Ron

Hi All I wonder if you can assist. On the top floor in a care home the ceiling is 12.5mm plasterboard fixed to roof trusses not less than 38mm thick. The plasterboard is skimmed and there is about 150mm of rockwool above. This arrangement covers the top floor bedrooms, escape corridor and elec room, sluice room, clinic room and lounge etc. The roof void above the protected area of 10 beds has cavity barriers and is free of storage. The concern is the escape corridor and risk rooms may not give 30 mins fire resistance at ceiling level. The plasterboard is not fire rated and a fire ie in the elec room, or a bedroom could pass through the ceiling and spread in to what should be a protected corridor or neighbouring bedroom. In the British Gypsum White Book such an arrangement with a 12.5mm fire line/board would give a 30 minute rating from the room/corridor side of the ceiling. Does anyone know what fire rating single 12.5mm skimmed plasterboard offers? It may be that the fire breaking into the roof void and then spreading down in to a room within the protected area may take longer than 30 minutes. Are there any documents which has the result of approved fire tests for such designs?? Basically i just want to ensure the existing arrange is safe or plan a cost effective solution. Hope it all makes sense. Thanks

Hi Anthony B - thanks for your reply. I looked in the DCLG resi care guide but did not find much other than : Page 94: - Means of escape – security It is accepted that in many care home situations conflicts between the needs for means of escape and security may arise, particularly in premises which provide accommodation for people with mental illness, where it may be essential to maintain a high level of supervision during an evacuation. In areas where security is important a properly designed and managed interface between staffing levels, installed fire safety measures and security measures should be sufficient to permit staff controlled evacuation systems. Any solution proposed, that includes security controls on escape routes, must be discussed and agreed with the relevant enforcing authorities, care provider and other relevant bodies. However the DCLG GUIDE Healthcare Premises (does not apply to resi Homes) but P138 has a lot of useful info. Based on this the green over rides are not a must. Thanks

Hi Tom Thanks for your prompt reply and logical thought process.

Hi All In a residential care home with electro magnetic locks can you advise on the following. The home has areas with people who have mental health issues. As such these wings are secure and staff and visitors enter via key pads - entering the numbers. The locks fail to the open on power failure and on operation of the fire alarm system. To escape staff can aid residents out. I have noticed some homes also have green break glass overrides adjacent to the door as well. Are these additional overrides really necessary? Thanks

Hi All Please provide a view on the safety measures when a large residential home provides bathrooms with electric powered chairs for hoisting persons in and out the bath. They are a permanent fixture. Do you consider that in view of the introduced risk a SC Fire door should be fitted along with heat detection linked in to the main system. 5 yearly elec tests are conducted on fixed installations but acrylic bath do burn well and give off lots of smoke. Thanks