Fire Safety Flashcards
What does The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 require?
To conduct Fire Risk Assessments of buildings.
How can fire spread in a building?
Risers, penetrations, walls and floors.
Can you name any early detection or fire suppressant?
Fire/smoke/void detection and sprinklers.
What is PAS 79?
provides best practice guidance for how to carry out fire risk assessments. It is published by the British Standards Institution. PAS stands for Publicly Available Specification; a ‘fast-track standardisation document’ developed by a steering group of key stakeholders.
What are the International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS)?
The IFSS were launched in November 2020 by a coalition of over 80 organisations, including RICS. The aim is to improve public confidence around the regulation and control of fire safety measures and to work towards globally consistent fire safety standards.
The common principles for fire safety applying to the building life cycle are; prevention, detection and communication, occupant protection, containment and extinguishment.
What is included in the RICS guide to Fire Safety Version 3?
common causes of fires, forward planning, fire escape basics, owner-occupied property and rented or shared accommodation.
What changes have been made to Approved Document B?
Amendments to Approved Document B (Fire Safety) of the Building Regulations took effect from 26 November 2020.
The key changes are:
Sprinklers must be provided in buildings over 11m in height, previously this was a minimum of 30m in height. Individual flats should have sprinklers installed;
BS9251 or BS EN 12845 are recommended when specifying sprinkler systems in flats;
Sprinklers are not required in fire sterile (i.e. there are no combustible materials) common areas
Consistent wayfinding signage should be provided for the fire service in flats with a top floor 11m above ground level. This should include floor level identification and information about the flats accessible from each floor;
If a building is being extended, the provisions above apply so that sprinkler protection and wayfinding signage are required in newly formed accommodation in buildings with a floor 11m or above from ground level
What is BS 9999?
BS 9999: Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings.
It details ways in which fire safety legislation can be complied with through a more flexible design approach. Approved Document B (Fire Safety) provides guidance about how the building regulations can be satisfied in common building situations, but these are not always applicable to more complex, larger building. BS 9999 takes a more holistic view of fire safety, allowing for compensatory measures to offset, for example, travel distances or escape door widths.
