Fire Risk Assessments

Hello there I live in a leasehold property on three floors with four flats. There are two on the first floor and two on the second. Garages and storerooms on the ground floor. There is plenty of natural light on all three floors through a communal front and back door and plenty of light. Our managing agents are saying that from the Fire risk assessment we need emergency lighting and fire detectors. The staircase is not complicated - the building is not converted and we have plenty of lighting as it is. Apparently from the report these changes were recommended but not considered essential. It seems they just want to make money from us. Where do we stand please?

We have had an independent fire risk assessment undertaken at my small offices and warehouse. They have asked us to change all existing hinges on our fire doors and add a third, central one, on all fire doors. These doors have been as is for 30+ years. Is this correct? And would it be a recommendation or a legal requirement?

We are setting up a Buddhist retreat centre, we have the local council building inspector advising us on fire route, equipement, lighting etc and will inspect at the end of the month to sign off building regulations so we can open to the general public. Our electrician has said we have to have a fire safety inspection before we can open to the public, is this true please and how do we know if we have everything you require in place too? any advice would be much appreciated.

Hi all. Quick question if I may. How deep should an FRA go? Basically, I have had an FRA carried out on my two storey office (mainly admin with a kitchen and canteen). The report seems fairly comprehensive. I also have a separate company who service my alarm system which includes advice on detectors etc. The company who service my alarm have picked up that I require a 'fire alarm fused spur' to provide a safe method for safely isolating the mains voltage supply to the fire alarm. They also picked up that one or two detectors should be smoke rather than heat, which is presently installed. Should my Fire Risk Assessment have picked this up or were they only …

Hi, I have recently visited a couple of residential care homes where there was the odd bedroom containing more than 1 bed. I didn't think this was permissable under current guidance. Approved Doc B Page 41 3.49 seems to back that up. Have I got it wrong or perhaps there is alternative guidance which does allow more than 1 bed per room ? Any advice greatly received. Dan.

If you have staff working in a building which is not run by there Employers they are just working for the premises as contractors (full time), does there Employee have to carryout there own FRA, even though the building has one carried out by the owners/occupiers ?

Hello, I've recently joined the forum and I have a question that I'm hoping can be answered here. I'm an adult whom is diagnosed with an autistic spectrum disorder whom has recently taken up residence in a ground floor one bedroom flat leased from a local housing association. I have become very concerned though of what the fire escape route would be from the primary fire escape to a safe distance away from the building, therefore I would like to ask, is there a legal obligation for house letting agencies or associations to make available to tenants a safe and accessible fire escape route to a designated fire assembly point or to an area that should be considered a safe di…

We act for a client that have a number of Convents nationwide. Each Convent is classed as a domestic, residential premises and Sisters live together at the Convents as a family. Under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005, we would not need to undertake a Fire Risk Assessment at these Convents, as they are deeded “domestic premises.” However, some of the Convents employ people (eg a cook, maintenance man, gardener, etc). Therefore under the H&S at Work Act, would there be an obligation to undertake a Fire Risk Assessment ? Some Convents employ over 5 people, some employ less than 5 people. I hope you can help. Kind regards.

I am going to buy a maisonette which doesn't required fire risk assessment. I was been told that as property have front door with communal garden so doesn't need one.

We are exploring different options with putting offices, a mess room/locker room and a toilet block into our warehouse. The most likely would be to put portakabins into the warehouse. Do we need to do anything regarding fire regs?

Hi, i am new to this forum and I was just looking for some advice. I have a bicycle and I have to park it outside but I am not sure if where I am parking it constitutes a fire risk. Obviously i don't want to park it there in case it is. I have enclosed a picture. If it is not a fire risk how can I show this [self assessment etc] to the housing manager to show that it is ok. Kind regards, James

I hope all is well. I just have a quick query. I hired a professional to carry out a fire risk assessment and I am skeptical as to whether they have carried it out effectively. Can you please let me know as a minimum what should be exactly noted in a fire risk assessment? Thank you

I have a domestic cleaning business. I am writing my H&S policy and am unsure on the fire safety for staff due to working in homes? Please could you advise?

Could you please advise me on what fire equipment I must have in a cafe kitchen and also what regulations and laws there are that I need to be aware of on my cafe premises in the way of fire exits, signage and equipment etc. many thanks hope to hear from you soon. Joe

As the owner of a medium sized site with various individual traders occupying units of various size and incorporating retail outlets and industrial outlets/stores etc is the owner responsible for providing an overall site FRA especially for public access areas or is it down to individual traders to provide their own, or both? Thanks

Hi I recently moved jobs to a counselling agency. We have 4 members of staff, volunteer counsellors and clients who come in daily. We are a very low risk organisation. I did fire fighting equipment training about 5 years ago so my questions are: With 4 employees how many fire wardens should there be by law? As long as I felt competent using equipment would I still need to be retrained? Many thanks

We are due a brigade visit in a few weeks to a small warehouse. We only use it occasionally probably on average 1/2 hours per day Mon - Fri. Could you advise if possible where in the regulations a bldg. such as this fits. We have marked fire exits and have annually maintained fire extinguishers but after that not a lot. I would welcome any comments. Kind regards, Paul.

I am wondering if our landlord is responsible for providing a fire risk assessment. There was no such thing in place when we moved into our office. The problem is we need certification to become accredited. We are a small company 3 employees and are not sure whether we should be paying or our landlord should be. I would be grateful for your help.

Hello, I am a resident in a two story purpose built set of flats. The ground floor comprise commercial units which have separate entrances and the first floor comprise thirteen flats with three communal entrances. The two main entrances are security gates which can be opened with a key or opened by pressing an electronic timer button. Can you tell me what the legal requirements are with regards to getting out of the gate in event of a fire? I don't think there has been a recent fire assessment and I don't think there is any way of opening the gate without a key in the event of a fire and the electricity goes down. Thank you, Sam.

Hi I am the landlord of a two story, two, 2 bed flats Flats are owner occupied on long leases with freeholder in occupancy. From what I have read we are therefore non hmo, as more than 2/3rds owner occupied There is a 10 year battery smoke alarm in the lobby that feeds both flats, the lobby is approx 2m by 2m. There is then another ten year smoke alarm interlinked in the upstairs flat. The construction is pre 1991. Do i need fire risk assesment? Can i do one myself? Thanks for any help

I'm looking to improve fire safety training across our school sites and look to involve more staff in the use of fire extinguishers and become fire wardens, as the training is quite costly I'm looking into ways of training quite a few more people than normal but keeping the cost down. I believe if I can show the powers that be, we could train more for the same, or a little more they may be on board with the idea. I'm working on the theory that the more people I can involve, the more interest I can generate in fire safety as a whole. I can get a qualified health and safety professional to go through the academic/classroom side of the training, but wondered what tra…

A landlord of a block of flats is required to make and to keep updated a fire risk assessment in respect of communal stair cases, the only means of escape for 1st & 2nd floor residents. If the staircase has its treads and landings covered with a synthetic material that, on heating, decomposes giving toxic fumes. Should such a latent hazard be recorded in the fire risk assessment ?

Our local Council management are enforcing sterile conditions in our high rise block. As part of this is the changing of small doormats usually offcuts of normal carpet within the flat. In place the Council insist on rubber backed mats. I would suggest that rubber backed mats, in the case of fire, would give off toxic fumes, possibly worse than the normal household pieces of carpet. Could a professional Fire Officer give his/her opinion on this. Or is it too trivial to be considered as a risk. Yours Sincerely Colin Middleton

Hi, FIrstly, your website is very informative and helpful. I am interested in providing fire safety consultancy for the hotel industry but would like some clarification on who currently regulates the industry and how hotels currently inpliment their fire safety measures. Do they conduct the fire safey checks themselves or is it the local council or fire authority that does it.

Hi, my partner and I have lived in a first floor apartment happily for over two years now, but our circumstances have changed and my partner is now registered disabled. There is no lift in the building and so she is forced to use the stairs. Though she has the use of both of her legs, she suffers from serious mobility problems and her condition is chronic. This seems, to us, to present a serious fire risk. In that, should the need arise, she will be unable to escape. What are our landlords obligations? I understand that he should make reasonable adaptations to the property, but what if these changes can't be made? I can't seem to think of a soloution, would he be forced t…