Fire safety Flashcards
Name some current primary and secondary fire legislation in England.
- RRO 2005
- FSA 2021
- BSA 2022
- FS(E)R 2022
- Building Regulations 2010 / Approved Doc B
What is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005?
(clues: comm, “RP”, FRA, plans)
- Provides minimum fire safety standards in commercial/communal parts of resi buildings
- Designates a “Responsible Person”. They must:
- Do an FRA, ensure fire precautions are satisfactory, reduce risk
What is the Fire Safety Act 2021?
(clues: RP obligations + prison, FRA extent, buildings it applies to)
- Extends RP’s responsibilities to include external structure, windows, doors and balconies
- Makes RP’s obligations legally enforceable (fine, prison)
- Increases type of buildings relevant over RRO (resi with more than 1 home)
What is the Building Safety Act 2022?
- Protects leaseholders against high costs for cladding, and limits for other fire-protection works
- New: “Building Safety Regulator” - like BC, but for high-rise buildings. Receives “golden
- New: “New Homes Ombudsman”
- Amended Defective Premises Act timeframe (6 to 15/30 years)
- Create and maintain register of Building Control approvers and inspectors
- Applies to “higher risk buildings” (7 storeys / 18m), remediation of defects to 5 storeys/11m
What are the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022?
- Implements findings of Grenfell Tower Enquiry.
- Additional safety measure in buildings 11m+
- RP must provide info to fire service, and have secure info box
- Increase checks on all fire doors (communal + entrance)
What is the Building Safety Fund?
Government fund of £5.1bn made available in 2020 to assist with cost of rectifying dangerous cladding.
“Responsible entities” can apply.
What is BS 9991? When would you use it?
BS 9991 - Code of Practice – “Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Residential Buildings.
Guidance on the design, management and use of resi buildings so they achieve reasonable standards of fire safety.
How often should an FRA be updated?
RRO says “regularly”.
No strict law, but guidance says for tall buildings:
- Review every year
- Redo every 3 years
- Or after significant building changes/modifications
- What are consequences to the client if obligations not met under RRO?
FSA 2021 changed RRO so that RP can be fined or even go to prison (2 years).
When were combustible materials banned in UK?
- December 2018 - required no worse than Class A2-s1,d0 and A1 for >18m buildings with 1+ dwellings. Excluded hostels/hotels etc.
What are the ADB changes due to come in on 1st December 2022?
- Complete ban on ACM with unmodified PE core, ALL buildings
- Includes “hotels” in A2/A1 walls >18m ban
- Restricted use of combustible materials on buildings >11m
- Info box in buildings >11m
- Evacuation alert system on buildings >18m
Give some examples of what Part B requires for fire protection?
- Early warning system requirements (types of fire alarm, alarm sounding and visuals)
- Means of escape requirements (travel distances, number of exits, protection from smoke)
- Fire spread, internal linings (compartmentation, fire resistance of walls and doors)
- Fire spread, structure (structural protection, such as coatings and/or boxing in of steels)
- External fire spread (across a building, between buildings, fire-resistant materials)
- Access and facilities for the fire service
What is PAS 9980?
Methodology to undertake a “Fire Risk Assessment of the External Wall” (FRAEW)
What is the process when undertaking an FRAEW?
- Intrusive inspection of external walls
- Review of FRA
- Gives recommendations to ensure building safety (eg. Get rid of “stay put” policy as lots of combustible material on external wall, install further alarms, get a waking watch)
- Follow PAS 9980
What were the key findings of the Hackitt report (2018,Dame Judith, Grenfell)?
- “Culture of indifference”, “those who wanted to take short cuts could do so”
- “The mind-set of doing things as cheaply as possible and passing on responsibility for problems to others must stop”
- The current regulatory system for ensuring fire safety in high-rise and complex buildings isn’t fit for purpose
