Fire Precautions
Red fire extinguisher
Information about fire safety standards in residential dwellings.
Due to recent changes to legislation both Fylde Borough Council (FBC) and Lancashire Fire and Rescue service (LFRS) hold a joint responsibility to enforce fire safety standards in residential dwellings.
This responsibility is covered by the Housing Act 2004 and the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Both FBC and LFRS have agreed on a joint protocol on how this role will be managed.
Housing Act 2004 Requirement.
- Fire safety in houses is now covered under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
- This acknowledges that every house is different and as such fire safety requirements can vary from property to property.
- Landlords are now required to take all reasonable steps to ensure the safety of their tenants, this applies to all properties including single occupied dwellings as well as Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO’s).
Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
The RRO 2005 in Fylde is enforced by Lancashire Fire & Rescue Service, they can be contacted at the following address and phone number.
Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service
ST.Anne's fire Station
St.Andrews Road North
St.Anne's on sea
Lancashire
FY8 2JQ
01253)722 286
The Fire Service can provide details on what this legislation covers as well as providing fire safety advice to owners and tenants.
Some general fire safety principles can be found below.
Please note these are only general requirements and additional work may be required depending on the type of property and residents within the dwelling.
You are strongly advised to contact us before undergoing fire safety work to ensure the building is adequately protected.
A comprehensive Fire Protection and Alarm System has five objectives. They are:
- Detect the Fire – Smoke and heat detectors strategically placed activate the alarm system automatically.
- Alert the Occupants – Bells or sirens to warn the occupants of a fire and they must be loud enough to wake any person within the building from the deepest sleep. Remember that occupants may be extremely tired, or regrettably, affected by alcohol or drugs.
- Safe Escape – A communal stairway or hallway can be the single most important component of the means of escape, providing the only way of escaping from a burning building. It is necessary that the stairway/hallway is protected from a fire for as long as possible and this is normally referred to as the “protected route”. Emergency lighting is required to give good illumination to the route. The call points and fire extinguishers must operate, even if the electric supply to the building fails.
- Contain the Fire – Fire doors, walls and ceilings contain the fire within a room/area long enough to activate the alarm and allow the occupants to escape.
- Extinguish the Fire – Fire extinguishers are useful for minor fires before they become uncontrollable (but after the first few seconds it may be too late) – then occupants must get out safely and call the Fire Brigade.
How Do I Meet These Objectives?
SMOKE DETECTION
In a two storey building:
- Mains operated (not battery) smoke detectors must be positioned within each domestic unit (eg a flat). These detectors are not connected to a general alarm system and only alert the occupier of the flat. Usually these are sited in living rooms or bedrooms.
In a three or more storey building:
- In these properties there must be two separate smoke alarm systems.
(a) Each flat has a smoke detector as described above. (See two storey building fire regulation's).
(b) Smoke detectors are positioned in the protected area at each floor level and these are connected to the main alarm which alerts the whole building when activated.
Types of Smoke Detectors
1. Optical Detectors
These are appropriate where the fire might involve smouldering materials or where the smoke has travelled some distance. Also, in areas in which the likely cause of fire is ignition of furniture or bedding by a cigarette. Should be used in circulation spaces such as hallways and landings.
2. Ionisation Chamber Detectors
These are appropriate for such rooms as living rooms or dining rooms where a fast burning fire present the greater danger.
The choice of detector is important to avoid numerous false alarms. Optical detectors are less likely to respond to fumes from cooking and ionisation chamber detectors are less likely to respond to steam or dense tobacco smoke.
HEAT DETECTION
Heat detectors are generally situated within rooms where a fire risk exists e.g. kitchen and where the door from these rooms leads directly onto a protected area. Bathrooms with electric showers or even electric extractor fans can be considered to be fire risks. The detector is connected to the general alarm system.
(Remember! You cannot depend on the occupants to detect a fire. A flat may be vacant, or the occupant unconscious).
1. Alerting the Occupants
The fire alarm, linked to the heat detectors, smoke detectors and call points has to be capable of waking each of the occupants from the deepest sleep and a sound level of 75Dba, when measured at each bedhead, must be achieved by the bells or sirens. Cheap sound level meters are available from most electrical stores.
Careful consideration has to be given to the positioning of the sounders. Any doors between the sounders and the bedhead reduces the loudness of that sounder. It is advisable, therefore, to site a sounder in each bedroom or unit and not in a communal passageway.
For those fires detected by the occupants themselves, call points are strategically placed on the escape route to enable persons fleeing from the burning building to raise the alarm as they leave. The call points are normally of the “break glass” type and clearly marked “in case of fire – break glass”, and sited at the final exit doors on each landing.
The alarm system should only be installed by an electrical engineer having a recognised qualification whom on completion certifies it as fully complying with B.S. 5839: Part 1: 1988.
2. The Safe Escape
This is ensured by the protected area or route as previously mentioned and is normally the internal staircase.
All doors onto the protected escape route must be fire doors. There are a few minor exceptions, such as a bathroom or toilet with no electric extractor fans or water heaters that could start a fire.
Other fire risks located on the fire escape route have to be protected. For instance, an electric meter on a landing or a gas meter in the lobby will have to be boxed in with fire resistant materials and kept closed at all times.
An emergency lighting system in case the normal lighting fails should illuminate the escape route allowing safe movement to the exit and enabling the fire alarm call points and the fire fighting equipment to be easily seen.
The emergency lighting should only be installed by an Electrical Engineer having a recognised qualification and who on completion certifies it as fully complying with B.S. 5266: Part 1: 1988.
No obstructions should be on the escape route e.g. wardrobes on passageways or bicycles at the top of the stairs etc. These can block the escape route as well as being a possible source of ignition of a fire.
Consideration has to be given to the internal arrangement of each flat. A resident asleep in the bedroom when the fire alarm sounds must not have to pass through a room of higher risk i.e. kitchen or living room, to reach the exit door from the flat.
The problems of bad arrangement can be overcome by changing the use of particular rooms or by creating internal lobbies. There are some exceptions on the ground and first floor when escape windows can be used. Arrangement issues may also be overcome by increased detection within a flat.
3. Containing the Fire
Fire doors, the walls and ceilings can contain the fire within the room long enough to trigger the alarm and allow the occupants to escape.
When a fire takes hold within a room a positive pressure rapidly develops within it, forcing the heat and smoke out throughout any openings into adjoining rooms and passages allowing the fire to spread.
To guard against this, the floors and ceilings should be inspected, particularly around services pipes, and any gaps sealed. The floor, walls and ceilings should have a fire resistance of at least 30 minutes (or in the case of some basements one hour).
A lath and plaster ceiling or wall in poor condition or showing signs of sagging is detrimental to its fire performance and should be repaired or replaced.
With false or suspended ceilings any fire resistant partition must be extended through the void and be sealed to the underside of the floor/roof above.
All fire doors must be a good fit to the frame and the floor with a gap of no more than 3mm. In most cases fitted with an intumescent strip and a cold smoke seal, glued not nailed, with a minimum 30 minutes fire resistance. (If from a high risk area this might be increased to one hour).
Fire doors must:-
(a) be self closing – only a hydraulic self-closer is acceptable.
(b) be mounted on three steel hinges.
(c) Be fitted with a type of lock or latch fastening which can easily and quickly released from within the flat without the need of a key.
(d) Any glazing to or around a fire door must be resisting e.g. 6mm wired glass.
4. Extinguishers
Fire fighting equipment should be situated in the following locations:-
- Kitchen or cooking area – a fire blanket 1m2 and clearly marked “Fire Blanket” plus a minimum 1kg dry powder extinguisher.
- Each landing have a minimum of one 9 litre water type extinguisher sited within the protected area.
Each extinguisher should be mounted on brackets or stands. The handle of large extinguishers should be about 1m from the floor, that of small extinguishers about 1.5m. Fire blankets should be mounted with the base of the container at about 1.5m above the floor.
All extinguishers must be regularly inspected and serviced by a suitable contractor with the dates of inspections clearly indicated on the equipment.
IS THERE ANYTHING ELSE ONCE THE WORKS ARE COMPLETED?
Management and Managers liability
Providing the precautions is of little use if they do not work when needed. Equipment must be regularly tested and repaired when faulty.
As a rule a fire alarm must be serviced by a qualified electrician at least every 12 months.
It is also strongly advised that fire alarms are tested on a regular basis and that this is documented. This provided landlords with a defence if a fire occurs within the building.
Any fire extinguishers / fire blankets within the building must also be serviced at least once a year.
How do I start?
- Draw a sketch plan of each floor level.
- Identify the “protected route” i.e. the communal stairs/passageways.
- Check for “bad arrangement” of rooms.
- The door openings for each flat onto the “protected route” must be fitted with a proper fire door but not those doors from a toilet or bathroom with no electrical fittings other than an electrical light.
- Smoke detectors in each flat.
- Three or more storey only – heat detectors behind each door onto the “protected route” plus smoke detectors within the protected route on each floor level and all linked into a general fire alarm. Call points on each landing and front and back doors. Emergency lighting.
- Fire extinguishers in cooking area and landings.
- If in doubt seek help from the Council.
The relevant British Standards:
- Fire Resisting Door – B.S. 476: Part 8, Part 21, Part 23
- Alarm System - B.S. 5839: Part 1: 1988
- Sounders - B.S. 5839 Clause 9.4.1 (Sound level)
- Call points - B.S. 5839 Part 2: 1983
- Smoke Detectors - B.S. 5446 Part 1: 1990
- Heat Detectors - B.S. 5445 Part 5: 1977
- Emergency Lighting - B.S. 5266: Part 1: 1988
If you have any further queries, please email housing@fylde.gov.uk or call the Housing Team on 01253 658 658.
