AnthonyB

There is risk it could be left ajar after use or not held enough on the latch to resist the pressures caused by a developed fire,both rendering the door ineffective. The keep locked shut designation is in place of having a self closer on the door - if the locking is no longer convenient then fitting a self closer will keep the door effective.

They are rarely used outside of ships and vehicles in the UK as they aren't recognised as an acceptable means of fire protection, you see them used more in Ireland and Spain and similar, so there isn't loads of guidance out there. Based on various sources I can find and the linked, it's mounted above the hazard at a height from the floor in the range of 1.5 - 3m https://www.emme-italia.com/sites/default/files/librettotecnico/13069-3_13129-3_Technical manual.pdf

It sounds classic latent defect, it's very common to find with blocks with lots of shortcomings that Building Control happily have let past as 'it's the developers responsibility to comply not ours'

It's all determined by who is a Responsible Person as per the definitions in the law: - For the commercial unit it would be the tenant as they are both: a) An employer having a degree of control over a workplace; & b) A person having control of part of a premises for the carrying on of an undertaking (because they have a lease) - For the flats it would be the person having control of the areas in common which would usually be the freeholder (although depending of the extent of their control the managing agent may be part of the mix in addition, but still 1 FRA either instructed by the agent or the freeholder direct) So TWO FRAs with a legal duty to share relevant fire safety information and to account for all relevant persons If the retail unit was vacant and thus back under the control of the freeholder then it could in theory be one building wide FRA, but as soon as a tenant moves into the unit there will be both changes to the premises and Responsible Person so you are back to TWO again

There is a guide and template to allow small blocks of flat to be self assessed, however it doesn't apply to conversions unless fully compliant with post 1991 Building Regulations guidance, so the inference is you use a registered professional (listed here - some providers join a fire related trade or advisory body like the FPA & pass it off as 'approved' when they don't vet or register assessors https://www.firesectorfederation.co.uk/fire-risk-assessment/fire-risk-assesment-directory/ ) It's been law for many years so your original solicitors should have mentioned this. The key issues with your arrangement are: - level of fire separation between flats - external wall fire risk (but only a trivial factor in a building this small really) This will determine if the current set up (assuming it's stay put in the flat not on fire) is tolerable or whether it should be an evacuation block requiring installation of a fire alarm system that covers the common landing AND both flats (not just a smoke alarm in the common landing). From experience not all require the 'nuclear' option of a full alarm system and can stay as is with minor works and production & issue of resident fire safety information - but this can only be determined by a proper FRA (that does look in the flats to some extent)

Are you a qualified and time served joiner or equivalent? If not an online course for a very practical task seems inadequate, especially as it appears not to have even taught about routing and routing depths for seals? Sounds like the employer has tried to save a few quid but let you down in the process.

Does sounds rather like a DoLS situation or a lockdown provision but very out of the ordinary if not a secure unit/PRU (even then it's not usually individual classrooms with that level of extra security when occupied). I'd ask for justification & what the FRA uses to mitigate it.

The door blank would have a FD30 sticker regardless of if it's in a FD30 or FD30S doorset as it's the addition of cold smoke seals to the frame (or door blank) that make it 's' Do you actually have cold smoke seals on the door? Even if you do the gaps seem excessive and it's unlikely the seal will fill the gaps to touch the frame edge either.

I had this issue at a more modern (80's) flat build - research is such that a standard 4" solid glass block is usually acceptable for 45 minutes fire resistance, which as the protection for a small full evacuation block would only need to be 30 mins makes them sufficient. https://glassblockblogger.com/2015/09/03/glass-blocks-and-fire-safety-codes/ If you needed a greater level of fire resistance there would be a traceability issue as in these cases the blocks are specially made to have greater FR but that's not needed here.

Yes, in essence it's built as a care home or residential (other) as not stay put - the roof voids should follow the compartment lines of at least each PHE compartment boundary & preferably every bedroom. Improper compartmentation in roof voids helped kill 14 people at Rosepark Care home. Unfortunately too many developers and their Building Inspectors seem to use semantics to get through inadequate safety standards in design by classifying a premises as something it clearly won't be when operational

Part 6 Grade A including flat cover- yes. Part 1 L5 for common areas smoke control only - no (not a fire warning system)

It depends on the numbers involved and whether that requires panic proof exits - the law simply says "(f)emergency doors must not be so locked or fastened that they cannot be easily and immediately opened by any person who may require to use them in an emergency;" so in some cases you see Redlam Bolts used with push bars or access control maglocks linked to the fire alarm. These do move away from accepted guidance, but have been justified in some fire risk assessments. Incidentally panic bars were invented after a fatal crush of children over 100 years ago - putting bars too high up defeats the main reason they were developed.

Does the lower ground have an exit to open air, e.g. the building is on sloped land? Usually it's counted as a storey making it 3

Most blocks of flats only require the single exit route via the front door so it's a moot point - if not required it need not lead to a place of ultimate safety and should have no exit signage

There should be external emergency lighting to indicate the route from leaving the building to a place of safety. An exit for small numbers as in your situation would be 900mm if wheelchair accessible, 800mm otherwise. Legally there must be a written Fire Risk Assessment for the block and also legally all residents must be provided with details of the fire risks and protective measures present as well as the evacuation policy, etc so this in theory should already have been considered....

If the activity or premises are licensed (any Entertainment Licensing not just alcohol) it is mandatory as the FRA occupancy calculation replaces the mandatory limit previously imposed by the licensing authority. It should also be deemed mandatory unless a competent person has calculated and can justify a different capacity as overloading premises or having insufficient means of escape would be offences where it was a risk to safety. Your temporary exit system would usually be fine as long as it wasn't signed as an exit when not in use and was signed when it was.

These are good as they are more than quick 'zero to hero' course that only teach about brand new doors rather than holistic courses on existing & older spec fire doors https://www.firedoorscomplete.com/training-qualification

LACORS is notorious for overlooking this common situation. If the commercial unit is not adequately separated from the flats then you would end up following the 3 storey guides anyway as you'd need a Grade A mixed system covering both uses anyway. The way the guide is phrased 3 stories is 3 stories but if the commercial is separate I can see the desire to take a sympathetic approach with a Grade D mixed system as the other fire precaution requirements are virtually identical if you don't use the escape windows option (which you wouldn't have at this height anyway). Your choice at the end of the day - take the safe route and apply three stories guidance, or risk assess and justify the 2 storey approach (& be willing to defend it in case of any external scrutiny)

Potentially all of it (except the extinguishers which should be removed). The guidance used for the FRA is still mostly current (superseded by the removal of extinguishers & newer editions of some of the referenced standards. The alarm system should be a smoke alarm to each shared landing plus heat alarms inside each flat hallway that opens into the common area, all interlinked. The Fire Safety (England) Regulations and the amended Fire Safety Order require all buildings with 2 or more dwellings to provide the following to residents: • any risks identified in the fire risk assessment and what fire safety measures have been enacted to address this • The Responsible Persons' name and UK address, the identity of anyone who assisted with doing or reviewing the fire risk assessment, as well as the identity of anyone who has been appointed to implement firefighting measures • how to report a fire to their local fire and rescue service • information on how to understand the ‘evacuation’ strategy, and the action to take should they discover a fire in their own flat or in the common areas • being made aware of the importance of maintaining their flat entrance doors and their self-closing devices where appropriate including that they should not tamper with them. That fire doors should be kept shut when not in use and that any faults or damage to the door should be reported immediately. The same regulations also require the following notice to be displayed: A fire action notice, providing information on the action to take in the event of a fire, should be prominently sited in the building’s communal areas such as the building’s lobby or any other clearly visible part of the building. The notice should provide information on the ‘evacuate’ strategy applicable to this block. Specific information should be provided on the following: • action that a resident must take if fire breaks out in their flat • action to take on seeing, or becoming aware of, a fire in another flat or another part of the block • the route to take in order to evacuate the building (evacuation plan) • how to report a fire to the fire and rescue authority

Something doesn't add up from what you say - without seeing the premises it's difficult to say - an external photo shot to give an idea of age, type and construction would help (you can paste photos into replies as well as attach them). If it is indeed purpose built as maisonettes and not converted then, whilst there are some circumstances where linked systems are required (& usually temporarily until the issue requiring them is resolved) they are very rare compared to conversions or true HMO's A building of self contained flats can be legally a HMO if it is converted rather than purpose built, does not meet building regulations and is at least 2/3 rental occupancy, but again it doesn't sound the case. First Tier Tribunals to overturn incorrect fire safety requirements and charges are not uncommon but I'd need more info before determining if the requirements are reasonable or not.

It depends if they have been tested for the external application or not and who will certify the completed system. Certain products will only be sold to suitable installers - best to ask these people who have a lot of experience and tech support facilities - https://envirograf.com/product/benefits-of-intumescent-paint-for-wood/

Legally there should be a permanent label - otherwise there is no way of being sure some random certificate covers that particular mattress - I would ask for a replacement mattress with the permanent label and if they give any trouble go to Trading Standards

It shouldn't be an issue - there has been robust legislation since 1974 to ensure that there are appropriate alarms and protected (from fire & smoke) escape routes such that unless you ignored the situation for a very long time you won't be trapped. A 7th floor jump will almost always be fatal or life changing in any case.

Probaby not with it being a small older conversion - as there must be an FRA for the block this should advise, but it's unlikely to be essential

Yes the common areas and structure of the flats must have an FRA by the Responsible Person (freeholder or commonholder) usually arranged via their agent. You still are responsible for your demise and need to consider other relevant persons in the building (the flats) but you should have access to the flat's FRA to help with that.