Fire safety

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As a Homeowner, ensuring your house meets all of the local fire and safety regulations is a critical aspect of protecting the lives of your family. This also applies to your belongings and property as a whole, which can be a substantial loss particularly when items with sentimental value are lost.

There are numerous fire safety precautions that you can implement in any building with no extra cost, giving you further peace of mind in the event of an emergency;

Having an evacuation plan in place and ensuring everyone in the home is aware of what to do in an emergency.

Installing and maintaining a fire or smoke detector system, ensuring this is tested and confirmed working on a regular basis.

Having the correct precautions in place around your home (Fire extinguishers or fire blankets) where they may be required.

Some examples of typical renovations within homes that cause a change in fire safety strategy can be as follows:

A significant change to the size of interior rooms along with the change to open plan living.

Additional changes that may restrict access to living space and obstruct pre-defined escape routes.

Additional rooms added to the property or excess space being converted to living space.

Failure to follow fire safety regulations can result in your local fire and rescue authorities ordering changes to your structure and/or potential fines.

Therefore, if you are planning a renovation or addition to your home that you believe may be in violation of the fire safety regulations, Our comprehensive regulations list below can help you determine if you need to consider additional fire safety equipment in your home.

Fire safety within a care home is of the utmost importance due to the vulnerable nature of residents that live inside. Its highly likely that the residents will have various health conditions that may restrict mobility, making it difficult for them to evacuate swiftly and safely in the event of an emergency.

If you own or work in a care home within the UK, fire safety is not to be taken lightly. According to the London Fire Brigade, the majority of fires in a residential care home are usually caused by the following:

Incidents whilst cooking

Kitchen appliances

Smoking-related incidents

When putting together a plan, it’s important to consider the most common fire risks in a care home:

Any electrical equipment brought into the care home should be inspected and tested to ensure it is safe to use.

This should apply to all devices, whether this is something personal the resident has brought, or devices provided by the care home staff or management.

Higher smoking rates among older residents can pose a fire risk due to the improper disposal of cigarettes and lack of monitoring when it comes to the location of residents smoking.

Another common risk within a care home can be fire doors being left open or propped open to aid residents in getting around the home.

If the fire door is left open, this can cause a huge risk in the event of a fire.

Coming up with a fire safety plan can highlight any potential risks and minimise these through regular checks, leading to a much safer environment for the residents to live in.

Additionally, Fire safety guidelines require residents in care homes to be evacuated within good time in a safe manner. All of these factors are taken into account to determine the level of fire protection needed to ensure the safety of the residents.

If it is deemed through regulation that additional fire protection is required, It is recommended to look at a fire suppression system. This can greatly reduce the risk towards residents in the case of an emergency.

To help with your project, we have listed the regulations on when a fire suppression system is required below. However, if you have any questions about fire regulations for your specific project, please get in touch and we will be happy to help you.

Fire safety in a rented establishment is a critical concern for both the tenant and the landlord. Ensuring the safety of residents and protecting your property from hazards are shared responsibilities that require proactive and preventative measures.

For some, having a fire safety plan in place with a shared understanding of the risks between the landlord and tenant can be enough. With fire safety being a legal requirement as well as being heavily regulated, It is best to fully understand the requirements and ensure your building is able to pass a fire safety check.

With HMO’s (house in multiple occupation) the likelihood for additional fire safety equipment is higher due to a number of different factors:

Having a larger number of tenants will usually mean more fire safety measures are required, ensuring everyone can evacuate in a safe manor in the event of a fire.

The overall size of the building is taken into account with how quickly a fire can spread and the available evacuation routes that are accessible in the event of a fire.

Depending on the layout of the home, there may be specific escape routes that are required along with firewalls or doors to slow the spread of fire. A typical layout that usually requires extra fire safety measures are open-plan living spaces like those found in many flats in the UK.

These are just a handful of factors that are assessed for fire safety in a rented establishment. Getting up to speed and familiarising yourself with fire safety practices is something we recommend for both tenants and landlords to ensure a safe environment for all parties involved.

Below, we go into further detail about what you can do to ensure your rented establishment is fire safe and follows the up-to-date UK regulations for fire safety.

As a tenant, your role in fire safety is to have a good understanding of the current systems that are in place, how these systems operate and how to spot a potential hazard. As the Landlord will not usually be on-site, any issues are to be reported to the landlord directly if any hazards arise.

For instance, if a faulty fire alarm is detected, this is required to be reported right away to ensure your fire safety systems are fully operational in the event of an incident.

A few of the main responsibilities that you have as a tenant are as follows:

As well as good practise, It is best to check out the local building regulations to ensure that your rented accommodation is up to date and compliant with any regulations.

If your rented accommodation has recently been renovated or updated, it’s possible that new fire safety equipment is required.

Some of the most typical renovations that may require new safety equipment are listed below:

A significant change to the size of interior rooms along with the change to open plan living.

Additional changes that may restrict access to living space and obstruct pre-defined escape routes.

Additional rooms added to the property or excess space being converted to living space.

If there have not been any changes that you are aware of, it is still recommended to make yourself familiar with the regulations as it is possible the building you are renting does not currently meet the regulations in place.

If you believe this to be the case, get in touch with us for further information about your concerns as this is paramount along with informing your landlord about the issues so this can be acted on.

When managing a rented establishment, it is of the utmost importance to ensure that the fire safety equipment is installed correctly and maintained throughout the property.

When a hazard is reported by the tenants, the issue must be resolved promptly to ensure the fire safety equipment is working at all times, reducing the risk of fire.

Some of the responsibilities of fire safety for a landlord of rented accommodation can consist of the following:

Whilst maintenance and periodic checks can help prevent a fire in the home, it’s possible that your building requires a fire suppression system depending on the regulations in your area. It is our recommendation to get up to speed fully with the regulations around fire safety to check if a fire suppression system is required in your building.

Not only is it recommended that the building follows regulations, but it can also lead to serious consequences if the regulations are not followed:

The insurance you take out for your rented accommodation will require specific rules to be followed. This will include the accommodation being fully compliant with the building control regulations. Failure to do so could mean your building and contents are not insured in the event of a fire.

Fire safety is a legal requirement for buildings in the UK to follow. If a home is not compliant with local regulations, this could lead to legal fines or possible imprisonment depending on the severity.

If fire safety regulations are not followed and this poses a serious risk to life, local authorities have the power to close the premises. If this is carried out, the building will need the necessary work completed and checked for it to be re-opened for use.

For rented establishments, the regulations often apply for a fire suppression system to be installed. We highly recommend getting up to speed with the regulations and checking your building is compliant, ensuring the highest level of safety for the lives of your tenants and the property itself.

Here at The Fire Suppression Company, we offer many different services including the commission of our fire suppression systems within new buildings. During construction of the building is the best time to incorporate our systems to minimise damage to the property during installation.

To do this, our team will consult with you throughout the process of the project and plan the installation within your timescales, ensuring we are not holding up the project in any way. When planning a building, Fire safety should be kept at the forefront of your mind as the layout of the building would determine where different firewalls or doors would go.

This can also be a great time to consider the use of a fire suppression system as the possibilities within the design of the room plans can be greatly opened up whilst being in compliance with UK regulation.

If a fire suppression system is installed, multiple options are opened up for the layout of the building including:

Open plan living – The need for firewalls and fire doors are reduced with the installation of a fire suppression system.

Access to more living spaces – Including loft and basement dwellings, larger extensions and more access to

Planning the building around the fire suppression system is very beneficial to ensure that the installation is seamless, we can also ensure that the architecture and decor are designed with the fire suppression system in mind so specific faceplates can be chosen as well as designing the system with more efficient runs of tubing inside of the walls where possible.

It is also important to ensure the installation of a fire suppression system is planned and installed professionally in accordance with British Standards.

To begin this process, please get in touch and we can get to work on your project without any further delays!