Fire Risk Assessments

Hello, I live in a 3storey purpose built block of apartments (15years old) with 4 apartments and lower ground floor internal garages. We are wanting to construct two internal garage doors to two garages located away from secondary fire escape on the lower ground floor. They would be a minimum of 6metrs away from the fire escape and would present no obstacles to the escape route. The main fire escape is on the ground floor. Can you please advise if the fire reulations would allow this to be constructed.? We alread have a fully integrated fire alarm system with smoke alarms in the area for door construction.Thanks Bruce

I am on a residential management committee for a block of 9 flats ,3 at ground ,3 at 1st and 3 at 2 floor.We have 2 entrances to the block and all flats have their own fire doors to the communal areas ie stairs.We have smoke alarms on the 3 levels albeit not connected together.Will we require independent fire risk assessment or can we self assess..? If so what documents are required.

Hello I wondered if someone could advise me. We are trying to sell our flat. We got a certified company to do our fire risk assessment for our common area (hallway and stairs) in our property which is a house converted into 3 flats. Can we get anybody to complete the actions or even do it ourselves? We know exactly what needs doing. Thanks

I’m selling a leasehold purpose built first floor maisonette with its own external front door. The front door to the ground floor flat is next to it and we share the use of a covered brick and stone porch area. This is used by us, visitors, postman, delivery services etc. My buyers’ solicitors have requested an FRA for any communal space, (which is only the porch). I gather I can do this myself (as a ‘competent person’), but there’s so little to report I’m not sure how to present this to them. The sample templates I’ve found are all applicable to communal areas inside properties, not outside. The management company for the freeholder doesn’t service the proper…

I understand the responsible person for a business or workplace may be the owner or person who has control but does it have to be a name, i.e J. Bloggs, or can it be a company name or title as in office manager or director, where there may be several different persons doing the same role. Also can it be a management company or freehold company for flat owner/occupiers or does one of the residents have to put their name to the risk assessment. My reason for asking is, can the enforcing authority take a management company/business to court or does it need to be an individual. I am finding that, especially for communal areas, the residents are asking for either …

We manage a few properties on behalf of a landlord - this query relates to a commercial property occupied by a single tenant for Office purposes. The tenant occupies 100% of the building. No shared or sub-let parts. As there are no common areas, does the Landlord need to arrange a FRA for anything, or should the tenant be responsible for this entirely?

Where do you draw the conclusion if a property needs separate FRA’s? For example residential blocks not connected by MOE, own ingress and egress but managed and connected by the same AFD. Some clients insist on separate FRA’s whilst some want one to cover all for overall reference and autonomy. Thoughts greatly received.

Hi, I was looking around a premises last week and found there to be an oil fired boiler at the bottom of stairs from a mezzanine floor. It is also being used as a kitchen point; microwave, kettle etc. There is only one escape route in that part of the building. Would I be correct in suggesting they need some form of fire resisting construction enclosing the boiler in order to protect the escape route? Re siting the stairs is not an option! Look forward to (sensible) replies Thanks

If I set up a massage therapy treatment room at home do I need a fire risk assessment? I would be the only therapist and clients would be there one at a time.

As a leaseholder in purpose-built block, I'm in the frustrating situation of fighting a deficient and disproportionate fire risk assessment that was carried out on behalf of the managing agent last summer. The solution offered was for leaseholders to commission a new FRA. This was done in November, which thankfully did negate the original recommendations BUT added a crazy new recommendation to replace ALL seven fire doors despite the visual inspection of the doors being quite satisfactory. The assessor said he was recommending replacement because while he accepts they pass a visual inspection, there is no documentary evidence that these are FD30 doors and because the…

Hi. Hopefully someone can give their thoughts on the following scenario: What is the maximum travel distance from a flat on the 3rd floor of a 4 storey building. The only route to exit the upper floor flat is via an open air walkway to a protected stairwell. This is also the normal means of entry/exit to this flat. I have measured the current travel distance and it is 21 meters (Flat door to the protected stairwell).

Hi, please would you be able to steer us in the right direction please. We are managing agents for a purpose built block of flats - dated 1980s. 'Stay Put' evacuation policy. Each flat has a FD30 with Perko / chain self-closer. They are the original doors dating back to 1980. No fire strips or smoke seals on approximately 50% of flat entrance doors, but others (but only where residents have taken it upon themselves for their own peace of mind) have. Question is, should ALL the flat entrance doors now have fire and smoke seals retrospectively fitted as mandatory, or just best practice?? FRA report shows they must have them fitted, but doesn't state w…

Hello, I'm in the seventh semester of studying Security & Safety Engineering B.Sc. at the Furtwangen University in Germany. I am currently working on my bachelor thesis. This is entitled "Comparison of the legal status and training of fire protection officers in German-speaking countries and selected Anglo-Saxon countries ". In particular, i would like to investigate the situation in united kingdom as part of this work. In Germany, Switzerland and Austria it is mandatory it is compulsory to employ a fire protection officer ("Brandschutzbeauftragter") in complex buildings. For example in big industrial buildings. According to The Regulatory Reform (Fir…

I am the building manager of a residential property. We have recently installed a new fire panel that has a direct link to the fire brigade. Should the fire services arrive out of hours they will have no access to the fire panel key, we have a locked box by the panel. Is it acceptable to have a ‘break glass for key’ unit with the key for the box? thanks

If anyone has a moment, please could I have your expert steer on a FRA due to be carried out? The basics: Converted building (originally built circa 1900 but conversion in recent years so not purpose built block of flats) The property as a whole is rented by the same party Communal stair and main entrance – each flat has own independent entrance door opening on to stair Each of the 4 flats has four bedrooms and a shared lounge, diner, kitchen and bathroom. The premises are not registered for HMO purposes (being the 4 bedroom rule). The plan is to use the building to house refugees before being housed permanently… so the tenants /…

Hi, a little confused. common entrance to 2 flats, recently converted. both have FD30, with strips and self closers. there’s x2 double plasterboard protection, ie 120 mins separation. The hallway is 0.9m x 2m. Fire strategy report says no SD required in the hallway, but the FRA says we need a SD linked to both flats in case someone did an arson attack through the letter box!! Seems a bit extreme, what’s right, what’s right wrong? there no risk in the hallway, no fuse boards etc.. Any advice appreciated!!

Hi there, wondering if anyone could give me any advice, I recently converted my studio flat into a 1 bed which involved putting up a stud wall, replacing an existing window that was covered up with a new double glazed one, I also removed a doorway and door to create a more open plan hallway area/lounge. Have recently sold the flat, somehow throughout this whole process no one told me that I needed to get building regs approval (don't ask..), so have paid for regularisation/retrospective approval with my local council building control. Have been speaking to one of their people over the last few weeks sending pics of stuff etc and have an inspection in a few days time. Alth…

In a general needs property converted into flats with a communal fire alarm system (linked to heat detectors within the flats), a simultaneous evacuation strategy and no staff on site, is there a requirement to identify a specific assembly point on the fire action notice?

I work for a company and we own a complex of flats. In our last annual Fire risk assessment, we have been told we have to remove the class A fire Extinguisher from the stair well because of lack of training to residents. However they are only there to aid in escape, not to fight a fire. Is there any signage we can put up to negate the FRA or something?

BS5839 Pt 1 2017 requires a zone plan to be displayed at the all FA panels including slave panels. My question is, if the building is small with a single zone is there a requirement to display a zone plan? Reading BS5839 it does not state single zone FA systems are omitted from this requirement and I suppose a single zone plan would actually inform the fire service that an alarm actuation covers the whole building, which is useful from a search and rescue perspective.

Hello all First post, and it’s a lengthy one. I joined this forum especially to ask this, so please bear with me. It concerns a fire risk assessment, specifically on the type of fire extinguishers required. I'd like people to poke as many holes in this as possible, so do your worst. I’d like to thank in advance any and all who reply. Names of organisations omitted deliberately. I am a chemist, and work in a chemical analysis laboratory, related to law enforcement ? We have approximately 50 litres of solvents in the lab, mostly in 2.5 litre glass Winchester bottles, and appropriately stored in fire-resistant cabinets. (HSE guidance suggests 50 litres …

Hello all, I understand the role and responsibilities of a local fire authority fire officer and their powers but what about as an independent risk assessor. What are the implications of completing an inspection where you believe there is a risk to life. I.e chained and padlocked/ blocked fire exits. What can a risk assessor do, so that they can walk away with a clear conscience, if indeed they do walk away before rectifying the situation. You can obviously inform the responsible person verbally. Does it need a follow up e mail, before they get the report? Do you report to the local fire authority, but then are you in breach of GDPR or does that overrid…

Do we need to do a fire assessment in a house with converted flats due to the communal areas of stairs and hallways? Also do the solid wood front doors to each flat have to be FD30s with self-closers? The conversions were done post-war.

Hi, wondering if anybody could help please? My neighbours do no like our kitchen extractor and have covered the outside vent up with a wooden box. The wooden box is on their land in their front garden. I am concerned that this may be a fire hazard. Could somebody advise please? I have added an aerial photo from our upstairs window and a photo taken from our street. Thanks

In existing properties converted into flats with a simultaneous evacuation strategy, is there ever a requirement to sub-divide the roof void/loft space? For example, a four storey mid-terrace Victorian property converted into flats accessed via a single communal stairwell with two flats located at top floor level.