[Swing free bedroom door in residential care homes]

Can anyone point to requirement to have a blue mandatory warning sign on residents bedroom doors in care homes that have a swing free device fitted?

Is there an exemption on bedroom doors being required to have these under building regulations?

Thank You

[LUX Level - Emergency Lighting]

On 24/04/2022 at 08:52, Tom Sutton said:

This should have been done when the EL was installed and they usually over exceed the required standards but as you are being challanged then I would retest the system and get a written report to prove the case.

Thanks Tom,

It appears to be a 'blanket' statement by the same assessor on numerous properties, especially with non led lighting installed.

I have asked to conduct a visual check during the darker hours to check there is sufficient illumination, although not a LUX level reading, as you mention it was installed to the standard!

[sounders in residential care homes]

On 26/09/2020 at 20:32, AnthonyB said:

The official DCLG Guide refers the RP to BS5839-1 for fire alarm systems which in Clause 16 Audible Alarm says "in hospitals and certain residential care premises in which occupants might need assistance to evacuate, the fire detection and fire alarm system might not be intended to rouse people from sleep, and it might only be necessary for staff to be aware of the alarm signal."

Therefore there is no need to achieve the 75dB bedhead (except to any staff quarters) and the last thing an immobile resident, who many not be being evacuated immediately anyway due to PHE and may have cognitive issues, needs is to be scared out of their wits alone in a room by a very loud siren with either no understanding of the situation or if they do understand the fear that they can't get themselves out, increased when no one comes for them for an extended period.

This is why the sector needs risk assessors with an understanding of healthcare and ideally an understanding of medical conditions and patient handling, to determine what is needed in a particular premises. In some registered care homes there will be no bedroom sounders and progressive evacuation, in others where the dynamic of the service users is different there need to be bedroom sounders and a simultaneous evacuation is used. The stereotypical image of care homes is very elderly physically and mentally disabled persons, but there are dozens, if not hundreds where the service users are far younger & self mobilising. There is no blanket approach hence the need for decent FRAs

This is really interesting,

I have a couple of new care homes being built and have just reviewed the latest sounder plan that averages 84db in residents rooms. The fire strategy produced by the designer wasn't helpful. They do not really have the ability to differentiate between a retirement home and a residential care home, where a larger residents will change their mobility & mental awareness over the time of their stay. I guess they take the blanket approach of higher db level as per normal bedhead/sleeping person without looking at how most care homes are managed and trained in PHE strategy.

[LUX Level - Emergency Lighting]

Hi All,

A common theme running in FRA reports for our properties (same assessor) is that LUX level reading should be taken to ensure suitable illumination to aid escape.

We have our emergency lighting maintained, drain down test, monthly 'flick test' etc. Is there an expectation that we need to bring in a LUX meter & record measurements?

Thanks

[L1 Systems & Detectors]

In a refurbished residential care home....Architected has omitted installing smoke detectors inside linen cupboards citing that there is no ignition source (fuse boxes, lights etc.) inside.

Would this be appropriate by reliance upon managing the spaces? 

Thanks

Tony 

[Emergency Light Test Key]

Morning,

I recently went to a property that has the old style flick test key sockets. They have 2 keyholes rather than the modern single key.

Does anyone know the type of key model I should get them to order to fit?

Thanks in advance.

[Emergency Lighting FRA & LUX Level]

I have recently had some FRA's undertaken in Care Homes. The assessor has put down that lux level testing must be carried out at night in the event of a power failure.

If the lighting is to BS:5266 2016, then would this suffice or are we required to carry out lux readings and how often?

Thanks

[Smoke seals on care home bedroom doors]

Afternoon to you

I visited a home yesterday who are having an issue with doors fully closing after being fitted with smoke seals in the door rebates.

I was wondering the rational of fitting them on the bedroom doors when the strategy is not a stay put policy but immediate evacuation via progressive horizontal evacuation. The compartment doors (I would think would be priority for smoke protection) only have intumescent strips applied.

Is this normal for residential care home bedroom doors? I understand for individual flats would be different?

Thanks 

[FRA - Care Home]

We have a managed system where the person in charge must determine/confirm a fire or not within 90 seconds of the alarm or to automatically call the emergency services.

Night shift to call on alarm activation automatically.. without delay. 

[FRA - Care Home]

I have just read a FRA conducted at our care home.

It says that BS 5831-1 recommends that the fire alarm is linked to an alarm monitoring station for the earliest summoning of the fire brigade.

Being that the home is manned 24/7 is this now a requirement as I thought this was for monitoring unoccupied property mainly?

Would a alarm monitoring station automatically contact the emergency services upon activation... if so would this in reality just be similar to a member of staff informing them that we have a fire alarm activation & are investigating the cause?

Thanks in advance

Tony