AnthonyB

A suitable system of maintenance is required by the legislation, your FRA should determine the frequency. The Government never intended the cash cow of every inspection being a full in depth check - this is detailed in the guidance to the Fire Safety (England) Regulations. Usually where the doorset has been established by specialist inspection to be fully compliant the wear & tear checks can follow the style of the FS(E)Checklist and can be done in house although some basic training is recommended. Professional checks would still be of use if there have been any alterations or changes, any issues found on the in house checks where 'seek professional advice' is the result and every few years as a backstop

Fire doors are seen as a cash cow and many smaller blocks are suffering from unnecessary burdens to the lease/common holders due to incorrect advice on doors that does not follow Government guidance. In many of these blocks the original fire doors remain suitable as long as in good order and the only critical issues are related to doors not self closing properly/at all or doors replaced by non fire rated doors.

Sounds like you may need to use a professional risk assessor if you aren't sure - but in essence travel distances and exit capacities are different issues. If you have two or more exits (that meet the 45 degree rule or are separated by fire resisting construction) you can use the Travel distances listed for more than one direction of escape (but be aware that initial dead ends where you can only go one way must meet the single distance up to the point that routes diverge). Then you need to ensure the number and width of exits is enough for the occupancy - you always discount the widest exit for this just in case the fire blocks access. The extract in the above reply is fro Approved Document B, a design guide under the Building Regulations for new premises - existing ones should use this - https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-offices-and-shops Useful extracts:

Possibly, but without seeing it for myself I can't be definitive.

You (well the block freeholder or commoners) are legally required to have a fire risk assessment which will address this. Fire doors will be required to the front doors of flats opening into the single internal shared stair, however if these are the original flat fire doors and ironmongery and in good working order they will not need replacement - usually the main fault with these is no self closer or one that doesn't work fully (usually as it's a single chain closer) and this can be replaced with a modern EN1154 closer to overcome this. If a door has been changed from the original fire door and is no longer a fire door then this would need replacement. Internal doors within flats are not covered by the legislation affecting the block. For your block only one guide applies & that is here- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-your-small-block-of-flats-safe-from-fire

Firstly it's up to 4mm usually and there has been no change in building regulations affecting flat front doors and in any case the Building Regulations do not retrospectively apply to existing buildings unless being altered. Official guidance for front doors in flats allows varying standards of door dependant on the size and layout of the block - there is a fair chance no doors need replacing.

Discounting the widest if there is any slight chance you are going to have over 60 persons going through a doorway it needs to open outwards. Panicking public, especially if intoxicated will head en masse to the exit they came in and history is littered with the bodies of the hundreds who have crushed up and died against inward opening doors

Usually, yes unless secured in the open position at material times, especially as most guests will go back out that way even if they pass a fire exit on the way.

If it's not boarded then the shop fire alarm will need detection throughout and sounders into the flat. The flat's system wouldn't normally need a smoke alarm at the foot of the stairs, but would require one to the stair head & internal hallway plus ideally one to the principal habitable room and a heat alarm to the kitchen

So the door leaf doesn't overlap the rebate and is like this?

Is it a bolted leaf not normally in use? If so it's a bit OTT. If its a closer fitted in use leaf then there is slightly more justification. Technically they are right but it's not risk proportionate, won't affect life safety & won't be enforced

If it already has the boarding you don't need to add more. A 60 minute suspended ceiling grid may be an option, but only if there is no risk in the void

Where a flat owner will not change their door then Government Guidance is for the RP to take legal action, both directly under civil law & indirectly though the EHO under the Housing Act HSSR system

As above, it's very ill informed & wrong to say they are illegal. HV fires from a H&S point of view are not safe for first aid attack with any type of extinguisher unless electrically dead in any case. Of note should be the fact that live 11kV transformers are sometimes protected by water mist/emulsifying sprinkler heads! A Powder P50 is an option, they were never banned for indoor use & in the latest revision of BS5306-8 any mention against not using powder indoors has been removed.

They can be - these guides are published under Article 50 of the Fire Safety Order where not following them tends to prove the law was breached in any enforcement action or prosecution, so unless you have robust justification as to why you haven't followed them and how your alternative measures still provide equal safety then you are in trouble - ignoring them just because they are a guide won't cut it