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What are the fire safety standards for flats (whether period conversion or purpose built and including communal areas)?
Conversion flats
- There should be a 30 mins fire protected route (walls, doors, ceilings) in place, which will normally be the main staircase.
- There must be a fire door between each flat and the escape route.
- The existing flats, with fire doors in the flats (there should be 2 fire doors between the risk and the stairs) walls and ceilings may already be 60 mins fire resistance which is the Building Regulation standard for conversion to flats. However, often the internal layout/internal fire doors will have been modified or removed or just propped open during use, reducing the level of protection (between the risk and the stairs) to 30 minutes. So the fire safety standard is concerned with retro fitting basic fire safety measures into non complying buildings, therefore the minimum retro fit is to be 30 minutes fire resistance throughout plus improved detection. Lathe and plaster ceilings in good condition can provide a modified 30 mins fire resistance. Cracked/unkeyed ceilings not meeting this standard should be improved.
- For flat conversions the advice/recommendations of the Council/Fire Service should be sought for all elements of fire safety prior to works taking place.
- All flat entrance doors must be 30 minute fire doors, no uPVC or solid wood doors or non fire resisting glazed doors are permitted unless 30 minutes can be proven.
- No cat flaps, letterboxes or damage are permitted.
- Non complying doors must be replaced.
- Fire doors must be self closing and fitted with intumescent strips and smoke seals, with escape type locks.
- There must be 60 mins fire resistance between basements and ground floor but 30 minutes plus detection is acceptable if the basement ceiling is in good condition with no voids/gaps, with 30 minutes fire protection and no voids/gaps.
- The presence of a basement or cellar may make a 2 storey building into a 3 storey building for the purposes of these regulations – the landlord should seek advice before carrying out any works.
- There should be 60 mins of fire resistance between non-residential units/units put to other uses and residential flats in the building.
- Any variations from the 60 minute standard must be agreed with Fire Authority (usually agreed if there are methods of additional fire detection present).
- Final exit doors must be openable without the use of a key (such as night latches, mortice escape locks with thumb turn inside or other escape type lock.)
- Electric meters within the staircase must be enclosed in a fire resisting cupboard/housing.
- The staircase which is the protected route must be kept free from combustible materials and obstructions.
- There should be a mains operated phased fire alarm and smoke detection system which provides a high level of protection while minimising false alarms and suitable for all flats regardless of tenures (leaseholds/short tenancies or mixture of both), designed and installed to British Standard 5839 Part 6 2004 Grade D and category LD2 (detectors in escape routes and heat detector, 600mm from main entrance fire door within each flat), detectors to be interlinked together to form one system.
- Within each flat, in circulation space, there should be a single point optical smoke detector with remote hush/test switch to be fitted, not linked, but under control of the flat's occupant. The system should default to evacuate mode if a flat is on fire and the heat detector activates prior to fire door being under threat from a blaze. There should be a remote hush fitted to the main system in a secure location to avoid false hushing or tampering.
- Flat conversions usually reduce the lighting to the stairways, making them dark even in daytime. Emergency lighting must be installed in escape routes to BS 5266 Pt 1: 1999 Code of Practice for the emergency lighting and be of category NM/2.
- There should be a minimum of one fire blanket in every kitchen.
- The landlord or tenant should test the fire alarm weekly and an annual check by a competent person must be carried out and comply with BS5839 Part 6 2004.
- Each smoke/fire detector head should be replaced every 10 years (guaranteed life of the standby battery). If the building has been unoccupied or the mains power has been disconnected, the system should be thoroughly tested to ensure the operation of the power supply and standby supply.
Purpose-built flats
There are copious regulations for these reflecting the many different types in existence (such as e.g. flats above shops) and their communal areas; we therefore recommend that interested parties seeking further detailed information should click on the following link to view an official Government PDF on the subject: fire safety standards for purpose built flats
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What sort of fire risk assessments for purpose built flats are there?
According to some experts, there are four different four different fire risk assessment types that can be carried out for a purpose-built block of flats.
The differences come from the extent of the building that is undergoing the required inspection for fire risk. The fire risk assessment must be the correct one for the particular type of premises and the amount that has been revealed with regard to its structural protection.
In all cases, a block's landlord is the Responsible Person who must ensure the safety of all the block's occupants and decide and enact what is necessary to achieve this.
Type 1: Communal parts only, non-destructive
This inspection is non-destructive and focuses on occupants' means of escape as well as examining a few of the entrance doors to individual dwellings. It considers any construction measures to separate individual flats from the common areas and doesn't require inspecting any particular dwelling beyond its entrance.
If there are false ceilings in the common parts whose tiles are able to be demounted, samples of these are taken.
If there are any doubts about the safety with particular regard to inadequate compartmentation and fire stopping, then a more involved fire risk assessment should be carried out, however there should be clear notable reasons for making this decision.
Type 2: Communal parts only, destructive
As it sounds, this inspection looks at the same areas as for a Type 1 assessment, but the assessor/s take samples for destructive inspection. You need a contractor to open up parts of the block's construction and to make repairs afterwards and some samples have to be taken from flats themselves which makes it better if you can take these samples from a flat which is vacant.
The essential reason for opting for a Type 2 assessment over a Type 1 is if there is reasonable doubt that a flat's structure won't prevent it from spreading a fire to another dwelling.
Type 3: Communal parts and flats, non-destructive
In this assessment of fire risk, the arrangements for fire detection (smoke alarms) and the means of escape must be inspected in a sample of flats. Inside the flats the assessment is non-destructive, but it is essential that the fire resistance of doors leading to rooms be considered. Fire prevention measures are not considered if they are within the control of the landlord or responsible person, though heating and electrical installations maintenance may be looked at.
Type 3 assessments may be necessary for rented flats if any serious risk of fire to residents is perceived in the case of fire in their flats. This risk may arise because of the age of the flats, and suspicion of material alterations that are not authorised and are widespread. This assessment may not be possible in flats that are on a long lease, that will not allow access to freeholders.
Type 3 assessments require the sxame work as Type 1 assessments but have a wider scope.
Type 4: Communal parts and flats, destructive
This is the same as a Type 3 assessment in scope but includes destructive inspection and testing in both flats and common parts carried out in some sample areas and selected flats.
A contractor has to be present both to open up the construction for inspection and thence to make it good after inspection and subsequent testing.
It's more likely that this kind of inspection will be called for when a new landlord takes over a block and where there isn't a clear history of works to inspect and/or there are suspicions that residents might be at risk from fire in their apartments or those of their neighbours.
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