Introduction to Fire Safety Management

Introduction to Fire Safety Management
216
Table 9.11 Typical actions required to maintain the means of escape
Item Action Example of
time period
Escape routes Check that all escape routes are clear and free from Daily/weekly
obstruction and combustion storage.
Fire doors Check fi re doors are in a good state of repair and are not Daily/weekly
being compromised by being wedged open.
Check that the operation of fi re doors that are held open Monthly
with automatic mechanisms operate correctly.
Fire exit doors Check that all doors that are required to open to provide Monthly
emergency egress operate correctly.
Emergency Check the signage is in place and has not been obstructed 3 monthly
signage by alterations in the layout of the building or its contents.
Escape lighting Check the operation of the emergency escape lighting. 3 monthly
Training Train staff and visitors to make them aware of their When necessary
responsibilities not to negate the means of escape, for for visitors. On
example not wedging fi re doors open or blocking fi re exits. induction and
annually for staff
Competent testing Establish and manage a system whereby all engineered Annually
and inspection aspects that support the means of escape, e.g. emergency
lighting is periodically inspected and tested by demonstrably
competent persons.
Control of Establish and manage a system whereby any work At all relevant
building works conducted by in-house staff or contractors does not:
➤ Negate the means of escape during the course
of the building works
➤ Result in breaches of the fi re compartmentation
times
9.5.11 Management actions required to maintain
means of escape
Persons responsible for fi re safety within buildings will
need to ensure that the means of escape within their
area of responsibility is maintained so as to be available
at the time when it is required.
It is normal for the elements that comprise the
means of escape of a building to form part of a more
comprehensive fi re safety management system. A comprehensive
system will include the competent testing of
fi re safety systems including systems that detect and
give warning of fi re.
Table 9.11 outlines those actions that managers and
responsible persons will need to ensure occur together
with examples of typical time frames.
9.5.12 Fixed fi re fi ghting systems
Fixed fi re fi ghting systems (FFS) provide active protection
for a building, its contents and occupants. There
have been some notable incidents where the fi xed fi re
fi ghting system in a building has been extremely successful
in controlling and extinguishing a fi re that the fi re
service has not been able to deal with.
At the design stage architects may consider the
provision for FFS as a compensatory feature to provide
additional protection to a large space or vulnerable part
of a building. FFS are occasionally ‘retro’ fi tted to existing
buildings to mitigate a historic weakness or reduce the
perceived fi re risk of a change of use or circumstance.
The benefi ts of providing active FFS include:
➤ Increased size of compartments permitted under the
Building Regulations
➤ Reduced insurance premiums
➤ High levels of protection for valuable assets, i.e.
building fabric or contents
➤ Increased life safety.
The question of whether a fi re suppression system such
as sprinklers should be fi tted will depend on several