AnthonyB

An internally illuminated exit sign ("Exit Box") and an emergency lighting fitting are different beasts for different applications. Unfortunately because many bulkhead emergency lights come with a legend kit (as they can be used either as an exit box or a light) some installers feel the need to stick them on all the time even when not required. Where a legend kit has been added to fittings installed in a location where it is clearly intended to be a lighting unit I have the legend removed. If it located such it is fulfilling the need for illuminated signage then it stays and additional lighting, if required, is needed, is fitted.

The fire extinguishers may not be needed (if they are purpose built flats) but the fire risk assessment is - but only for the common areas carried out by the management company and not for each flat.

If it's vacant then you don't necessarily have to test it as long as you have a suitable risk appropriate alternative for those rare occasions of occupancy. All non essential power (sometimes including lighting) is often isolated to reduce fire risks (and the bill) so fittings will be discharged. Torches are acceptable as emergency lighting in certain circumstances. It's all down to the risk assessment - vacant premises FRA's are different beast to those for occupied premises and are often carried out as part of Health & Safety Liability Audits for fully vacant space

Whilst not law in itself the benchmark for emergency lighting is BS5266-1:2016 which states: Inspection of the condition of fire alarm control and indicating equipment To carry out inspection of the condition of fire alarm panels and repeaters, and fire alarm zone diagrams and instructions, the illumination needs to be sufficient to: a) enable displays to be read accurately; b) enable staff to locate the source of the fire; c) operate controls. Table E.1 shows the typical minimum emergency lighting level to be used on sudden failure of the normal lighting in the vicinity of fire alarm control and indicating equipment. This also applies to any repeater panels or building plans that might be used. (Table E1 indicates a lighting level of 15 lux for the full rated duration of the buildings emergency lighting) A risk assessment will determine the need to follow this, although it's not normally a big job (single well placed fitting or conversion kit) so is usually reasonably practicable if you don't already have coverage.

What did the Building Control Officer say to your plans submission for the mezzanine?

As above - Powder extinguishers are cheaper, but when used are messier causing significant damage and in an indoors situation can affect those nearby (vision, orientation, breathing, etc) and are ineffective on cooking oil fires. Another alternative as you already have a blanket could be a foam extinguisher of the Britannia brand (Blazex or P50) which would cover solids, liquids and electrical fires (<1000V @1m). Water mist is the best all rounder if you can afford it

A brief summary of requirements is here http://www.hochikieurope.com/ckfinder/userfiles/files/BS5266 Guide Booklet - ISS6 - MAY14 (email)(1).pdf The standard was updated since this was produced, but the basic principles apply. Emergency lighting should operate on local lighting circuit failure so anyone saying you should have a new dedicated circuit is unlikely to be competent in emergency lighting design and may not be the contractor to be used. On some rare occasions you can't use a local lighting circuit but where a dedicated circuit is used it must use maintained (always lit) fittings You have two options - separate dedicated EL fittings wired into the existing lighting circuit, or easier (but more costly per unit) replace your normal light fitting with a combination unit - which works like a normal light fitting but includes a battery pack to provide back up supply (you would usually need both a permanent and switchable live to the fitting for this to work)

...although the flats should be stay put and no one should be evacuating other than the flat on fire. The other issue with mats sometimes is they are the thin edge of the wedge and because they are allowed all sorts of other things start creeping in the halls, you see shoes, decorations, prams, etc, etc and so many councils and HA's opt for the easier to manage total ban option than managed usage of these areas.

No, however their fire risk assessment under the Fire Safety Order 2005 must have decided that the mats were an undue fuel loading/fire risk (presumably arson as there aren't many other ignition risks in a flat common area) and to be removed.

It's usually down to any recommendations by the manufacturer and the designer. Completely filling a loop is frowned upon by some. At the end of the day a judgement needs to be made as to the potential need for expansion and to what extent when determining if you use a panel with a spare unused loop card, or various percentages of spare space per loop. In a building with an L1 system you may be able to safely load a loop to 95% as there is little scope for alteration (unless it has large open plan areas that could be heavily subdivided in future) where as a building with an L4 system may end up in future having additional detection in future for property protection or change of use.

Cupboards and the like, being infrequently accessed, do not require self closers if they are kept locked shut and signed as shut. Edges should be sealed with intumescent mastic/putty. All looks good from here!

Not externally (in fact external sounders must silence after 30 minutes just like intruder systems) unless there is an open area part of the building like a roof terrace. Visual Alarm Devices may be appropriate as well.

The change of use from a garage to a habitable room will mean compliance with building regulations, including delivery of a building notice to your council. Building regulations apply to ventilation, moisture proofing, insulation, fireproofing, escape routes, and structural soundness. As a result, almost any design decision must take them into account. When dividing up the garage a new room is created. This room is subject to a set of building regulations that require an escape route and ventilation separate from the main room. Alterations such as an infill wall replacing the original garage door will also be subject to building regulations concerning the foundations. The building inspector will want to visually inspect windows, doors, fireproofing and foundations before he gives a certificate of completion. Note existing fire doors would not be affected by the change - if all the doors were fire doors (rather than just the door between the garage & the habitable space) then this is not because of the garage - you could change them to fire doors with clear fire resisting glazed panels though.

Absolutely not and don't let the management company (& yourselves through the service charge) be ripped off by someone trying to persuade them it's a legal requirement. The current official guidance for fire safety in purpose built flats states: "- It is not normally considered necessary to provide fire extinguishers in the common parts of blocks of flats. Such equipment should only be used by those trained in its use. It is not considered appropriate or practicable for residents in a block of flats to receive such training. In addition, if a fire occurs in a flat, the provision of fire extinguishing appliances in the common parts might encourage the occupants of the flat to enter the common parts to obtain an appliance and return to their flat to fight the fire. Such a procedure is inappropriate." Also water or foam extinguishers would be useless on two of the most common domestic fires - cooking oils/fats and electrical appliances. The common areas in flats should be fire sterile (if not a serious offence is being comitted) so a fire would be unlikely to occur and if one did you would be safer in your flat than getting seriously injured (or worse) trying to deal with it. Link to fire safety guidance: http://www.local.gov.uk/c/document_library/get_file?uuid=1138bf70-2e50-400c-bf81-9a3c4dbd6575

Possibly. Brass plated steel or steel screws would have been better, solid brass melts too easily. Wooden kick boards are unusual, you usually see steel. They aren't as damaged as they might be without the protective boards by the sound of it.

For clarity this is a Federal law in the USA and not applicable to the UK

6m is the usual distance in most guidance for waste storage

Bear in mind most provider's basic servicing training no longer covers refilling or Extended Services so unless you were going to replace with new when an extinguisher reaches 5 years (10 for CO2) or needs refilling (which a lot of commercial servicing firms do now as it's more cost effective) and if you wanted to refill the extra training, and recharging equipment & consumables, would make it nonviable just for three sites. Moving to P50 extinguishers as part of a risk reanalysis (to reduce numbers overall plus the fact that one P50 can replace up to three extinguishers of two different types at a single fire point) may be more viable - the only tools you need after the free training on installation would be a permanent marker (each extinguisher comes with the verification equipment required built in)

No. Extinguishers are only required where there is a specific requirement under specific legislation, such as foam extinguishers in buses, coaches & minibuses (C&U Regs) and vehicles carrying dangerous goods covered by ADR

You need to read "BS 7273-4:2015 Code of Practice for the operation of fire protection measures - Part 4: Actuation of release mechanisms for doors." which covers these devices. Devices that hold open fire doors are divided into different categories depending on their method of operation and intended usage: Critical, Standard & Indirect (used to be category A, B & C). Dorgard don't state what level their devices meet (they say 'normal' which doesn't exist) but the basic models appear more like Indirect models. Risk assessment determines which type to use, but considering the reliability of correctly installed, tested and maintained fire alarm systems would rather have loads of Indirect acoustic devices than wedges, disconnected closers etc which were far more prevalent before these were invented. There will be some circumstances where direct wired equipment is required, although to get the most advantage of these they need to be linked to fire alarm systems capable of causing release on fault as well as fire.

Because it's over one floor and split into several rooms, "manual" or non electrical means of alarm (shout's, gongs, etc) are unlikely to be suitably audible. Most fires in single company occupancy buildings during working hours are likely to be detected by sight and smell (you may smell a really small fire quicker than it would activate a detector) or even sound and so the minimum fire alarm requirements in Building Regulations and BS5839-1 (Fire alarm standard for non-domestic premises) is a system of manual call points and alarm sounders. Automatic detection is only required where there is a risk of a fire developing undetected for some time such that it could affect escape and thus life safety and even then is applied in layers - detectors for specific risks/purposes (L5); for escape routes (L4); for escape routes and adjoining rooms (L3); escape routes and adjoining rooms plus specific areas of risk(L2); virtually everywhere (L1). The higher categories (L2, L1) are usually only needed for sleeping risk, healthcare, fire engineered buildings, etc - some installers will try and put you detection in everywhere despite there being no legal basis.

I would strongly suggest you take specialist legal advice on this matter, especially as a landlord who claimed they had no liability after letting to a primary tenant who then sublet was recently successfully convicted for fire safety offences. Warren Spencer at Blackhurst Budd is a specialist lawyer in the fire safety field having both successfully prosecuted on behalf of fire services and defended on behalf of Responsible Persons for over 160 cases. http://www.blackhurstbudd.co.uk/fire-safety/

BS 5839-1:2013 13.2 Recommendations 13.2.1 Recommendations applicable to all detection zones b) If the total floor area of the building is greater than 300 m2, each zone should be restricted to a single storey. d) For voids above or below the floor area of a room, these may be included within the same zone of the room, provided that the voids and the room constitute a single fire compartment. Depends whether you class it as a void or a floor. If the space is used and has an access ladder/stair I would be leaning towards calling it a floor, if a disused space more likely a void, but in the case of the latter would want remote indicators fitted.

They are mixing up the general floor calculations in BS5306-8 for general normal risk cover by Class A extinguishers. Hot works are by their nature anything but normal risk and require extinguishers immediately available (certainly within 10m). No extinguishers no permit, no permit no work, leave the premises, don't expect to be paid for your time. Many buildings that are normally very safe suffer devastating fires during hot works - the risk is too great to let them get away with this misguided statement. If they can't be bothered to spend the very small amounts on having & maintaining a stock of extinguishers for hot works I'd be suspicious of what other corners they will cut in both safety and workmanship.

Yes there are and they are going to become recommended as a standard provision for public or high misuse risk areas in the new 2017 edition of BS5839-1 so fitting them wouldn't require a risk assessment and variation as currently.