AnthonyB

Subject to travel distances this sounds reasonable - with a layout based on Figures 1 or 4 the total travel distance should not exceed 25m - it is also assumed the escape doesn't pass the kitchen

No, it was most common in London presumably due to their own local building regulations, but isn't an explicit requirement in current Building Regulations guidance.

Sounds like your friend has failed to meet the first legal requirement - that of a fire risk assessment, which would answer your question. See here for advice on the law https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-your-small-non-domestic-premises-safe-from-fire Domestic detection isn't usually permitted in commercial premises or for where commercial & domestic premises need to evacuate together, if there is a 60 minute fire resistant ceiling between shop & flat there may be no need to have linked alarms.

Alternative escape route is traditionally an external steel stair - no shortcuts like throw out ladders, etc. You would be advised to consult a fire engineer as increasingly building inspectors will require deviation from the ADB recommendations to be contained in a strategy by a chartered fire engineer with fire safety design insurance.

That's up to the risk assessor - there are lots of factors at play before deciding whether to remediate or change evacuation policy (& thus install the required alarm systems for this). If the doors are the original fire doors and it's a small block they can be tolerated and worked with, riser cupboards can be firestopped, it's not always severe enough to require a full U-turn in the approach. Without seeing the block and the issues I can't be definitive - I have had small blocks that have been able to remain as stay put whilst new doors are fitted, others where a full evacuate system and alarms has been required.

According to Health Technical Memorandum 05-02: Firecode Guidance in support of functional provisions (Fire safety in the design of healthcare premises): Door closers Generally all fire doors should be fitted with an automatic self-closing device complying with BS EN 1154 or BS EN 1634-1, with the following exceptions: • fire doors to patients’ bedrooms in facilities providing in-patient mental health services; • fire doors to bedrooms in in-patient accommodation for people with learning disabilities; and • fire doors which are kept locked shut

Approved Document B to the Building Regulations only requires them as follows: Vision panels are needed where doors on escape routes sub-divide corridors, or where any doors are hung to swing both ways. Note also the provision in Approved Document M Access to and Use of buildings, concerning vision panels in doors across accessible corridors.

The inch/25mm rebate/stop harks back to before intumescent seals existed so as Neil says no need to make a frame up to that on a newer door set

It's a door that is required to resist fire and/or smoke for a defined period to protect the escape route and failure of that door could endanger relevant persons - it requires inspection, I fail to see why the authorities are unsure, it's very straightforward! Remember the quarterly checks are intended to be basic checks by the RP and not a specialist contractor so there should be no major cost implications, could be done whilst on site for an emergency light test visit

Hardwood does have a degree of natural fire resistance due to it's density and it can be further treated to give more measurable fire resistance. Spare linen in a cupboard that opened onto the stair would be acceptable if there was a fire door on it - by extension if the sideboard was of suitable fire resistance and not an obstruction you could argue it would be OK - that's the point of risk assessment (That doesn't mean it would be accepted depending on the opinions of the individual fire safety inspecting officer).

Detector location is off too. Easiest thing would be to sack them unless a large sum of money is involved. You'd need an expert witness report cross referencing BS5839-1 (including old editions to show how long things didn't meet the standard, if ever), the FRA and Articles 5(3) & (4), 8, 13, 17 of the Fire Safety Order.

The guidance is vague because the expectation is a post 1991 conversion from commercial to residential would be to Approved Document B with Building Regs approval and a stay put policy so no common alarm. In the real world some conversions do have to use a fire engineered approach outside of Approved Document B & operate an evacuate policy with common alarm and these are usually based around Part 1 of BS5839 as they often borrow from ADB volume 2 (which includes residential other and commercial sleeping risk) The Lacors guide which uses Grade A Part 6 systems for conversions into flats is intended primarily for houses converted into flats as these are often traditionally under the radar of local authority Housing Officers as lead enforcers and can be HMO's for s257 of the Housing Act and be liable for licensing if an authority desires under additional licensing if less than 2/3 owner occupied.

One for the lawyers to examine their leases. Their FRA should have considered other relevant persons in the premises affected by a fire in their demise which should have looked at the ceiling, but would at best all would be expected would be a 30 minute ceiling or linked building wide fire alarm and even they they could argue the unit should have been compliant when they moved in - the 60 minutes requirement is purely connected with the new development and as such the developer is likely to be expected to pay.

The installer is not the risk assessor - try another one if they are being difficult, they should design to the specification provided. It's semantics really as even if Part 6 it would be a Grade A system that essentially uses the same equipment as a part 1 system. Part 6 cannot provide a suitable system design for the commercial areas whereas a Part 1 system can incorporate sleeping accommodation as well as commercial so Part 1 would suit the project. The guidance is just that - guidance - not prescriptive otherwise there would be no need for a risk assessment and it would not be unreasonable for this scenario to use Part 1

Legally it's not necessary and you could push it to tribunal as there is nothing for them to test - HMO teams are not fire safety experts and probably don't have a copy of the relevant latest BS guidance. It's up to you how far you want to push back or whether you want to roll over and pay an electrician to essentially not do anything much!

If the block has internal common areas it has been legally obliged to have a fire risk assessment since 2006 (Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 ) if all flats have external entrances with no common areas the law was clarified 4 years ago (Fire Safety Act 2021) to explicitly include the external structure of buildings containing 2 or more dwellings so would still have been required to have a fire risk assessment. A summary of the legislation for smaller blocks and how to carry out an FRA is here https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/making-your-small-block-of-flats-safe-from-fire If remedial action is indicated then the Management Company will need to ensure this occurs - if it would affect a sale is dependant on what, if anything, needs to be done. External risk assessors are an option (but choose carefully for someone with flats experience that assess risk not prescriptively tick boxes from a guide)pragmatically but is not currently mandatory. They report to the Responsible Person and would not inform the authorities unless there was an immediate and severe danger to life and an unwillingness of the RP to act on the risk in which case some may morally feel they have to notify (but they are not legally obliged to)

In theory you could do the three hour in house, if you are competent to test briefly each month then the main difference is duration which shouldn't affect ability to test for the longer period

A sprinkler system is one of the slowest systems to react, slower than heat and smoke detectors, and so there would be considerable production of hazardous fire effluent before activation, which would be a risk to life. Fire doors are still required and the only relaxation was the fitting of self closers to bedrooms, however this approach has been proven to be flawed and as part of Building Regulation changes requiring mandatory sprinkler protection to new or altered care homes this relaxation has been removed.

You would need to refer to BS7273-4 but they don't have the required failsafe's of a Category A/Critical rated hold open as if there are faults on the fire alarm they won't release and are only rated to Category B/Standard actuation at best, Category C/Indirect at worst, meaning critical locations (such as doors onto stairways) would be vulnerable.

In theory if these are the original correct hinges fitted as part of the fire doorset at the time of installation and are in good order and shut the door flush in frame then they remain acceptable. If truly adjustable they are an improvement on single chain door closers (which aren't) and aren't explicitly forbidden like a traditional rising butt hinge would be. However they are deprecated in some industry guidance so the fire risk assessor should set the acceptable benchmark. If any are worn beyond adjustment then they could be replaced like for like as still sold and do have test evidence although replacement with standard fire door hinges and a separate EN1154 closer may be preferred. https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/adjustable-self-closing-fire-door-spring-hinge-102-x-76-x-3mm-polished-chrome-pack-of-3-692924?vat=1&GSP=true&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwwLO_BhB2EiwAx2e-3xZjdaWmx_G4CPBW-VTNHS1EbwQua2O8OZedFbdegbS8FR5xUh4vaBoCvCAQAvD_BwE

Get a new fire risk assessor that has access to and reads current standards. Grade D & Grade F smoke & heat alarms require no formal maintenance beyond user monthly checks unless linked to a telecare system (e.g. warden call or Tunstall) as there is actually nothing to service and the test smoke poles used on commercial detection are actually cautioned against by several manufacturers of domestic detection as they can damage them. The current edition of the standard BS 5839-6:2019+A1:2020 "Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings - Code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of fire detection and fire alarm systems in domestic premises" details this

How do you get in and out normally then? If you have a door to the street from your bottom stair landing in a terrace you don't require usually a rear garden fire exit route.

That's the current (albeit outdated and under revision) version. Under the current edition of BS5839-6 a Grade D system requires no maintenance beyond user monthly tests unless part of a telecare enabled system (e.g. linked to a warden call or Tunstall system) as there isn't actually anything to service and several manufacturers caution against smoke pole testing as it can damage a smoke alarm.

Absolutely - they are accepted by the fire service (& indeed get specific mention in London Fire Brigades guidance) and fully comply with the extinguisher manufacturing, performance & safety standard BS EN3. Because they reduce the number and type of extinguishers required, thus simplifying training and saving money as well as be inspected in house, saving money, the fire extinguisher industry has written it's voluntary guidance (BS5306) to try and stop them and will spin all sorts of yarns to ty to stop you using them - just remember you must carry out the annual user inspection to comply with Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order - they aren't fit and forget.

1 lux to the centre line (BS5266). When designing the lighting for an emergency escape route it is advised that achieving even distribution of illuminance throughout the escape route with 1 lux as a minimum level on the centre of line.