Fire Safety in Schools

What does guidance say about any of the following: Covering fire door vision panels with paper, posters, postcards etc.? Covering fire door vision panels with privacy screening/film? Using blinds over fire door vision panels for privacy. The context would be in school buildings.

Good Afternoon I'm looking for some advice on Lithium Ion Battery management following a FRA recently. A new control measure has been added and I'm being asked to develop policies to meet the needs of it, (and practical measures in school). Can anyone offer any guidance, trusted sources of advice etc that could support me on this? Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries The use of lithium-ion batteries is widespread and in all types of applications using cell quantities large and small, e.g. from e-cigarettes, mobile devices, laptops, rechargeable power tools, floor cleaners, torches, horticultural equipment, scooters, golf/mobility buggies, bikes, etc,…

Hello Wise People What's the general opinion of having real or artificial trees in schools this Christmas? I've got a number of schools who get them 'gifted' each year, so want to ensure that the right controls are in place to reduce any hazards, or should I be advising artificial versions to be purchased? Any advice greatly appreciated as always. Regards Jo

I have visited a school that has key-operated locks on the inner face of classroom doors. I seem to recall that classroom doors fitted with a lock, should have a thumb turn fitted to their inner face to ensuring that the door will always be available without the use of a key and to prevent persons being inadvertently locked in the classroom . I cannot seem to find any guidance on door locks apart from BB100 (clause 4.5.1.3) and the CLG Education guide, both which only make reference to 'doors on escape routes'. I suppose that the door to a classroom also provides the MofE and therefore, technically may be interpreted as 'on an escape route' from the classroom. I would app…

My child’s council nursery in Edinburgh has started padlocking the garden gate so no parents/visitors etc can access for child safety which I understand however....this is the route they would take once out the building and then through the playground to the fire assembly point. Should this playground gate be padlocked during nursery time does anyone know? Many thanks

Hi, I am after some advice regarding 'inner rooms'. We have been asked by the School to provide a quote for installing a stud wall in the middle of an open plan room with an opening but without a door installed to prevent 'inner rooms' been created. Does this comply with Fire Regs if we leave the Door off, therefore essentially it is still one room?

Hello, A headteacher just told me that a previous Fire Risk Assessment for her primary school stated she needed to remove the curtains separating a shelved store and the classroom itself (more visual benefit than preventing access) and replace with a solid door. The items stored are all primary school items, so paper, pencils etc. I cannot locate this comment on their recent assessment (Oct. 2023), so I don't want to advise them to financially invest in things that aren't necessary as budgets are tight for them. Can any one offer any advice, on whether these do need to be replaced (was the comment misunderstood initially), they could be replaced for fire r…

Hi Are canvas art photo print framed pictures OK in a fire escape stair well. Only 5 and well spaced apart but I have n way of knowing if they have been made of fire resistant material (like the curtains in the school) or if they have been treated retrospectively. Any advice? will they be acceptable in terms of fire safety?

I’m just wondering if anyone can educate me on fire exits in schools? I attended a school play today and the hall was over capacity with 200+ parents, 100+ children and 15 members of staff, only one fire exit was available to parents which I find concerning as we were packed like sardines and there were no walkways or paths available to the fire exit which was a single door. I’m writing a complaint to the school regarding harassment from other parents and the event being poorly organised but I’m also concerned about the health and safety not being taken into account, perhaps I am overly anxious about these things but none the less I’d like a clear directive bef…

Hello! My children go to a maintained London primary school. It has a number of buildings in a fairly small area with some limited open yards inside the school. The buildings within the school do have fire exits, however the entrances/exits from the school onto the street outside are all padlocked during the day (and can only be opened with a key). I've raised this as a fire concern and the school has said that because there are a few open spaces inside the school, that they are not required to have "panic exit" locks on the external extrances onto the street outside that can be opened witout a key. Their argument is that if there's a fire, the children can just…

Hi all, I recently inspected a door in a school premises. There is a dressing/changing room that is locked, only staff have a key and door is locked when school is empty. Question is, does the door require a thumb turn lock on the reverse of the door leaf or is it's current set up acceptable? Been looking for answers in regulations etc but not found anything conclusive. Thanks in advance.

Hi, Our client has asked us to give them a quote for 4 x new handles and latches to be fit high on the leaf of 4 x doors and also upside down so the handle would work by pushing it upwards, I cannot find any info as to whether this would be acceptable. The locks and handles would be fire rated and installed with intumescents. Thanks

Afternoon Could someone please confirm if there is anything written with regard the fire doors and compartmentation in school science rooms. The classrooms are clearly using gas and chemicals, obviously under supervision. However the compartmentation diagrams have not picked these area up and as such the doors to these classrooms and those in between the classrooms are not managed as fire doors. From what I have seen it seems to be best/good practice, but cant find anything in print. Thank you

In some school setting the setting off of the fire alarm can be a frequent occurrence - specifically Special Schools. Typical controls to reduce the incidence of these are covers, however in special schools these can be largely ineffective. Additional measures could be alarmed covers and tamper tags. More recently I have been asked about covers with frangible locks i.e. the cover is locked but the lock breaks easily should it need to be activated. Are members familier with these and what are your thoughts regards their use i.e do they meet standards. Thank you

I recently attended a school that was build circa 1975. The school has no emergency lighting , I recommended they get emergency lighting. Property have said there is no need to fit as building Regs are not retrospective. I would like some advice from experts in this group so I can argue my case further, I belive it needs to be done.

Hi, We are having issues with malicious activations at a couple of schools where the pupils have additional support needs. Constant activations have led to serious disruption on a regular basis. One of the Head Teachers has reached out to Fire & Rescue and the local Watch Commander has given the go-ahead to raise the height of the call-points out of the children's reach. My concern is that doing this would contravene BS5839. Any thoughts on this issue would be appreciated!

Hi I at a nursery and sign in on the fire register each time I enter or leave the building, there is another small building on the same site with another small group in. Should we all sign in on the same register in the main building or should we have 2 separate signing in sheets?

I am looking for quotes for fire risk assessments for my student accommodation. We own the buildings and they are located on the academy grounds. They differ from a bedsit (welfare, small kitchen bed) to multiple bedrooms, with own welfare facilities with communal areas within (corridor, tv/kitchen area). My question is, do I need to ensure the fire risk assessor has access to these areas because I will need to notify my students that someone will be entering their bedrooms and living areas. Or will they only want access to the common areas and not the bedrooms? Should they be going into the bedrooms?

Good morning We have a set of double doors that open from a hall into a corridor. The corridor is at 90 degrees to the hall (you exit the hall turn sharp left). They currently open outwards, which means the left hand door obstructs the corridor. Is it permissible to have one door opening inwards and one open outwards. ? Thanks David

I was wondering if you could help clarify something in ADB Vol's 1 and 2 for me please relating to the requirement for vision panels in doors in particular in schools. I can see that there is a requirement for vision panels on doors dividing corridors and doors which are hung and designed to swing both directions. But should doors which open on to stairways also include vision panels too?

I work in a small school for 25 13-16 yr old pupils with challenging behaviour. The building is single story approx 200 m2 with large opening windows in all rooms. All pupils and staff are able bodied. There is 1 fire exit door in an area leading onto a yard area. This area is closely monitored. Two other exits can be used as fire escapes however for safety and security they have coded locks that need to be opened by staff. When students are in these areas staff are always nearby and available to open these doors if needed. This is detailed on our risk assessment and staff are trained on fire evacuation procedures. One of the doors leads also to the staff toilet and tea p…

Afternoon all, We are in the process of building a secure school which will house 49 students 24/7 365 days of the year. What fire safety guidance would you apply in this situation? Many thanks in anticipation Lynda

Hi All we have a class room that measures 6.5 m by 6m the inclusion team would like to use this classroom for some life skills and a small breakfast club using one small electric cooker there will be a max of 6 students and 2 staff,there is only one door in and out leading straight outside the door measures 900mm, are we allowed to carry this out as far as fire regs go,a full risk assesment will be done and a method statement

Hi all, I'm new to the forum after discovering by accident. We're having a new extension put on our Primary School but the contractor is saying that we don't need fire resistant Paint in the communal areas (corridors, stairs etc) and that water based eggshell on new plaster is sufficient. Has anyone had experience of this? Cheers

Hello The school i work in was built over 40 years ago and still has the original fire doors. A company was appointed to assess the doors and failed them all because they had no lables/plugs. They recommended that they all needed replacing. I'm no expert but can these doors be listed as nominal fire doors as long they have a solid timber core? What would be the other conditions? Am I right in saying: - 3 hinges of fire resistant construction - fire and smoke seals - no damage to the door - suitable frame and no excessive gaps If some of the doors have deficincies can they be upgraded, for example changing the hinges, adding smoke/fire strips, in…