AnthonyB

The exit sign can be a normal one externally illuminated by a nearby emergency light as long as the EL is within 2m and provides at least 5lux of light on the sign.

Each unit would be responsible for it's own FRAs - if they have their own individual fire alarm systems, exits and 60 minute fire resistant party walls separating them then there would be no need for a landlord common FRA covering the whole building. FRA requirements are based on who is the Responsible Person or Persons, starting with employers, then persons having control and finally if any areas not covered by either of those only then the landlord. So for your scenario there will be three employers, three premises, three FRAs

I'd need to do the FRA for a detailed reply, but a summary is below (note it's from old guidance as you don't need extinguishers now)

These are the most well known manufacturers of such products: https://envirograf.com/product-category/fire-doors/

No, but buyer beware if they aren't as there are a lot of people doing FRAs that don't really know what they are doing! I'm on one of the national registers - the consolidated list is here: https://www.firesectorfederation.co.uk/fire-risk-assessment/fire-risk-assesment-directory/

The Commercial property needs a fire risk assessment which must account for the effect of a fire in the ground floor on other relevant persons in the building (i.e. the flat) and so would look at fire separation between the commercial and residential areas and any need for a linked fire alarm. The flat as a single private dwelling does not require an FRA, but the landlord has specific fire safety duties under the Housing Act 2004 & if in England the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide (England) Regulations 2015 (as amended)

Normally for life safety (human) & legal compliance purposes you wouldn't need alarm if a shout of fire or simple manual device such as gong, whistle or air horn would be heard throughout the building. Otherwise a simple manual electrical system of a control panel with connected manual call points and alarm sounders is usually all that is needed (although depending on layout specific detection for situations such as inner rooms might be required). A variation in the normal design rules would usually be needed to avoid sound pressure levels that would frighten the animals. Your fire risk assessment (a legal requirement even for farms and stables) should determine this - the official Government guidance is here (p57 for fire alarm info): https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-risk-assessment-animal-premises-and-stables Property protection (not a legal requirement) would require provision of detection to areas of high fire risk and high value, although for some areas smoke detection would be affected by the environment (dust, wind, mist, steam, mites and flies etc) and heat detection would be needed, which is slower to react and would usually not save anyone (human & animal) in the room of fire origin. Insurers can advise on property protection - you should however ask specialists in agricultural insurance such as NFU Mutual https://www.nfumutual.co.uk/farming/farm-safety/loss-prevention-guidance-for-farms/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/fire-safety-approved-document-b Select the appropriate guide for the premises type and the relevant tables are contained within.

The fire door will hold the fire back until it dies down due to lack of oxygen, the last thing you would want to do is open it. The fire loading & oxygen supply would be expected to be insufficient to sustain a fire long enough for the door to fail. That's why there is no requirement for detection

If a competent fire door risk assessor judges that it's liable to be to the standard at the time and is in suitable condition it's likely to be fine, especially of the original door (which would have expected to be a fire door)

It's only a single escape so would have to be limited to 60 regardless of how big the terrace is. If due to usage it could be classed as a storey as it's over 11m it should usually have access to 2 stairs anyway. These principles pre date the date of build and still apply now

30m is the absolute for legacy buildings accepted as a minimum based on contemporary guidance in the Government risk assessment guides, post 1991 builds should work off 12m. 60 persons max through an inward opening door

Sounds like a fault - the silence button will stop it for 10 hours but you are advised to return it to the place of purchase for a refund or exchange https://files.ekmcdn.com/8f4554/resources/other/hssa.pe.rf10-pro-instructions.pdf

Because of the internal lobby you'd expect fire doors unless they got a relaxation because of the ground floor alternative exits and first floor escape windows - if the doors are original to the conversion they must have been acceptable to building control.

In a container that small there is no legal obligation for any unless the layout creates an inner room that isn't mitigated by a vision panel or under height partition, in which case you would need smoke detection as heat detection would not operate quickly enough and the inner room occupiers would be trapped before activation. Domestic smoke alarms are not meant to be used in non domestic premises and a fire alarm system should meet BS5839-1 with manual call points first, then any detection as required, however in small premises that wouldn't normally need a fire alarm a risk assessment can often justify the use of Grade D smoke & heat alarms (can't be battery only) http://www.cherwellfiresafety.co.uk/images/innerrooms.jpg You need a fire risk assessment in any case that should address this.

When was the conversion carried out?

Only if the structural fire compartmentation between the two is inadequate and it's not viable to upgrade it. Usually the requirement is 60 minutes fire resistance. (This assumes the flat has separate access not via the shop)

Because most of those who have jumped on the fire door survey bandwagon have done simple pass/fail courses and aren't actually risk assessing. Many doors can, fully in accordance with guidance, be repaired or upgraded - whilst some will require replacement not all will!

Lots of problems there! There should legally be a Fire Risk Assessment for the block (which has to include the external fabric of the building as well the internal flat walls and doors that bound the common areas as well as the actual common parts) that if any good should pick up on these things. Do you have a communal fire alarm system that includes sounders and detectors in each flat hallway? This would be the minimum expected for a block of this type of build. I think you may be well advised to contact the fire safety enforcement department of your local fire service.

Not generally - not all evacuations are for fire. It's poor design of the premises, you shouldn't have an escape that also requires securing from exit (as oppose to entry) . Risk Assessment can, in certain situations, remove it, such as in places of detention, but it's the default expectation in guidance and Building Regs that you have the override.

Most traditional layout dwellings don't require fire escapes as the stair is your escape and you are trusted to shut your doors at night. In recent decades bedrooms have had escape by a requirement for escape windows giving a clear unobstructed opening area of 0.33 m² and a minimum width or height of 450mm. This requirement, being part of Building Regulations, is not retrospective for single dwellings unless relevant alterations subject to Building Regulations occur (such as having new windows fitted - most pre 1990 build houses now have escape windows as they have had original wooden or metal single glazed windows replaced by uPVC double glazing since 1990) As a G2 listing the windows may not have been replaced or subject to limitations on replacement. A mitigation may have been a more comprehensive smoke/heat alarm system - do you have the legal minimum detector to each landing or to the kitchen and lounge as well?

Yes - it's correct and should have been this way for decades. A lot of housing is improperly provided for as only having been subject to proper fire safety regulation in recent years. If your local authority had operated additional licensing for s257 HMO's (i.e. houses converted to flats outside of modern building regulations requirements) and you were two thirds rental occupiers you would have had the right precautions as you would have needed a license, but as most conversions fall outside this scheme (no additional licensing or mostly owner occupied) they slip under the radar. Here is the source of their action points: http://www.cieh.org/library/Knowledge/Housing/National_fire_safety_guidance_08.pdf

Ignore the above - here is the official rationale: A fire detection and fire alarm system only provides satisfactory protection of life if it is capable of rousing the principal occupants of the dwellings from sleep (e.g. the adult occupants in typical single-family dwellings). No particular sound pressure level is certain to rouse all occupants in all circumstances. Depth of sleep varies during the course of the sleep period and also varies from one person to another. Greater sound pressure levels are often required to rouse children from sleep than are necessary in the case of adults. Hearing loss, which can occur gradually with ageing, and alcohol intoxication also result in the need for higher sound pressure levels to rouse people from sleep. BS 5839-1 recommends that, if an audible alarm is intended to rouse sleeping persons, a sound level of 75 dB(A) ought to be achieved at the bedhead when all doors are shut, although this will not guarantee that every person will be awakened, particularly if they are under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Most fire detection and fire alarm systems in dwellings comprise smoke alarms, which are usually fitted in, at least, the circulation areas, such as hallways and landings. BS EN 14604 requires that the sound output of a smoke alarm be at least 85 dB(A) at three metres. Most domestic doors attenuate sound by around 20 dB; greater attenuation can occur in the case of solid doors, such as fire doors. It is therefore unlikely that a smoke alarm on, for example, the upstairs landing of a two-storey house will produce a sound level of 75 dB(A) at the bedhead in each bedroom, particularly if the bedroom doors are shut; levels of 55 dB(A) to 65 dB(A) are more likely. There appears to be no evidence to show that lives are being lost due to inadequate audibility of the fire alarm signal from smoke alarms, except where people are incapacitated to such a degree that even much higher sound levels would not waken them. This might be because, in their own homes, people can be roused by an unusual sound of relatively low level compared with the sound level that may be required to wake them in premises with which they are unfamiliar (e.g. a hotel). The historic adequacy of sound pressure levels applies to sheltered housing as well as general needs housing. However, the changing demographic of sheltered housing residents means that the ageing population now found in sheltered housing is likely to be more prone to hearing loss than the general population. Accordingly, when a new fire detection and fire alarm system is installed in sheltered housing (either when the building is first constructed or when a replacement system is installed in existing sheltered housing), it is now considered appropriate for higher sound pressure levels to be provided in the principal bedroom of each dwelling unit than those traditionally achieved.

Single stair single escape blocks of flats don't automatically require fire exit signage as it's obvious where you are going. The Government guidance cautions against institutionalising residential accommodation where of no benefit and specifically details exit signage as one example. The emergency lighting is fair enough. There are lots of managing agents and their advisors that don't have a clue when it comes to resi fire safety. I was at a site for a residents right to manage companis' directors after their agent was trying to get them to fork out over £9k on a fire alarm and it was quite clear that whilst some minor works were required there was no need for an alarm system or a switch to full evacuation.(It was a small block of 3 storeys too) 18 months is odd - it's usually annual where the agent doesn't want the liability of doing the reviews themselves, otherwise 2 or 3 years isn't uncommon where the agent does interim reviews.

Self closing doors don't always have catches, a well adjusted closer can sometimes hold the door enough not to warrant one. The forums fire door expert should hopefully give you a detailed answer next time they log on