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?
(clues: LH £, new roles, defect timeframe)
- 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
- New: “New Homes Ombudsman”
- Amended Defective Premises Act timeframe (6 to 15/30 years)
- 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?
(FS, DMU)
S 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).
hen 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?
- Includes “hotels” in A2/A1 walls >18m ban
- Evacuation alert system needed on buildings >18m
- Restricted use of combustible materials on buildings >11m
- Info boxes for fire service in buildings >11m
- Complete ban on ACM with unmodified PE core, ALL buildings
What is the 5 stage fire risk assessment?
1) Identify fire hazards
2) Identify people at risk
3) Evaluate, remove or reduce, and protect from risk
4) Record, plan, inform, instruct and train
5) Review
How has the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) order been updated? The Fire Safety Act 2021
- It clarifies who is the responsible for managing and reducing fire risks in parts of multi-occupied residential buildings.
- Was created in response to Grenfeld fire tragedy.
- Applies to buildings that are at least 18m in height or have at least 7 storeys and at lease two residential units.
- It extends the provisions of the Regulatory Reform (fire safety) order 2005 to the building’s structure, external walls and anything attached to the external walls including cladding, balconies. Also now includes the all doors between the domestic premises and the common parts - the front doors of flats (fire doors) that lead onto escape routes.
What is PAS 9980:2022?
- Provides a methodology for the fire risk appraisal of external wall construction and cladding of existing multi-storey and multi occupied residential buildings.
- It to be used by competent fire engineers and other competent building professionals.
- It applies where there is a risk of fire spread from the form of building construction such as combustable materials and helps to inform the fire risk assessment.
What is the title of document B ? How many volumes are there and what are they called ?
- Fire Safety
- Volume 1 – Dwellings
- Volume 2 - Building other than dwellings
What are the different types of fire alarm? What document would you reference to ensure compliance?
- BS 5839-1:2017 - Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of systems in non-domestic premises.
Standards give description of main categories for fire alarm systems but systems are usually a mixture e.g category M (call points) and category L2 system. - Category M systems: Manual systems and therefore have no automatic fire detectors - call points located throughout.
- Category L systems: Automatic fire detection and fire alarm systems intended for the protection of life which are further sub divided into:
L1: systems installed throughout all areas of the building - gives the earliest possible warning of fire and longest time available for escape.
L2: systems installed only in defined parts of the building. Objective of a Category L2 system is identical to that of a Category L3 system, with the additional objective of affording early warning of fire in specified areas of high fire hazard level and/or high fire risk
L3: designed to give a warning of fire at an early enough stage to enable all occupants, other than possibly those in the room of fire origin, to escape safely, before the escape routes are impassable owing to the presence of fire, smoke or toxic gases.
L4: systems installed within those parts of the escape routes comprising circulation areas and circulation spaces, such as corridors and stairways. The objective of a Category L4 system is to enhance the safety of occupants by providing warning of smoke within escape routes.
L5: systems in which the protected area(s) and/or the location of detectors is designed to satisfy a specific fire safety objective (other than that of a Category L1, L2, L3 or L4 system). - Category P systems: Automatic fire detection and fire alarm systems intended for the protection of property. Further subdivided into:
P1: system installed throughout all areas of the building - offers the earliest possible warning of fire to minimise the time between ignition and arrival of firefighters.
P2: system only installed to defined parts of the building - offers early warning of fire in areas of high fire hazard level, or areas in which the risk to property or business continuity from fire is high.
What is the building safety Act 2022?
- Formerly the Building Safety Bill has now received Royal Assent and completed all parliamentary stages to become the Building safety Act 2022 in April 2022.
- The main objective of the act is to give residents more power to hold builders and developers to account and toughen sanction against those who threaten their safety.
- Applies to new and existing high rise residential buildings of 18m and above (or seven storeys or more) or mixed use buildings that have at least 2 residential units.
- The bill includes the main issues / implementations:
1. Implementation specific gateway points at design, construction and completion phases to ensure that safety is considered at each and every stage of a building’s construction and safety risks are considered at the earliest stage of the planning process. Will ensure that there is a ‘golden thread’ of information created, stored and updated throughout a buildings lifecycle which will establish clear obligations on owners and ensuring swift action taken by regulators.
2. Includes measures for leaseholders for being responsible for the remediation costs of their building.
3. Creation of the Building Safety Regulator (will sit as part of the HSE) - will oversee safety and performance of high rise and other buildings by working closely with local authorities, fire rescue services and experts, create expert committees including a statutory residents panel to ensure residents have a input into development of policy of the Building Safety Regulator. - Many measures are likely to take 18 months to introduce according to the government.
What is the Golden Thread?
Dame Judith Hackitt, in her report, Building a safer future, recommended the introduction of a ‘golden thread’ to support dutyholders in designing, constructing and managing their buildings as holistic systems, taking into account building safety at all stages in the lifecycle.
‘a robust golden thread of key information’ should be ‘passed across to future building owners to underpin more effective safety management throughout the building life cycle’.
Use digital tools and systems’ to enable key information ‘to be stored and used effectively to ensure safer buildings’
support dutyholders and Accountable Persons throughout the life cycle of a building (during the gateways process, building registration process, the safety case approach and throughout occupation) ‘by recording the original design intent and ensuring subsequent changes to buildings are captured and preserved’
incorporate all the information needed to understand a building and how it should be managed so that the building and above all the people in and around a building are safe, both now and in the future
‘make information easily available to the right people at the right time’
put in place a new higher standard of information-keeping which will support the building safety regulator in being assured buildings are being managed safely
What is the Hacket Report
A new regulatory framework for multi-occupancy higher-risk residential buildings (HRRBs) that are 10 storeys or more in height.
A new Joint Competent Authority (JCA) comprising Local Authority Building Standards, fire and rescue authorities and the Health and Safety Executive to oversee better management of safety risks in these buildings (through safety cases) across their entire life cycle.
A mandatory incident reporting mechanism.
New dutyholder roles and responsibilities aligned with the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.
A series of robust gateway points to strengthen regulatory oversight.
Stronger change control processes.
A single, more streamlined, regulatory route to oversee building standards. Oversight of HRRBs will only be provided through Local Authority Building Standards as part of the JCA, with Approved Inspectors available to expand local authority capacity/expertise or to provide accredited verification and consultancy services to dutyholders.
More rigorous enforcement powers.
A clear and identifiable dutyholder with responsibility for building safety.
Delivering building safety as a system rather than by considering a series of competing or isolated objectives.
A more effective testing regime with clearer labelling and product traceability.
Obligating the creation of a digital record for new HRRBs from initial design intent through to construction and including any changes that occur throughout occupation.
Can you explain the fire triangle?
All 3 needed for a fire. One missing = no fire.
1. oxygen source – normal air contains 21%
2. Fuel sources – can be solid, liquid of gas.
3. Heat source – sun, hot surface, sparks, friction electrical other.
What is “flashover”?
Temperature reaching such a level that anything combustible exposed to the thermal radiation simultaneously ignites (around 500 – 650 degrees)
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 other codes of practice are there if Part B cannot be followed?
BS9991 Code of Practice – Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Residential Buildings. Building regulations often refer to BS documents.
PAS 9980
BRE 135 – Related to cladding only.
What common deficiencies have you seen in terms of fire safety?
Most common is poorly implemented compartmentation, where batts are missing, incomplete, in concealed areas (West Heath Place)
Fire doors featuring missing or broken features (closers, strips etc)
What options do you have for fire-protecting structural steel?
Encase it in fire-resistant boxing or plasterboard, flexible blanket systems
Encapsulating it in intumescent coating, sprays, concrete
- What are ACMs in terms of fire protection?
Aluminium Composite Materials – have a polyethylene core filler that is combustible.
What is the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
Replaced 70 pieces of prior legislation.
ALL buildings EXCEPT individual homes (flats and houses).
Requires “designated person” to take measures to prevent fire and help escape. They must do:
- Fire Risk Assessment
- Have plans in event of emergency
- Review regularly
- Reduce risk as far as reasonably practical
Is not primary legislation as it is an ORDER not an ACT.
- Responsible Per-son
- FRA (review
Key words: - Commercial and communal- Responsible Per-son
- FRA (review
What is the Fire Safety Act 2021 (commenced May 2022)
Amends the RRO.
Increases obligations that “Responsible Persons” must manage and reduce risk of fire to external parts (cladding, balconies, windows), and entrance doors to flats.
RP can go to prison/be fined if not done.
Not height dependent!
Key words: - Responsible Person obligations
- FRA extent
- Prison
What is the Building Safety Act 2022 (commenced April 2022)
Protects leaseholders from ridiculous costs to make safe cladding tall buildings (over 18m, and 2+ resi units), caps costs for non-cladding defects.
Makes those responsible for building safety defects held to account.
3 new roles:
- Building Safety Regulator (run by HSE)
- National Regulator of Construction Products
- New Homes Ombudsman
Made changes to Defective Premises Act 1972 (6 to 15 / 30 years)
- Leaseholders
- New roles (BSR, NHO)
- Defect Premises timeframe
What building features can be put in place to help people with disabilities in the event of fire?
Fire-fighting or evacuation lift
“carry down” procedures
Refuge areas
Light as well as sound warning
Tell us about the training courses you have done on fire safety
CIOB CERTIFICATE IN FIRE SAFETEY.
Who should conduct an FRA, and what should their qualifications be?
A “competent person”, that is as far as the RRO goes.
Fire Safety Act goes into more detail:
- Simple buildings: building owner can do it
- Complex buildings: risk assessor/expert must do it. “UKAS” accredited
- 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 changed RRO so that client can be fined or even go to prison (2 years).
What are the principles of risk prevention?
Avoid risk
Remove risk
Replace risk
Minimise risk through technical means
Minimise risk through administration means
If all else fails, protection measures
What is the meaning of responsible person in terms of fire safety?
Anyone who has responsibility for the people/building under their control.
Eg. Employer, occupier, owner
What duties are there under the RRO?
Maintenance of the fire safety equipment/signage
Training and informing employees
- What are the main changes brought in by the FSA 2021?
- Extended requirements of RRO and Fire Risk Assessments to cover external cladding/walls, balconies, doors, windows, and internal entrance doors to flats
What assessment or services can be provided by surveyors to assist with Fire Safety Act?
- Client will need to review at external walls, and internal fire doors, and update
What qualifications are required to conduct a PAS 9980 – fire risk appraisal of external wall systems?
Buildings below 18m – surveyor can undertake this assessment if they have done the RICS EWS1 course.
Building above 18m – fire engineer would need to do it.
What have the government produced to assist the responsible person?
Fire Risk Assessment Prioritisation Tool
What info is required for the fire risk assessment tool?
- Building height
- Composition of external wall
- Most recent FRA
- Balcony, window details
- Number of staircases
- Evacuation strategy
- Fire safety systems
- Gives you a “risk rating” from “very low” to “high”
How does it do this?
- Makes those responsible for the building defects accountable
- Extends defective premises act from 6 to 15/30 years
- Protects leaseholders from extremely high rectification costs, gives them more power
- Introduced 3 new roles, inc. Building Safety Regulator as part of HSE
- Create and maintain register of Building Control approvers and inspectors
