AnthonyB

Yes, Article 17 of the Fire Safety Order requires a suitable system of maintenance. Suitable is as a default the benchmarks in the DCLG Guides and British Standards. A fire risk assessment would determine if a different service regime is possible - this isn't beyond possibility but must demonstrate why it still provides adequacy. All duty holders have been advised to review their FRA as a result of the current climate and this will determine where service intervals can be relaxed....and where they may need increasing!

Not explicitly - the legal requirement is to ensure the system is subject to a suitable system of maintenance and are maintained in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair. However in deciding what is suitable reference would be made to both the Government's official fire risk assessment guides and the relevant British Standards, both of which require weekly testing. It is possible to have alternative regimes but the onus is on you to show why they would still be as suitable as the default of weekly tests.

You can price up the materials on Safelincs website: https://www.safelincs.co.uk/radio-interlinked-smoke-alarms/ , it's then labour for fixing on top. With Grade D wireless kit each detector still needs a local mains supply (often the lighting circuit) , just no cable to link them all. If you want 99% wirefree then you need a Grade C system like Illumino Ignis's Premsafe or one of the many commercial standard Grade A systems out there (Hyfire, EDA, EMS, etc)

That's bizarre, never seen or heard of that before. Shouldn't make any difference.

The minimum service visits is 2 per year - on visits the minimum testing requirement is at least one call point or detector per zone or loop. However in a 12 month period all call points and detectors should have been tested at least once. For convenience sites on 2 visits a year each one tests 50% of devices and on 4 visits each one tests 25% but there is no requirement to do it this way - in theory on a 4 zone conventional system with 10 devices per zone and two service visits a year you could test 4 (1 per zone) on one visit and the other 36 on the second visit. . .

Check envirograf's website. They have lots of paint, varnish & Paper products (with test data) to upgrade historical doors and can advise on a door by door basis as to the viability of upgrading

It's not that clear cut - the default system of maintenance is weekly testing plus 6 monthly servicing set by the benchmark. If you don't test at all that's a clear breach of Article 17 and an easy prosecution. If you do it but not weekly the onus is on the Responsible Person to prove it still meets the functional requirements of Article 17. Sainsbury's did this by analysing inspection, test and servicing information for every single store of every size over a year or two (not a little undertaking!). They were able to prove statistically that the vast majority of faults in systems were uncovered on the daily recorded visual inspection by the manager or as part of the more detailed checks & tests during the 6 monthly service and very few of the faults only came to light during the weekly test. This information was accepted by their Primary Authority (UK wide organisations can, for a fee, select a single fire service as their gatekeeper for enforcement and advice to ensure consistency of enforcement across their properties) The onus is on the Responsible Person to prove they can do something other than the benchmark and this requires their competent person to be on board - unless they put the case forward and it stands up then they would be expected to comply with the benchmark and would get enforced against if they do otherwise. It's quite possible to put cases to vary from the standards together, I've done it several times, just has to be done properly.

HSE have more detail than the DCLG Guides on certain fire safety aspects in motor repair: https://www.hse.gov.uk/mvr/topics/fire.htm

Based on your measurements and assuming an occupancy of under 60 then the one door is acceptable.

Current standards only require the front door to be self closing, it should also be to FD30s specification (a fire doorset of 30 minutes fire resistance and having intumescent seals and cold smoke brushes). Internal doors (except the bathroom) are usually FD20 doors (20 minutes fire resistance, often achieved using an FD30 door without seals)

If it is suitably fire separated from the flats then it can be looked at in isolation and wouldn't need any fire alarm or detection being a single room as the occupiers would easily detect a fire themselves and verbally raise the alarm. If it isn't then a fire alarm system covering both the shop & residential areas may be required. Both the common areas of the flats and the commercial unit are subject to the Fire Safety Order and require a Fire Risk Assessment. Also it sounds the house conversion to flats could fall under section 257 of the Housing Act 2004 if: 1. the conversion did not comply with the relevant Building Regulations in force at that time and still does not comply; and 2. less than two-thirds of the flats are owner-occupied. Depending on location it may also require licencing as a s257 HMO if your council operates an 'additional licensing' scheme.

Technically yes, the Building Regs just say garage, not garage with car/petrol/etc. If you don't have one no one is going to inspect you and do anything but expect it to be picked up if you sell the house or if you do other building works where LABC are involved.

It's a legal requirement in Article 17, there needs to be a suitable system of maintenance, not just that the precautions are in working order. You will get enforcement action if you fail to do it and you will get convicted if there are prosecutions for non compliance. What is more flexible is the 'suitable system'. By default it's the British Standards (as that's what enforcers and magistrates will use for reference) but it's true there is wiggle room - e.g. Sainsbury only test fire alarms monthly rather than weekly (still daily for visual checks and 6 monthly for servicing). However they had to go to a lot of effort & some expense to put a case together that was acceptable to their enforcement Primary Authority.

Yes and Yes! Particularly the roof void, far too many fatal care home fires over the years due to this (& prosecutions)

A Fire Risk Assessment only covers the communal areas* as only these are covered by the Fire Safety Order. However as part of this flat front doors are in the scope of the FRA as these are vital to protect the common parts in the event of a fire in a flat, which is the most likely scenario (the fatal conditions on the landings and stairs at Grenfell Tower were largely down to unsatisfactory flat front doors) and any competent residential risk assessor would ask in advance if a sample of the flats could be visited just to look at the front door from both sides. Gas & electrical paperwork for the flats is outside the scope of the basic FRA, but is for common parts. An FRA is valid until there is a significant change in the property, usage, persons at risk but should be regularly reviewed to identify if there are any changes (which is not the same as having a full FRA and need not be done by the external assessor). It is often suggested review is annually. * FRAs with wider scope do exist for residential properties and are needed in certain circumstances but the basic requirement is as stated.

Pre 1991 conversions from houses (and many done under the radar after then) don't usually have the required upgrade in fire resistance of walls and floors to be safe to stay put and not need a building wide system. Some of course do and the assessor is basically saying you need to prove that the conversion meets at least the 1991 Building Regs guidance (the oldest archive copy for reference is 2000, but it's essentially the same for what you need https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20141202115155/http://www.planningportal.gov.uk/uploads/br/BR_PDF_ADB_2000.pdf) The electrical cupboard can be upgraded or replaced with a simpler solution rather than building a traditional cupboard - suitable products are here: https://envirograf.com/product/electrical-consumer-unit-and-distribution-board-fire-protection-system/ https://envirograf.com/product/intumescent-paint-and-varnishes-for-wood-etc/ https://envirograf.com/product/surface-mounted-intumescent-fire-firesmoke-seals/ The official Government guidance (https://www.rla.org.uk/docs/LACORSFSguideApril62009.PDF) states for your size of conversion you need: Fire detection and alarm system A mixed system of : Grade A LD2 coverage in the common areas and a heat alarm in each flat in the room/lobby opening onto the escape route (interlinked); and Grade D LD3 coverage in each flat (non interlinked smoke alarm in the room/lobby opening onto the escape route) to protect the sleeping occupants of the flat Grade A systems are the 'commercial' grade with control panel like you see in office and shops; Grade D systems are mains powered domestic smoke alarms with either D1: Sealed cell 10 year life tamperproof back up battery or D2: Standard removable battery back up. D1 is normally required for rental flats and homes, D2 for owner occupied. Are they requirements? More or less as the common parts are subject to the Fire Safety Order and the whole building subject to the Housing Act and the guidance document referenced would be used by the fire service or the council environmental health housing officers in any audit and enforcement action under either legislation.

I'd say not if it's as you describe, ,it hardly meets the usual criteria for window exits back in the late 20th Century when legislation allowed this more widely, I'd explore the necessity for it at all and other options to secure adequate escape without it.

Sufficient to achieve 65dB throughout except to areas of limited extent, cupboards and similar, rooms under 60 sq.m. can also have a lower sound pressure of 60dB. You should be using a qualified fire alarm system designer and installer who will look after this for you and ensure your system meets BS5839-1:2017

LACORS applies to any conversion to flats that does not comply with Building Regulations - this is usually where a flat has been converted from a house or similar - and so would apply to anything before 1991 and sometimes post 1991 if done 'under the radar'. Purpose Built Flats are subject to the LGA Guide to Fire Safety in purpose built flats (unsurprisingly!) regardless of age in conjunction with the MHCLG Consolidated Guidance for residential buildings. Many large scale redevelopments of existing commercial buildings (e.g. offices to flats) also come under this guide as they are in effect purpose built from a shell in accordance with Building Regulations to the same spec as if built from the ground up. Fire doors in blocks of flats are generally 30 minute doors.

Unfortunately even today there are companies who don't correctly install passive fire protection - use a specialist provider as can be found here: https://asfp.associationhouse.org.uk/default.php?cmd=260

No, whilst this used to be a requirement in the past currently the only door commonly needed to be self closing is one between garage and house if attached.

Yes, a Ni-Cad cell should be on the back.

But if the conversions complied with Building Regulations then https://www.local.gov.uk/sites/default/files/documents/fire-safety-purpose-built-04b.pdf is more relevant, not all conversions are non compliant and require the LACORS guide - these are usually house conversions, large scale commercial to residential conversions follow Approved Document B as a new build and so generally only require smoke detection as part of a smoke control system in common parts.

Has to be using test smoke/heat. If they aren't then they are doing the equivalent of what in the extinguisher trade is known as 'rag & tag' i.e. not actually doing anything other than filling in the service label/report & adding a tamper tag. Wouldn't surprise me if they don't open up the panel and check the panels with a test meter either. Far too many con artists out there in the fire trade. From the British Standard for Fire Alarms: c) Every heat detector should be functionally tested by means of a suitable heat source, unless operation of the detector in this manner would then necessitate replacement of part or all of the sensing element (e.g. as in fusible link point detectors or non-integrating line detectors). Special test arrangements are required for fusible link heat detectors. The heat source should not have the potential to ignite a fire; live flame should not be used, and special equipment might be necessary in explosive atmospheres. d) Point smoke detectors should be functionally tested by a method that confirms that smoke can enter the detector chamber and produce a fire alarm signal (e.g. by use of apparatus that generates simulated smoke or suitable aerosols around the detector). It should be ensured that the material used does not cause damage to, or affect the subsequent performance of, the detector; the manufacturer’s guidance on suitable materials should be followed.

Possibly. Easiest way to tell is to switch all the lights off and see how easy it is to see your way out, you usually need the equivalent light of a full moon on a clear night to safely see your way out (this is where the original EL lighting levels came from!). Consider the available light at the start and end of the day (when it's darkest), time of year and the impact of overcast weather. Having done this you may conclude you are fine. If not then depending on the size of the offices and number of people you may need either emergency lighting - or torches!