Fire Exits

Hi we had a fire in the kitchen area which is a separate room within the main room. The fire was taken care of quickly but there was still smoke and a acrid smell. We work in an area were you cannot open the windows. Should we have evacuated until 1. The smoke was totally gone. 2. They had checked what the fumes were?

Hi Can anyone help with why there is a difference between exit width capacity between ADB & the HM Government Guides. Table 4 ADB for a 750mm door is 60 persons however DCLG states for 750mm, 80 for high risk - 100 normal & 120 low risk. I appreciate that ADB is fairly black & white and is for new builds and refurbs whereby DCLG is for existing building so will give a degree of flexibility. The history of 40 persons per minute via a 525 with door will give you your 2 mins (high) 80 persons - 2.5 mins (normal) 100 persons 3 mins (low) 120 so all adds up but 1050mm ADB = 220 - DCLG 160 - 200 - 240, so these are double the 750mm figure…

Our fire exit consists of an internal set of double doors with a 3 meter walkway to a second set of doors which open out to the outside world. Within this corridor is some motorcycle clothing neatly hung on wall hooks. No obstruction or blockage is evident.with a clear walkway kept at all times. The question is...is it allowed to be there. Regards firexit

I have been asked to look into the possibility of installing fire alarm devices (some sort of illuminated sign linked to either a single detector or the main panel) adjacent to the first and second floor exit doors to inform the occupiers that they shouldn't use that particular exit (there are 2 exits per floor) if there is a fire in the reception area (my understanding is that this area is deemed an unprotected lobby due to its construction). For the record the above information was given to me by a project manager who was told to install these devices by the local fire officer. I have never seen this set up before and was wondering if it is even legal/wise/possible…

In a single stair restaurant comprising: Ground floor open kitchen and dining area, First floor dining area and a Second floor comprising staff changing facilities and a store, can lobbies to the protected stair be omitted with the addition of AFD?

Could you give me some advice please. Regarding our local Parish Hall. The Local council have an emergency plan and despite the Hall never flooding in 100 years have instructed the management committee to purchase removable flood barriers for all outside doors. Two of the doors are fire doors are we allowed to ever erect flood barriers. Many thanks Janet

Hi. I work in a school for students with severe learning disabilities and associated behaviours. These students' disabilities mean that they are never unaccompanied by an adult. We have one teenage student who rushes towards any exit, often causing injury to others. She will rush out of the fire exit and will climb the fence on the other side. She will also rush out of the classroom door and run off. Because of the risk to her and to others, can we put a simple mechanism on the fire door such as a spine key or a bolt that could be easily operated by an adult in the case of a fire but would stop her from getting out? Also, can we turn the keypad on the door of the classroo…

Hello, Could anybody clarify what signage is needed if any by every fire exit. I work in a large sporting venue. We have multiple fire exits all with Fire Exit signage. I am just curious about the fire exits in certain areas. IE- Chaging rooms, whereby the Fire Exit leads to a corridor that would usually be closed for general day to day operations. Does this exit need a directional sign or information on the centres refugee point? or is a fire door, with the green and white sign hanging from the ceiling and a green and white sticker placed on the push bar of the door suffice?

Hi I work in a trampoline park in Aberdeen we have a soft play area on a platform next to stairs some of our customers are concerned that the stairs have no gate on them and under 5 year olds can fall down the stairs. I am told that the stairs are classed as emergency stairs and must remain open but I am wondering if it's possible and legal and within regulations that I can put a removable baby gate or guard on the stairs to only be used when the soft play area is in use to stop young children heading to the stairs? Thanks Kim

We have a fire escape door opening to the outside. It is fitted with a panic bar set and outside override. Can a deadlock be fitted for security reasons? is so should it be fitted with a thumb turn cylinder?

We are a volunteer charity and own a oblong brick building. On one short end of the building there is an exterior fire door. It is metal in structure with the correct opening facilities. The other door is at the front of the building constructed of wood. At present the fire door is left wide open and the public use it as an access to the building. Could you give some guidance if there are any infringements being incurred such as should the fire door be alarmed ? Within the building there are internal fire doors, one open, one closed. My main concern is the open exterior door but also the security and our obligations to public safety from all types of occurrences such …

Is there a particular standard of Door that should be fitted to a final exit? I have come across a set of double doors on a final exit which, are nothing more than shed doors which can't accommodate a push bar!

We live in an old school that has been converted to apartments. The upper apartments have external metal walkway fire escapes. The residents have put wooden decking down, with plants, chairs, fake "grass" etc, using them as balconies. Is this legal/safe?

Does a fire escape leading from a communal stairway to an external fire exit stairway need to be fire rated in an existing building? Many thanks Oliver

Can anyone tell me if a set of automatic sliding doors are required to open and stay locked open in the event of a fire activation. These doors are the main entrance to the building but are not classified as a fire exit.

The exit ramp from a new fire escape door to be installed at our church needs to be parallel to the wall and there is limited width available so that the 'landing' and the ramp does not impede side passageway. Door opening would be 1050mm so double doors probably required. Presumably the ramp must also be at least 1050mm wide and that is not a problem, but can the door opening onto the ramp side be opened 180 degrees and held there, so that the 'landing' outside the door doesn't have to extend much more than 1050 mm? I'd be grateful for any advice, please.

Hello, I am seeking advice on the width of a terrace door located in my office. We have a roof terrace that can hold about 150 people in the summer months. however the terrace only has one door onto/off it having read the guides I am not sure the width of 73 cms is wide enough for this capacity. Can you advise, please?

I live in a Victorain building that has been made into flats double bedroom flats. The only window that is on the landing 3 floors up that opens up on the back which a has drop of at least 25ft is used as a fire escape even though there is no signage or anything to indicate that it is. Can it be locked at all or fitted with an emergency unlock in an emergency. It is not fireproof glass. However it is a security risk to. The council say it has to be left unlocked. My bedrooms are in the attic so I am even further from the main door which is the only real way of getting out at all. I don't think there is anything between floors to protect me from a fire in another fla…

Can someone help new clousures have been fitted on the fire doors to my front door they are very difficult to open and allow me 1.03 to get through the door before they close. Are there any regs out there that say how long these doors should take before closing

Hi everyone new here... I have found the forum looking for a solution to my issue, I hope someone here can help. I am renovating my own house: ex-council block with maisonette dwellings on two floors. Entrance and living area on the top floor, bedrooms downstairs. The secondary escape route from downstairs is through a glass door to a shared balcony and entering the neighbour's house through his glass door, eventually breaking the glass: there is a sign on the outside of both doors saying "fire exit: break the glass in case of fire" Being an old building all windows as well as those doors are single glazed. I am in the process to install double glazing…

My daughter has started work in a small shop which has a front and back exit and are both identified as fire exits, as they have emergency exit signs, the front door has a single key operated lock on both sides of the door, when the store is first opened the front door is locked behind them, the key is not left in the lock and not all members of staff have a key. The rear door has 2 mortise dead locks a bolt and rim latch lock the dead locks and bolt are unlocked as soon as the store is opened, Where I have a concern and I can't see to find the answer is that there is a fire door between the front exit and rear exit, this door has a mechanical code lock, my concern …

Good morning folks, We're converting a building that we own into 4 units, each will be approximately 3,000sq ft. I was wondering if you could help us find out if one universal exit in centre of the building would be enough, or if each individual unit would be its own leading out the back? All units will be no more than 20m away from a large exit. Thank you.

A family member owns a building which is made up of ground floor units and a small first floor unit currently being used as a gym I would think that judging by the size of it there would be no more than twenty people using the gym at any one time there is a fire escape on the outside of the building which is in a poor state in view of the size of the gym could this fire escape be dismantled and the existing internal staircase used for escape

Hi, looking for advice. I have been approached by my tenant, who has young children, they would like me to fit window locks to the upstairs windows. My house was built in 2003, at the time, I myself had young children. I asked the builder at the time about putting window locks on the upstairs windows and was told by the builder, that new builds were not allowed to fit window locks to upstairs windows as they were an escape route should a fire occur. Can you tell me if this is still the rules as my tenant seems to think the rules have now changed. I would hate to have window locks installed and be responsible, if there were a fire and they could not get out. Ma…

Hi, hoping someone can advise me please. I live upstairs above a restaurant (that I also work in) and my only way in when the restaurant is closed is via a single fire exit at the bottom of the main stairs, which is also used by public to reach the toilets. At present the fire exit has a push bar with a bolt at the top and bottom of the door as well as a bevelled latch half way up the door, which all retract when the bar is pushed. Outside there is a key operated external access handle to get in. However, the people who work in the hotel sometimes need to get access to the restaurant through the door and we don't want to start handing keys out. I was wanting…