Fire Safety

Question 1

Cladding Surveys, London
What training do you have to identify cladding systems, materials and quantities?

Answer 1

I have undertaken both a fire stopping and fire door course, which has given me an understanding of the priniples of fire safety inbuilding comparmentation. Before completing the surveys, I underwent a “briefing” session with my senior reveiwing RICS cladding for surveyors guidance. Including reviewing the types of cladding, methods to identify i.e. tapping, magnets and cut edges.

Question 2

Cladding Surveys, London
Does your PII cover you for these works?

Answer 2

The surveys were only to determine the type of materials and potential risk. The puprose of the reprots was to provide a fire engineer enough information as to whether they could sign the EWS1 form, or more information was requried.

Question 3

Drake and Freeman, Fire safety works
How did you check the compliance of the new fire doors?

Answer 3

When visiting site I took the fire door test, certification and installtino information with me. I then completed a five point inspection:
1) Certification, check for labels or plugs
2) Gaps, under 4mm to top and sides of door, 8mm to base
3) Seals, check condition of intumescent and if brush seals are in contact
4) Hinges, check for 3 sets, 120-150mm from top, 200-250 bottom and then third equal distance between
5) Close, check the door will close and latch on its own from any angle

Question 4

Drake and Freeman, Fire safety works
What BS did you check against?

Answer 4

My specification was descriptive and the selection of door product was part of the contractors design portion. Included within my spec that they should BS 476 and or BS EN 1634. I would then check the certification on the door set to ensure the materials had been tested to the building standards.

Question 5

Drake and Freeman, Fire safety works
Why did you specifiy heat detectors int eh bedrooms and not smoke detectors?

Answer 5

I asked for an updated specifiction for the heat detectors as the residents were allowed to smoke in their bedroooms. As the rooms were small, this could of led to frequent occurences of false alarms.

Question 6

Drake and Freeman, Fire safety works
What BS did you complu with for this recommednation?

Answer 6

The specification from the external consultant was made to meet BS 5839-1.

Question 7

Drake and Freeman, Fire safety works
What other legislation did you consult a aprt from the building regulations?

Answer 7

The fire safety bill was another part of relevant legislation, as this was the basis for the fire risk assessment that drove the project.

Question 8

Drake and Freeman, Fire safety works
What other documentation did you reivew?

Answer 8

The fire risk assessment.

Question 9

Drake anf Freeman, Fire safety works
Did you recommend to the client to make the rooms non-smoking?

Answer 9

I did recommend to the client to make the rooms non-smoking to reuce fire hazards and also prolong decoration quality.

Question 10

Drake and Freeman, Fire Safety works?
Would the bedrooms be classified as workplaces under smoke-free law: guidance on the changes from March 2021

Answer 10

No, the dwellings are not workplaces and do not fit into the categories outlined in the guidance. As the dwelling was not a place of work, members of public do not enter for goods /services.

Question 11

What is passive fire protection?

Answer 11

Built into the fabirc of the building
Used to prevent the spread of fire from one compartment to another
Typically in the ceiling, walls and structure of building

Question 12

What is active fire protection?

Answer 12

Used to warn occupants
Control fire spread until services arrive
I.e. fire extinguishers, alarms and lights

Question 13

What is the difference between a fire door set and a fire door assembly?

Answer 13

Door set - door leaf delivered hung, with all appropraite components from single supplier
Door assembly - collection of components all appropriately 3rd party certified and compatible, assembled on site from different suppliers.

Question 14

What is a certified fire door?

Answer 14

A door that has been manufactured by a certfied fire door manufacturer that has undergone third party testing.
Third party testing ensures performance of fire doors in real life emergency conditions.

Question 15

How would you idenfity a Fire door and its rating?

Answer 15

Label system on the top edge of the door
Plug system on the rear edge of the door
F indicates fire, number inidcates time and s indicates whether it is smoke or not

Question 16

What was the affect of the Regulatory Reform order 2005?

Answer 16

To reduce risk from fire in almost all properties with the exception of privately rented
HMO are also included within requirement
Places responisbilty on manager or person in charge of building to ensure property is safe
Complete regulat fire risk assessment of property

Question 17

What would a fire risk assessment include?

Answer 17

Identification of those at risk
Elimination/reduction or risk, and dealing with outstanding
Recording and reviewing fire risk assessment reguarly
Creating emergency plan

Addressing explosive or flammable substances

Question 18

What were the previous ammendments to the building regulations part B?

Answer 18

Related to combustible materails
Any blocks of flats or buildings used for residential purposes must not have combustible materials
Materials must achieve Euroclass A1 or A2
If a building over 18m undergoes a change of use, construction should investigated and investigated if necessary

Question 19

What were the 2020 ammendmnets to buildign regulations part B?

Answer 19

Covers new builds, change of use, material alterations and extensions
Only to blocks of flats over 11m
Sprinklers required in all flats, if cicrulation is fire sterile
Floor level signs on every landing of a protected stairway, on protected lobbys, visible for firefighting stair and mounted at 1.7-2m

Question 20

How do you record building height according to approved document part B?

Answer 20

Lowest ground floor level adjacent to the property
Upper floor surface of highest level residential

Question 21

During your cladding surveys, why did you need to interpret where compartment junctions were?

Answer 21

To determine where cavity barriers should be installed
They should be at edges of cavities including windows and doors
A junction between external cavity wall and compartment floor or wall
A junction between an internal cavity and compartment wall or floor

Question 22

At Drake and Freeman, why were fire doors and clsoers required?

Answer 22

The bedrooms within the flats were all accessible from the hallway
Protected entrance hall was required
FD30 doors were required on each habitable room

Question 23

At Drake and Freeman, how did you inspect the ironmongery and doors once they were installed?

Answer 23

Used a 5 point checking system:
1: Labels - check for labels or plugs to ensure door was certified
2: Gaps and seals - checked smoke and intumescent seals are intact, gaps around edges no more than 4mm and 8mm at bottom
3: Closer and hinges - check door closes from any angle, check hinges are ce marked and have 3 screws
4: Glass and glazing - make sure bead is continuous and glass is nto damaged
5: Leaf and frame - ensure frame is not damaged and door closes at all anlges

Question 24

At Drake and Freeman, how did you ensure that the doors were third party certified?

Answer 24

Requested product infomration from the contractor
Took a photo of the label from the doors
Cross referenced label with manufacturer

Question 25

At Drake and Freeman, why was the specification provided by an electrical consultant?

Answer 25

Client had already procured the specification before works began
We were employed to manage the project post contract

Question 26

What is the conseuquence of a fire in a building?

Answer 26

Loss of life
Damage to property
Environmental damage

Question 27

What are the component parts of the fire triangle?

Answer 27

Oxygen
Heat
Fuel

Question 28

What is BS EN3?

Answer 28

The Building Standard for portable fire extinguishers

Question 29

What is PAT testing?

Answer 29

Portable appliance testing, checking safety of electrical applicances

Question 30

What is a dry riser?

Answer 30

System of pipes and valves up through a building, inlet at ground level to add water into and allows firefirghters to access from all floors of a building

Question 31

What is BS 9999?

Answer 31

Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings?

Question 32

How may a fire start in a building?

Answer 32

Electrical equipment faults
Flammable materials close to ingitino sources
Cooking equipment

Question 33

Who under the regulatory reform order 2005 has the responsibility for undertaking the fire risk assessment?

Answer 33

The responsible person

Question 34

Who is the responsible person under the regulatory reform order?

Answer 34

Anyone who has control of the premises or anyone who has a degree of control over certain areas or sysetsms i.e.;
employer
managing agent
occupier of a self employed unit

Question 35

What types of premises is the regulatory apply to?

Answer 35

Virtually every type of premises apart from prviate homes i.e:
offices and shops
premises that provide care
community halls
shaed areas/ communal areas
pubs and clubs
hotels

Question 36

What aspects does approved doc B cover?

Answer 36

Dwellings
buildings other than dwellings

Question 37

What were the changes to building regulations in 2019?

Answer 37

Sprinklers required in building of 11m
Imrpved signage for blocks of flats with storeys over 11m

Question 38

What is RICS position on retrofit sprinkers?

Answer 38

RICS signed a joint statement alongside RIBA and CIOB for sprinklers to be required in all new and converted residential buildings to have sprinklers

Question 39

What guidance has RICS published post Grenfell tower?

Answer 39

RICS cladding for surveyors supplementary info paper

Question 40

What is the minimum fire resistance between dwellings?

Answer 40

60 minutes

Question 41

Explain what funding is being made availble to fix cladding issues by the government?

Answer 41

The building safety fund introduced in 2020 to cover cost of unsafe non-acm cladding on high rise buildings over 18m

Question 42

Explain your uderstanding of the Building Safey Act 2022?

Answer 42

Brought in to make buildings and residents safer
Building Safety Regulator which will sit within the Health and Safety Executive.
including taking over the building control role for higher-risk buildings, enforcing sanctions for non-compliance, improving the competence of those working on those buildings and overseeing the safety of those buildings in occupation.
Also introducing more measures into preventing leaseholders to paying costs.

Question 43

Explain how the statutoury waterfall will work in relation to remediation costs for historic fire safety defects over 11m tall?

Answer 43

Only where developers cannot be traced for the faults in building can they ask for building owners to pay monies
Where building owners have measn and wealth to pay for remedial works they cannot charge leaseholders
Where cladding requires removing they cannot charge leaseholders
Leaseholders will only be charged if building owerns cannot cover the costs of the remediation of the building

Question 44

How has the building safety act extended the imitation period for claims brought under S1 of the Defective Premises Act?

Answer 44

For work already completed, the limitation period is extended to 30 years and for future work the limitation period will be extended prospectively to 15 years.

Question 45

What is a high risk building as defined under the bulding safety act 22?

Answer 45

Buildings that are at least 18m (measuered from the the ground to the floor of the ighest occcupied storey, ignoring any storeys consisting soley of plant
Have at least 7 storeys, ingoring below ground level

Question 46

Who is the accountable person and what are their duties under the building safety Act?

Answer 46

An accountable person is defined as the dutyholder of a building durings its occupation. This could be an indiviaul, a partnership or coroporate body. Responsibilies include:
Registering a building with the building safety regulator
Apply for building assurance certificate which is issued when the building safety regulatory is satisfied the accountabel person is complying with their duties under the bill
Assesssing building safety risks and taking reasonable steps to prevent occurence, and control the impact of, major incident arising from building risk in or araound the building.
Preparing a safety case report for a buildng which contains their assessment of the building safety riska dn the steps that have been taken to prevent a major incident.

Question 47

Explain your understanding of the Frei Safety Act 2021?

Answer 47

The act will require Responsible Persons of multi-occupied residential buildings with two or more sets of domestic premises to update their fire risk assessment to include an assessment of the building’s structure, external walls, and flat entrance doors.
It also includes requirements for quartely fire door checks of building over 11m
Building over 18m also requires secure information box, design and materials of external walls
floor and building plans
Lifts and firefighting equipment
Wayfinding signage

Question 48

What is the golden thread?

Answer 48

A gateway system to ensure all building safety rsisk are cosnidered
Gateway 1 covers planning, with planning permission required to conisder fire safty requrieemnts
Gateway 2, building safety regulator musst be satsified with design of building
Gateway 3 buidling control checks that construction ahs been completed to standard

Question 49

What are the stage of fire?

Answer 49

Stage 1 Ignition, non-flaming smooldering
Stage 2 Flashover, Developing fire well-ventialted flaming
Stage 3 Fully developed fire,
Staage 4 decay, fire intensity decreases and back to smolder

Question 50

Cladding surveys, london
What types of cladding systems did you identify during the surveys?

Answer 50

EWI, Brick slips, HPL, ACM and lead coverings

Primiarlly I was looking out for cladding systems that would eb combustible?

Question 51

Cladding surveys, london
What kind of housing association stock did you survey?

Answer 51

I survyed stock that the client was unsure if it was close to 11m, this was typically residential blocks and houses.

Question 52

Cladding surveys, london
How did you identify cladding system materials?

Answer 52

Using the RICS cladding supplementary info pack for surveyors, I understand that I could do the following to determine materials:
- Using touch and feel, if it was hollow may indicate EWI
- Cut edges could show HPL or aluminimum
- Use of magnet could indicate an ACM

Question 53

Cladding surveys, london
What methods did you use to understand where likley compartment junctions were?

Answer 53

I requested Fire strategy drawings from the client where they were available.

I then used my construction knowledge to understand where cavity barriers should be present:
- Vertical fire barrier at floor level
- Horizontal fire barriers at the junction of communal areas
- Around windows

Question 54

Drake and Freeman Fire safety works
How did you go about asessing the building to determine the need for an updated specification?

Answer 54

During the pre start meeting we had a discussion about the residents and the scope of the works.

It was stated that resdients were allowed to smoke in the rooms, our consultant was also on site at the time and agreed the specifcation should be updated.

Question 55

Drake and Freeman Fire safety works
What steps did you take to ensure that the fire doors were third party certified?

Answer 55

The doors had already been specified and tendered before I was involved with the project.

When on site I took the specification with me and the third party certification data with me so that I could review the labels on the doors to ensure they wer as specified.

Question 56

Drake and Freeman Fire safety works
What expereince do you have with snagging works to fire doros and ironmongery?

Answer 56

I have dealth with a number of fire door projects, across varying sizes including recently a job replacing flat entracne doors in a residential home, and also refurbishing a two bedroom flat.

I have developed a checklist to follow when conducting inspections to fire doors:

1. Check for labels or plugs
2. Check if door closes from any angle
3. Check for hinges and ironmongery
4. Check frame for damage
5. Check the gaps, no more than 3mm each side and top
6. Check for intumescent and smoke strips

Question 57

Drake and Freeman Fire safety works
What experience do you with fire detection systems?

Answer 57

I have developed performance specifications for projects like my case study.

I know that they must have a minimum of Grade D2 Category LD3 standards in line with BS5839-6.

Smoke and heat alarms must be mains operated with battery back up.

Smoke alarms conform to BS En 14604
Heat alarms Bs 5446-2

Question 58

What type of fire detection systems are there?

Answer 58

Convetional - series of detectors and call points wired to panel. Seperate circuits for each zone to give approximate location
Addressable systems - similar to conventional but can identify exactly which detection system has been triggered.
Analogue - can be used to determine whether there is actual fire or false alarm
Wireless fire alarm systems - uses wireless signals