HarryO

Tom, thank you, you are a star. It all makes sense to me and on the basis of your advice i will install the ten year battery type. At least it will provide a level of protection which is not provided at the moment, at a cost I can readily afford. And thank you again.

Thank you Tom for your response, which I appreciate greatly.. The actual overall shop is provided with a main front entrance and also a rear bolted, but not locked, fire exit / delivery accessway. The shop is 13.6 metres long by 4.7 metres wide. What I am primarily concerned about are two individual rooms. One is accessed from the rear lobby. The rear lobby contains a kitchenette (microwave, fridge and sink) and also serves a cloakroom. This room has a window but it is fitted with security bars. The other individual room has a door leading from the main front shop area, has no windows and is totally internal. It concerns me that if anyone is working in these two rooms (generally this will be administration / paper work) they could be oblivious to a fire within the escape route outside, particularly if they are in the shop alone and therefore there would be no one in the main area to spot a fire and shout 'Fire'. In the normal way a shout of 'Fire' would be heard throughout the shop. I am just concerned that someone could become injured or even trapped and that this could be avoided by the installation of smoke alarms. I appreciate that domestic units may be of a lower standard compared to a commercial system but costs are important to me. On the other hand I would not want to install devices which would not work or I could be criticised for installing should a fire occur.

Hi I have a small, self contained, single storey shop 70m2, built in the 1960's, which contains a front shop area and 3 No. small rooms which are used for storage and office space. There is also a cloakroom and kitchenette. The shop is staffed by myself and usually one other person. We will generally have a maximum of three customers in the shop at any one time. I have carried out a Risk Assessment based upon the HM Government Fire Risk Assessment Document and Part B of the Building Regulations and have determined that I need 3 No. smoke alarms. What I have been unable to find out is whether the alarms need to be mains fed, or whether I can install 10 yr battery units, and whether they need to be interconnected. I want to provide adequate safety devices but times are difficult and I cannot really afford to employ an electrician so therefore battery units are really preferable. I phoned the LA Building Control, who were most unhelpful. Can anyone in the know on this Forum advise please. Thanks