Fire Exits

Sliding doors on escape routes & exits should open on the sounding of the FA (except for prisons etc) but I cannot find where it is stipulated in recognised guidance/ACoP. BS 7273 stipulates arrangements on power failure but very little on FAsounding. Any suggestions?

Hi. Please help me understand the 4.5m above ground level rule- our Building inspector and Fire Safety inspector said: "The 4.5m is the maximum escape height not the floor level which is why it is shown between two storey levels." and that "The 4.5m rule is indicated in the building regulations as being measured from ground level to the underside of the window." I thought the 4.5m is the maximum actual floor height above ground. Who's right?

Please advise: Is an external step required when exiting from a ground floor Fire Door where the internal floor height is above the external ground level i.e. potential trip hazard? If yes does this step need to be painted to highlight edges where the user would ultimately have to step off it? Thanks

THERE IS A ENTRANCE/EXIR DOOR 1MTR WIDE FOR DISABILITY ACCESS, HOWEVER IT WOULD OBVIOUSLY BE USED AS A FIRE EXIT SHOULD THERE EVER BE A FIRE. THERE IS A RAILING 1 MTR FROM THE DOOR SWING IN FRONT OF THE DOOR, IS THIS LEGAL

At my workplace the designated smoking area is directly at the other side of a fire door. Anyone opening this door would hit whoever was standing on the other side. Is this OK for my work to be doing this?

Can a five storey terraced building divided into five flats have a fire escape over a neighbours roof or into their property? At the moment the house is four storeys and the owner wants to add an extra separate flat in the roof space as a mansard penthouse. Only an extended lift shaft will be able to access this penthouse floor as the stairs stop at the third floor and cannot be extended. They want to connect through to the adjoining neighbours house and to use their protected staircase in case of an emergency. Can this be done? Its a completely different owner and building? The neighbour has agreed (for a fee!). I would say the unobstructed distance is about 10…

We would like to move a security which is linked to another company. Once moved it means one of there fire exits will be behind the security gate if it is locked. We are open 24 hours 5 days a week so the gate is always open when their factory is open. Can we do this and it be compliant? A picture shows where we want to move the gate

Hello, I’m after some advice.I’m new to all this. I have an autistic boy who has zero sense of danger so we have to have everything locked. everything Social worker and occupational therapist have told us we need move ASAP. However a flat has been offered but there is a fire exit which leads from the communal play area (which he will use daily) to another door which is also a fire exit which then is into main road. he can navigate this and escape. my problem is how can this be made secure. I think I know the answer but like I said I am no expert. keeping him safe is very important but very tricky as he can escape easily from unsecured p…

My neighbour and I live on the first floor of a block of flats. We are the only two flats on this floor with no floors above. There is a very steep staircase that as we are all over 60 with difficulty getting down and up. We have asked for a stairlift but have been met with fire safety restrictions. We can not see why. The stairs will only allow one person down at a time anyway. The floors are concrete so fire would take a long time to spread. Any suggestions?

Hi guys, i just need some clarification. I have a fire door on a commercial building and it opens outwards but the issue is it opens outwards onto a narrow passage down the side of the building and if an emergency was to occur then when open it blocks the passenger midway and the route accommodates another fire door. It would mean that this door would block the escape route from the rear. Would this mean the door should open inwards?

Can you please help me understand what sort of external door and especially lock can be used for a multiple occupancy residence? I live in a single building where we have one only external escape door for three (3) flats. The single exit external door has a single ordinary key in a key hole lock. For the last 10 years I have been asking for the door to be replaced and the key lock mechanism to be changed to be what I understand is fire safety compliant. Essentially, if I and the other three flat occupiers needed to get out in a hurry due to a fire - and the single corridor leading to the single exit door was smoked filled and it difficult to see - then we could…

Hi I carry out emergency light test frequently, and have a question for exit signs above emergency exit doors. I've notice on some sites I've been to, there's an exit sign above an emergency exit door which is locked via key or unlockable via mechanical means 1- should I fail an exit sign above an exit door which is locked via key and recommend removal or blanking off ? On my opinion, all emergency exits should be openable by all persons via a push bar. 2- should I fail an exit sign above an exit door which is locked and openable via mechanical means by all persons ? I don't so see a problem with question 2 but what if the mechanism fails or…

There appears to be some confusion over this subject however, I have been asked to assess a relatively new building which contains an auditorium. There are four exits, three of which open inward, from this room and assuming that one is taken out by fire I have 3 doors with a capacity of 60 persons giving a total of 180 persons in total, am I correct in my thinking?

Hi, I am currently conducting an assessment on our fire procedures and needs but have a few questions if anyone can help please? 1) Portacabins - We use a portacabin as an office. As these are not considered permanent building due i need fire extinguisher provisions for them? Also the doors are the main point of entrance/exit but doors open inwards so do I p[resume I dont need any fire exit signage? 2) Evacuation routes - Apart from the portacabins and poly tunnels our entire site is outside. Due to this do I need any emergency signage for a route to the meeting point? Any advise appreciated Thankyou in advance

I have had some conflicting information on this subject. I have been asked to assess an auditorium with approx 140 seats, there are 4 exits, but all apart from one open inwards. Given that one of the doors would technically be taken out of the equation due to the fire am I right in assuming that each of the other door, although Inward opening can accommodate 60 persons so giving me an escape figure of a minimum 180?

Bottom of the openable area is to be a minimum of 800mm and not more than 1100mm above the finished floor level. What is the bottom of an openable area? Our site has equal split windows but the upper window is the egress window which is at 1500mm. The sill is at 1100 above finish floor level. Is this correct?

Commercial property, can a fire exit lead on to a flat roof with no escape from that roof to ground level? no fixed barriers to prevent risk of falling. Opinions please.

In our Furnace control room of glass manufacturing company which is constructed over a gas station, there is an emergency door leading to the gas station side rather than outside of the plant in open area or in walkway.As there is no sufficient space AROUND to relocate it.One of our 3rd party auditor raised this objection but we have problem that due to unavailability of space we can not re-locate this emergency door so what is the solution and how we can satisfy our certifying body. I need suggestion for the solution of said above point.

We recently had a fire escape drill at work where the company deliberately locked one of the 2 main fire escapes, preventing escape from the building without breaking the COVID19 one way system. Can companies deliberately lock fire exits during evacuaton drills?

Are disabled toilets exempt from having self closers or do they just need to comply with the 20N rule?

can a fire escape door be fitted with a self closure arm? due to the fact it is left open and not shut often?

Hi, we have at our company a permanently closed/decommissioned internal sliding fire door. Stock has been put in front of this door and racking has been built around some. I believe that this is not legal due to the fire rating of the door and the wall being different as the fire door is the weaker point in a fire. Could someone please confirm or point me in the right direction. Regards Mick

Hi, I am currently living in a 7 floors residential block and sharing an egress staircase with the block next to us. Due to the type of residents are different between two blocks, the exit at the ground level has two exit which direct its own residents exit to its own lift lobby with its dedicated block key fob. This all make sense but not during day to day where the residents from the blocks can only exit to their own block's lobby, rather than the usual green push button for deactivate the magnectic door to open. I wonder is this even legal? As this is causing the residents where they sometime stuck in the staircase if they forgot to bring the key with them.…

i would like to know what are the minimum requirements that an internal fire exit door opening onto a small flight of stairs onto external fire exit door should be? What is the minimum flat surface distance from the top of the stairs to the internal door before the top step? Dhanish

Hi all, I'm looking for a little more clarity over a building lock up procedure. We have a small entrance foyer that has an automatic sliding door to allow some protection from the elements from the main exit/entrance to the building. This door is lockable, however I understand that we can not lock this door as it leads to the main fire escape when the building is unoccupied. During building lock up we set the door to permanently closed until we're operational but some senior staff are locking the door - is this correct or do we need to keep the internal door unlocked in the event of a fire? Any clarity on this area would be much appreciated. Kind regar…