19 - Fire Safety Flashcards
Fire Safety - Extract from Candidate Guide - Aug 2018 (updated Feb 2022)
What are the main types of fire alarms in buildings ?
M - Manual fire alarm system
P1-2 - Property protection automated fire alarm system
L1-4 - Life protection automated fire alarm system
What is the RR(FS)O 2005 ?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 was introduced in October 2006. Fire and rescue authorities and other bodies (‘enforcing authorities’) have a duty to enforce fire safety in non-domestic premise.
This must be managed by the responsible person.
Failing can lead to advice, enforcement notice and fines/prosecution.
Who or what is the Building Safety Regulator ?
The BSR (part of the HSE) is a derivative of the Building saftey bill / act introducing a additional body to manage the residential high rise buildings over 18m in height.
3 gateways for BSR input, design building and occupation.
What is the building safety bill ?
Building Safety Regulator - A new arm of the HSE that will introduce 3 gateways. This will also take over the submission and review for building control in relation to fire safety.
Gateways - design, construction and completion. the output of this is a ‘Building Assurance Certificate’
An ‘ Accountable Person’ should be defined in relation to the building as is responsible for the building safety upon occupation. They can appoint a building safety manager.
Golden thread of information - which is a live document with accurate and up to date information of the building data around fire safety.
Aimed at high rise buildings. 7 or more stories or 18 metres.
What is the fire safety act ?
This will make changes to the existing RR(FS)O 2005 including :
inclusion of the building structure, external walls and any common parts. all doors between domestic premises and common parts.
The ‘Responsible Person’ is the person who control of the premises which may include building owners, leaseholders or managers.
What are the requirements for an emergency escape window ?
Windows should have an unobstructed openable area that complies with all of the following.
i. A minimum area of 0.33m2
ii. A minimum height of 450mm and a minimum width of 450mm (the route through the window may be at an angle rather than straight through).
iii. The bottom of the openable area is a maximum of 1100mm above the floor.
Can you explain your understanding of the RRFSO 2005 ?
The Order requires that a responsible person (the person having control of the building, or a degree of control) takes reasonable steps to reduce the risk from fire and makes sure people can safely escape if there is a fire. This includes all people that might visit the premises. For more information, see Responsible person under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
This duty involves carrying out a fire risk assessment, or ensuring one is carried out.
You mention update to approved doc b, can you expand on what they are ?
- Sprinkler form 30m to 11m
- Wayfinding signage for building over 11m
- Amendment to the boundary definitions
Can you expand on what the RFO 2015 is ?
The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 is a statutory instrument applicable in England and Wales. The Order places the responsibility on individuals within an organisation to carry out risk assessments to identify, manage and reduce the risk of fire.
How may a fire start in a building ?
- Cooking Equipment. When a pot or pan overheats or splatters greases, it can take seconds to cause a fire
- Heating Equipment
- Careless Smoking
- Electrical Equipment
- Candles
- Children Playing with Fire
- Inadequate Wiring
How are structures protected ?
- Encasing structural members
- Fire detection
- Compartmentalisation
What are the methods of safe escape ?
- Early protection
- Early warning
- Protected escape routes
- Fire escapes etc
What is an A1 material (Fire Safety) ?
- A1 products are classified as non-combustible
* A2 products are classified as limited combustibility, and B to F are classified as combustible in ascending order.
What is the Fire Safety Bill 2021 ?
The Bill, first proposed in March 2020, was introduced to clarify who is responsible for managing and reducing fire risks in different parts of multi-occupied residential buildings, to prevent future tragedies occurring.
Can you tell me what an “A1” material is ?
- Class F - product has not been tested or failed to meet any of the other levels
- Class E - Product that have a significant contribution to fire but resist a small flame for a short term
- Class D -Those with a contribution to fire, but greater resistance to flame
- Class C - Products that meet more stringent requirements than class D with limited contribution to fire
- Class B - Highly resistant materials always followed by addition classification for smoke and burning droplets
- A2 - If construction products produce no contribution to fire
- A1 - Materials that cannot contribute to a fire at any stage, including fully developed fire
Explain the combustion triangle.
The fire triangle, or combustion triangle, is the three components needed to ignite and sustain a fire. The three ingredients of a fire triangle are; heat, fuel and oxygen.
List some of the different types of fire extinguisher available and what each may be used for.
- Water - Class A fires (solid combustibles such as wood, paper and textiles). Some water extinguishers are safe on electrical equipment if di-electrically tested. Otherwise caution is required near electrical equipment, as ordinary water is a conductor.
- AFFF foam - Class A and B (flammable liquids). Safe on electrical equipment if di-electrically tested.
- Carbon dioxide (CO2) - Class B and electrical equipment
- ABC powder - Class A, B, C (flammable gases) and electrical equipment
- De-Ionised Water mist - Class A, B, C and electrical equipment
- Wet chemical - Class F (deep fat) fires, sometimes class A
Explain the different types of fire alarm system available.
- Ionization - Ionization fire alarms are best for detecting flaming fires. Inside of the alarm is a tiny bit of radioactive material (don’t be alarmed – pun intended) that sits between two electronically charged plates. This causes a constant current of ionized air between the two plates. When smoke enters between the ionized current, it interrupts the current and sets the alarm off. These alarm systems are better for detecting fast, flaming fires.
- Photoelectric - These types of alarms are better for detecting smoldering fires. The smoke that is produced by a slow flaming, smoldering fire is much different than a raging flame fire. A photoelectric fire alarm uses a beam of light that is sent into a chamber away from a light sensor. When smoke enters the chamber, it reflects the light towards the sensor, and triggers the alarm to sound.
- Combination - Combination alarms feature both ionization and photoelectric fire detecting technologies. There are arguments for having combination alarms in your home, or having both ionization, and photoelectric alarms in your home to maximize your home protection, as combination alarms aren’t as great as one detection method or the other, compared to the single units.
Explain your understanding of the term “travel distance”.
The travel distance should be measured from the farthest point in a room to the door leading to a protected stairway or, if there is no protected stairway, to the final exit of the building. Government guidelines state that, if there is only one escape route, the travel distance should not be more than 18 metres.
When is a fire risk assessment a legal requirement ?
If there are 5 regular occupants or more the fire risk assessment must be in writing. If your block of flats or business premises normally has over 4 residents at once, then you are legally required for your fire risk assessment to be documented.
Explain when you would use an L type fire alarm system and when a P type system would be more suitable ?
Category L - Systems are automatic fire detection systems intended for the protection of life
• L1 systems are installed throughout all areas of a building, to offer the earliest possible warning of a fire to allow the longest possible time for escape.
• L2 systems are installed in defined parts of a building. The system should meet the requirements of a category L3 system, with the additional objective of
• providing early warning of fire in specified areas.
• L3 systems are designed to give a warning of fire at the early stage to enable all occupants, other than those in the room where the fire originated to escape
• safely, before the escape routes become impassable due to the presence of fire, smoke or toxic gases.
• L4 systems are installed within escape routes consisting of circulation areas and spaces, e.g. corridors and stairways, to enhance the safety of the
• occupants by providing early warning of smoke.
• L5 systems protect areas; the location of detectors is designed to satisfy a specific fire safety objective not covered by any of the previous systems.
Category P systems are automatic fire detection systems intended for the protection of property subdivided into two categories.
• P1 systems are installed throughout all areas of the building, to offer the earliest possible warning of a fire in order to minimise the time between the ignition
• of the fire and the arrival of the fire fighters.
• P2 systems are installed only in defined parts of a building, in order to provide early warning of a fire in high fire hazard areas or areas in which the risk to property or business continuity from fire is high.
Explain the principles of fire compartmentation using a purpose-built block of flats as an example.
Fire compartmentation is the sub-division of a building into smaller sections or units in order to withstand and limit damage/growth from a fire situation by preventing the spread of smoke and fire, with the use of fire resisting construction.
Explain the difference between passive and active fire safety features and give me an example of each type?
- Passive fire protection is a vital component of any fire safety strategy. It is built into the structure of a building to safeguard people’s lives and limit the financial impact of damage to buildings and their contents.
- Active fire protection is about detecting, stopping and escaping fire. Whereas passive fire protection means containing the fire and preventing it from spreading further.
List the key features you would expect to find on a fire door.
- Fully closes. If the fire door is fitted with a self-closing device, open the door fully, let it go and allow it to close. …
- Check your gaps. The gap between the door leaf and the door frame should be between 2mm and 4mm. …
- Door frame.
- Seals.
- Hinges.
- Door closer.
- Hold open devices.
- Damage-free.
