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DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR FIRE SAFETY SCHEMES FOR RENTED HOUSES - PDF
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1 DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR FIRE SAFETY SCHEMES FOR RENTED HOUSES ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SERVICES CALDERDALE MBC NORTHGATE HOUSE NORTHGATE HALIFAX HX1 1UN TEL: FAX: Adopted 15 May 2006 Amended September 2008
2 FOREWORD This document has been produced and agreed with the West Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service and adopted by other West Yorkshire local authorities. It provides guidance primarily for the design of fire safety schemes for existing rented houses. However the sections in the guide relating to risk assessment and back to back houses apply equally well to owner occupied houses. The guidance is focused in particular on houses in multiple occupation (HMOs), and self contained flats, and it suggests some fire safety schemes for a range of types of HMOs commonly found in Calderdale. The purpose of the guidance is to enable landlords to design such residential accommodation so as to reduce or eliminate fire and associated smoke risks so that enforcement action is not required under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS). It also includes advice on how to carry out a fire safety risk assessment of properties in order to determine what fire safety measures, if any, are appropriate. It takes account of the national guidance issued in late 2008 by LACORS. No schemes are suggested for singly occupied properties as these tend to have the lowest fire risk. Landlords can use the guide s fire safety risk assessment system to decide on any precautions that may be appropriate. However certain types of back to back properties have a high fire risk because of their layout. Accordingly the guidance includes suggested fire safety schemes for some of the more common types of back to back properties. The emphasis of the guide is on risk assessment and design principles for fire safety schemes to reduce fire risks. Users of this guide will need to assess the fire risk in a particular situation when deciding on an appropriate fire safety scheme. NB: Within this guide the use of asterisks ** next to a fire safety measure denotes that the provision or the extent of the measure, should be based on a risk assessment. There will always be occasions when the particular circumstances of a property do not conveniently slot into one of the situations described within this guide. In these cases the designer of a fire safety scheme will need to assess the fire risk and make judgements based on the design principles contained within this guide. In unusual situations where the design of a fire safety scheme is problematic, advice can be sought from the Enforcement Team of the Council s Environmental Health Services. Fire safety works may be building work for the purposes of Building Regulations and require approval from the council s building consultancy. Also new buildings and changes of use of existing buildings to form new houses in multiple occupation or new self contained flats require approval under the Building Regulations Where an HMO or building in self contained flats has been created after and in compliance with the building regulations 1991 or later, then subject to a risk assessment to identify any new fire safety hazards that may have arisen, the presumption can be made that the fire safety precautions are satisfactory. If an HMO or self contained flat created before 1991 or not in compliance with the 1991 building regulations, complies with the design contained in this document, then unless there are unusual/problematic circumstances it is unlikely that enforcement action will be required by the city council under the HHSRS. A low risk HMO is one with no more than six persons who are able bodied and capable of using the means of escape without assistance; there is very little chance of a fire occurring; any fire will be detected quickly; there is more than one escape route. 2
3 GLOSSARY Storeys References to storeys are those at ground level and above. Where basements are in use you should contact the Enforcement Team for advice. Protected route of escape and fire doors A protected route of escape requires walls and ceilings to stairs, including the structure separating ground and basement levels, to be of 30 minute fire resisting construction. Sound lath and plaster can be regarded as being 30 minute fire resisting. If plaster is un-keyed or perished then renew or overboard. Doors opening onto the escape route to be 30 minute fire doors (FD30S). The door or frame should be fitted with intumescent strips and a cold smoke seal. It is not acceptable for existing doors to be upgraded but the door and frame needs to be replaced with a new door set (FD30S). However, where door frames are square and in sound condition they may be capable of being upgraded. If they are of special architectural merit, in that the building is listed, further professional advice should be obtained as how best to achieve this. The final exit door(s) from HMOs/flats must be fitted with a lock that can be opened from the inside without the use of a key. Similarly the doors separating units of accommodation from the escape route must be capable of being opened from the inside without the use of a key. Wall and ceiling surface coverings should be of a nature that will not assist the spread of flame. The use of polystyrene insulation tiles is not acceptable. Gas or electric meters located in cupboards that are large enough to be capable of storing potentially flammable materials and which are situated in the staircase enclosure, should be encased with materials with a 30 minute fire resistance. Storage cupboards situat within the staircase enclosure should be kept shut and lined with material to provide 30 minute fire resistance and provided with a 30 minute fire door. Inner Rooms These are rooms within rooms e.g. one partitioned off from a larger room and therefore access to one is through the other. These require special attention because of the higher risk of entrapment in the event of a fire. A layout where an occupier has to pass from an inner room through a higher fire risk room in order to gain access to the escape route is normally unacceptable e.g. from a bedroom through a kitchen or living room and such arrangements should be discontinued as a matter of urgency e.g. by removing the structure enclosing the inner room. Lighting Whole stair lighting is where one switch illuminates all the lights in the stair. In the case of HMOs/flats with habitable basements, where a risk assessment has identified that whole stair lighting is needed and there is a habitable basement, then two lighting systems can be installed, the first to illuminate all floors at ground level and above, and the second to illuminate the basement and ground floor levels. Emergency Lighting Installations must comply with B.S Parts 1 & 7. 3
4 Escape Windows An acceptable minimum standard is an unobstructed window opening 850mm high by 500 mm wide. The bottom of the window opening should be not more than 1100 mm and not less than 900 mm above the floor. Automatic Fire Detection (AFD) It is essential that the numbers of smoke alarms fitted and their siting are such that their sounding is readily audible within units of accommodation and capable of waking a sleeping person. 75 dba at the bed head is a recommended standard. All detector heads should comply with BS5446 as a minimum. Subject to a risk assessment, individual occupancies in shared self contained flats in multiple occupation e.g. student cluster flats, should be protected by the provision of a local, automatic fire alarm system i.e. not connected to the main system for the building. This should be designed to give warning only to the occupants of the flat so that if activated, the disruptive effects of false alarms elsewhere in the building are reduced. Fire detectors are not required to be provided in bathrooms or WCs if there is no risk of a fire starting e.g. a bathroom or WC containing no source of ignition such as a wall mounted electric radiant fire. Note that electrically operated showers need not be regarded as a source of ignition. If a detector is required in a bath/shower room, it should be a heat detector/alarm. Type and Grade AFDs are described by type and by grade. The type refers to the parts of a property that the AFD covers and the grade to the design of the system. Type LD1 systems cover all rooms and voids in the property and the route of escape. Type LD2 systems cover the route of escape and all rooms that open directly onto it and including the entrance lobbies of self contained flats. This type is appropriate for higher fire risk properties as both the route of escape and the high fire risk rooms are protected by the system. Type LD3 systems cover the route of escape and kitchens and lounges. This is appropriate for lower risk situations. Grade A systems are fully monitored systems with the use of a control panel, normally located in the ground floor hallway, that complies with BS5739 Part 4 and with the wiring, siting and type of detectors and sounders complying with BS5839 Part1. BS5839 is the British Standard that covers the design, installation and maintenance of fire alarm systems. Fire alarm systems should be fitted in compliance with the recommendations of BS5839. Monitored fire alarm systems are appropriate for higher risk HMOs as the control panel constantly monitors that the detectors and sounders are functioning properly. If a fault occurs, then the control panel will indicate this. Grade D fire alarm systems have smoke/heat detectors and sounders incorporated in the same unit that is fixed to the ceiling and connected to the mains electrical wiring system. The detectors are then inter-linked so that when one detector is activated all the alarms will sound. Each detector/sounder should have a back up power supply i.e. an automatically rechargeable battery within the unit. The Grade D detector/sounder units are the normal domestic battery operated smoke/heat detectors but manufactured to be capable of being mains wired and inter-linkable. 4
5 Grade D systems are less expensive to purchase and install that Grade A, however they are of a lower specification and therefore not suitable for higher fire risk HMOs. Where cooking or laundry facilities are provided in a room, then a heat detector shall be fitted rather than a smoke detector in order to avoid false alarms. Fire Fighting Equipment It is recommended that a fire blanket is provided in each kitchen and situated close to the door and a sufficient distance away from the cooker so as to be safely removed from its housing in the event of a fire on the cooker. Risk Assessment In the case of self contained flats that are let as shared HMOs e.g. student cluster flats, the design of any appropriate fire precautions within the flat should be based on a risk assessment. The use of asterisks **..** in this Guidance identify an issue that is dependant on risk assessment. 5
6 THE PRINCIPLES OF RISK ASSESSMENT FOR FIRE SAFETY The risk of death or injury from fire can be assessed by considering: 1. The likelihood of a fire starting 2. Factors that increase the risk of harm from fire The likelihood of a fire starting The two factors influencing likelihood are: A. The vulnerability of the occupiers The elderly, the young, people with personal challenges such as drug abuse, and people with low fire safety awareness e.g. young students, are more likely to be the cause of a fire through carelessness or lack of fire safety awareness. B. Sources of ignition The main sources of ignition include: Cookers Radiant space heaters Portable space heaters Smoking materials Non fire retardant fabrics and furnishings Electrical appliances Poor/old electrical wiring Inadequate numbers of electrical power points causing overloading Candles Inappropriate drying of clothes Factors that increase the risk of harm from fire The main building characteristics that increase the risk of death or injury from a fire include: Number of occupiers Number of storeys Travel distance to evacuate the building Complex escape route Final exit doors needing the use of a key to be opened Location of cooker(s) Flammable materials within the escape route wall coverings, furniture, fittings Size of rooms Security grilles fixed to windows and external doors Rooms where the means of escape is through another high fire risk room (e.g. through the kitchen) 6
7 Fire safety measures The following fire safety measures will reduce the risk of death or injury from fire: The provision of a 30 or 60 minute fire protected route of escape Fire separation between units of accommodation including walls & ceilings Fire doors Cold smoke seals, intumescent strips and self closing devices fitted to doors Quick release locks Automatic and manual fire detection systems Emergency lighting Whole stair lighting one switch turns all lights on Escape windows Sprinkler and mist systems Fire extinguishers and fire blankets How to undertake a risk assessment Landlords should consider the above information when undertaking a risk assessment at their property and decide: What is the likelihood that a fire may cause death or injury? What building characteristics are likely to increase the risk of harm? Then decide what fire safety measures, from the list provided earlier, are needed to reduce the fire risk to a reasonably acceptable, or minimise the likelihood of harm should a fire start and including: Increasing tenant s safety awareness Removing potential sources of ignition Providing an early warning system Providing a safe route of escape Providing fire fighting measures 7
8 DESIGN PRINCIPLES FOR FIRE SAFETY SCHEMES FOR EXISTING HOUSES IN MULTIPLE OCCUPATION AND INCLUDING EXISTING SELF CONTAINED FLATS SECTION A1. Category A HMOs These are HMOs where parts of the HMO are rented as individual lettings with exclusive use of certain rooms. Occupiers may share washing, WC and kitchen facilities, but do not usually have a communal living room. The occupiers of the HMO tend not to have the characteristics of a single household. The building is almost always let in parts with each individual/household having their own tenancy agreement that may specify the part of the accommodation that they occupy. Examples: Single room bedsits may have exclusive use of washing, WC and kitchen facilities or may share Flatlets multi-room lettings sharing some washing, WC and kitchen facilities Non self contained flats - single or multi-room lettings with exclusive amenities Self contained flats - single or multi-room lettings with exclusive amenities and all behind the flat s exclusive entrance door 1. TWO STOREY BUILDINGS No floor level exceeding 4.5 metres in height above ground. 30 minute route of escape or escape windows LD2 Grade D AFD plus LD3 in each flat or stand-alone Grade D in each bedsit **Emergency Lighting** (required if the escape route is long or complex or there is no borrowed light **Whole Stair Lighting** **Risk assess whether needed and to what extent** NOTES 1. Basements and cellars a. If not occupied as habitable rooms - are required to be separated from the ground floor by a half hour fire resisting construction. The basement to be kept free from any storage and the entrance door thereto to be kept locked and the key kept by the manager. Smoke alarms interlinked with the main system to be provided in the basement/cellar staircase. However, existing structure can be accepted if it is of sound conventional construction (such as plaster/lath or plasterboard) and is in good condition. A well-fitted door with seals to the cellar is accepted. b. If occupied as habitable rooms - The same design principles for the entire HMO are to be followed as if the HMO was a three storey HMO as detailed in the following section. The exception to the above is in respect of emergency lighting and whole stair lighting. These need only be provided if a risk assessment identifies that there is a need. There should be 30 minute fire resistance separation. However, existing construction can be accepted as under (a) above. 2. Inner Rooms See notes. Inner rooms can be satisfactory in some limited circumstances where they are served by a window of a sufficient minimum openable size and position so as to facilitate rescue by the Fire Service, and the inner and access rooms are provided with a mains wired interlinked fire detection system that complies with B.S Part 6 Grade D. The separating door should be a half hour fire door. 8
9 THREE STOREY BUILDINGS (above ground level) One or more floor level exceeds 4.5 metres above ground level. 30 minute route of escape LD2 Grade A AFD plus LD3 in each individual flat (stand alone) or Grade D (stand alone) in each bedsit. Whole Stair Lighting **Manual fire alarm** **Emergency Lighting** if escape route is long or complex or there is no borrowed light **Risk assess whether needed and to what extent** NOTES 1. Basements not occupied as habitable rooms: are required to be separated from the ground floor by a half hour fire resisting construction. Smoke detectors should be provided in all rooms within the basement/cellar including circulation areas and any area beneath a route of escape on the ground floor. 2. Basements occupied as habitable rooms: a. The basement should be separated from the escape route from upper floors by materials having a minimum of 30 minutes fire resistance. b. The basement rooms should be provided with a 30 minute protected route of escape to the ground floor exit door(s). If a 30 minute route of escape from the basement cannot be achieved, then the basement should have its own final exit door (not located within a unit of accommodation) or alternatively escape windows provided to all habitable rooms within the basement. c. If the ground floor is separated from the basement stair by a structure containing a door, then the structure should be removed or the basement separated from the ground floor by two 30 minute fire doors, one at the head and one at the bottom of the stair. It may be necessary to provide a fire resisting partition at the bottom of the stairs in which to fit a fire door. The purpose of this is to prevent the basement to ground floor stairs becoming smoke filled. Note that in these situations it is not sufficient to have a single 60 minute fire door at the top or bottom of the stairs. d. Basement rooms in individual occupancies e.g. bedsit rooms, will themselves need to be provided with 30-minute fire doors. 3. Inner rooms See glossary. a. These are not acceptable at second floor level b. Unless a fire protected route from the inner room to the protected stairway can be created, then the structure separating the two rooms should be removed and the two rooms made into one open plan area. 4. Self closing devices on fire doors All fire doors in Category A HMOs must be provided with self closing devices. 9
10 SECTION A2. HOSTELS This relates to HMOs generally referred to as hostels, guest houses, bed & breakfast provided for people with no other permanent place of residence. The category includes hostel and bed and breakfast establishments used by local authorities for housing homeless people, or similar establishments that provide accommodation for single people whose only financial support is state benefit and who would otherwise be homeless. The fire safety design principles applying to hostel type accommodation are the same as those described previously with the exception of the type of automatic fire detection system to be provided. In a three storey hostel, all rooms (excluding bathrooms and W.C.s containing no fire risk) are required to be provided with a fire detection system in accordance with B. S Part 1, as opposed to the use of domestic type smoke and heat alarms. All the detectors are required to be linked into the same system. In one and two storey hostels it is sufficient to use interlinked smoke and heat alarms in accordance with B.S Part 6. All alarms require to be linked into the same system as described above. In larger hostels of one or two storeys the choice between a B.S Part 1 or Part 6 system should be made in consultation with West Yorkshire Fire Service. 10
11 SECTION B: Category B HMOs These are HMOs rented to a group of people, commonly students or young professional adults. Occupiers share personal washing, WC and kitchen/dining facilities and usually have a communal living room. The occupiers of the HMO tend to have some of the characteristics of a single household. The HMO is often let on a single joint contract. GROUP A. PROPERTIES WITHOUT HABITABLE BASEMENTS References to storeys are those above ground level. 1. Large shared HMO; 3 storeys; 7+ occupants 30 minute route of escape LD3 Grade A AFD with detection in kitchen and lounge **Whole stair lighting** **Emergency lighting** required if escape route is long or complex or there is no borrowed light **Risk assess whether needed and to what extent** 2. Medium sized shared HMO; 3 storeys; 5 or 6 occupants 30 minute route of escape (not required if low risk) LD3 Grade D AFD plus kitchen and lounge **Emergency lighting** required if escape route long or complex or no borrowed light **Risk assess whether needed and to what extent** 3. Small shared HMO; 3 storey; 3 or 4 occupants fire doors on the kitchen and living room but not required if low risk LD3 Grade D AFD (including kitchen and living room and any cellar) **30 minute route of escape** but not required if low risk **Risk assess the need for a 30-minute route of escape throughout the property and LD2 Grade D** 4. Small shared HMO; 2 storey; up to 6 occupants 30 minute fire door to kitchen and living room but not required if low risk LD3 Grade D AFD including the kitchen and living room 11
12 NOTES 1. For all the fire precautions suggested above it has been assumed that there is no basement or cellar. An extra smoke detector is required if a cellar is present. 2. Where there is a basement or cellar that is only used for storage or occasional use e.g. containing a washing machine and/or drier, then in the case of a 2 storey property the AFD should be extended to cover the basement. 3. In the case of a 3 storey property the AFD must cover the basement and as a minimum the underside of the ground floor route of escape should have 30 minutes fire resistance. 4. In the case of A.1 HMOs described above i.e. (3 storeys; 7+ occupants), all fire doors must be fitted with a hydraulic self- closing device. In the case of lower risk HMOs the need to fit self- closing devices should be based on a risk assessment. 12
13 SECTION B. PROPERTIES WITH HABITABLE BASEMENTS 1. Large shared HMO; 3 storeys plus habitable basement; 7+ occupants 30 minute route of escape but doors need not have smoke seals If a 30 minute route of escape from the basement to a ground floor exit cannot be achieved, then the basement should have its own final exit door (not located within any individual unit of accommodation) or alternatively escape windows provided to all habitable rooms within the basement LD3 GRADE A AFD plus kitchen and lounge Whole stair lighting **Emergency lighting** required if escape route long or complex or no borrowed light **Risk assess whether needed and to what extent** 2. Medium sized shared HMO; 3 storeys plus habitable basement; 5 or 6 occupants 30 minute route of escape (not required if low risk) If a 30 minute route of escape from the basement to a ground floor exit cannot be achieved then the basement should have its own final exit door (not located within any individual unit of accommodation) or alternatively escape windows provided to all habitable rooms within the basement LD3 Grade A AFD plus kitchen and lounge **Whole stair lighting** **Emergency lighting** required if route long or complex or no borrowed light **Risk assess whether needed and to what extent** 3. Small shared HMO including habitable basement; 3 storey plus habitable basement up to 4 occupants or 2 storey plus habitable basement up to 6 occupants fire doors on the kitchen and living room but not required if low risk LD3 Grade D AFD (including kitchen and living room and basement) If a 30 minute route of escape from the basement to a ground floor exit cannot be achieved, then the basement should have its own final exit door (not located within any individual unit of accommodation) or alternatively escape windows provided to all habitable rooms within the basement **30 minute route of escape** but not required if low risk **Risk assess the need for a 30-minute route of escape throughout the property and LD2 Grade D** NOTE In the case of B.1 HMOs described above i.e. 3 storeys plus habitable basement; 7+ occupants, all fire doors must be fitted with a hydraulic self closing device. In the case of other lower risk HMOs the need to fit self-closing devices should be based on risk a assessment. 13
14 SECTION C: FIRE PRECAUTIONS FOR BACK TO BACK HOUSES The suggested fire precautions are for back to back properties occupied by a single household. 1. Two or three storey back to back property entered through the living room with a side kitchen directly off and to the side of the living room, and the stair to the upper floor(s) also off the living room Escape window at first floor level LD3 Grade D AFD Fire door between the kitchen and the stairs 2. Two or three storey back to back property entered through the living room with a side kitchen directly off and to the side of the living room, and the stair to the upper floor(s) off the kitchen Escape window at first floor level LD3 Grade D AFD with a heat detector in the kitchen Fire door between the kitchen and the stair 3. Two or three storey back to back with a single living room kitchen (combined) at ground floor level with the stair to the upper floor(s) directly off. NOTE LD3 Grade D AFD with a heat detector in the living room/kitchen Escape window at first floor level Fire door between the living room and the stair 1. An alternative fire safety measure in the case of a stair leading off the living room, space permitting, is to create an escape corridor by partitioning off the living room. 2. An alternative fire safety measure in the case of a stair leading off the living room or the kitchen, is to provide a sprinkler or mist system to cover both the kitchen and the living room. 3. Habitable basement rooms in back to back properties should have a protected route of escape to the ground floor exit or be provided with an exit door at basement level (not located within any individual unit of accommodation) or escape windows. 4. The design of fire safety precautions in back to back properties occupied as shared HMOs should be based on a risk assessment and the precautions outlined in Section B (shared HMOs) of this document. 14