regularly to prevent fire hazard from the build up of grease? Kind regards Christina

Good morning, We decided to install smoke detector in stairway of our 7 storey building. We are private renter there and invested for the safety of all. We contacted a security company. I just would like to make sure about the location of smoke detector (1/stair). Please find attached picture of 1 level. All are similars. Let me know if all isn't clear. Thank you for you help. Tom

I am seeking advice re roof insulation and wiring, we are living in a rented property and have just had an extra 200mm of loft insulation laid, however this insulation has been laid over existing wiring and also a wiring junction box that powers the light and an aerial splitter/receiver so i am just seeking advice as to wether or not this is safe?if it were my property I would install safety boxes and lay wiring on top of joists as a precaution but as I mentioned this is a rented property. Please advise Kind Regards Simon

We have a couple of hard wired (inoperable) smoke detectors. Can we just replace these? I think these are around 30 years old. Also, do new houses in have to have hard wired smoke detectors? Just curious.

Hi All, Can anyone shed any light on how I would go about determining whether a paint spraying shed is classed as a 'Explosive atmosphere'. I am not sure how you measure this, and what the thresholds of this is. Also, if it turns out we do have a 'Explosive atmosphere' how do I go about ensuring that we install adequate ventilation systems (a highly regarded ventilation manufacturers stated that they couldn't give us that information, they just manufacture and install the systems), to ensure we make the atmosphere non explosive. I have done a little reading around on the subject, but I am getting a little lost in it. So any guidance would be great. …

I conduct fire safety training but i have clients asking about live fire safety training where by they get to put out live fires. I am trying to find out if there are any legal requirements for this such as specific training i have to undertake or health and safety measures etc. Any info would be off benefit.

I am a student from Germany, and in my master thesis I work on the topic: "Studies of the (preventive) structural and technical fire protection requirements for nursing care homes for elderly people in the International Comparison." I like to ask you, if you have fire statistics about fires in "nursing care homes for elderly people" or statistics about the effectiveness of automatic sprinkler systems in these types of buildings? Unfortunately I found nothing properly suitable. Are fires in these types of buildings recorded? Are there values for fire probability in nursing care homes for elderly people or in general in the UK. And are there values for the failu…

I lost my pet last week when I went out for shopping and now I am planning to get this hidden surveillance camera and smoke detectors installed in my house.Is it also necessary to install carbon monoxide along with smoke detectors?

Quite often a question will appear, do the regulations apply, and consequently it is important to understand what is meant by the regulations. The regulation’s which includes acts of parliament are legislation that requires you to submit to a line of action but does not necessarily how to fulfil your duty. It is the guides and British Standards that show you how the meet the required standard. The regulation will say, you need to install a fire alarm, if necessary, but it is BS 5839 that will show you how. The regulation is law but the guides and British Standards are recommendations but are also considered best practice. This is important if things go wrong and i…

I have been into our loft today and discovered there is a gap either side of the chimney that goes into next door's loft space. How can I protect our property should they have a fire?