Fire Risk Assessments

Hi, I am interested in furthering my education and thinking of studying fire safety engineering, hopefully next year, between then and now, i am wondering what would be considered essential reading to get some technical knowledge of fire safety engineering. I had been considering the CIBSE Guide E book but are there better ones. I have BS:9999: 2008 (I know its been updated) but would also like some guide book to help navigate this document regards, Stephen.

Hi, I am designing internal screens for a Residential Care Home, the screens will be located in a 30 minute fire rated wall (block masonry) between a day room and a protected escape corridor, this section of corridor also provides access to a two bedrooms, The base of the screens will be between 1.1m and 1.2m above floor level and have a top height of 2.1m above floor level, My question is do i need to spec the glass for the screens as 30 minute fire-rated integrity and insulation or as 30 minuted fire-rated integrity only? thanks for any advice Regards, Stephen.

hi all, does anyone know of any legislation covering the use of gas heaters in smoking areas in pubs/clubs?

Could someone please clarify when a Fire Risk Assessment is a requirement with regard to small commercial premises, mainly high street shops. I am aware of the 5 employees or more rule, but does this change if the business, for example Has a gas supply? Is cooking hot food and has say 30 paying customers? If the premises is on the ground floor level only? If some have a sub basement, often used to store a variety of goods? If the premises does not have a fire alarm system fitted. Thank you

I am wondering if anyone can give me advice ? I am a tenet lived in my property for ten years it’s a 1960 very large block of maisonette buildings. Consistenting of about 30 family’s. I have my own front door but I have a brick wall infront which was a bin cupboard they have bricked up. Under garage parking .I have a roof terrace balcony that the fire escape leads to neighbouring balconys but no fire escape stairs to get off the building . I have contacted my housing in regards to a fire risk assessment and they said they don’t need one. I am so confused and concerned as some vandals set a car on fire which above the under garages are bedrooms. …

I own a flat which is rented out. It is on the ground floor of a 3 story building converted to four flats pre 1990. The other converted flats are all owner occupied. My flat has hardwired and linked fire alarms, Its front door opens directly onto an entrance lobby (which also serves one other flat above) which in turn leads to the street. Do we need to have additional detectors and alarms in this lobby and a risk assessment? Thank you

Good evening. Whilst my own church (which is fully compliant) is renovated and extended, we've moved a number of larger events down to our neighbouring church. I'm a keyholder there and have popped in several times over the years, but only with our events moving there have I paid attention to the floorplan and fire systems. The main church hall seats 100 when full (eg our wedding last weekend) but typically only seats 30 for a sunday service. The fire exit in the main church hall is pre-1950 arched wooden doors (formerly the main entrance) which open inwards as it's literally right on the pavement. Proper big rustic bolts and a loose 2x1 piece of timber f…

What are the fire prevention requirements for the industrial gas boiler house? Our boiler room is a separate compartment with gas and heat detection installed. Vented roller door and side door are installed. Main gas supply is fed from adjacent room. Rooms are separated by a partition wall with 1h fire rating. Emergency procedure, in short, is to turn off the gas supply if possible and evacuate. What other fire precautions are necessary? Do we need to provide fire fighting equipment i.e dry powder extinguishers? I am also thinking here about CO2 extinguishers for electrical control panels and other electrical equipment within the boiler room. Thanks

Hi, I'm after some advice regarding EL in existing premises where there is no EL at present. It's a medium size warehouse (38m X 20m) with polycarbonate roof sheets so plenty of natural daylight apart from late afternoon Nov-Jan. The shifts finish at 17:00-17:30 so EL is only required for 3 months of the year for a couple of hours at most. They have final exits, signage, fire extinguishers etc but no EL at present. The customer says that according to their fire safety "expert" they only need a couple of ELs above the fire exits as the signage is photo-luminescent. Does this sound right or should New EL installations in older buildings conform fully to BS5266-1:2016. Th…

Hi, I live in a retirement apartment complex of some 50 individual apartments. It is well run and is properly maintained and up to date with legislation. Apparently we have had a fire assessment by an independent fire risk assessment company who have said that a lot of alterations are needed to fire doors around the building in order to be compliant. This includes replacing all the brass hinges on all the doors with steel ones probably in the region of 50 fire doors and communal corridor doors and each one already has 3 hinges and they are even saying that individual apartment front doors (another 50+ doors , already with 3 hinges per door) need to have t…

Hi, we are opening a small Cafè in 2 weeks time but our fire risk inspection is not due until July 19th. Is it a legal requirement to have a risk assessment done before we open or can we install all the necessary equipment and open prior to the inspection? Thanks in advance. Ross

I am the freeholder of a Victorian Terrace split into two flats. So I have a lease with the owner of the downstairs flat, but own the freehold of the whole property. He rents to tenants who have a pushchair in the corridor. I have manoeuvred past it for 3 years, but now have a bad back, and carrying things past it is extremely frustrating. I asked them to fold it and they said no. So I asked their landlord. He asked the managing agent to tell them to fold it. I chased this and was told they have folded the pushchair and she and the landlord are happy this is resolved. I told her they hadn't folded it. She said she 'is no longer involved'. Is there a law that says the free…

Hi A ground floor flat has been refurbished in a purpose built block of flats. Does the door the kitchen in the flat need to be a fire door?

Time and time again we receive the phrase NOTIONAL DOORS being used within Risk assessments. Just applying a sense of logic but can doors that were fitted in the 70s or 80s still realistically be considered acceptable even though today's Fire door sets comes with it a whole myriad of new regulations and codes of practice to fit them? Additionally, do you think There is likely to be any change in future legislation to counter act them still being classed as compliant?

My dad bought a building some 30 years ago and transformed it into a guest house. He put a fire exits in the back as we use the cellars for the guests. We had an agreement with the then owners that the fire exit pathway was ours and they could use it! Now we have new owners who tell us that the path is on their land and belongs to them and they want to block it up! We laid the path down some + 10 years ago and i have been running the guest house for 9 years now. We are searching through the deeds ut have nothing about the land itself or its size etc. Q: can they block it up? It is civil dispute and land registry can not help in this matter! The building is …

Hello All My first post, so go easy on me and be nice! For the purpose of FRA on flats build above shops, do we include the shop level as part of the building, even if not owned by the landlord? ie, 2 levels above the shop will indeed be classed as a 3 story building or not? Thank you in advance for advice offered.

Hi there. I'm tasked with providing an FRA for a 5 storey premise - B,G,1, 2, 3. Floors 1-3 are 2 flats, they have a separate communal entrance. AFD is provided throughout, mains interlinked to the Basement and Ground which are a restaurant. Control panel is in the communal area. Fairly straightforward here. The restaurant is provided with 2 exits at the Ground floor. Entrance door and rear fire exit. Basement is served by one staircase, with no exits at Basement level. Should the alarm sound, persons in the Basement have to make there way up the stairs back to where they came in. Trouble is, the kitchen/cooking area is situated here. I'm trying to contact Building …

Hello im trying to buy a flat. The management company will not provide the full fire assemenr. They only give 3 pages which don’t clearly link to the block where the flat I’m buying is. my soloitor will not proceed with the sale as she says she needs the full fire report to ensure the insurance is valid . However the seller management company will not give the full report. Is there anything I can obtain to get the full fire report or even a certificate which states fire safety ect I’m at my wits ends nobody can help me I tried calling the people who did the report and they won’t give me it either! Tom Sutton - you look to be really know…

I am in the process of selling my Lease Hold Flat and the buyer's Solicitor has requested a copy of the Fire Risk Assessment. The Management Company has said they do not supply copies of the Fire Risk Assessment but have said if the buyer's Solicitor will ring them they would answer any questions in regards to the Fire Risk Assessment. Can the Management Company do this?The Buyer's Solicitor has said this could delay the sale of the flat.

Hi, we have a warehouse that is subdivided into 16 units. 8 of these are upstairs with single access. The corridors are 2m wide and near the end of the corridor there is a small kitchenette with microwave and kettle pertruding 0.5m. There are 3 units with entrances past the kitchenette. Im just trying to find out the rules regarding kitchenettes in these circumstances since we are very tight on space, if we have extinguishers in the corridor at the back end of the kitchenettes is this kitchenettes within fire regulations? Thanks for any help with this!

Hello. A Victorian house was converted into 4 flats pre 1991. 1 flat on each floor. 3 share a communal entrance/hallway. 2 flats sharing the communal hallway are rented out. The flats are leashold and the freeholder lives in the basement flat. I have lots of questions and would like to know who I can instruct to answer them. I have read lots of the Regs/guidance and end up going around in circles. Some questions include: 1. Are we an unlicensed HMO? 2. Do we need a fire safety assessment covering the entire building not just the communal hallway? 3. Will a FSA advise us what fire alarm system we need? 4. Who's responsible the freeholder or t…

Hi, I have joined up to this forum as I have noticed there seems to be a lot of knowledgeable people, and I hope someone may be able to give me some advice. So, I have been working at a house of multiple occupancy and have installed rebated intumescent strips along the sides and top of an already installed fire door. However there is a large gap underneath I would say around 20 - 25mm and the letting agent wants it sorted for a fire inspection. I have told them that as far as I know I could install a strip of hardwood in the threshold to close the gap and make a uniform gap underneath, please do correct me if I'm wrong. They are not happy with that stating that it wo…

When completing a fire risk assessment in a small block of flats are the owners front doors in the communal corridors deemed part of that assessment

I've recently been working on some holiday flats and had a 'disagreement' with the owner about and alteration he made. The building consists of four separately let bedrooms on the second floor, a kitchen, bathroom and dining room on the first floor, and a commercial property on the ground floor. There is only one escape route from the upper floors, a single internal staircase. The owner decided to remove the wall between the stairs and dining room, to make it "feel more open". My understanding was that it needs to have a fire wall, as it should be a protected staircase. His justification was that a dining room doesn't count as a living area, and therefore doesn't nee…

Hello all, I am new to FRA so any help would be appreciated, i have completed my FRA course with the Fire Protection Association just recently so wanted to make sure am doing all correctly I am currently doing a FRA for communal areas only for a 4 storey building which has 3 flats (2 occupied at the moment) ground floor being refurbished into a flat as was old cab office. There is a management company looking(owns) the building and they have instructed us. Would i recommend them to have a AOV(Automatic Opening Vent) in the property? Also would you recommend fire extinguishers on the landings? I have also recommended a PEEP is that correct? …