AnthonyB
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Posts posted by AnthonyB
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BS 1877 was first published in 1952 and has been sporadically reissued over the decades, which means it is potentially old enough to date back to when asbestos was still in common use, it's a pity it doesn't cite which edition.
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Theatres Guide p 72 "If temporary seating is provided, these should be secured in lengths of not fewer than four seats (and not more than 12). Each length should be fixed to the floor"
Large Places of Assembly Guide p67; Small & Medium Places of Assembly Guide p60 "In general, no seat should be more than seven seats away from a gangway. If temporary seating is provided, these should be secured in lengths of not fewer than four seats (and not more than 12). Each length should be fixed to the floor"
Not always enforced as vigorously as when fire safety formed part of the Theatre, Dance or Entertainment License requirements back in the day though.
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BS9999 is an architect's/designers standard as an alternative to the Guidance in Approved Document B for new buildings or refurbishments of existing buildings. It is not a risk assessment guide for existing premises, unless that premises meets all parts of the guide - you can't just cherry pick the travel distances.
Sounds like an example of initial dead end (be it room or corridor) where you can only travel in one direction and need to reach either a storey exit or part of the route where you can split in two directions before the single escape distance limits are exceeded.
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No as the system is too basic to accommodate such a function - you usually only get a head removal fault on commercial premises fire alarm system equipment (as is used where Grade A residential fire alarms are required)
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Sounds like a stay put block where the alarm system is there for the purposes of operating smoke control and has no sounders (or had them removed), but they left the call points. Is the alarm monitored?
The FRA should detail the rationale behind the set up - it isn't automatically wrong.
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The linked page only covers commercial fire alarms - you appear to have Grade D residential smoke alarms installed (Which aren't required in the first place, if communal warning was needed a commercial system would be used) for which the only test regime (BS5839-6) is weekly testing using the test button and periodic cleaning of the detectors as per manufacturer's instructions (usually 6 monthly)
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A lot of residential premises were wrongly fitted or retrofitted with common residential smoke alarms or full fire alarm systems, so removal is not necessarily incorrect.
However the fire sterile nature of common parts does not automatically mean some form of site wide system isn't needed - as Tom says if the compartmentation of the flats is poor then something may be required - the FRA should detail what is/isn't needed and why.
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If it's for extinguishers you need Nitrogen, which you would hire from BOC or Air Products, or rent on a deposit basis (like Calor gas) from places like Adams Gas. You can buy outright a Nitrogen cylinder from some fire trade suppliers, but filling can then be an issue.
I assume you've got all the other consumables,components and training required?
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You can do what you want but of the 250 - 300 people killed by fire each year almost all die in their home and most of those have no, insufficient or nonworking alarms - I'd get them working/replaced as reliance on Grade F (battery only) alarms as oppose to Grade D (mains and battery) increases the chance of them not being in working order when needed.
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Can't fail secure on a power failure if required as an emergency exit. That's why access control systems have back up power supply units next to each door in order to keep it secure if the mains fails. The installation should meet BS7273-4 and would usually fail safe on power failure, fire alarm activation & via a green breakglass unit next to the door that operates a double pole isolator on the doors power supply causing fail safe release.
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Not required as not subject to the Fire Safety Order nor opening onto any areas where it does apply. There is also no legal requirement for an asbestos survey either in domestic premises.
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Single stair with just a front and back door? If so you would usually only need the one door, the second door is usually part of an accommodation route to access car parks, bin stores, etc as oppose to a required alternative.
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Yes. In many cases a human can detect a fire quicker than an automatic detector (especially a heat detector) and it would cause a delay in raising the alarm with greater damage and risk if a fire was left to grow to a size where a detector activates.
Legislation has for over half a century required as a minimum a manual means of raising the alarm and all compliant fire alarm systems start with manual call points and sounders first and then only layer detection on as required.
Most premises actually don't legally require detection - your office, unless high rise or engineered, would only require call points, it's just common practice to throw in loads of detectors regardless or for property protection.
They need to be at each exit to a place of safety so you can't leave a building without passing one (& thus ensuring the alarm can be raised)
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Already answered this on Firenet. It can be done in some circumstances.
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No less than 2. The number of sounder circuits is dictated in part by the loading. If you use a 2 wire system you would in effect have 4 circuits.
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No, to comply with the maintenance standard it's all fittings.
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No, they wouldn't need to be aware as they would be protected by the compartmentation present
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Not really anything amicable if they won't remove it after friendly conversation. Civil legal action for eviction is the usual route, although the keeping of animals may breach bye laws so the Local Authority may get involved (if they have the resources spare!).
Not sure on the legalities regarding moving the fencing himself, they would need to consult a lawyer regarding what would be lawful and what would be criminal damage without a court order.
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If purpose built after the 60's it would usually have solid concrete construction as per the CP3 guidance which was in place until 1991 - however as a small block it didn't have to follow this so could be wooden under-drawn with plasterboard. Small blocks can also be of 30 minutes fire resistance, not 60 and still be stay put.
A type 3 Fire Risk Assessment would not intrusively assess the block, instead it would be a non intrusive inspection of the common areas and flat front doors (as in a Type 1 FRA to comply with the Fire Safety Order) with the addition of the interior of the flats (for Housing Act compliance)
To fully assess compartmentation a type 2 intrusive FRA would be required for the common parts or exceptionally a type 4 (common & flats)
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Only if they had a specific role such as fire warden - even then the training could be delivered in house.
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Is this a gate from an external yard so people would already have left the building?
Depending on the layout of the premises and external areas, proximity of building to external travel routes, structural fire protection etc, it could be fine, there are many factors to consider
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A full evacuation can be simultaneous or phased. The former has everyone leave at the same time, the latter staggers (usually by 2 floors at a time) and is used often in bigger taller buildings where it's impractical to load the stairs with everyone at once. In both cases you are evacuating as soon and quickly as practicable in the initial stages of an incident. With stay put you do not intend to evacuate at all unless affected by the fire or requested in the latter stages of an incident by the fire service.
Your set up is not compliant as you cannot evacuate simultaneous - how do you know there is a fire in the first place? Your alarm set up is for stay put only - only the flat on fire would have alarms sounding and no one else in the block would have an alarm - the audibility of the flat alarms would only be loud enough for the life safety of the occupiers of that flat alone.
If your block is genuinely poorly built or altered to such a extent everyone has to get out in one go it must have a common system that also provides some sounders & detection in the flats as described above. If, as I suspect, it's OK,then you should have a stay put policy and need no further alarms.
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True! - and the ext mechanism signed to - if you used what I suggested then the signs you would need would be:
The turn to open would need a clockwise or anticlocwise arrow dependant on which way you have to turn the latch - obvious I know, but sometimes forgotten!
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No there aren't, but with less than 60 persons it doesn't need to open outward or be 'panic proof', the below would be acceptable:
https://www.ironmongerydirect.co.uk/product/easi-t-escape-nightlatch-kit-191471
As an external door unless protecting an external escape route (such as an external stair) it doesn't have to be a fire door, which in the fire safety definition is a fire resisting doorset with a minimum resistance to fire (& where required smoke). Your door sounds like a final exit,i.e.a door leading from the premises to a place of safety, so as long as it's sturdy enough for your security needs you need only change the door furniture and not the whole door.
fire door seals: with or without brush
in Fire Doors and Accessories
Posted
There are some parties that say you are not allowed to upgrade doors and must replace them as the resulting combination of an old uncertified leaf and new seals has not been tested.
Personally if upgrading I would try and retrofit seals to the frame not the door.