Part B – Fire Safety

1. Part B – Fire Safety Technical Seminar by Sussex Building Control West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service

2. Programme • 11.00 Welcome – Martin Gentles • 11.15 Regulatory Reform Order 2005 • Mick Langley - WSFRS • 11.45 Part B – Dwellinghouses • Stephen Shorrocks • 12.15 Part B – Other buildings • David Starr • 12.45 Questions • 13.00 Lunch

3. Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 Mick Langley West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service

4. Dwellinghouses Stephen Shorrocks Sussex Building Control

5. Approved Document B • Two volumes • Volume 1: Dwellinghouses • Volume 2: Other buildings (including flats) • Why? • Easier for small builders and agents • Flats are often contained in complex buildings • Brings together all buildings covered by RRO

6. General • Approved Documents • Guidance only • Transitional arrangements • Full Plans application or Building Notice deposited before 6th April then new regulations do not apply

7. Residential sprinklers • Now recognised within the AD • Can reduce the risk to life and degree of damage • Can be used as a compensatory feature • Designed and installed in accordance with BS 9251: 2005 • Further guidance • Sprinklers for Safety: Use and Benefits of Incorporating Sprinklers in Buildings and Structures, BAFSA (2006)

8. Fire alarms • Material alterations • Where new habitable rooms are provided above ground floor • Whole house to be provided with smoke alarms • Standby power supply

9. Means of escape (1) • Ground floor • Escape via entrance hall • Inner rooms provided with egress windows or doors • First floor • Escape via stair and egress windows • Alternatively provide a protected stair

10. Means of escape (2) • Second floor • Escape via protected stair • No inner rooms allowed • Third floor • Escape via protected stair • Provide alternative escape or sprinklers • No inner rooms allowed

11. Loft conversions • Apply escape provision as new build • Example • Loft conversion to a two-storey house • Protect the stairway by providing fire resisting doors and partitions • Undesirable to replace doors? • Open-plan ground floor?

12. Self-closers • Fire doors within individual dwellinghouses do not require self-closing devices • Except door into an integral garage • Does not apply to a “House in Multiple Occupation” • Smoke seals

13. Inner-inner rooms • May be acceptable providing • Complies with inner room criteria • Not more than one door separates the room from an interlinked smoke alarm • None of the access rooms is a kitchen

14. Galleries • Provide alternative exit or egress window (first floor only), or • Comply with the following • Gallery should overlook at least 50% of the room below • Distance from the foot of the access stair and the door to the room should not exceed 3m • Distance from head of the access stair to any point on the gallery should not exceed 7.5m • Any cooking facilities within the room should be enclosed with fire resisting construction or positioned to not prejudice escape

15. Galleries

16. Escape windows • New guidance – dimensions stay the same • Locks • With or without removable keys • Stays must have a release catch which may be child resistant • Remain in open position without having to be held by person making escape • Replacement windows should be of the same size to that replaced or meet the minimum criteria

17. Other points • Attached garage • As an alternative to the 100mm step the floor should be laid to fall away from any access door to the outside. • Fire appliance access • For new dwellings there should be vehicle access to within 45m of all points within the dwelling

18. Other buildings David Starr Sussex Building Control

19. The aims of today • Background to changes. • Aims of the changes. • When will we be experts? • What will we want from you? • Discussion • Education

20. Government aims • For non-domestic buildings, the key changes include the introduction of a maximum unsprinklered compartment size for single storey warehouses, new guidance on residential care homes (including on the use of sprinklers) and a new requirement to ensure occupiers are made aware of their building's fire protection measures so as to assist with the preparation of fire risk assessments under the new Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order regime.  • It is important that provisions must be fully evidence-based and justified and are taken forward in a robust and efficient manner

21. Announced by the Government today. • “This package represents better, more focussed regulation that will deliver real benefits for both occupants and fire fighters alike. Indeed the review that led to the changes looked at fire safety in all types of premises including dwellings, residential care homes, public buildings and warehouses. It also considered the important role sprinklers and other types of fire protection measures may have, particularly in buildings where the occupants are most at risk from fire." 

22. General • Approved Document B: The Approved Document has been split into two volumes.  Volume 1 deals with dwellinghouses, Volume 2 deals with buildings other than dwellinghouses. • These replace the 2000 edition. • Fire Safety Information: A new Regulation(16B) has been introduced to ensure that sufficient information is recorded to assist the eventual owner/occupier/employer to meet their statutory duties under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.

23. Part B Volume 2 The main changes

24. Introduction and guidance pages • These have had the layout altered and information has been updated or added • Floor space factors – moved to appendix c • Guidance on design information required by BCB’sfire plans, management regimes • Water supply requirements for sprinkler systems. Page 11 section 0.18 • Inclusive design. Page 12 section 0.19

25. Introduction • Management of Premises: New guidance is given on the need to ensure that management regimes are realistic. RRO requirements, care homes, other 0.13 • Certification Schemes: Suitable schemes may be accepted by Building Control Bodies as evidence of compliance. Door sets, paint treatments. 0.15 • Residential Sprinklers: The use of sprinkler systems in accordance with BS 9251:2005 is recognised. 0.16 • Alternative Approaches • i. HTM 05 “Firecode” should be used for the design of hospitals and similar health care premises. 0.21-0.39doctors surgeries may be part B • ii. BB100 should be used for the design of schools.

26. B1 Section 1 • Fire Alarms in Flats: The guidance on smoke alarms in flats has been amended such that alarms should be installed in accordance with BS 5839- 6:2004. • Simple guidance has been retained, in the form of a commentary on this standard similar to a house • i. All smoke alarms should have a standby power supply. • i. Locks and child resistant safety stays may be provided on escape windows. • ii. New guidance has been provided on the provision of galleries and inner inner rooms.

27. B1 Section 2 • Means of escape: • Additional options of providing sprinkler protection and/or a protected stairway instead of alternative escape routes has been included for flats with more than one storey. 4 options • Guidance on the use of air circulation systems in flats with protected entrance halls or stairways is given. Ducts, grills and fire stopping 2.18 • The provisions for smoke control in the common areas of flats have been changed. 2.25-2.29

28. B1 Section 3 • Guidance on means of escape in buildings with open spatial planning has been included. Alternative exits, openings, diagram 14 • A method has been provided for calculating acceptable final exit widths for merging escape routes at ground floor level. Diagram 15 and formula • Guidance on the provision of cavity barriers associated with subdivided corridors has been moved to Section 3 and clarified. Diagram 16 • Fire Alarms: The guidance for buildings other than dwellings has been updated to take account of the 2002 edition of BS 5839-1.

29. B1 Section 3 • Guidance applicable to small premises, previously in BS 5588-11, has been incorporated into the text. Number and Position of stairs • New guidance on the design of residential care homes has been given--- including the use of sprinklers and/or free swing door closing devices. Greater flexibility is also given where sprinkler systems are provided.

30. Sections 4 and 5 • In tall a building with phased evacuation consideration needs to be given to the interaction of fire fighters with people attempting to evacuate the building.4.27 • More detailed guidance has been provided on the protection of ventilation systems.5.46 • Guidance on means of escape for disabled people has been incorporated in the general guidance on means of escape. Provision of refuges, communication, steps at final exits 4.7 4.14

31. B3Section 8 • Compartment Walls: The predicted deflection of a floor, in the event of a fire, should be accommodated in the design of compartment walls.8.27 • Sprinkler protection in flats: Sprinkler systems should be provided in blocks of flats exceeding 30m in height.8.14 • Warehouses: A maximum compartment size has been introduced for unsprinklered single storey warehouse buildings. 8.18 table 12

32. B3 Section 9 and 10 • Concealed Spaces: This section has been completely restructured. Table 13 (AD B 2000) has now been incorporated into the text to reduce confusion. Cavity barriers in floor voids see below 9.1-9.16 • Openings: Window and door frames should only be regarded as cavity barriers if they are constructed of steel or timber of an appropriate thickness. New products may be required 9.3 • Under Floor Voids: Extensive cavities in floor voids should be subdivided with cavity barriers. diagram 33 • Fire dampers: Guidance on the specification and installation of fire dampers has been provided. Position, type and BS 10.11-10.15

33. B3 Section 11 • Car Parks: Non combustible materials should be used in the construction of a car park for it to be regarded as ‘open sided’ for the purposes of establishing the necessary period of fire resistance. Other car parks should achieve the standard period of fire resistance.11.3-11.4

34. B4Section 13 and 14 • Notional Boundaries: Space separation should be considered where more than one building is on the same site but operated by different ‘organisations’. 13.6 diagram 42 • Roof Coverings: The guidance on roof coverings incorporates the new European system of classification set out in BS EN 13501-5:2005. class t4 table 16 • Materials passing over a compartment wall

35. B5Section 15,16 and 17 • Private Hydrants: A building with a compartment of 280m2 or more, constructed more than 100m from a highway, should be provided with suitable fire hydrants. • Vehicle Access: There should be access for a pump appliance to within 45m of all points within a dwelling or a suitable fire main should be provided 16.2 • Firefighting Shafts: Assembly buildings with a floor exceeding 900m2, with a floor over 7.5m above ground level, should be provided with firefighting shafts. • Hose distances: In unsprinklered buildings every part of every storey over 18m in height should be within 45m of a fire main outlet.

36. Appendix B • Self-Closing Devices: Fire doors within flats need not be provided with self-closing devices. Fire doors

37. Appendix C • Occupant capacity: The floor space factors table has been updated and moved to this Appendix. • Door width: The method of measurement for door width has been changed to align with Approved Document M. • Smoke ventilators: Guidance is given on the measurement of free area for smoke ventilators.

38. Appendix G • Fire Safety Information: This new Appendix provides guidance on the new requirement for fire safety information to be recorded and passed on to the ‘responsible’ person. • Simple and Complex buildings • As built drawings • Fire safety strategy • A note will be required as to how the information is going to be provided

39. Summary • Fire safety information • Door width measurement • Self-closing devices • Hose run distances • Notional boundaries • Roof coverings • Compartment walls (deflection)

40. Summary • Escape for disabled people • Care homes • Use of sprinklers • Smoke alarms • Management of premises

41. Thank you for attending Questions?