AnthonyB

Yes, but you would still need to carry out (& ideally record) a monthly visual inspection to identify any units that have failed the self test and for any other defect such as diffusers that are stained/discoloured, physical damage, etc. It is still a lot less onerous than having to put units onto test though!

Internally illuminated exit signs are, by their very nature, signs and not lighting, they don't produce any appreciable illumination except (in some designs) a down light to illuminate door furniture. If you class the areas as escape routes they need 1 lux of lighting to the centre line. If you class them as an open area (over 60 square metres) they need 0.5 lux as anti panic lighting. If the areas don't fall into either then it is down to risk assessment of the areas which would lead you to either: - Provide emergency lighting fittings - Provide nothing and just rely on the exit signs - Provide alternatives such as hand-lamps (as infrequently accessed areas the provision of torches could be part of a permit to access) There is however another reason in BS5266 that may make you go for emergency lighting. Working in a substation could potentially be deemed a high risk task process - if you need decent lighting to safely disengage from the work you are carrying out then you would need to provide at least 15 lux (or 10% of the normal lighting levels, whichever is greater) although you would only need to maintain this high level for as long as necessary to safely deal with the task, which is usually considerably less time than the usual 3 hour rating of emergency lighting.

This does not apply to most emergency light fittings which simply have a green charging light (or red if older). Multi colour LEDS are only used on self testing fittings and even then there is no standardisation as to the meaning of the colours & flashes - you should check with the manufacturer's literature.

Very unlikely for sleeping risk, alternative accommodation or temporary detection would be required. Remember your schools duty of care!

If the door needs to be panic proof then it must open outwards as it will jam shut against the pressure of exiting persons. A push pad and pull handle is terrible as they are contradictory and are going to make the exit more awkward to use. If it's OK to open inwards do not fit any push fastenings, just any suitable lever or thumbturn type device that leaves the door not requiring a key or code to open.

Water mist extinguishers are not marked as suitable for Class B fires as they do not meet the minimum ratings required by EN3 for the amount of agent - your existing CO2 extinguishers have a greater fire fighting capacity - the 6 litre water mist only has a 21B rating, a 2 kilo CO2 34B (or even 55B if fitted with a Zahan Frost Free horn). They are also more expensive and aren't offered by most suppliers.

If the sounder circuit isn't fire resistant then that's a major non conformity that can affect life safety (plenty of case history of where fire alarm sounders failing early was one of the factors influencing multi fatality fires) and should be a high priority action in the FRA. Also, unless it's an L1 system if the detection zones are not fire resistant I would want the panel set to operate in the old "short circuit = fire mode" as there would be a risk of a fire in an area not covered by detection destroying the cable putting the panel only into fault and preventing it going into fire.

Don't over estimate the risks from CO2 portables, you are only generating a couple of cubic metres of gas and for this to be harmful the area would have to be so small the fire effluent would have taken you down first. CO2 is great for machinery as being gaseous it penetrates hidden areas and casings to extinguish the fire and is non damaging thus reducing the effect on business continuity as it doesn't wreck the machine or require a full strip down to clean. It also is effective on small Class B fires and even the smallest CO2 extinguisher has been tested on and extinguished a test fire of 34 litres of aviation fuel/water mix. I'd keep the CO2 and back it up with foam. Foam cools and is good for solids as well as liquids and forms a blanket (like a layer of bubble bath) on a liquid fire preventing reignition. It's also good for spillages of flammable liquids - spray foam over the spill and it cuts off oxygen to the fuel and traps vapour meaning the spill can't be ignited making clear up safer. Most manufacturers don't mark foam extinguishers as safe for electrical fires even though they can, so are mostly only marked as safe for accidental contact with electrical equipment unless you buy Britannia extinguishers (either the traditional Blazex or the low maintenance P50) which are marked (like most extinguishers on mainland Europe) for direct use up to 1000V I'd avoid powder unless there is a realistic prospect of spilling and igniting a large amount of liquid as: - The discharge will fill your workshop with clouds of powder which obscures vision, so you can't see what you are doing - The powder is a respiratory irritant and breathing it in is not very good for you, you will be coughing and having breathing difficulty in a indoor area - It is acidic and fuses when hot sticking to surfaces and is very damaging to aluminium, electronics (and most other things!) and will cause a lot of secondary damage - you will need to strip equipment down quickly to remove it before the damage is too bad and you will never get rid of all traces of it - It extinguishes by a chemical action and does not cool or smother with a risk of reignition. If you don't extinguish a liquid fire before the extinguisher runs out it will often re-flash to original size & intensity (Foam, being a physical barrier allows partial extinction) It's really good for rapid knock down of big spills but is flawed for other risks.

If in England & Wales then yes, although it wouldn't be too complex or in depth

I'd say yes & yes. Is the sounder circuit in fire resistant cabling with just the detection zones in normal cable?

BAFE also have a register for approved fire risk assesssors as well as fire alarm engineers, Scheme SP205-1

It could well be required to be a fire exit if travel distances to exits and numbers of staff involved warrant it. A fire exit from an area need not lead direct to the outside but can instead lead to a protected route (e.g. a stairway or corridor protected by fire resisting construction and doors) or into an adjoining fire compartment - in some warehouses the office block is separated from the warehouse by a compartment wall that is fire resistant (usually for an hour) so an escape route can legitimately go from a fire exit door into the warehouse and then through a final exit to outside in the warehouse wall. You should have a competent fire safety adviser (not H&S, different subject!) look at the issue if you are concerned. If it looks like the door always had the panic bolt on it then that suggests that when the premises were built it was intended as a fire escape route and should be retained unless a fire risk assessment can justify otherwise. If you aren't going to lock the door and just want to change the panic bolt to a handle for easier everyday use then that should be OK even as a fire exit unless more than 60 people are likely to need it.

No. They are not opening onto a protected escape route or enclosing an area of high fire risk.

You only require a Category M (manual call points) system to meet the minimum legal requirement for life safety. Detection in your type of store would only be required to protect means of escape, usually only for specific issues such as inner rooms. The reason you may see similar stores with extensive detection is for property protection which is a business decision not a legal requirement (although your insurers may make it a requirement of cover). If it isn't sprinklered already then the undivided compartment size of your premises falls below any requirement under Building Regulations to provide them and you wouldn't need to retro fit unless you wanted the property protection they afford. To determine if your current usage and layout may warrant detection you should have a suitable Fire Risk Assessment carried out.

Existing schools that are older builds may not have emergency lighting as it wasn't required at the time.Schools used to be exempt from Building Regulations and their own guidance (BB7) didn't usually require it using the then accepted principle of daytime usage with borrowed natural light. Often only the main hall would have emergency lighting because it was used for performance, music, etc and required a license from the local council (in the decades prior to 2006 licenses could set fire safety requirements). Building Regulations only apply to new builds or refurbishments/alterations. An existing unaltered school would determine it's lighting requirements under a Fire Risk Assessment. The assessment would probably indicate retrofitting of at least some emergency lighting as schools are often now used for a range of activities including evening usage, including by third parties and also early mornings (breakfast clubs) and the current trend is to rely less on borrowed light generally

Sales trick - you only really need a fire blanket in a kitchen where you have cooking hobs where there is a risk of using pans containing cooking oils (Class F) and then they are only suitable on containers of a maximum of 3 litres content and/or 300mm diameter - any bigger requires an 'F' rated extinguisher such as wet chemical or water mist. I always have a pile of pointless fire blankets removed from premises lying around, A CO2 within 10 metres will suffice, or you could use a Britannia extinguisher (water or foam as these are suitable for up to 1000V). If you are wishing to spend a little bit extra then the Water Mist extinguisher is an excellent all rounder. One of my clients safely & effectively used a Water Mist extinguisher in a live 415V tumble drier on fire, so whilst the concept of water & electricity takes some getting your head around it's true.

Yes, it would have to be a fire door though

Flat occupants are 'relevant persons' to be considered in an FRA as a fire in the premises will affect them. Not only do you consider how a fire in the common area (which is unlikely in purpose built blocks) affects those in the area and the flats of it, but how a fire in a flat will affect the common areas (& in turn other flats). You can't give precise numbers at risk for the reasons you give, the number of flats is more realistically recordable (ideally details of how many bedrooms helps too)

Insurance & Environmental concerns are the main reason that proper live fire is rarer than it used to be. LPG gas rigs, whilst not realistic, are more common. You need to have the right insurance and the manufacturer's training for the gas rig, plus of course be competent in the use of extinguishers yourself

If it's for out of hours only and the door wouldn't be part of the escape route from the accommodation above you can secure it with padlocks & chains, bars, anything, as long as when it is open it's only secured by the panic bolts.

There is no requirement to replace detectors at 10 years in BS5839-1 - they merely must operate correctly and in a timely manner. 10 years is the length of some manufacturer's recommended service life and warranty. There is a suggestion to change this at the next revision of the BS as part of UFS reduction, however currently as long as they work the service satisfies the standard.

Look in Building Regulations - at most, unless the layout is odd, you will only need a Category M fire alarm system to BS5839-1:2013 consisting of a control and indicating panel, manual call points and electrical sounders, all linked by fire resistant cabling. The only other life safety requirement for smoke detectors would be if your layout has escape from an inner room via an access room, but as your work isn't compatible with smokes a vision panel in the inner room's door would be an equally compliant alternative solution. You may want detection for property protection (not a statutory requirement) in which case you would provide heat detectors to areas where cooking would be a false alarm risk and smoke elsewhere (or if you want to throw more money at a more advanced system you can have multisensors programmed to react to heat only in the day time and smoke at night). Obviously as a property protection system is mainly for out of hours fires your alarm would need to be either linked to a monitoring station or an autodialler with your and other keyholders numbers programmed. A lot of Building Control aren't the best at fire and either over specify, costing you money, or let things slide the other way meaning you fall foul of fire regulations at a later date (A passed full plans Building Regs application and completion certificate does not mean you automatically meet the Fire Regs as much as it should). You usually can use an Approved Inspector instead of Local Authority Building Control & it might help finding one with a sensible head, the BCO you've dealt with obviously doesn't know much about fire by citing the wrong standard!

Glad to help - if you ever needed external assistance with an FRA remember me!

If you can't hear it there is no point in having it. If the construction is such that the fire resistance for a 'stay put' policy (only the flat on fire has to evacuate) is not present and/or the associated smoke control provisions are also missing then a simultaneous evacuation policy is required necessitating at least a heat detector and sounder off the common system in each flat's internal lobby in order to: - Detect a fire in a flat where the occupiers are not in (or are dead!) before it breaches the limited compartmentation and affects other flats and the common escape - Provide 80dB at the bedroom door in each flat so as to be able to wake sleeping occupiers so they can evacuate before being trapped Life safety for the flat where the fire occurs is provided by separate domestic smoke alarms (so that inevitable cooking false alarms don't disturb the whole block) If your conversion provided the same fire resistance as if it was purpose built then you don't need a common fire alarm at all. You only need common detection (no sounders or call points) in this case if there are automatic smoke vents to the common stairs and lobbies. You need a decent Fire Risk Assessment to determine which way your property needs to go.

See this guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/do-you-have-paying-guests