Safelincs
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To proof our statement we actually created last week a quick video showing the smallest water mist extinguisher (1 ltr) on three different clothing fires. All was filmed with one and the same extinguisher without refill. I was really stunned by the efficiency and clout of the extinguisher. It just works instantly and cools the area affected. It also creates a buffer of mist between you and the fire, so you don't feel the heat so much.
Harry
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I agree with Tom. One exception, however, are loading bay doors, which might need to be discounted as fire exits, as they might be temporarily blocked
Harry
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Hi Andy
Thanks for your contribution to the forum and this query. To find out more I just went into the warehouse to check the fire blankets we sell (Kidde, Ultrafire, Jactone, Ardenoak etc). None of our fire blankets (even the 1x1m models) state a warning about the use on clothing fires. In fact three 1x1m models specifically state that the fire blanket in question is suitable for the use on clothing fires. I would be interested in the make of the fire blanket you found with the warning.
The question about the correct size of a fire blanket for clothing fires is a difficult one to answer. It certainly would be almost impossible to extinguish a grown-up person completely on fire with a 1x1m fire blanket, so much is obvious. As always, this is a question of compromise between costs and fire fighting capability. To give an example from a slightly different area: small traditional household fire extinguishers are suitable to extinguish small fires when they have just started. No household extinguisher would be capable to tackle a full blaze. It is the same with fire blankets. A small fire blanket will be good in tackling clothing fires when they have just started, or a small bin fire and, of course, a small fat fire.
If you have specific reasons to expect a high likelihood of clothing fires (eg candle services) you should probably choose larger fire blankets (you can go up up to 1.8x1.8m). In your particular case I would also consider holding a few smallish dry water mist extinguishers at the ready. This type of extinguisher sprays a very fine water mist and cannot cause harm if used on a person, even if used without the proper fire fighting training (from a legal point I should probably not say this, however, I have tested this statement by spraying in my own face. To any reader: Please do not try this yourself!). The mist has excellent fire fighting capability, cools the area affected and keeps a layer of mist between the fire and the user of the extinguisher.
Any employer with a larger risk of clothing fires should consider flameproof clothing or fire retardant treatment.
Kind Regards
Harry Dewick-Eisele, MD, Safelincs
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Hi Stevie
Check the manufacturing date to see if the alarm is older than ten years. If the alarm is significantly older than this, the beeps might be a warning that the electronics inside are becoming faulty.
See http://www.safelincs.co.uk/why-should-smoke-alarms-be-replaced-after-ten-years/
For replacement heads (no electrician required) look for the Easichange replacement smoke alarms
Harry
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To see if your emergency lighting is required you can check out the government guide http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/firesafetyrisk2 which will give an indication
There is also a useful guide http://www.safelincs.co.uk/introduction-to-emergency-lighting/
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Hi Peter
Funny, we just published an article this morning. Here an extract:
'The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order (RRFSO) 2005, which came into force in October 2006, charges the responsible person in control of non-domestic premises and the common areas of a House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) with the safety of everyone in the building, whether working, visiting or living there. This duty of care includes the provision of emergency lighting. Article 14 (2) (h) of the RRFSO states:
“Emergency routes and exits requiring illumination must be provided with emergency lighting of adequate intensity in the case of failure of their normal lighting”.
Emergency lighting is part of the fire safety provision of a building and cannot be ignored: as noted by the Industry Committee for Emergency Lighting (ICEL), which is the foremost UK authority on emergency lighting and provides third party accreditation for components and products for emergency light fittings under the auspices of the Lighting Industry Association (LIA):
“The legal requirement is that non-domestic buildings must be safe at all times, even if mains power failure occurs. Therefore, nearly all such buildings must have emergency lighting fitted”. '
I hope this helps
Harry
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Hi green-foam
I do agree that lugging a large extinguisher with you in a panic does not sound like a great idea.
You raised an interesting point about water fire extinguishers and electricity. I would fully agree that ordinary water extinguishers expose you to the risk of electrocution and should not be used near electrical appliances. However, there are a few water based alternatives that can be safely used near electricity. Foam, water with additive and, lately, portable water mist extinguishers, which are all (most brands anyway) safe up to 1000V.
The other question is of course if these extinguishers, while being safe, are actually any good in fighting the electrical fire: There is actually no electrical fire as such; the electricity just sets surrounding materials alight (cable, housing etc) which then have to be extinguished. I guess we are talking mainly burning liquifying plastics and elastomers, which means that foams and water mist, which have a B rating should be well suited. Ordinary waters and waters with additive would probably not be that good. What is your view?
Harry
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I think Shawn to this one :-)
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Hi Sheila
Yes, you can carry out your fire risk assessment yourselves. You will have to decide who is responsible for the overall fire safety (maybe the entire group of shareholders). That person or group can then carry out the fire risk assessment. The relvant guide is sleeping accomodation. A free fire risk assessment form can be downloaded. It is important that you act on your findings and implement solutions. Make sure that you review the fire risk assessment if the layout of the building changes or the mix of people living there alters.
Harry
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Hi Mike
You ought to contact a specialist, as you might have a right of way or easement with regards to the fire escape (and even the transport access), depending on the period the escape route/access route was used.
Harry
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I spoke with our manufacturers and had the following answer (shortened!):
Lithium batteries are used in some CO alarms. However, the batteries specified by a manufacturer are tested and the lifespan of the alarm unit is understood with these batteries. Batteries that have not been tested or batteries which have varying quality may adversely affect the operation of the Carbon Monoxide alarm. Manufacturers must have a high degree of confidence that the batteries used are suitable for the purpose.
The Alarm unit, as part of the safety features and standards, checks the batteries for voltage. This is typically a pulse impedance method. The chemical makeup of some batteries can be unsuitable for alarm applications. Normally these types are cheaper nickel cadmium batteries where the current or voltage tail off is very sharp. This results in difficulty for the monitoring to provide sufficient end of battery warning chirp.
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There is a special extinguisher available for lithium fires. In case of batteries this will of course get tricky, as you will have to deal with lithium, as well as flammable plastics and other chemicals.
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Hi Vernon
To answer the second query first: In a domestic environment you really need the smoke alarm fitting to the ceiling to ensure you get a earliest possible warning. Saying that, I just stayed in a holiday cottage where the smoke alarm was fitted on face height!!
There are radio-interlinked smoke alarms with handheld controllers that allow you to silence and test the smoke alarms without getting on chairs etc.
The Ei600 series RF models allow remote testing/hushing/locating with a handheld fob
All the alarms are interlinked with each other as well to make sure the alarm is heard all over the house.
Harry
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No, you can use normal paint for fire doors, however, your fire door fittings (hinges, door closers, glazing) need to be fire-rated. The locks just need to be CE marked.
Harry
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Hi Sally and Tom
There is actually a solution for this problem. The Dorgard can be fixed to steel doors or kickboards using an adapter set. This does not require screwing the Dorgard into the door at all. The adpater plate is fixed to the door with adhesive and the Dorgard is then screwed into the adapter plate.
Harry
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Hi Garry
In general it is best to choose an intumescent fire door seal with an integrated brush to protect against smoke and fire. There is only one exception: If a building has fire detectors or smoke alarms only in the escape routes (eg corridors), then the detection of a fire in one or the rooms depends on a trace of smoke escaping through the gaps around the fire doors from the room into the corridor.
As you can imagine, however, this is not a particularly safe design! It is, of course, a lot safer to have detectors in the rooms as well.
Harry
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Hi Andrea
If it is a HMO, you ought to contact your council (usually the H+S department) who issues certificates to HMOs. Alternatively, you can contact your fire service. The fire services are responsible to police that Fire Risk Assessments have been correctly carried out.
Harry
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Hi Daniel
You need a minimum extinguisher capability of 26A. This means the 'A-Rating' of the extinguisher you want to install must be rated with at least 26. For suitable extinguishers, please see our extinguisher overview.
To calculate the extinguiser requirement yourself, you can use this extinguisher calculation guide
The above cover is suitable for standard risks, however, depending from the type of goods you store and the type of eg forklifts you use, additional extinguishers might be required. If you have for example Diesel powered forklifts you will need to cover B risk (liquid fires) as well. To systematically determine your risks you need to carry out a fire risk assessment. You can use our free form for this.
Harry
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Hi Michael
Whilst you can lock up buildings if they are unoccupied and as long as there is absolutely no risk of anybody getting trapped, an easier and safer option is to install emergency bolts or latches. These are suitable for commercial buildings where the occupants are mainly staff.
Some of these have also keypads or locks on the outside that allow overriding of the lock if the door is used for access.
Harry
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Hi Jeff
Intumescent paint would most likely not do the trick, as the paint would probably not be thick enough to swell sufficiently to fill the gap. And if it would fail you would be entirely on your own taking the responsibility. Also, the paint has no capability to hold fire smoke back. If you need a simple retrofit solution you can use surface mounted fire door seals
Harry
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Hi Dan
I was sorry to learn that you experienced issues with our Kidde smoke alarms.
The smoke alarms you mention by model numbers are mains power smoke alarms with battery backup. The units interlink by a third conductor which uses a low voltage interlink signal to communicate with the others. The Firex 4985 mentioned is an optical smoke alarm and not a carbon monoxide alarm by the way.
A single chirp emitted from a smoke alarm is a safety (trouble) signal. It is normally every minute or so showing an issue with the battery or backup circuit. It indicates that the battery is low and requires replacement or in the case of an optical smoke alarm, such as the 4985, possibly an issue with the sensor. The chirp would normally indicate an issue with only one smoke alarm and not others. You stated that you have replaced the batteries so as an assumption this should not be the cause of the products chirping.
From your information given it is not clear if all or just one of the smoke alarms is emitting this signal. If it is just one smoke alarm then I would suggest that you check to see which one is emitting the sound and this is the smoke alarm that may need replacement. The time period between beeps quoted as being once every ten minutes is puzzling as it is very slow when compared to the normal frequency of the trouble signal repetition rate.
If the smoke alarms are fitted interlinked then it could be possible that there is an issue with the wiring and the chirping may be a result of this.
I attended a site and found that the wiring was incorrect. It was pre 17th edition wiring regulations and the neutral and CPC had been miss wired. The symptom of this fault was a double beep being emitted from the end of line smoke alarm.
Could you:
1. Please check and establish that a constant green LED is present at each smoke alarm. This shows the mains power is present. If not the chirping could be the start up of a low battery as the unit is not having power and is running on the battery backup.
2. If a check could be made by carefully listening at each smoke alarm to establish which one is emitting the chirping and then remove it. If this does not resolve the beeping take gradually all alarms off the ceiling. (To see how to remove this type of smoke alarm, watch this video). In between each smoke alarm removed, power should be turned on again to establish if any of the remaining alarms is still emitting this chirp every ten minutes. I have experienced previous reports of chirping and the customer has found that it is an old product in the attic chirping or a battery powered product elsewhere.
If one smoke alarm is found to be the cause of the beeping, Safelincs will happily replace the alarm. If several alarms are involved or the signal is unusual (as described above) you should have the wiring checked out.
See data sheets for the smoke alarm models quoted.
I hope this helps
Harry
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Hi Harry
Although a competent builder or joiner can install a fire door, I would recommend that the work is carried out under the auspices of the Accredited Fire Door Installers Scheme. This scheme has been developed by the British Woodworking Federation (BWF) in association with FIRAS, with the purpose of ensuring that fire door installations are carried out correctly, safely and in compliance with current Building Regulations.
Once the fire door has been installed, it is also important that you carry out regular maintenance checks to ensure that it remains fit for purpose. Ask the installer for guidance on the issues to look for. If you choose to keep the door open with a fire door retainer, close the door at night to avoid warping of the door. The Dorgard fire dorr retainer, for example, has a night time release.
Harry
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Hi John
You do not require an automatic door closer on a final exit. And yes, the exit door with push bars can be used for entry as well as exit from the premises.
Harry
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Hi Lynsay
I found this:
'There are misconceptions that smoke from a fire that involves polyurethane products poses a significantly greater health risk than from other synthetic or natural materials because hydrogen cyanide (HCN) is present in the smoke. HCN is produced whenever nitrogen containing materials are burned, including polyurethanes and other common materials such as sheep’s wool. However, in terms of hazard, carbon monoxide (CO) is typically by far the most abundant toxicant in fires under almost all combustion conditions. '
So, while not a major hazard, it is probably still wise to air the premises for a few days and to wash all soft furnishing and to wipe all surfaces.
Harry
How to find out which smoke alarm sounded first
in Smoke Alarms
Posted
Hi Pingpong
I guess you are referring mainly to false alarm.
All quality rf smoke alarms, eg from Ei Electronics and Kidde, identify the unit causing false alarms:
The Ei3100RF range from EI, for example, identifies the alarm with a red light flashing rapidly.
The more advanced range Ei600RF not only identifies the smoke alarm causing the false alarm but also offers a central locator switch which allows you to switch off all alarm sounders with the exception of the alarm having detected a fire/caused a false alarm.
Kind Regards
Harry