Tom Sutton

Most fire legislation works on the principle, a man's (or woman) home is his castle and he will protect his family therefore there is little he is forced to do. Outdated I know but the only option left is persuasion and the best website is Fire Kills there is plenty of ideas to assist you. Another suggestion is to make it a condition that before you attend a fire check from the local fire service has completed. They are free and if a fire alarm is required that is also free. Check out http://www.firesafe....rvices-details/

The best guidance on fire doors is Architectural and Specialists Door Manufacturers Association the Best Practice Guide to Timber Fire Doors. The guidance on installation is http://www.asdma.com/pdf/installationlflt2.pdf . It depends on what you means by undercut, if it is the lipping on the side of the door that should not exceed 3mm on each side, you cannot touch the top side and the threshold you will have to contact the manufacturer as it depends on the construction of the door. If you are talking about the gaps around the door that is 2mm to 4mm top and sides. The threshold should not exceed 8mm. Check the British Standard BS 8214:1990 and the above guides.

To be totally sure the holes should have been filled with an intumescent material and if you contact Envirograf I am sure they will give the best advice.

The common areas are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 and maybe as the result of a fire risk assessment the findings was to install a hard wired smoke alarm and emergency lighting in the common areas to protect you and your neighbours. Quite often it requires the installation of a heat detector in each flat to give early warning instead of waiting for the smoke to enter the common areas or when the flat is empty. For more information download HOUSING – FIRE SAFETY Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing which is the guide for these types of premises.

Yes there are the building regulations, Approved documents J and B volumes 1 and 2. ADB states they are considered places of special fire hazard and consequently the DCLG guidance says they will need to be enclosed in fire resisting construction in non-domestic premises and the level of fire resistance will depend on the location. In dwellings you will need to discuss it with building control it appears there is no requirement to enclose it maybe because of the size of the boiler and the fuel is usually stored away from the premises? Check out http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/ and the guides at http://www.firesafe.org.uk/regulatory-reform-fire-safety-order-2005/

Persons who supply second-hand furniture in the course of business or trade (e.g. auctioneers, charities) are covered by the regulations and should have a label attached. However The Regulations state that the simple distribution of second-hand upholstered furniture and furnishings by a charity in pursuance of its charitable objectives to needy persons, either free of charge or at a nominal amount only, is not considered to constitute a supply in the course of business and hence is exempt from compliance to the Regulations. Check out http://www.firesafe.org.uk/furniture-and-furnishings-fire-safety-regulations-19881989-and-1993/

It depends on which type of cooker is being installed, if it is gas, the gas regulations apply http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1998/2451/regulation/26/made if it is electric then the wiring is covered by the electric wiring regulations. http://www.diyfixit.co.uk/safety-and-regulations/electrical-regulations.html As you said the the prescribed distances should be provided, with a gas cooker I cannot see a corgi installer not abiding by the safety rules as he/she has to sign it off when completed, as for an electric cooker only the wiring appears to be covered by regulation. http://www.callde.co.uk/safety_regulations.asp

Paul you haven't given sufficient information about the building. You need to describe the whole building and the compartmentation. Where is the dwelling located and are there any other occupancies in the building. You haven't mentioned manual call points there just isn't sufficient detail to make a decision whether it should be a part 1 or part 6 system installed. Check out the DCLG guide Offices and shops which requires a part 1 system in the offices, if required, and part 6 system in the dwelling is also acceptable.

Which doors are you referring to, the doors in your apartment or the fire door leading from you apartment to the common areas and the staircase.

If you can get a 1hr fire door of those dimensions then you could use it, also it would not require a self closer, providing its kept locked when not in use and the appropriate sign displayed. You could try a bespoke fire door manufacturer or have you considered a fire shutter similar to the ones used on serving hatches.

Further to my previous post if you check the small children's home guide http://www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/documents/digitalasset/dh_4021209.pdf it is very similar approach OFSTED uses to the child minder guidance. There is no specific fire safety guidance on small children's homes, therefore the the link I provided you, to the guidance based on the OFSTED/CFOA (Chief fire officer association) guidance for child minders is the best available. The lacors guidance is relevant as it deals with domestic premises and is more specific on fire alarm standards.

If it is a fire door then it most likely part of your escape route therefore it is not a good idea to increase the fire loading in that location. As to whether a screw will affect the integrity of a fire door is open the debate and the only way to find out would be to test the door which will never happen. I would suggest you find a safer place to store your coats.

I would suggest you the LACORS guide Housing – Fire Safety: Guidance on fire safety provisions for certain types of existing housing http://www.lacors.gov.uk/lacors/upload/19175.pdf and use the definition that fits your premises the closest. The guidance indicates the type of fire alarm to be installed for each category. The information on child minders would be useful and relevant to small children's homes http://www.firesafe....care-providers/.

You would need to give more information is it a a child minder with overnight facilities, is it a domestic property, how many floors and the size or is it a commercial property. Under which legislation are you operating?

To my knowledge upholstered furniture is the only furniture subject to fire regulation I cannot imagine trying to ignite a substantial piece of hardwood with a small ignition source like a cigarette end or match. Therefore if you import upholstered items you will need to conform to the Furniture and Furnishings (Fire Safety) Regulations 1988 (as amended in 1989 and 1993). For more information go to http://www.fira.co.uk/ and http://www.firesafe.org.uk/furniture-and-furnishings-fire-safety-regulations-19881989-and-1993/

The thickness of the glass is incidental the whole doorsets has to be tested to BS 476 or BS EN 1634 and have achieved integrity of the required fire resisting standard. The test certificate is the proof of the fire resisting rating and the accompanying literature how the door should be installed with other relevant information.

It all depends on the layout of the salon, if it is an access room situation and the travel distance from the furthest point to the front door. Check out the DCLG guidance for Offices and shops which should help.

There is no is no set requirement for the number of competent persons (fire wardens) The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 says the responsible person must appoint one or more competent persons to assist him in undertaking the preventive and protective measures. If you consider your self competent using the equipment, the definition of competent is in the order, then that's fine and you could train everybody else who should receive regular training on the use of the equipment and the evacuation plan. Has the RP carried out a fire risk assessment? Go to http://www.firesafe.org.uk/ for more information.

Check out http://www.oilstorageregs.co.uk/ for guidance and if you require the approved documents especially " J " go to http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/buildingregulations/approveddocuments/

You are subject to The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 which requires you to conduct a fire risk assessment and the guidance can be found in the DCLG document Offices and shops. There is guidance in http://www.firesafe.org.uk/fire-risk-assessment/ for small premises and all matters regarding fire safety which can be found in http://www.firesafe.org.uk/ including what I need in place, in the ways of fire equipment and action plan.

Further to the above posting you should also check out Small and medium placesof assembly or Large places of assembly depending on the size of the premises. Where it refers to BS 5588 pt 6 this has been superceded by BS 9999.

The guidance you need is contained in BS 9999:2008 Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings and to be able to answer that enquiry I would need more information for instance Maximum number of seats in a row, is there a Gangway on one side or on two sides, Type of seating (fixed or temporary seating), and many other conditions also apply.

Check out http://www.tumbledryerreviews.co.uk/troubleshooting/fire-hazards-tumble-dryers/ for more information

To add to what Harry has said, the person responsible for the implementation of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is the person designated the Responsible Person and can be the employer, owner or the person who has control of the premises and the local Fire and Rescue Service is the enforcing authority. The DCLG provides guides for the RP and in your case the main guide would be the Residential care premises which helps the RP to for fill his/her duties. Check out http://www.firesafe....ety-order-2005/ for more information.

The above posting is not what I sent it must have been corrupted it should have read; The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 requires the Responsible Person to conduct a Fire Risk Assessment and part of that FRA is, " in the event of danger, it must be possible for persons to evacuate the premises as quickly and as safely as possible." (Article 14b) Also Article 18 requires the RP to appoint competent persons to assist. (Fire marshals) The RP can get advice from the appropriate DCLG guidance document, under emergency plans, checkout http://www.firesafe....ety-order-2005/ It is the RP who decides what that policy will be and only the enforcing authority (fire and rescue service) can challenge the policy. I would be interested to know, at the last evacuation drill was there any short coming found.