Fire safety

telfordwhite

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

Unless building regs have changed very recently there is no requirement to have self closers in domestic private properties. However they are required in HMO's (houses of multiple occupancy) in order to protect escape routes.

If you lived in a multi storey HMO, and you left your bedroom door open when there was a fire in your room, then there is a good chance that you could kill people in the rooms above yours by allowing the smoke into their escape route.


If you were in a very deep sleep, or your smoke alarm failed to go off, or someone emptied a can of petrol through your letter box (it does happen), then closed doors could well save yours and your childrens lives.

What is so difficult about closing a door??

I agree with your point on HMO and I can see your point re closing doors.

My main gripe was how the self closers were "forced" on us (or rather the owner - we are renting) when IMO the increased risk of not having them is negligible considering the 3 smoke alarms and fire escape, not to mention the normal escape methods (windows) the property contains.

TJ27

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

Unless building regs have changed very recently there is no requirement to have self closers in domestic private properties. However they are required in HMO's (houses of multiple occupancy) in order to protect escape routes.

If you lived in a multi storey HMO, and you left your bedroom door open when there was a fire in your room, then there is a good chance that you could kill people in the rooms above yours by allowing the smoke into their escape route.

I think Tim is quite right here. There are a few low risk HMOs which do not require fire doors at all but in general it is a priority to protect the main escape route, which is usually the hall stairs and landings. All doors leading onto the escape route must be fire doors with closers (except bathrooms) and partitions must be 30 min protected.

The standards for 3 storey HMOs is far higher than for 2 storey.

As a slight aside, one previous post recommends telling everybody where keys are. We go further than this and either remove locks from fire doors (in bedrooms say), or else fit them with internal thumbturn locks or Yales. We had a case a few years ago where a chap had a fire in his flat (3 storey conversion). He ran out of his flat with no keys and the door closed behind him. When he got to the main entrance door it was mortice locked. So he couldn't get out of the main front door and he couldn't get back into his own flat to find his keys. He was trapped in the hallway. Luckily the fire brigade got to him before the fire did.

The basic principle is that you should be able to escape without the need for keys, whether you know where they are or not.

Tim_Deegan

telfordwhite wrote: »

I agree with your point on HMO and I can see your point re closing doors.

My main gripe was how the self closers were "forced" on us (or rather the owner - we are renting) when IMO the increased risk of not having them is negligible considering the 3 smoke alarms and fire escape, not to mention the normal escape methods (windows) the property contains.

What sort of property do you live in?

telfordwhite

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

What sort of property do you live in?

Tim, I live in an 1850 build end of terrace house. It has 2 bedrooms on the 1st floor and now a loft conversion making it a 3 bed.

There is a fire door between the first floor and loft room (with self closer) which I have absolutely no problem with. There is a fire escape from the loft room and smoke alarms in loft room, 1st floor landing and ground floor hallway.

Strapped

Learnt a lot from this thread, thanks. We moved here recently, and have been thinking about how we could improve fire safety since we had a black-out when the water pump burst - water gushed through the floor and the electrics below. We discovered the hard way that (a) it really is pitch black in the country at night (b) we didn't know where the torch was... (c) ...or the stopcock. How much worse it could have been if it was a fire :shocked: The house has an unusual lay-out too, so I think we will invest in a fire-escape ladder for our bedroom which is the highest point in the house, and a LONG way from the front or kitchen door.

ffacoffipawb

Where's Keith Lard when you need him?

Or Keith Laird ....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/1145897.stm

... who looks very similar.

Tim_Deegan

Strapped wrote: »

Learnt a lot from this thread, thanks. We moved here recently, and have been thinking about how we could improve fire safety since we had a black-out when the water pump burst - water gushed through the floor and the electrics below. We discovered the hard way that (a) it really is pitch black in the country at night (b) we didn't know where the torch was... (c) ...or the stopcock. How much worse it could have been if it was a fire :shocked: The house has an unusual lay-out too, so I think we will invest in a fire-escape ladder for our bedroom which is the highest point in the house, and a LONG way from the front or kitchen door.

It is a very good idea to make a fire plan: Work out the best routes out of the house from any room. Then work out how you would get out if any of your escape routes were blocked.

Do you have a phone in your bedroom?

Tim_Deegan

telfordwhite wrote: »

Tim, I live in an 1850 build end of terrace house. It has 2 bedrooms on the 1st floor and now a loft conversion making it a 3 bed.

There is a fire door between the first floor and loft room (with self closer) which I have absolutely no problem with. There is a fire escape from the loft room and smoke alarms in loft room, 1st floor landing and ground floor hallway.

Well that sounds absolutely fine then.

Did you think that you were going to be made to fit more door closers?

Strapped

Tim_Deegan wrote: »

It is a very good idea to make a fire plan: Work out the best routes out of the house from any room. Then work out how you would get out if any of your escape routes were blocked.

Do you have a phone in your bedroom?

Yes. Although tbh we wouldn't bank on the fire service getting here too quickly as we're quite remote. Think we will work on our evacuation plan

Tim_Deegan

Strapped wrote: »

Yes. Although tbh we wouldn't bank on the fire service getting here too quickly as we're quite remote. Think we will work on our evacuation plan

That's understandable then.

Only use the escape ladder as a last resort though.